After months of hype, the Apple Watch is finally set to hit the shelves. However, this is not the first smartwatch to enter the market—nor will it be the last. In fact, even watchmakers such as Tag Heuer and Gucci Timepieces have announced plans to release luxury smartwatches later this year. So will the Apple Watch be another runaway hit for the tech company or will another smartwatch emerge victorious? It is too early to tell, but here is a look at some of Apple’s competition.
Huawei: The Classic Design
People don’t just wear watches for the time—it is about style. The Huawei Watch promises a timeless look inspired from the golden age of watch design. Made from scratch-resistant, cold-forged stainless steel, the watch comes in three colors (gold, silver and black) with a full range of straps available. Beneath the classic looking exterior is a smart interior powered by Android Wear. Users can also choose from more than 40 digital watch faces, including options that display fitness stats such as calories burned, heart rate and distance travelled. The price was not available at press time.
Withings: The Activity Tracker
Withings’ Activité Pop ($149.95) pairs an analog clock with an activity and sleep tracker. The face of the watch features two dials: One displays time, while the other shows the percentage of progress toward a specific activity goal. You set the goal in the Health Mate companion app, which also provides healthy reminders, activity insights and a leaderboard—so you can compete against your friends. The Activité Pop’s clock also syncs to your smartphone to always provide the correct time without ever winding the watch.
Darta Systems: The Stress Manager
Darta Systems is raising funds for Emvio, a watch dedicated to monitoring and managing stress in real time. The smartwatch uses a heart rate variability index to calculate your stress level every minute on a scale from 1 to 10. The results are displayed on the watch using both LED lights (green, yellow or red) as well as an emoticon depicting your current emotional state. The watch will also vibrate when your stress level rises and provide tips via the Emvio app on how to reduce stress.
Vector: The Long-Lasting Charge
Vector wanted to simplify things with its new line of smartwatches, so the company focused on what they believed truly matters. The Luna ($349), for instance, has an iconic watch design with a battery life of 30 days. So, unlike the majority of devices today, you won’t have to constantly worry about keeping it charged. But this watch will also learn to understand the wearer—including what apps you like to use and when, as well as whether you are at work, sleeping, running, etc.—in order to provide the info you need when you want it.
Pebble: The People’s Champ
The original Pebble Smartwatch must have made one good impression, because when it came time to fund the next iteration on Kickstarter, backers came out in droves. Pebble Time ($199) is Kickstarter’s most-funded project ever—$20.3 million from more than 78,000 backers. This new version adds a color e-paper display, a battery life of seven days and a new OS that uses a timeline interface, allowing you to easily scroll through your notifications, appointments and more.
