Best smartwatch 2015

Best Smartwatch 2015 title cannot be given to a specific model, but with the information we have, the following gadgets will be among the finalists

It is difficult to say which one will get “The best smartwatch 2015” title especially for 2 main reasons: one is the fact that even though we know more or less what are the watches that will come out this year, the year is not over yet and surprises can appear along the way. The second reason why an exact winner is out of the question is the fact that different gadgets fulfill different purposes and have different designs. Whilst a specific model can be perfect from my point of view it can be shitty from your point of view. Who gets the title “The best smartwatch 2015” is up to you to decide, I am only providing the information so you can make an informed decision.

Best Smartwatch 2015

Pebble Steel

An interesting alternative to the Android Wear on the market. This model looks better than the previous Pebble with a more compact and premium feel. Some of its biggest advantages are the battery life (7 days) and the fact that can be connected to Android and iOS smartphone. These are big advantages compared with some of its competitors. The watch is waterproof as it withstands 5ATM according to its manufacturers. Another important feature for this brand is the 4000+ app data base. Until now everything seems OK, but what are its drawbacks. Well, it’s not cheap, for $198 you can buy an Android smartwatch that has that incredible colored touch screen and a lot more functions than the Pebble. Also the Androids are not limited by the stupid rule that you can have only 8 apps installed at a time.

LG G Watch R

The LG G Watch was one of the first smartwatches on the market. The new model has an R in its name that comes from the round shape of the smartwatch. The watch was designed as competitor to the Moto 360. With a price tag of $300 it was the most expensive Android wear device on the market. Now you can find it for example on Amazon starting at around $273. Is this price justified? Some say that it is.
As we are speaking about wrist watches the design is really important and it can make a big difference when deciding between one model or another. The fat is that the LG G Watch R is the one that resembles more to a real watch than any other competitors. Although at first glance it appears bigger than its direct competitor, the Moto 360, in reality it really isn’t and a simple measurement can easily prove it. The watch has a 410 mAh battery that can last more than 3 days, which is in my opinion a big advantage compared to the others smartwatches presented here.  The overall experience it is better than on the Moto 360 and than on the most android watches presented here. The main disadvantage here can be the size of the device, as the LG G Watch R is quite big for a lady’s wrist. I guess that Apple really nailed it here launching double display sizes for its Apple Watch.

Apple Watch

The Apple Watch is an Apple product. It looks OK and it gives you a premium feeling. The fact that it does come in 2 different sizes is an advantage that the competition lacks. It comes with NFC technology that allows the smartwatch to be used with the new Apple Pay technology. The watch introduces some new features, like the heart beat message that you can send to your friends or the instant drawing, but only time will tell how useful can these be. On the other hand on the features department it brings nothing out of the ordinary, it even lacks some of the functions that some of its Android counterparts have (like a GPS or a camera). Another disadvantage could be the fact that it can connect only with an IPhone (although the majority of the smartwatches out there have only one OS that they are compatible with). Taking into account how cheap is memory right now, the fact that Apple lets you play only with 2GB of storage no matter what model you choose is kind of disappointing (this is no matter what version you order the $349 or the $10000). Bottom line, a beautiful watch with one major disadvantage, its price.

Moto 360

Although the Moto 360 is not one of the latest addition on the Android Wear market, it’s still kind of a reference for its competitors. It’s the first smartwatch that came out with a round display (320p x 290p, 205 ppi). The smartwatch syncs with any Android smartphone that runs Android 4.3 of higher. It has wireless charging with wireless dock included. It has available 4GB of space for storage and a 320 mAh battery that is supposed to last one day of medium usage. Unfortunately that means that you will have to charge your watch every night. Despite its battery life and the fact that some users could consider it too big it is one of the best smartwatches available out there.

Samsung Gear 2

The new addition to the Samsung family of smartwatches is the Samsung Gear 2. It looks cool and it has a lot of functions. it can be used as a remote control camera, it can take pictures and videos by itself, it can be used as a fitness tool as well as a music player. It complies with the current requirements for a smart watch, heaving a little more features than its counterparts. Battery life for the Samsung Gear 2 should be 2 days of medium usage, having a 300mAh battery. The available storage for the smartwatch is 4GB. A plus for the Gear 2 is its IR sensor that allows the watch to be used also as a remote for your TV.  The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 is a great smartwatch if you really need or want all the features that it provides, if not, due to its price you could find better solutions elsewhere.

