The best upcoming smartwatches in 2024: Apple, Google, Samsung
Strap yourself in for our guide to all the smartwatches debuting over the coming months
As time keeps on ticking, a new slew of the best upcoming smartwatches will soon be upon us. In the coming months, major vendors like Google, Apple, and Fitbit will unveil their newest wearables.
With each new smartwatch model, we can expect advanced features, design, and functionality. Whether you’re a fitness buff looking to track your workouts or simply someone who wants to know the time, these upcoming smartwatches will have something for everyone.
While there may be some surprises, we’ve compiled a list of the smartwatches most likely to debut soon.
Apple Watch Series 10
The Apple Watch Series 10 is expected to be a rather special release, as it marks the 10th anniversary of the very first Apple Watch. There are no concrete facts at the time of writing, but quite a few rumours suggest it’ll be called the Apple Watch X, which makes sense.
Given the milestone, we could finally (finally!) see more of a major redesign for the all-too-familiar form factor. A slimmer build is likely, along with a new method of attaching straps. Whispers point to a magnetic strap attachment system, which would make it even easier to mix up styles as you see fit. Naturally, this would mean that existing straps will no longer be compatible with the Apple Watch 10, but there’s always a sacrifice to be made in the name of progress.
Rumours have also suggested that Apple plans on bringing MicroLED to a future Apple Watch, though most people seem to agree that this won’t make an appearance until 2025. And while advanced features like blood glucose tracking would be amazing, the general consensus appears to be that this is still some way off. We could still see some other health tracking improvements however, such as newer blood pressure sensors, and sleep apnea detection. Oh, and it’ll come as no surprise to hear that it will likely be the most powerful Apple Watch released to date.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
We’ve hardly seen any news on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 so far, but there have been a few morsels served up by the rumour mill. One is courtesy of PCMag, which was told by Samsung that it plans to alternate between the Classic and Pro as the higher-end model each generation. That means you can expect to see a Galaxy Watch 7 Pro this year, which might disappoint fans of Samsung’s addictively fiddly rotating bezel.
We can, however, expect to see more powerful innards, (hopefully) better battery life, an improved display, and a new roster of health and fitness tracking sensors to provide even more information about sleep and overall health. If rumours about a newer 3nm processor prove to be true, the extra battery life wish is very likely to come to fruition, given the efficiency improvement you’d expect to see from the shift to newer silicon.
OnePlus Watch 2
While the OnePlus Watch 2 won us over with its stellar battery life and stainless steel design, it was riddled with too many bugs to make it worthy of recommendation to most people. Thankfully, the company hasn’t given up, with rumours pointing to a second-generation watch on the horizon. A refreshed design, combined with a rumoured 1.43in OLED display could make it stand out from rivals, while a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor (powering Wear OS 4), should hopefully make for a much smoother experience.
Fitbit Charge 7
The Charge 7 is expected to retain the popular curved design of its predecessor, and is rumoured to come in three colours — classic black, chic beige, and energetic orange. One of the more exciting rumoured features is its continuous cEDA sensors, which will reportedly provide automatic blood pressure and health monitoring throughout the day. We’re also rather excited at the prospect of Google Assistant and Google Wallet compatibility, adding an extra layer of functionality on top of the usual health and fitness tracking features.
Google Pixel Watch 3
There’s very little info on the Google Pixel Watch 3 so far. We do, however, expect it to be unveiled and released in October, if the timeframe for the first two models is anything to go by.
We can’t imagine Google messing around with its circular minimalist design too much, but we do hope its engineers can somehow squeeze more battery life out per charge. Whether or not this means popping in a variant of its own in-house Tensor silicon remains to be seen, but it would be a welcome improvement for Pixel Watch fans. We’d also love to see a larger version for those with heftier wrists, along with a brighter display to bring it closer to the screen experience offered by some of its rivals.
Apple Watch SE 3
Given that the Apple Watch SE was released in 2022, it’s not too crazy to imagine Apple releasing a refreshed version of its more affordable timepiece this year. Rumours so far point to a similar design/size as the current Apple Watch SE, although it’s likely to be a little larger, given that its design is rumoured to be based off of the Watch Series 8.
It’s also likely that the Watch SE 3 will have upgraded silicon in the form of the same S9 processor found in the Watch Series 9. Given its more budget-friendly nature, we expect a few compromises to be made in the health tracking department, so don’t expect to see fancy features like SPO2 and body temperature sensors. We’re crossing our fingers for an upgrade to an ECG sensor though, as that first made its debut all the way back on the Apple Watch Series 4.
Bryan M. Wolfe
