Nothing has been a disrupter brand since it launched its first phone in 2022, expanding that to affordable earbuds, but so far it hasn't put its brand on one particular category - the smartwatch.

That's odd because its sub-brand CMF has a watch to its name, making Nothing's next move a little more predictable, plugging that gap with a smartwatch of its own.

That's what we hear from Yogesh Brar, an established leaker on X, who claims that Nothing's watch will feature typical Nothing design, so that's likely to include transparency and that it's slated for a September launch.

The leak goes on to say that it will be priced under $300 and only be available in limited markets. The CMF Watch 3 Pro, by contrast, costs £99 / $79.

That's the extent of the leak, with the promise that more details are coming soon.

Yogesh will be acutely aware that Nothing loves the long tease, so any information he has needs to be shared fairly soon, otherwise Nothing will probably share it themselves. The company typically shares a Pokémon which gives us a codename and a device category, before sharing design sketches and then a bigger hardware reveal.

With a step up in price, there's a chance that Nothing will move its watch to the Google Wear platform, perhaps with Snapdragon power which should fit within the price range. That might position this watch as a rival to the Samsung Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch, although it's more likely that the target is people who would previously consider the OnePlus Watch.

September is a congested month: it starts with the IFA show in Berlin which, while not the show for launches that it once was, often see associated announcements with brands targeting Christmas sales. That's followed by the iPhone launch, then the launch of all the new hardware platforms for future smartphones and then it's common for Amazon to jump in with some launches too.

Nothing has launched products towards the end of September in the past and this would likely be the best time to do so.

The Google Pixel Watch 5 could be in for an upgrade, with a listing for the device pointing to 3GB RAM. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a 50% upgrade compared to the Pixel Watch 4 and it's also 50% more than Samsung packed in the Galaxy Watch 9 that's just been announced.

Google's leaning towards RAM is the only real upgrade for the wearable device seems to point to one particular feature – Gemini.

On-device AI functions need plenty of RAM to keep things moving along and while the design, processor and display are all expected to be the same as previous years, the functionality, aided by Gemini, is likely to take a step forward.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll probably be aware that there's a components crisis in consumer technology at the moment, with prices skyrocketing because of the demands that have been put on the industry by rapidly expanding data centres and other AI functions.

That's one of the causes of price increases across a number of brands, but also makes it more remarkable that the Pixel Watch 5 will get this increase.

The details come from 9to5Google, with the Pixel Watch 5 listed in the Google Play Console under the codename Godric. Additional details point to the new Pixel Watch powered by the same Snapdragon SW5100 that was used to power devices since the Pixel Watch 2.

However, while this Snapdragon platform comes in a number of iterations, the CPU and GPU appear to be the same configuration as the Pixel Watch 4. That suggests it might not have more power – and the lack of the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip as found in the new Galaxy Watch 9 might leave some disappointed.

The Pixel Watch is popular for its minimalist design and easy-to-use interface, while the battery life is a common point of criticism. The fitness tracking is generally well regarded, with accurate heart rate tracking.

But the best thing about Pixel devices, whether that's phone, watch or buds, is the clean software approach and access to Gemini. Google designs Gemini to add value to its hardware and it often works best on those devices.

So, while the Pixel Watch 5 isn't going to be hugely different to the Pixel Watch 4, you can be fairly certain that it will have greater Gemini powers thanks to that additional RAM.

Samsung will unveil several new products during its Galaxy Unpacked event tomorrow, with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 among them.

It is expected that it'll be joined by the Galaxy Watch 9 and the new line of foldable phones in the presentation in London. However, here's a further look at the flagship smartwatch ahead of time.

Serial leaker Evan Blass has acquired what looks to be official marketing images and posted them on his X feed. They have seemingly come from a Spanish source, considering the text featured on one or two of the pics.

As per previous rumours, the Ultra 2 will reportedly come with a brighter display than its predecessor, rated at 5,000 nits. We can also see a battery size of 800mAh, which can provide up to 60 hours of runtime, according to the leaked images.

Additional images, which were posted on Blass' Substack feed (via 9to5Google), also reveal that the smartwatch will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset and be "12% thinner" than the original Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The new model will also be rated IP69K for water and dust resistance.

A whole new colour trend emerges

It's also interesting that Samsung is moving away from the orange trend that it and Apple thrived on with previous watches. It seems to be going for a more natural colours this time.

The green shown in at least one of the images is a better fit, we feel. Although there's still a dash of orange on the dial, to show the range's heritage.

We don't have long to wait to see the final device and all the options, with the Galaxy Unpacked event starting at 2pm BST tomorrow, Wednesday 22 July. T3 will be covering all the announcements extensively, so join us then.

Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event takes place later this week and we're expecting a packed agenda. This includes new wearables, the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Now new images have just furnished us with more details prior to launch.

The Galaxy Watch 9 is going to be powered by Snapdragon Wear Elite as it shifts over from Samsung's own Exynos hardware for the first time. That Snapdragon chip was announced earlier in the year and it had previously been confirmed that Samsung was using it – but we now have visual evidence too.

Images of the unreleased device, adorned with "Powered by Snapdragon Wear" badges have been posted by Evan Blass, the retired leaker who has thwarted companies attempts to keep launch plans secret for many years.

Shared via Blasses' Leakmail Substack, we have images of the Galaxy Watch 9 in a full selection of colours, showing off a design that's pretty much the same as the previous iteration while focusing on some of the wellness features that it is expected to offer.

Included in that selection is a screen showing Vitals, which looks like it's going to focus on core health features like heart rate and heart rate variability to highlight what state your body is in.

