Whether you think the best smartwaches are cool or lame, they're are definitely booming and are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Here's where we review and rank the 10 best smartwatches available to buy in the UK right now.
New entry: Moto 360 - see where it ranks below.
Best smartwatch: 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 2014.
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: 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.
We consider the important factors of a smartwatch to be level of notification detail, battery life, style, water resistantcy, compatibility with a range of devices/smartphones, plus additional features such as cameras and microphones.
10 best smartwatches 2014
10. Cookoo smart watch
- Reviewed on: 30 April 13
- RRP: £106 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best Cookoo smart watch Deals
- Rating:
The Cookoo smart watch has a long lasting battery and is water resistant but it offers limited functionality. This is a product that feels half baked so we really can't recommend it in its current state.
9. LG Lifeband Touch
- Reviewed on: 8 January 14
- RRP: £110 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best LG Lifeband Touch Deals
- Rating:
Smartwatches are very much in their infancy, but from the few we’ve seen so far we think that the LG Lifeband Touch will hold its own in the market. The sporty angle and the fact it works with iOS and Android are god selling points that are sure to appeal to a lot of people.
8. Sony SmartWatch review
- Reviewed on: 9 May 13
- RRP: £79 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best Sony SmartWatch review Deals
- Rating:
The Sony SmartWatch is a cool and attractive gadget, offering plenty of apps and functionality. The downsides are a slightly bulky design and the need to charge it up regularly. Read our Sony SmartWatch review to find out more.
7. Samsung Galaxy Gear
- Reviewed on: 29 January 14
- RRP: £299 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best Samsung Galaxy Gear Deals
- Rating:
The Samsung Galaxy Gear is an interesting device, but it works with only three smartphones - yet won't act as a true replacement for any of them - and is expensive at £299. There are some gimmicky features, such as the Camera and Music Controller apps, while S Voice and Voice Memo are in their element here (even though talking into a smartwatch feels weird). The Pedometer, Walk Workout and S Trainer apps will appeal to fitness fans, getting them up on their feet even if the number of steps taken and calories burned is overestimated. Proper email support is a glaring ommission, it shouldn't be so difficult to set an alarm, and the device is far too bulky and heavy to be comfortable - at least in this reviewer's opinion. But as an early device and an example of what's to come, the Samsung Galaxy Gear is a good first attempt for Samsung.
6. Samsung Gear 2
- Reviewed on: 17 April 14
- RRP: £299 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best Samsung Gear 2 Deals
- Rating:
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.
5. Martian Notifier
- Reviewed on: 4 July 14
- RRP: £129 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best Martian Notifier Deals
- Rating:
The Martian Notifier is a great choice for those who want a smartwatch within the design of a regular wrist watch. Its affordable but stylish although the rubber strap isn't the most comfortable. It's main skill is notifications but the additional features like remote camera control are handy. Our main issue is the extra cost of shipping it over from the US so we're hoping for a UK launch soon.
4. Samsung Gear 2 Neo
- Reviewed on: 12 May 14
- RRP: £169 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best Samsung Gear 2 Neo Deals
- Rating:
At a more reasonable price tag than the flagship model, the Samsung Gear 2 Neo is decent smartwatch with plenty of features - we don't care about the lack of a camera. However, the need for a specific Samsung companion device and a limited amount of downloadable apps detract somewhat.
3. Sony SmartWatch 2
- Reviewed on: 6 December 13
- RRP: £149 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best Sony SmartWatch 2 Deals
- Rating:
At £149 the 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.
2. LG G Watch
- Reviewed on: 24 July 14
- RRP: £159 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best LG G Watch Deals
- Rating:
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.
1. Motorola Moto 360
- Reviewed on: 29 September 14
- RRP: £199 inc VAT
- Best Price: Find The Best Motorola Moto 360 Deals
- Rating:
The Moto 360 is a fantastic smartwatch with excellent build quality, luxurious design and an affordable price tag. However, it's not flawless with one day battery life, a lower resolution screen which is tainted by the black section at the bottom. It will also be too big for some users. Despite the flaws, it's the best smartwatch we've reviewed to date but watch out for the LG G Watch R, Asus ZenWatch and Apple Watch.