With the recent news that the Apple is going to host a special event on March 9 for the Apple Watch, likely where the official release date will be announced, we figured it was a good time to talk a bit about it.
We know it’s coming sometime in April, though we don’t know exactly what day it will arrive. We also know that the starting price is going to be $350, but that’s just for the base model. Not to mention, it only works with iPhone 5 or newer devices. If you’re not up-to-date with your smartphone, you’ll need to pick up one of the newer iPhones right along with your Apple Watch to make the most of the setup.
Cutting to the chase, we currently know the Apple Watch will probably last for about a day on a full charge. In addition, there are two screen sizes available; one at 38mm (272 x 340) and the other at 42mm (310 x 390). Both of the display sizes use Apple’s renowned Retina technology. It’s going to offer taptic feedback and notifications, and you’ll be able to control it with the touchscreen and digital crown — said to work something like a small, touch-enabled mouse nub or joystick. Then, of course, there’s a whole slew of fitness tracking features and functionality.
We’ll know even more about it closer to launch. What we do know, is that it sounds a whole lot like some of the other smartwatches that are already available. Sure, it has a couple unique features — like the digital crown controls — but for the most part it’s a smartwatch like any other.
So, instead of waiting around until April when the device finally launches we decided it’s a good time to take a look at some Apple Watch alternatives. Not all of these are available right now, but they should be soon and that’s what matters most. After all, the Apple Watch isn’t ready yet either.
Top Three Apple Watch Alternatives for 2015
We’re not saying the Apple Watch is a bad device, or that you shouldn’t wait for it. By all means, if it’s what you want then hold out. We’re just trying to point out some suitable Apple Watch alternatives for folks who don’t know there are other options. In addition, if you own an Android, Windows Phone or Blackberry smartphone then purchasing an Apple Watch isn’t going to do you any good.
Apple Watch Alternatives for 2015: Pebble Time Steel
Pebble made the news recently with an update to their smartwatch lineup. They unveiled the Pebble Time, a full-color smartwatch with support for seven days of battery life. How is this possible? The device still uses a unique e-paper style display with minimal power requirements just like their original watch models.
Shortly after unveiling the Pebble Time on Kickstarter right along with their new timeline-based UI, they also unveiled steel versions. It’s kind of obvious what these updated iterations of the Pebble Time offer; a stainless steel body and wristband as opposed to chintzy plastic.
The original Pebble and Pebble Steel are two of the best smartwatches on the market currently, even after all the recent launches. They can hold their own thanks to Pebble’s propietary software and additional support for more than 6,500 community developed apps and watchfaces. Of particular note, is that the Pebble Time will be fully compatible with all of these existing apps and watchfaces so you’re not losing out on anything by upgrading — or making the jump.
They also revealed a smartstrap system, which allows developers to add more functionality to the device thanks to an added hardware port. This means that we should eventually see a whole new host of options for Pebble devices when it comes to tracking and functionality.
The Pebble Steel will be available in July, for $299 — just shy of Apple’s asking price. Did we mention that it will be compatible with Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Blackberry devices? You won’t see the same kind of universal support from Apple, that’s for sure.
Apple Watch Alternatives for 2015: Huawei Watch
The Apple Watch is attractive, there’s no denying that. One could make the argument that it offers a unisex design — one tailored for both male and female use depending on the chosen strap. On that note, another device unveiled recently offering a similar unisex style design is the Huawei Watch. It doesn’t matter whether your tastes are more feminine or masculine, this thing will look great with any strap attached. It comes in several different flavors too including one with an all-black bezel and a chrome-style one. As for the bands, you can choose between leather, metal lugs (stainless steel) and combination metal mesh straps.
The Huawei Watch features a 1.4-inch perfectly round OLED display operating at a resolution of 400×400. Better yet, it’s packed with 286 pixels per inch, which means it looks damn good. The frame is only 42mm in diameter, which — for a smartwatch — is pretty thin. It comes with 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM and Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity support. The processor hasn’t been named yet, so it’s unclear at this point just how powerful the watch will be but with Android Wear powering the software it should run just fine. In addition, the Huawei Watch includes an integrated heart-rate monitor and a six-axis accelerometer.
Unfortunately, the biggest mystery seems to be the battery life. There’s been no mention of an estimated runtime for the device nor has there been anything offered as to internal battery capacity.
There’s been no mention of a release date or price either. Huawei has just said the watch will be launching sometime later this year in 20 different markets. We expect it to be cheaper than the Apple Watch, however knowing Huawei’s penchant for budget-friendly prices.
Apple Watch Alternatives for 2015: LG Watch Urbane LTE
LG decided to ditch Android Wear completely — which they used in their last device the G Watch R — and instead opted for WebOS with their latest smartwatch, the LG Watch Urbane. Don’t worry, the UI doesn’t look anything like the same WebOS that was running on the Palm Pre. LG completely revamped the software, going with a proprietary skin and design for the software.
For hardware, the Watch Urbane includes a quad-core Qualcomm processor, 1GB of RAM (double the standard 512MB), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and LTE mobile connectivity. In case you weren’t already aware, the LTE support means you’ll be able to use it as a standalone device just like the Samsung Gear S.
The display is the same 1.3-inch P-OLED used in the G Watch R, and it looks just as bright and stunning.
When it comes to design, it offers a stainless steel body and a thick rubbery band. Of course, as with most other smartwatches you can always swap out the band for one of your own choosing.
We’ll have more for you on price and release date as soon as it’s available, but for now this is shaping up to be one of the most notable Apple Watch alternatives. Perhaps the biggest question here is whether or not this thing will be compatible across the board, or with a select few LG branded handsets. We’d venture to guess support will be universal for Android devices, maybe even other platforms.
What are Your Picks for Best Apple Watch Alternatives?
Now that you’ve seen our list of the top three Apple Watch alternatives for 2015, what are your picks? Do you agree with the devices we’ve chosen? Do you think these will make great contenders for the Apple Watch or do you think they’ll be forgotten shortly after launch?