Elsewhere, we see sleep apnoea detection, running coaching, sleep reporting with energy score, all familiar features from other Samsung devices coordinated through Samsung Health.

These high-quality images look like they're designed to illustrate Samsung's product pages.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is set for an update as well

In 2026, it looks like we'll be getting the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, with no Classic this year as normally that device works on a two-year cycle.

We've already seen a lot of the Ultra 2, with claims of a big battery update and a couple of minor tweaks to the design of the watch, most noticeable through the buttons.

Thanks to the same source, we have confirmation of Snapdragon Wear Elite, a battery that offers 800mAh, and watch that's reduced in thickness by 12%.

Additionally, there's an IP69K rating for the titanium-finished watch, which retains its rugged credentials.

On top of that the Watch Ultra 2 has a display that's cited as offering 5,000 nits, which should ensure that it remains visible in the brightest of conditions.

We've previously heard that Samsung will be increasing prices for the new Galaxy Watch devices, which is something of a trend across all technology at the moment. That's the price that AI has put on the market, with increasing demand for components for AI data centre expansion.

Both devices will be fully revealed on 22 July, but thanks to these leaks, we're not sure there's much for Samsung to show us.

Smartwatch manufacturers will not have to make batteries easily replaceable by their owners under new exemptions adopted by the European Commission.

The change covers wearable devices, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and even smart glasses, and could affect products from Apple, Garmin, Samsung, Google, and other major manufacturers.

It means the companies can continue producing tightly sealed cases without providing a straightforward way for users to remove and replace their batteries themselves.

The decision forms part of the EU’s wider Batteries Regulation, which was introduced in 2023 to improve the sustainability, repairability and recycling of battery-powered products.

Under the original requirements, products containing portable batteries generally had to be designed so that their batteries could be removed and replaced by the end user at any point during the product’s lifetime.

A replacement was supposed to be possible without damaging the battery or the device, while users wouldn’t require specialist repair experience or qualifications. The requirements are due to apply from 18 February 2027.

The aim was to prevent otherwise functional products from becoming obsolete simply because their batteries could no longer hold a useful charge.

The small battery problem

The European Commission has now added six product categories to the exemption list, including wearable electronics, electric toys and equipment designed for explosive environments.

It argues that the miniaturisation of wearables can result in batteries being so tightly enclosed that removing one poses a risk of damaging or puncturing the battery.

The size, shape and ergonomic requirements of devices worn on the body can also make redesigning them impractical.

Water resistance is another relevant consideration. The exemption adds wearables to a category covering appliances primarily designed to operate in environments regularly exposed to splashing water or immersion.

The change doesn’t mean smartwatch batteries can be made completely irreplaceable, though.

Manufacturers must still design the affected devices so the battery can be removed and replaced by an independent professional.

Battery replacement will remain possible in some cases, but it may involve sending the watch to its manufacturer or taking it to a qualified repairer.

Sadly, depending on the model and the cost of servicing, replacing the entire watch may still appear more attractive than fitting a new battery.

What happens next?

The delegated act has been adopted by the European Commission, but it must still undergo scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

Provided neither institution objects, it will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU’s Official Journal. The underlying battery removability requirements take effect from February 2027.

The regulation directly applies to products placed on the EU market and does not automatically cover the UK, US or other countries outside the bloc.

There could nevertheless have been a wider effect. Technology companies often sell devices based on largely identical hardware across several markets.

A useful non-tech comparison is the outdoor clothing industry’s move away from PFAS.

Legislation in California and other major markets helped accelerate a wider transition, with many brands adopting the resulting materials across their global product ranges.

A requirement to make EU-bound smartwatches easier to open might therefore have encouraged manufacturers to use the same repairable design elsewhere.

With wearables now exempt, that incentive has largely disappeared.

[via NotebookCheck, European Commission announcement, adopted delegated regulation]

Can’t say the smartwatch market has ever been idle, but there's certainly a lot of buzz around wearables these days, thanks to AI. For better or worse, I might add, because as much as machine learning is making smartwatches more clever than ever before, it’s also making them more expensive, due to soaring RAM prices.

Xiaomi’s latest wearable, Watch S5, arrives in this environment. The company, alongside brands like Honor, has built its reputation on offering more for less, and there is nothing wrong with that.

There is a huge market for watches that offer features that might have been cutting-edge 12 or 245 months ago for a lot less money than the latest Samsung Galaxy or Apple Watch.

From this perspective, the Watch S5 offers nothing radically new, or more like, continues the tradition set out by its predecessors. It pairs a premium-looking stainless steel design with impressive battery life and a feature set that rivals considerably more expensive smartwatches.

On paper, it's one of the most compelling wearables in its price bracket, but specifications only tell part of the story. I tested the watch for a couple of weeks, and even though it won’t push my Garmin watch off my wrist, the Xiaomi Watch S5 offers a lot of value for those who don’t need full ecosystem support or care much about the personality of their wearables.

Xiaomi Watch S5 review

Price and availability

The Xiaomi Watch S5 was launched in May 2026 and is available to buy now directly from Xiaomi UK and Xiaomi EU, with prices from £150 / €179. It’s available in four colours, including Black, Silver, Jungle Green and Ceramic Blue, with the latter two costing £20 / €20 more. Xiaomi doesn’t have an Australian site (or at least I can’t find it), and the watch isn’t listed on the brand’s US site.

Design and build quality

The Xiaomi Watch S5 has a 46 mm stainless steel case that feels reassuringly solid without being overly heavy, tipping the scales at just 46g without the strap. At 10.99 mm thick, it also sits comfortably on the wrist and slides under a shirt cuff more easily than many rugged outdoor watches.

