With more and more smartwatches hitting the mainstream, the future looks bright for the wearable tech market. From mega brands like Apple, Goole, Samsung and Sony to lesser known tech start ups, here are the best 10 smartwatches to look out for in 2017.
Google’s Smartwatch: The Angelfish and the Swordfish
As Google has unveiled Google Version 7.0 (also known as Nougat), they have some new devices to go with it. This is the new Pixel series, ready to replace the Nexus series. There will also be some new smartwatches like the ones code-named Angelfish and Swordfish.
It is expected that the Angelfish will measure 43.5 mm in diameter, with the Swordfish at 42 mm, and it will be thicker as well. Angelfish is expected to have more buttons, while the Swordfish is planned to have only one. Expect both of these Google branded smartwatches sometime in the first quarter of 2017, with Android Wear 2.0, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 chip, and 4 to 8 GB of storage.
Samsung Galaxy Gear S4
Samsung will definitely need something to recover after the disaster of the Note 7 recall, and perhaps the sales of the upcoming Galaxy Gear S4 smartwatch will recover that. Considering that the Samsung S3 has just become available for pre-order in certain countries, the Gear S4 won’t be showing up until later 2017. It is expected that the G4 will have an Exynos 7 Dual 7270 hardware inside, a 4G LTE modem, a thinner model than the Gear S3.
The OnePlus Smartwatch
There is not a lot known about the OnePlus smartwatch, other than it might exist by 2017. OnePlus has denied that they are even making this smartwatch, but it could launch with the OnePlus 4 as a companion device. If you are not familiar with the OnePlus, it is quite a smartphone
The Moto 360 (4th Generation)
Like the Samsung Gear S4, this one is tough to talk about because Motorola has not revealed the 3rd Generation of the Moto 360. So right now, there is a blank space for the 2016 edition of Motorola’s version of the smartwatch, but it is predicted on Moto Developers that the G3 will have a 1.40 inch display (420 x 360 resolution), 630 mAh battery, 1GB DDR3 RAM, LTE support, so the G4 should have something similar and more advanced than that. If it does show up in 2017, we will find out the exact specs.
Sony SmartWatch 4
Apparently, Sony’s Smartwatch 3 was quite a big success for the company, and it just seems obvious that a SmartWatch 4 would be on the horizon. However, it doesn’t really mean that they are going to have it, but if it happens sometime in 2017, it will have a more accurate GPS, better Android Pay option, and a built-in speaker.
Huawei Watch 2
It sounds like Huawei had a hit with their watch, and there are reports that the next CES (in January 2017) will have the Huawei Watch 2. There is a possibility of 4G, and it can apparently operate independently from your smartphone. We don’t have the other specs, but it looks like the Huawei Watch 2 will be happening a lot sooner than all the other smartwatches on this list.
Asus ZenWatch 4
This is another smartwatch that probably shouldn’t be talked about at this time, because the Asus ZenWatch 3 still has not been released as yet. A report from Wareable states that the ZenWatch 3 will have a 400 x 400 AMOLED screen into a 1.39 inch case in rose gold, gunmetal, and silver. That will have will be released in November, which would mean that the Asus ZenWatch 4 should be out by the end of 2017.
HTC Smartwatch
Like the OnePlus watch, this is another one of those devices that may or may not ever exist. There were rumors that it would be showing up in April, and then show up possibly in June. None of those ever happened, so what is the deal? The issue is this is one smartwatch we might never see, but HTC could use a foray into the smartwatch market with only mediocre sales on its smartphones.
Pebble Time 3
This is another one of those watches where it is too early to talk about a sequel when the next in the series hasn’t been revealed yet. We know that the Pebble Time 2 has an e-paper display with 228 x 200 1.5 inch diagonal. There is a microphone for voice notes and replies, and it will have ARM Cortex M7 processor. The Pebble Time 2 should be available in November this year, which means that Pebble Time 3 is coming in late 2017.
Apple Watch 3
This is another one that a lot of Apple fans will be watching for, but there might not be an Apple Watch 3 in 2017. Like most Apple products, there are a lot of rumors about what it will have. A report from Vine Report states that there could be some revolutionary technology in the wrist.
That is, it might be possible that the user of the Apple Watch 3 could just flick their wrist in a certain manner and have some cool app happen. If Apple can make that happen, then you had better believe that all the other smartwatch companies that we listed above will imitate it, and it could revolutionize the smartwatch industry as we know it.
Whatever your taste, you’re guaranteed to find a smartwatch to fit in 2017.
