 |
| source// tekrevue.com |
For true fanboys, expanding the Apple armoury to include an on-wrist iPhone extension is a must. Resplendent in its aluminium casing, the Apple Watch’s combination of a sapphire glass screen, Force Touch tech and a digital crown for deft navigation makes it quite the sublime smartwatch.
It is, though, not for everyone: even the most basic model will set you back a fair whack (upwards of £250), whilst the Watch is little more than an attractive on-arm accessory if you don’t have your iPhone nearby, being far from a standalone ticker.
What alternatives are there for those in the market for a wrist-based iPhone buddy? Plenty, it turns out. From sports-focussed fitness bands to sleek-in-steel smartwatches, there’s a veritable sackful of Watch substitutes out there for iPhone owners.
Sure, they won’t have quite the same level of innate integration offered by a device – the Watch – which exists within Apple’s highly exclusive software ecosystem, but what they lack in premium pairing they more than make up for in style, substance and nifty cross-platform features.
After a fancy band without the Apple brand? Look no further.
8. Microsoft Band 2
RRP: £199
More sports band than smartwatch, the Microsoft Band 2 is still a stellar alternative to the Apple Watch.
Weighing in at £200, it’s not far off the Cupertino solution to end-of-the-arm communication – but it offers a sweat-focussed feature set to leave Apple’s ticker swearing at the start line.
In fact, the Band 2’s biggest fault is its attempt to be smarter than it is. Sure, it offers email alerts and ancillary apps, but don’t be under any illusions: this a smart sports strap through and through.
Slimmer than the first Band iteration and carrying a cell hefty enough to ape the Apple Watch’s battery life by an entire day, Microsoft’s movement machine packs 11 sensors inside its silicon shell – including optical heart rate, skin temperature and UV monitors – behind a 320 x 128 pixel AMOLED display.
With sport-specific app options and the highly-addictive Microsoft Health system able to track a range of sports, including running, cycling and golf, as well as offering guided workouts, it’s a properly powerful training buddy. Admittedly, it’s not the choice for swimmers, as it’s not waterproof – but, then, neither is the Apple Watch.
More troubling is the inability to use Cortana – Microsoft’s Siri rival – if the Band 2 is paired with an iPhone, diminishing its status as a truly smart watch offering.
Still, if you’re after a Watch alternative that’ll get your heart pumping (and measure it, too), the Microsoft Band 2 is no poor choice.
7. Sony Smartwatch 3
RRP: £189
With Android Wear now compatible with the iPhone, the Apple Watch has gained plenty of competition – including Sony’s Smartwatch 3.
A sporty-but-smart wrist-wrapper, the Smartwatch 3 – unlike the Apple Watch – offers properly standalone functionality. Built-in Wi-Fi means you can download apps and data straight to the device (a boon for iPhone users who might otherwise have to wrestle with the less-than-impressive Android Wear app), whilst it’ll happily store up daily data for later syncing with activity apps on your smartphone.
GPS tracking means it’ll also sense where you’re striding – though it lacks a heart rate monitor for pulse-based feedback. Still, notifications, music controls and app alerts suggest Sony’s Smartwatch 3 is angling for a balance between sports-tracking and day-to-day usability, something reflected in the availability of a range of interchangeable strap and style options – from stainless steel to silicon to leather.
A two day battery life is par for the course, as is the 320 x 320 resolution display, although a 1.8in diagonal makes its screen larger than the Apple Watch’s.
In the power stakes, the Smartwatch 3 is hardly sluggish, packing a Quad ARM A7 1.2GHz chip and 512MB of RAM, whilst its IP68-rated casing should see it survive dust storms and a substantial dunking (in fresh water, of course).
It might lack some of the Apple Watch’s sleek styling, but, at around half the price, it could well be worth a punt for those looking to keep their iPhone stowed – even with the quirks of running Android Wear with iOS.
6. Fitbit Blaze
RRP: £159.99
Unveiled at CES 2016, Fitbit’s latest offering, the Blaze, is its smartest yet.
As with every Fitbit device, the bluetooth-enabled Blaze is equipped with heaps of tech to make you move. Continuous heart rate tracking and multi-sport modes make it a sensible choice for fast-paced tech lovers, whilst the option to tap into phone-based GPS means detailed run routes.
Sweat and splash proof, it’s a tough-but-pretty bit of kit which can last 5 full days on a single 2-hour charge.
Better still, it can track 7 days of detailed movement data, as well as 30 days of daily totals, to be delivered into the already popular Fitbit app, making it a complete activity-tracking package that the Apple Watch simply can’t rival.
Don’t go thinking that the Blaze has sacrificed smarts in favour of sports, though: its hi-res colour touchscreen can control tunes and deliver call, text and calendar alerts, whilst it will automatically track sleep and wake wearers with its silent alarm. Its main module is also removable, making it perfect for indecisive buyers.
The best news? The Blaze can be pre-ordered for £160 – not paltry, but a darn sight less than the Apple Watch.
5. Asus ZenWatch 2
RRP: £150
All about stainless steel style, Asus’ ZenWatch 2 is a plush piece of hardware that’s perfectly placed to usurp the Apple Watch.
From the finely-crafted crown button to luxurious interchangeable straps, the second ZenWatch is an Android Wear watch that puts form first and foremost.