The closest smartwatch in terms of case size and weight would be the Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro, which has a 45.6 mm case (marketed as 46 mm) and weighs about the same. The OnePlus Watch 3 is slightly larger and weighs a few grams more.

The Watch S5's overall design is fairly conservative, but Xiaomi has injected a little individuality into the tested Jungle Green model. It has a forged carbon bezel that is said to catch the light differently from steel and gives each watch a unique pattern, while the green fluororubber strap lends it a slightly more outdoorsy aesthetic.

It's a handsome smartwatch rather than a memorable one. That's not necessarily a criticism; after all, there's only so much manufacturers can do with a round display and two-button layout. However, the Xiaomi Watch S5 isn’t as recognisable as rivals from Garmin, Samsung or even Huawei. It feels premium, yet its design plays it safe.

The 1.48-inch AMOLED display is excellent with a crisp 480 x 480-pixel resolution (323ppi) and a peak brightness of 2,500 nits. It’s not the brightest or prettiest screen, but it does the job perfectly, with little to no lag when responding to touch input. The rotating crown provides a satisfying way to scroll through menus, particularly when your fingers are wet or sweaty.

The watch is rated to 5ATM for swimming, features built-in GPS with support for five satellite systems, and includes an impressive array of sensors, including a barometer and electronic compass. It also has a built-in speaker and microphone.

Features and performance

The Xiaomi Watch S5 strikes a sensible balance between smartwatch convenience and fitness tracking. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it does cover just about everything most people will need, including continuous heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen tracking, stress monitoring, sleep analysis, dual-band GNSS and more than 150 sports modes.

Sleep tracking proved to be one of the more interesting features during testing. The watch records the usual sleep stages and assigns a nightly sleep score, but Xiaomi also offers a weekly "Sleep Animal" profile that categorises your sleeping habits after seven nights of data.

It's clearly inspired by similar features found on Samsung, Google and Fitbit devices, but it's a fun bit of gamification that encourages you to build healthier routines. That said, I did find some of its coaching a little contradictory.

On one occasion, the watch awarded me an excellent sleep score while simultaneously telling me I'd slept for an "excessive" amount of time. It's not a major issue, but it does make you question how much faith to put in some of its recommendations.

Fitness tracking is similarly dependable rather than groundbreaking. I spent most of my testing running, where the dual-band GPS performed well, producing tracks that closely matched those from the Garmin Forerunner 970 I wore on my other wrist. I wasn't running through dense woodland or city streets packed with tall buildings, so it wasn't the toughest test, but accuracy was more than good enough for everyday training.

Runners also get a handful of more advanced metrics than you might expect at this price, including ground contact time, vertical ratio and cadence. They're useful additions for anyone looking to improve their form, even if Xiaomi doesn't offer the same depth of analysis or training guidance as Garmin or Coros.

Heart rate tracking also proved reliable during steady runs and day-to-day wear. I didn't have the opportunity to compare it against a chest strap during interval sessions or gym workouts, where wrist-based sensors typically struggle the most, so I can't comment on its performance during high-intensity exercise. For general health monitoring and aerobic training, though, it appeared to be consistently in the right ballpark.

One feature I particularly liked is Xiaomi's activity rings. Much like Apple's approach, the app encourages you to close daily goals for calories burned, steps taken and active minutes. It's a simple system, but it works well as a gentle nudge to get up from your desk or squeeze in a short walk before the end of the day.

Battery life and charging

Battery life is undoubtedly one of the Xiaomi Watch S5's biggest strengths. Xiaomi quotes up to 21 days on a single charge, and while you'll need to be fairly conservative with your settings to get anywhere near that figure, the watch comfortably outlasts almost every Wear OS rival.

During my testing, I enabled advanced sleep tracking and sleep breathing monitoring, and I regularly used GPS for outdoor walks and runs. Over the course of eight days, I logged almost four hours of GPS activity, including a nearly three-hour walk, plus a couple of shorter runs and an indoor HIIT workout. Even with that workload, the Watch S5 still had 14% battery remaining at the end of the test.

That's an impressive result. In everyday use, I think most people can realistically expect about 10 to 14 days between charges, depending on how often they exercise and whether they leave the more advanced health-tracking features enabled. It's not quite the headline-grabbing three-week endurance Xiaomi advertises, but it's still leagues ahead of the two or three days you'd typically get from a Wear OS smartwatch.

Charging is a little less impressive. Xiaomi bundles a proprietary two-pin magnetic charging puck with a USB-A connector, which already feels a generation behind in a world increasingly dominated by USB-C. (The puck itself is also bulkier than it needs to be.)

Charging speeds are perfectly acceptable, not particularly quick. Using a 5W charger, the battery climbed from 14% to 50% in around 25 minutes and reached 100% after roughly 80 minutes. Given how infrequently you'll need to recharge the Watch S5, it's hardly a deal-breaker, but I would've liked to see Xiaomi modernise the charging setup to match the otherwise premium feel of the hardware.

Verdict

The Xiaomi Watch S5 feels like a smartwatch that knows exactly what it wants to be. Xiaomi has focused on the fundamentals: build quality, battery life, and reliable health tracking, and the result is a wearable that consistently punches above its price point.

That's not to say it's flawless. HyperOS still feels a little utilitarian compared to Wear OS, Apple's watchOS or even Huawei's HarmonyOS, and while the feature set is comprehensive, there's very little here that feels genuinely distinctive. Even the hardware, as well-made as it is, plays it a little too safe from a design perspective.

Yet none of those shortcomings stops the Xiaomi Watch S5 from being easy to recommend. GPS performance is dependable, the health metrics cover everything most people need, and the battery life is genuinely liberating after years of charging smartwatches every other day.

