Best smartwatches 2015
What's the best smartwatch?
The 10 best smartwatches you can buy today - best smartwatch reviews, best wearable tech reviews
Best smartwatch 2015: Why do I need a smartwatch?
There's an interesting theory that smartwatches are to the smartphone what wristwatches were to the pocket watch. Picture the way the average gentlemen used to have to rummage through his pocket for his watch prior to the 20th century - now skip forward 100+ years and the average smartphone user still has to dive into his/her pocket to check their phone. Read: The best smartphones: The best phone you can buy in 2016.
The kicker now is that your smartphone holds far more information than a pocket watch ever did, yet all of which is still locked into your pocket. The theory behind smartwatches is not for you to make calls with and speak into, like Inspector Gadget, but instead they provide a quick and easy way to check what notifications are on your smartphone, so you can decide whether it's worth delving into your pocket or searching around your bag to fetch your smartphone or not.
Best smartwatch 2015: What makes a good smartwatch?
So when testing for what is the best smartwatch, the important factors to consider are how much of your smartphone's functionalities can it perform, and how well does it handle each task, the final attribute is obviously style - it's still bling after all.
You'll also want to make sure it's compatible with your smartphone - some are only for iPhone or Android while others support most phones. Note that Android Wear now has iOS support but the experience is cut down in comparison. Some smartwatches use different software such as the Gear S2 which runs Tizen, Samsung's own OS - it's a legitimate alternative to Android Wear
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As is stands, you'll need to pick a watch with more limited functionality if you want long battery life while ones which can do all sorts will typically last a couple of days. Fitness fans will want to look for a device with a heart rate monitor and built-in GPS, although the heart rate monitors are often poor.
We consider the important factors of a smartwatch to be level of notification detail, battery life, style, water resistance, compatibility with a range of devices/smartphones, plus additional features such as microphones Wi-Fi support so you don't have to connect to a phone for full functionality.
With very similar, if not identical, hardware on offer with many of the Android Wear smartwatches, a large part of the decision will come down to design and price.
Best smartwatches 2015
10. Samsung Gear 2
The Samsung Gear 2 is a stylish smartwatch packed with features but has limited appeal due to small list of compatible devices. It's still too bulky and many of those features don't work well or are unnecessary. Then there's the high price tag which means unless what the Gear 2 has to offer is genuinely what you want a smartwatch for, you'll be better off elsewhere.
9. Sony SmartWatch 2
Sony SmartWatch 2 is a good value for money smart watch. It improves on the original version in key areas such as design, battery life and showing the time. With plenty of apps to download and use, there's lots of functionality too.
8. LG G Watch
The LG G Watch is the best smartwatch we've reviewed so far, partly due to the affordable price tag and the excellent, albeit not flawless, Android Wear system. You will need a device with Android 4.3 or later, though. The design of the G Watch doesn't wow so check out the Gear Live and the upcoming Moto 360.
7. Apple Watch
We can't help but think that Apple has tried to do too much with this first generation Apple Watch. There are so many ways of interacting with it and so many different features and elements to get used to that the learning curve is surprisingly steep. It takes a lot of getting used to, and at times it feels counter-intuitive, something we're not use to with Apple devices.
That's why we'd struggle to recommend spending the £299 or more it'll cost you to buy this smartwatch. As is often the case, waiting for the second generation of the Apple Watch is likely to be a wise move, because Apple is going to learn a lot from this first generation smartwatch and from the customers and fans that are using it.
6. Microsoft Band 2
It is very difficult to score the Band 2, because it is such a specific product with a unique feature set. But let's unpack it: it is definitely good value, as the combination of sensors and features is much greater than any comparable product at this price. And it is well made if not the last word in elegance, nor with perfect battery life. If you are looking for a GPS runner's or cyclist's watch it is a good one at a good price, and it also offers the productivity and sleep tracking. And if you want a smartwatch you will like what the Band 2 does, but you may hanker after the ability to compose and send messages. Simply, I don't. I like to wear my dumb watch, and I like for my phone to stay in my pocket rather than on my wrist. So for me the Band 2 is a winner.
5. Sony SmartWatch 3
The SmartWatch 3's biggest strength is its built-in GPS, but you'll still need a smartphone for driving directions. It's also great to see a standard USB charging port. The transflective screen is a good idea, but in practice battery life is no better than other smartwatches with better-looking screens. Ultimately, unless you're on a fixed budget, the G Watch R is the better choice. If you can't afford that, wait a few months: the price is bound to drop.
4. Samsung Gear S2
Based on our time with the Samsung Gear S2, we think it's a sleek smartwatch with an attractive design. It offers fairly standard smartwatch features like fitness tracking, but also includes some rather interesting features including a rotating bezel used for navigating the UI and enhanced app capabilities. At £249, it sits itself alongside the likes of the Moto 360 2, and we think the Gear S2 is a great, if not better option for Android users – especially with a custom, intuitive UI.
3. Motorola Moto 360 2
The new 2nd-generation Moto 360 is a decent smartwatch offering excellent build quality and hardware. The value is good if you avoid the extras on the Moto Maker but they are hard to resist. Battery life is fairly good and performance too apart from the odd moment. All of this is leading to a whole hearted recommendation, if only Motorola had made the one change we wanted – removing that flat tyre from the display. As much as we like the Moto 360, it's hard to look past this, as small as it may seem.
2. Huawei Watch
At a lower price, the Huawei Watch would be the best Android Wear smartwatch on the market but it's a little too much for our liking. Although it's absolutely stunning and the build quality is exquisite, the watch lacks GPS, the heart rate monitor doesn't work very well and the charger is fiddly.
1. LG Watch R
Quite rightly, LG has decided to launch a round screen version of its first Android Wear device in the form of the G Watch R. It adds much needed style and class to the smartwatch and has an excellent round screen which doesn't have a section missing. It's a shame that it's more expensive than the Moto 360 but if you're going to spend £200, £25 isn't much extra. As long as you like the design of it over the Moto 360 which is down to personal taste.
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