That’s not to say, though, that it’s lacking in functionality: sure, it’s devoid of a heart rate tracker, but, for those in the market for a genuinely smart smartwatch, the ZenWatch 2’s 1.63in AMOLED display, sleek alerts interface, smart assistant and wellness manager should more than do the duty.
What’s more, a magnetic charging strap zaps the ZenWatch 2’s cell to half-full in a speedy 36 minutes.
As with any Android Wear device, there’s an element of compromise when it comes to third-party apps and Apple-native functions – but, in the ZenWatch 2, Asus has designed a wristwatch with a classy look and feel, without the killer price tag.
The second iteration of Asus’ ZenWatch sits on shelves at just £150, a whole ton less than the cheapest Apple Watch. Yes, there’s a sacrifice when it comes to the feature set, but, if you want a cheaper-but-still-classy Apple Watch alternative, you can’t go far wrong with the ZenWatch 2.
4. Garmin Vivoactive
RRP: £159
Another Apple Watch rival with a sporting focus, Garmin’s Vivoactive is a strikingly thin (8mm) multi-sport machine that’s designed to go wherever your sweat-fuelled ambitions take you.
With modes for running, cycling, swimming and more, alongside in-built GPS, the Vivoactive makes up for a lack of on-board heart-rate reading with its array of specialised apps and a hi-res screen that’s clear in (almost) any light.
It might not be as svelte as the Apple Watch Sport but, with a battery life of up to 3 weeks (10hrs with GPS enabled), it’s far more convenient.
The Vivoactive does deliver smart notifications from a paired iPhone, as well as vibration alerts and music controls – though its real forte remains the fast-paced tracking.
Waterproof to five metres and with custom watch faces to keep the key data clear, Garmin’s Vivoactive is a smartwatch built around budding athletes and up-and-at-it types who like to keep connected.
Sure, you can install third-party fitness apps on an Apple Watch, but the level of integration offered as standard on the Garmin Vivoactive makes it a very valid choice for those of a speedy disposition.
The best news? It’ll set you back a good deal less than Apple’s offering, at £160.
3. LG Watch Urbane
RRP: £199
Properly premium and styled to match, the LG Watch Urbane is designed to be a truly attractive and classically appealing solution to the smartwatch dilemma.
Forget the square screen of the Apple Watch: the Urbane is fronted by a 1.3in, fully circular OLED display that, from a distance, is easy to mistake for a real analogue ticker.
With at-a-glance alerts and the standard Android Wear feature set – including Google Now functionality for talk-to-your-watch wizardry – LG’s flagship wrist-wrapper is high-end to the core.
From its stitched leather strap to the stainless steel surround, the Urbane is a truly wearable smartwatch that wouldn’t look out of place at work or play.
Less instantly recognisable than an Apple Watch, the LG Watch Urbane also benefits from a kind of esteemed subtlety which sets it apart from the standard pack of silicon-strapped smartwatches.
Yes, it’s quite thick, lacks GPS and will set you back just shy of £200, but it’s a darn sight more distinctive than the Apple Watch – and has a better battery, too.
2. Huawei Watch
RRP: £329
Very much in the same vein as the LG Watch Urbance, Huawei’s Android Wear Watch is a beauty to behold: cast in stainless steel and clad in sapphire crystal, everything from the 1.4in circular AMOLED display to the single, sleek button screams style.
Again, Android Wear means fewer innate niceties when playing with an iPhone than the Apple Watch, but an always-on screen, discreet notification alerts and Google Now on-board make the Huawei Watch a more than worthy iPhone companion.
What’s more, its battery beats that of the Apple Watch by half a day, whilst heart rate monitoring, automatic step pattern recognition and single activity tracking means it won’t be beaten when it comes to pounding the pavement.
Want a seamless extension of your iPhone on your wrist? Buy an Apple Watch. Want a truly distinctive timepiece that ought to last a very long time? The Huawei Watch is a seriously good bet.
1. Pebble Time Steel
RRP: £200
Forget allusions to luxury and set aside preconceptions about crowd-funded tech: the Pebble Time Steel is a paired back bit of kit – and all the better for it.
OK, so it’s still £200. But, for that, you get a smartwatch with a battery that’s good for a reported ten days from a single charge, thanks to an always-on, backlit e-paper display – instead of the usual AMOLED.
A smidgen thicker than the Time, its shell is still sufficiently slim to make it eminently wearable. Admittedly, the Time Steel does lack the sophisticated finish of the likes of the Apple Watch and LG Watch Urbane, but its Gorilla Glass frontage means it’s tough in its subtlety.
As far as functionality goes, the Time Steel deals happily with notifications, calls, music control and the rest, as well as displaying calendar information with impressive clarity – alongside a decent fitness feature set, under the Pebble Health moniker.
It is lacking on the apps front compared to the Apple Watch, with nothing like the same array of third party offerings available, but it’s still relatively early days.
In many ways, the Pebble Time Steel is the truest alternative to the Apple Watch: it’s not so much a competitor as something completely different, eschewing crystal screen clarity in favour of battery longevity, and electing for a standard casing over expensive build materials. It’s a package for those wanting an everyday, functional smartwatch.
The best bit? It plays nicely with both Apple and Android phones, without preference.
No comments:
Post a Comment