If you're deeply invested in Google's ecosystem, want a thriving app store or rely on advanced training metrics, you'll still be better served by a Samsung Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch or Garmin. But if your priorities are a premium feel, excellent endurance and plenty of features for not a lot of money, the Xiaomi Watch S5 delivers exactly what it promises.

Apple's latest watchOS 27 developer beta, announced at WWDC 2026, doesn't introduce a long list of headline-grabbing features, but it does mark an important milestone for the software.

The third beta is the first to enable Apple's new Siri AI experience on the Apple Watch, while also delivering a handful of practical refinements that make the smartwatch feel a little more intuitive in everyday use.

The biggest addition is Siri AI, which is now available to developers testing watchOS 27 on supported Apple Watches paired with an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone.

Siri can now understand follow-up questions, maintain conversational context, and deliver more natural responses.

Apple has also introduced a dedicated Siri app, making it easier to interact with the assistant directly from the wrist instead of relying solely on voice commands.

Siri gets smarter in more ways than one

Alongside the AI upgrade, developers have also spotted a small but welcome improvement to one of Siri's longest-standing frustrations.

Until now, asking Siri to add time to an active timer would usually prompt the assistant to ask users to specify a new duration.

In watchOS 27 beta 3, Siri now understands requests such as "add five minutes to my timer" or "give me another minute", making it much more useful when cooking, exercising or tackling jobs around the house.

Another useful improvement is better continuity between devices.

Conversations started with Siri on the Apple Watch can now continue on a paired iPhone without losing context, helping Apple's assistant feel more like a single experience across its ecosystem rather than separate versions running on different devices.

Beyond these additions, beta 3 is primarily focused on refinement, with developers reporting improvements in Siri's responsiveness, alongside the usual collection of bug fixes, performance enhancements, and battery optimisations.

While this isn't the most feature-packed beta Apple has released, it gives the clearest indication yet of what using Siri on the Apple Watch will look like when watchOS 27 launches later this year.

watchOS 27 is only available on Apple Watch Series 9 and newer, as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the Apple Watch SE 3.

watchOS 27 is currently available as a developer beta, with a public beta expected later this month. The full release is expected to arrive in September alongside Apple's next-generation Apple Watch models.

Anyone can now try the watchOS 27 developer beta by signing up for a free Apple Developer account. There's no longer a paid membership requirement to access Apple's developer builds.

[via NotebookCheck]

Samsung's blockbuster launch is expected to be loaded with new phones and wearables, with updates to the company's popular Galaxy Watch line. But there's going to be a shock for buyers – prices are expected to rise.

As far as we know, Samsung is preparing to announce the Galaxy Watch 9 as well as the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. But both devices could be in line for higher prices, just as we're expecting to see from Samsung's new Galaxy Z folding phones.

According to one reliable source, that could see around €20 added to the price of the Galaxy Watch 9 and €50 on the price of a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, when compared to previous versions.

The source of this information is WinFuture which has a good reputation for sharing information in advance of it going public. The site says that this comes from retailers.

We don't have prices for the UK or the US, but it's likely that the increases seen in Europe will be reflected in other regions.

That could see the Galaxy Watch 9 costing €400 for the 40mm Bluetooth version, up from €379 at launch. Similarly, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 could cost €749, rather than €699 at launch.

It's thought that the increase in price will come down to the rising cost of components as the AI industry has put a lot of demand on things like storage and RAM. That's seen a knock-on to manufacturers who are paying more for components that were cheap and easy to source 12 months ago.

Samsung is likely to counter the increase prices with more pre-order offers. That might include vouchers to spend at its own store, offers on more straps, and bundle deals with new phones, while it's expected that trade-in values for old hardware might increase.

The new Galaxy Watches are expected to sit on the Snapdragon Wear platform offering more power and better efficiency than previously, with increased battery capacities too.

The designs aren't expected to change significantly, instead refining the looks with details you'd have to look out for. That might encourage some to buy cheaper hardware from last year.

There's also expected to be new software features, with a brand new Galaxy Wearable app. We've already seen some changes happening in Samsung's apps – for example Samsung Health has been completely redesigned.

With the launch of One UI 9 and a shift to Android 17 in Samsung phones, we're expecting Samsung's new watches to launch with Wear OS 7. Everything should be revealed on 22 July.

Apple could be planning a major overhaul of the Apple Watch design, with the aim of creating more internal space to expand the battery.

The update isn't expected to happen right away – the Apple Watch 12 is expected to be much the same as the Apple Watch 11 – but with Apple Watch 13 in 2027, there could be a major change in direction.

The new design is expected to change how the bands attach, freeing up internal space, while also sending a warning to those with large collections of bands – next year, they might not fit.

This rumour isn't new: it first circulated in 2023, with Mark Gurman at Bloomberg suggesting that the Apple Watch X would see a thinner body, MicroLED display, new sensors on the back and the new watch attachment system.

While many expected Watch X to launch in 2024, instead we got the Apple Watch 10, which did have a slimmer design, but didn't make those expected changes.

Now, according to a leaker called Instant Digital on Weibo (via MacRumors) that change could come in 2027 instead. That's seen the leaker suggesting that those looking to upgrade in 2027 don't buy any bands in the meantime, because they might not fit.

This isn't the first time that this leaker has commented on Apple Watch. They previously suggested that the overhaul to the design would come in 2028, although that doesn't fit with Apple's lifecycle for Watch designs, which tend to hang around for 3 years before being updated.

At the same time, there are ongoing rumours about a change to the sensors on the back of the Watch and these could arrive with Apple Watch 12. Exactly what the new sensors will offer remains unknown, but there's speculation about refining the blood pressure trend monitoring.

