Mehul DasApr 14, 2022 13:53:32 IST
The wearable tech space is going to heat up massively this year. On the budget end of the spectrum, we have a number of players who are fighting it out to consolidate a major chunk of the market share. On the opposite end, the premium end of the spectrum, we have a number of established players in the form of Apple, Samsung and Fitbit, all set to strengthen their hold. With Google all set to launch their Pixel watch, the space is only going to get exciting.
We take a look at some of the smartwatches that we will see from the big tech players, namely Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and Google.
The Numerous Iterations Of The Apple Watch
The mainstay release in the wearable tech industry this year is going to be the Apple Watch Series 8 with watchOS 9. There is also a very strong possibility that Apple will release the Apple Watch SE 2, the more budget-oriented offering from the Cupertino based giant.
Another watch that is in the pipeline is the Apple Watch Explorer Edition. This is going to be a more robust and sturdy version of the Apple Watch and will come equipped with better water and dust resistance and a more robust surface.
As for any tech upgrade, there were speculations that Apple will finally add a blood pressure monitoring system to their watches, but that is highly unlikely for this year.
Google Pixel Watch
Render Of Google Pixel Watch by Renders By Ian
Google has had a tough time when it comes to wearables, to the extent where they have had to kill of projects in which they had invested heavily. However, while most of those projects were somewhat rushed, Google has been working on the Pixel Watch for quite some time now. The first rumours of such a smartwatch started going around back in 2018.
Some leaks suggest that the Pixel watch will come with 32 GB flash storage and will also support cellular support.
As of now, there are no reliable leaks about neither the design nor the feature sets that the watch might have. However, given that Google is basically starting with a clean slate, one can expect the Pixel Watch to be expensive and go toe to toe with the Apple Watch Series 8.
The New Fitbit
2022 will also see a new Fitbit being launched. Given that Fitbit was acquired by Google in 2021, we can expect that a lot of the features flow between Fitbits and Google Pixel watches. This will also be the first time that a Fitbit will be launched with the WearOS, a pain point for a lot of people who were looking for a premium smartwatch. So far, Fitbit had stayed away from Wear OS, which made smartphone integrations rather tricky.
Samsung Galaxy Watch
This year we will see Samsung release the Galaxy Watch 5, with the latest Wear OS. Up until now, the South Korean tech giant has never missed an annual update to its smartwatch. There are rumours that there will be 3 variants of the watch, one of which will be targeted toward people with a more active lifestyle. This particular watch will have better water and dust resistance. As always, watches from Samsung will be launched in a number of sizes and colours.
For people who have already bought into the Apple ecosystem, and who are looking to upgrade their smartwatch, there aren’t many alternatives to choose from. However, for people on the Android side of the aisle, there are some pretty compelling offerings lined up.