Alcatel Onetouch Watch

Although it is similar to the Moto 360 it is not the same thing. The Alcatel Onetouch Watch can connect to both Android and iOS devices, has NFC integrated and has the following sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Altimeter, Heart rate sensor and E-compass. You can also use the smartwatch for taking remote photos or to control media content on your smartphone. The exact characteristics are not clear yet but there are some rumors that its battery will last 3 days without charging. Another cool feature is the fact that you don’t need cables for charging, the process is done through a normal USB port located into the wristband.

Samsung Gear S

The Samsung Gear S is a superb smartwatch. It differentiates itself  from the other models out there as it can be used as an independent device, having his own 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity along with full telephony support. Although it can be independent from your Smartphone, this feature has its drawbacks as you will need a independent data plan for that. The smartwatch looks and feels great. The amazing 2 inch curved Super Amoled screen has a 360 x 480 pixels (300 ppi pixel density), it weighs about 67 g, it has a 300 mAh battery that is doubled by a portable charger that has another 300mAh ready to serve you whenever is necessary, it is IP67 certified (water and dust proof up to 1m for a duration of 30 min), it has an A-GPS with GLONASS, Bluetooth v4.1, Accelerometer, Gyro, proximity, compass, heart rate, barometer, UV light sensors. The smartwatch has anything you need and more, the only thing that it lacks is a camera that is not fitted as I guess they run out space. All these features bite hard on the battery life of the smartwatch, as the Gear S is able to be fully functional only for 24h.

Sony Smartwatch 3

The Sony Smartwatch 3 is not the most beautiful smartwatch out there, although beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It does have at least one feature that makes it step in front of the crowd. It has a built in GPS receiver. That means that you can track your runs without having your smartphone with you. Another feature is the IP 68 water and dust protection. The majority of the competitors have the IP 67, which means that you can submerge your phone in 1m water for 30 min. The IP68 doubles those digits, meaning that you could use your smartwatch even for swimming.  The smartwatch has a 4GB storage capacity for your music and pictures. Although it packs the biggest battery (420 mAh) its autonomy is not that great, lasting only 2 days. For those of you that really need a heart rate sensor, the Sony Smartwatch 3 is a disappointment as it doesn’t have one. As a conclusion, if a GPS integrated is a must have than this is the watch for you.

Asus Zen Watch

This is an interesting and elegant smartwatch. It works also based on the Android operating system like almost every smartwatch out there. It has Gorilla glass 3 as a protection for its 320 x 320p , 278ppi display. The OLED screen provides the watch with a slightly larger battery life and is supposed to last 2 days, although if it is under heavy usage you will have to charge it every night in order not to have a dead watch on your wrist the second day. A nice feature of the watch is the remote camera, that can turn your watch into a live readout of your phone’s camera. The watch has a capacitive heart sensor that requires the user to use two fingers in order to get a readout. Although the reading seems a little more complicated than on other Android wear, the reading is more accurate in the case of the Asus Zenwatch.

Vector Watch

Not a lot of people know about Vector. This is a new smartwatch company founded by Timex and Nike. Their first smartwatches are not yet on the market, but they will be soon and I think that they must be mentioned here based on 2 important aspects: design and battery life. The expected smartwatch is supposed to have a month-long battery life with every charge. They managed this by removing irrelevant notifications and only providing the most important information to your smartwatch. That extremely long battery life is made possible by combining a monochrome memory LCD screen with a low-power custom OS. The beautiful thing is the fact that the smartwatch will be compatible with Android, Apple and Windows devices. The device will also make use of the IFTTT function (If This Then That) that will allow its users to program their smartwatches according to their needs. The expected prices will be $199 for the Meridian and $349 for the Luna. As there is not too many information on the new smartwatch we will just have to wait and see.