Apple is a creature of habit and that leads us to suspect that in September 2026 we'll see the Apple Watch 12 with the same design but a few refinements, either in the hardware or the features that it offers.

That fits with Apple's product cycle, opening the door to a more significant redesign for the popular smartwatch in 2027. Exactly how that new strap attachment system would work remains to be seen, but wiping out over a decade worth of strap support is going to be a bold move.

I'd speculate that Apple won't wipe out watches that support the old system: it will likely create the Apple Watch 13 with the new strap style, while keeping older Watch models on sale to support existing straps, or keeping that design for the Watch SE.

Writing something like this Oura Ring Gen 3 review is always a huge undertaking. Not only do you have to use the actual wearable for a month to get a good picture of what it’s capable of, but you also have to test it against other products in the category to ensure you cover all bases and properly check accuracy.

It’s a painstaking process, although I must admit that testing what I think currently is the best smart ring, the Oura Ring Gen 3, wasn’t as cumbersome as some other bulky wearables. Smart rings are the least intrusive wearables to date, offering an almost pleasant, non-distractive way to track your health and well-being.

Of all the smart rings available now, Oura is probably the best-known and offers the most well-rounded functionality. The Finnish brand was one of the first companies to champion smart rings for sleep tracking and became a household name in the nine years since the first Oura ring was launched.

The Oura Ring Gen 3 is also one of the most expensive smart rings in the sense that you’ll have to pay a monthly membership fee to access most of your health data. Is it worth it? How does the Oura Ring Gen 3 compare to other smart rings? How does it compare to the best smartwatches, like the Apple Watch Series 9? Let’s find out.

Oura Ring Gen 3 review

Price and availability

The Oura Ring Gen 3 was launched in October 2021 and is available to buy now directly from Oura. It’s available in two models, Heritage and Horizon. Heritage (RRP $299) features the classic ‘plateau’ design, while the Horizon (RRP $349) is more ring-like with a smooth outer shell.

The Heritage model is available in four colours: Silver, Black, Stealth, and Gold. The Horizon model is available in two additional colours: Rose Gold and Brushed Titanium. For this review, I used the Oura Ring Gen 3 Horizon in the Brushed Titanium colourway. 

Specifications

• Materials: titanium with PVD coating
• Water resistance: up to 100m/328 ft.
• Width: 7.9mm
• Thickness: 2.55mm
• Weight: 4 to 6 grams
• Available sizes: 6-13
• Battery life: up to 7 days battery life
• Charging (0-100%): 80 minutes
• Connectivity: Bluetooth Low-Energy
• Sensors: optical heart rate sensor, blood oxygen sensor, Infrared PPG sensors, skin temperature sensors and 3D Accelerometer
• Compatibility: works with Android and iOS smartphones

Design and build quality

Considering the Oura Ring Gen 3 was launched three years ago, it’s not heavier or bulkier than other smart rings available now. It has a durable titanium shell with a Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating.

There is a small groove ('dimple') on the outer shell that helps you position the ring correctly, with the sensors looking at the underside of your finger (the groove should be on the side where your palm is).

PVD is a hard film layer that provides additional rigidity to metals such as titanium. The Oura Ring Gen 3 feels rugged, and although there are small scratches on the side of the ring that faces the palm (around the groove), the ring survived the month-long testing period without looking too beaten.

The tricky thing with smart rings is that, unlike smartwatches, they see a lot of action. You can use and wash your hands without interacting with a smartwatch, but you can’t do the same with a smart ring. As you grab things, the ring will inevitably be in the way, so it needs to be more durable than most wrist wearables.

The Oura Ring Gen 3 hasn’t got an ingress protection rating (I couldn’t find one, anyway), but it’s water resistant up to 100 metres, meaning you could wear it for showering and maybe even swimming. I’m not sure if it’s safe to use for pool swimming due to the chemicals in the water, but you shouldn’t be afraid of getting it wet, that’s for sure.

I’ve got big monkey hands, so I wore a size 12 ring. It weighs over 5 grams, but what is 5 grams between friends? It’s super lightweight; I had no problem wearing it continuously for days on end.

The Oura Ring Gen 3 most closely resembles the RingConn Smart Ring, albeit RingConn’s wearable has a more square design. Where they are similar is the small protruding area in the inner surface of the ring. The Oura Ring Gen 3 has three of these domes, under which you find the LEDs.

The inner surface isn’t as smooth as the Ultrahuman Ring Air, but that was launched years after Oura Ring Gen 3. The upcoming (?) Oura Ring Gen 4 might have a smoother inner surface.

Sleep tracking

The original purpose of the Oura Ring was to track sleep, and it’s still one of the best sleep trackers on the market. Although the company stresses that the Oura Gen 3 is not a medical device, numerous studies used the smart ring, as it’s considered one of the most accurate wearable devices.

According to the brand, the Oura Ring Gen 3 achieves 79% agreement with polysomnography (PSG) for 4-stage sleep classification (wake, light, deep, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep).

What this means is that the Oura Ring Gen 3 recognises different sleep cycles with high accuracy. And it doesn’t just recognise your slumber but also rates it! You’re given a Sleep Score each morning and a short summary of the night before. Sleep Score has seven components: latency (how long it takes to fall asleep), timing, restfulness and more.

The Oura algorithm also assesses your blood oxygen levels during the night, as well as respiration rate, resting heart rate and heart rate fluctuations. Plus, it measures heart rate variability, one of the key factors determining your Readiness Score.

Readiness Score takes even more metrics into account and is another way to gamify health. A number of other wearables provide a similar score, including Whoop and Fitbits – it’s a good way to know and understand how prepared your body is for exercise or just in general.

