A new year offers another 12 months of exciting technology. In particular, every year, the best smartwatch field gets brighter and more thrilling than before. Once a fun but flawed timepiece, such devices are becoming increasingly vital in our lives. That's even more the case if you're active or keen to motivate your health from your wrist.
We're looking ahead at what's likely to unfold over the coming year, highlighting the smartwatches worth paying attention to in 2023. Here are the smartwatches to look forward to in 2023.
1. Apple Watch Series 9
While the Apple Watch Series 9 has yet to be announced, we would be amazed if it didn't happen. Every September, Apple announces a new Apple Watch, and we can't see 2023 being any different. As has been the case for the last few years, it'll likely be an incremental upgrade rather than anything huge. Count on seeing an upgraded processor, new color options, and a new sensor if we're lucky.
There are already rumors we'll see a flat-edged redesign as seen on the Apple Watch Ultra, but we wouldn't count on that becoming a reality just yet. Related to that, a new Apple Watch Ultra is less likely given the premium price tag that will hopefully encourage Apple to keep its upgrade path more spread out than the main Apple Watch.
2. Google Pixel Watch 2
Google delved into its own brand of smartwatches for the first time in 2022. While we can't be sure we'll see a new revision in 2023, it seems reasonably likely given how other firms have responded. If so, it'll be around October. Given the original's issues, we hope to see better battery life and some streamlined bezels to ensure this looks like a premium product. For now though, we simply don't know.
3. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Pro
As with the Apple Watch, Samsung likes to refresh its Galaxy Watch range yearly. August is usually when we'll see an announcement with the new devices released shortly afterwards. We'll likely see a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Pro appear later this year. Again, these will probably be incremental upgrades. Still, there's hope it could include a new sensor for measuring blood pressure on the devices. That's thanks to a patent filed by Samsung that could lead to such improvements. Otherwise, we'll hope for better battery life, faster performance, and the usual set of upgrades.
4. Citizen CZ Smart YouQ
Recently seen at CES 2023, the Citizen CZ Smart YouQ looks rather promising for someone considering something a little different. The smartwatch looks more like a conventional watch while providing you with a built-in self-care advisor. Developed using research pioneered by NASA's Ames Research Center, it helps you understand and anticipate fatigue and alertness, providing you with personalized coping strategies. For chronically ill people in particular, it could be a huge game changer for monitoring one of the more debilitating parts of illness. It launches in March 2023.
5. Huawei Watch 3 Pro
Available in China but not yet globally, the Huawei Watch 3 Pro is a stylish watch that offers continuous health monitoring and up to 21 days of battery life. For most people, that pars down to 5 days, but that's still far longer than most smartwatches. It offers a generous selection of tools like tracking for over 100 sports, heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, and extensive notifications. Its main selling point is how much it looks like a hybrid smartwatch, being ideal for someone who wants something more traditional.
6. Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition
Announced during CES 2023, the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition has a unique E-Ink-based display rather than OLED. Thanks to that, it has a two-week battery life while still providing you with heart rate and blood oxygen tracking. There's Alexa voice assistant support too, although don't count on being able to use the microphone to make calls. There's no speaker here. There's no app store either so what you see is what you get. For a hybrid smartwatch though, it has all the essentials with automatic workout-tracking, notification support and the aforementioned health sensors. It launches imminently.
7. Huawei Watch Buds
Currently only available in China, we're hopeful that the Huawei Watch Buds could appear elsewhere in the world. It's a similar story for the Huawei Watch 3 Pro and thanks to the trade ban in the US, we know neither will make it there, but they could garner European releases. Wondering why we're highlighting the Huawei Watch Buds? Uniquely, it's a smartwatch that has a magnetic flip cover. Lift the screen and it opens up as a case for a pair of noise-canceling earbuds. Bullet-designed shape earbuds, they're no slouch, and neither is the watch. It has a 1.47-inch circular OLED display with an excellent resolution of 466 x 466. It also has a heart rate monitor, blood oxygen sensor, and ECG. With a traditional-looking appearance, it could be ideal for anyone who hates carrying (or forgetting) too many other devices at once.