I found sleep tracking on the Oura Ring Gen 3 very accurate. I tested it against the Ultrahuman Ring Air, the Garmin Forerunner 965 and the Apple Watch Series 9, and the numbers looked consistent. Most importantly, of all the wearables, the Oura Ring provided the most data and the most comprehensible suggestions to improve my sleep.

Thanks to the layout of the Oura app, it’s also easier to see trends in your sleep. The scrollable graph at the top of the Sleep page allows you to check sleep scores for each day quickly and efficiently. It’s a simple thing that enhances user experience significantly.

The only thing I missed was something like a smart alarm. Wearables such as Whoop use a vibration motor to gently nudge you awake, something I’d love to see in the next iteration of the Oura Ring.

Illness detection

I ended up getting ill during the testing period due to the combination of overtraining for an upcoming marathon, work stress and international travel. I must have picked up a bug at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and since my body was slightly run down, it knocked me off my feet completely.

The Oura Ring recognised my illness automatically – I had a fever, which was picked up by the temperature sensor – and suggested I turn on Rest Mode. In Rest Mode, the app doesn’t give you an Activity goal and the stress tracking is also turned off because your body is under stress to get rid of the illness.

I found this immensely helpful. Most wearables, including Garmin watches, almost disregard certain symptoms and tell you to keep exercising. Usually, they recommend you take it easy, but in a sense that you should still exercise, but less.

During my 48-hour rapid illness, I had no appetite and could hardly make myself crawl out of bed. I definitely couldn’t exercise, even if I wanted to, so the Oura Ring acknowledging this was a relief.

Better still, once I started to recover from the illness and the app suggested I disable Rest Mode, it didn’t just throw me back into the deep end. Instead, there was a transition period when the app gradually increased activity suggestions to help me ease back into exercise.

I was thoroughly impressed with this feature!

Activity tracking

Over the years, Oura expanded its features portfolio, and as a result, the Oura Gen 3 can track exercise almost as well as sleep. You are given a daily calorie goal, and the app also provides an Activity Score.

My favourite part of exercise tracking was Automatic Activity Detection (AAD). Similar to the Apple Watch (although not the same), the Outa Ring Gen 3 can recognise and record over 30 activities, including running, cycling, gardening and more.

Best of all, you don’t have to initiate the workout in the app or do anything with the ring–the system automatically does it. Once the activity is done, you’ll see a box at the top of the home page in the app asking you to confirm the activity.

AAD doesn’t always know exactly what exercise you did. When it can’t decide, the aforementioned box will say ‘Maybe: Running’. When you tap on it, you’ll be given a list of potential workout types, letting you adjust the suggestion. Again, a simple interaction that enhances user experience a lot.

Of course, you can also start a workout in the app, and this is recommended if you want to collect GPS data on your runs. The ring hasn’t got built-in GPS, but it can piggyback on the back of your smartphone’s GPS and record your movements into the Oura app.

Even if you don’t record any workouts, the Oura Ring Gen 3 will monitor your calorie expenditure, which is nice. Not all activities that elevate heart rate are workouts, and by logging active calories, the Oura app helps people hit their goals easier.

Resilience score

One of the newest features, your Resilience Score, tells you how well you can withstand and recover from physiological stress over time. This feature was rolled out halfway through the testing period, and it showcased well why you need to wear smart rings and smartwatches for at least a few weeks for them to get the hang of, well, you.

My score went from ‘Solid’ to ‘Exceptional’ in two weeks without changing my sleep or exercise habits. Again, it takes a while for algorithms to get used to you, which is why it might take weeks for features like the Resilience Score to display the ‘correct’ numbers.

Once it does, though, it will stay relatively flat unless you lead a hectic life. I’m lucky enough to have a steady sleep and exercise routine, so I don’t expect my Resilience Score to change drastically over time.

It does provide an extra layer of understanding of your overall health, though, and the Resilience Score is included in the Oura Ring Membership, so I’m not complaining.

Is the Oura Ring Membership worth it?

Oura’s offering is unique, as it charges you to access almost all but the basic health data in its app. The company didn’t always charge users for features but rolled out this model when the Oura Ring Gen 3 was introduced.

Whoop has a similar model, but they don’t charge for the hardware, unlike Oura. One might argue that paying top dollar for the smart ring and then paying a monthly fee to access your data is a bit much.

However, everyone should get used to membership fees, as this is the future of all services. Look everywhere, and companies who can use subscription fees do to provide a better user experience over the long run.

Continuous updates and bug fixes require a lot of resources, not to mention R&D. If the company only makes money when it sells hardware, it’s forced to sell more hardware to keep the business afloat. That’s not good for the environment or the existing customer base.

Subscription fees enable companies to provide a better customer experience. Simple as that. And Oura’s app and features really are best in class, so I’d say the Membership is worth it. Or, more like, I wouldn’t recommend the Oura Ring without the subscription.

Verdict

The Oura Ring Gen 3 boasts one of the most comprehensive feature sets I’ve seen in wearables in recent years. Not just that, but the features on offer, including Sleep, Activity, and Resilience Scores, all work together, enabling you to better understand your health. Highly recommended for those who need a reliable health companion and can’t wear a smartwatch all day.

Three things to consider before buying the Oura Ring Gen 3 are the imminent release of the next generation ring, the membership fee, and the size of the wearable.

The third-generation ring came out three years ago, and Oura is likely working on its successor. The new ring will probably feature updated sensors and maybe even a sleeker look – not to mention, a new Oura Ring would help push the price of the Oura Ring Gen 3 down in the transition period.

Membership cost is also something to keep in mind. It’s not a lot of money, and I firmly believe there is no point in having an Oura Ring without a membership, but it’s certainly an ongoing cost.

Finally, although the ring isn’t massive, most of my female friends said it looked pretty big. It looks fine on my huge hands, but someone with smaller fingers might find the ring too thick. This is true for every smart ring, though, and not an Oura-exclusive issue.

Otherwise, you should go and buy your Oura Ring right now.

Sharp has announced its first smartwatch, and it comes with a feature that's unlike anything offered by Apple, Garmin or Samsung.

The new Karada Mate Watch claims to automatically estimate calorie intake using a bioelectrical impedance sensor. Developed with California-based health technology company HEALBE, the system measures changes in the body's water movement and sugar levels to estimate how much you've eaten throughout the day.

That means no food diary, no barcode scanning and no snapping photos of every meal. Instead, the watch automatically records estimated calorie intake and compares it with calories burned, giving users a running view of whether they're in a calorie surplus or deficit.

The same sensor can also monitor hydration levels and alert you when it's time to drink more water.

The Karada Mate Watch looks like a fairly capable smartwatch too. It packs a 1.32-inch OLED display, heart-rate monitoring, blood oxygen tracking, skin temperature sensing, GPS and sleep tracking. It also includes Sharp's new "Circuit View" interface, which automatically changes the information shown depending on the time of day.

The watch carries IP6X, IPX8 and 5ATM protection ratings and can even be washed using foaming hand soap, according to Sharp.

Sharp says the Karada Mate Watch will go on sale in Japan on 9 July for ¥59,400 (around £300 / $370). There's no word yet on an international launch, but if the calorie-tracking technology proves accurate, this could be one of the most interesting smartwatch features I've seen in years.

If you're in the market for a new watch this Amazon Prime Day deals week, then I've got a recommendation for you: the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar.

I'll explain what makes it so good in a moment, but first of all you need the headlines regarding the price: thanks to Prime Day, this watch will now cost you $299.99 rather than $399.99 in its 45 mm size.

Check out the Garmin Instinct 3 deal on Amazon.com

A quick bit of math will tell you that works out as a 25% reduction, which means you're making a substantial saving over the original price. If you've been thinking you're due a smartwatch upgrade – or maybe you're picking up a wearable like this for the first time – it's a great opportunity.

The 'Solar' part of the Instinct 3 name tells you that this is one of Garmin's solar-powered models. While the battery life is rated at 28 days on a single charge, thanks to the low-energy monochrome screen, if you're in a part of the world that gets enough sunshine then you will (in theory) never have to charge this watch at all – ever!

Compare that to a lot of the smartwatches from rivals like Apple, Google, and Samsung, where you generally need to make sure you don't forget to charge these devices every night. That's a huge contrast to the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar. I've got enough gadgets to worry about charging without adding a smartwatch too.

Packed with features and rugged looks

You'll notice that the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar comes with a rugged aesthetic, for the simple fact it is rugged. It's well-protected against knocks, scratches, and the great outdoors. Having a fashion statement on your wrist is all well and good, but you're just one accident away from it being significantly damaged.

As always with Garmin watches, this is a wearable packed with features. It'll measure your steps, calories, sleep, stress, blood oxygen saturation, and more. You can log much more in the companion Garmin Connect app too, giving you a holistic look at the bigger picture of your health and well-being.

GPS is built-in for navigation – and for showing my heat maps when I play 5-a-side soccer – and the built-in flashlight has also come in handy more than once when I've been without my phone. There are smart notifications from your phone here as well, reducing the time you need to spend looking at your Android or iPhone screen.

It's undoubtedly one of my favorite gadgets out of the many I own currently, and I'm keeping a keen eye out for the Instinct 4 too (though it won't be here for a while). Now that it's at three-quarters of the original price, it's even more appealing – and hard to beat for a smartwatch bargain this Prime Day.

Samsung is preparing to launch the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and a full set of images of this device have leaked from a reliable source.

From the leaks, we can see minor changes that Samsung has made to the design, while much of the watch looks similar to the original 2024 Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The leak comes from Evan Blass who recently announced that he was retiring from leaking forthcoming devices – only for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 images to appear in my inbox from one of Blass' old mailing lists.

Not a huge amount has changed, with the overall design of the Watch Ultra 2 the same as it was before. There are now numbers on the bezel rather than just sticks. That bezel looks like it might be slimmer and flatter than it was previously.

The button layout appears to be the same, with the orange highlighting now reserved for the central button. We've previously heard that these buttons have been improved on this new model and they do appear to be slightly differently mounted on the Watch Ultra 2.

The body of the watch appears to be a graphite colour, with black and green straps shown (with corresponding faces), with a different design of strap. Previously the Watch Ultra 2 launched with a corrugated style dive strap, but now it appears to be flatter in its design too.

It looks as thought the strap attachment will be the same, suggesting that straps will work with either device.

We already know that Samsung will be using the Snapdragon Wear Elite in its new devices, thank to confirmation by the company at Mobile World Congress.

It's expected that there will also be a bump in the battery capacity, which should see this watch lasting over three days.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Watch 9 at an Unpacked event scheduled for 22 July.

That same event is expected to bring us a trio of folding phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8.

Calling all golf fans – TAG Heuer has teamed up with TaylorMade on its latest Connected Calibre E5 watch. The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 45 mm x TaylorMade Edition is designed to support golf players during rounds of golf, by tracking shots, positioning and other metrics.

TAG Heuer debuted its first Connected smartwatch back in 2015, and since then, it’s expanded the line-up to include sports like Formula 1 and golf. The latter is what we’re talking about today, as the brand has launched its latest golf Connected watch in collaboration with sports equipment manufacturer, TaylorMade.

Designed to seamlessly integrate into a round of golf, the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 45 mm x TaylorMade Edition is powered by TAG Heuer OS and the Calibre E5 movement. Compatible with iOS 18+ and Android 13+, the new timepiece is sure to impress golfers and fans alike.

With the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 45 mm x TaylorMade Edition, you can view your metrics quickly on the screen, including best and last score, longest drive, rounds played and more. Each shot and position is registered for you via TAG Heyer’s algorithms so you can focus on your game as your watch collects your data.

Once your shots and positions are registered, it’s processed by TaylorMade’s performance analysis which compares each round to deliver ‘strokes gained metrics’. Wearers will be able to see strokes gained and lost, and which areas they can improve on.

Measuring 45mm, the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 45 mm x TaylorMade Edition isn’t a small watch by any means. Aside from its golf tracking technology, it also has dual-band GPS and sensors that track your heart rate, calories, breathing and sleep.

The bezel of the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 45 mm x TaylorMade Edition is engraved with 18 holes. Part of the titanium case, a crown sits on the right side, and features TaylorMade branding, as does the caseback and strap clasp.

The dial or AMOLED screen is available in two digital designs. The first is called Topography and inspired by the topography of golf courses. It includes three chronographs, a date window, and hours, minutes and seconds hands.

The second is Momentum which, despite the name, is much simpler with just the digital time being shown. The background is inspired by the fluidity of a golf swing. Both dials, as well as the strap of the watch, shows off dark blue colours that are from TaylorMade’s palette and history.

The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 45 mm x TaylorMade Edition is finished with a blue leather striped bracelet, and an impressive 12 hour battery life. TAG Heuer and TaylorMade have also partnered on other golfing products, including a putter, duffle bag, hats and gloves.

For avid golf enthusiasts, the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 45 mm x TaylorMade Edition is exactly what you’ll want to wear to the course. Not only does it look the part with its two dial displays but having your golf stats on your wrist can seriously improve your game.

The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 45 mm x TaylorMade Edition is available to buy now for £2,150 / $2,550 / €2,550.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is expected to come with changes to the design, including thinner bezels and better side buttons.

The new watch from Samsung is expected to be launched on 22 July at Galaxy Unpacked, with the event rumoured to be held in London. The new rugged smartwatch is said to be launching alongside the new Galaxy Watch 9.

Both devices are said to have new strap designs as well as new colours and watch faces, with the power thought to come from the new Snapdragon Wear Elite hardware.

The new Watch Ultra 2 is said to be "slightly boxier" while it will also add numbering to the dial, according to Galaxy Techie on X.

The online source continues, saying that there will be a beige colour, as well as black and silver, although it's not clear which watch this refers to.

Galaxy Techie goes on to share some screens that look like they come from One UI 9, showing the compass, watch faces and apps displays.

We previously heard that the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 could have a big battery update with a 784mAh cell, designed to last over three days.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra was launched in July 2024. While Samsung tends to update the Galaxy Watch annually, other devices slip into a two year cycle. That's previously seen the Classic in 2021, 2023 and 2025 – so the lack of a Classic model in 2026 shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The new Galaxy Watches are expected to launch alongside a bumper selection of Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

There are also rumours that Samsung might be showing off a little more about its anticipated Galaxy Glasses, with Google also teasing that we'll be hearing more about Galaxy XR devices in 2026.

That could set up Galaxy Unpacked as a huge event, packed with devices as Samsung looks to step into new territory. For those looking for a refreshed version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it looks like you're going to be in luck.

Others might also find some great deals on the existing model, especially as Prime Day starts on Amazon this week.

The World Cup action has been gripping the world over the course of the last few days. Kicking off on Thursday, 48 nations are doing battle across Mexico, Canada and the United States to find a winner.

If you're looking to keep up with the action, there's a new must-have watch face for Wear OS smartwatches. That tracks the scores live, so you can keep up with the action wherever you are, even without watching it on TV.

The face is called Kick It and is available on an app called Facer. Interestingly, it's produced by a division of Citizen Watch, which adds some credentials to the offering.

There are two sides to the design – one for when a game is happening and one for when it isn't. When live, users will see details of their selected favourite team, complete with their current record in the competition and their group standing.

That sits atop a similar band for the opposing team, which also features the live score. Beneath that is a detail of which stage of the competition were in, and at what moment the last update was pulled through. That sits above the time on an old school flip-style scoreboard display, headlines from the game in progress and your heart rate.

The face only changes slightly when there isn't a game on, showing the next opponent and match date for your favourite team. That can be selected within the settings of the app, and changes the dial to match the colours of that nation.

The offering is exclusively available on Wear OS 6 compatible devices, and will be made available for Wear OS 7 units when that debuts. It's currently only available for those in the USA, Canada, the UK and Japan, but hopefully some wider implementation can be had for those enjoying the tournament from other nations.

The Apple Watch already does a lot. It tracks your sleep, monitors your heart rate during workouts, helps you find your iPhone when you drop it down the side of the sofa (that latter one is a classic). However, Siri on Watch has always felt a little like an afterthought – a voice assistant that could set a timer but not much else.

The upcoming watchOS 27 is set to change that, however.

During Apple’s WWDC 26 conference, the company announced all the new software and features coming to its iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch devices, with Siri AI sitting at the centre of it all.

There’s a little bit of bad news in that watchOS 27 requires an Apple Watch Series 9 or newer. That means support is dropped for several models compared to watchOS 26, including the original Watch Ultra and Watch SE 2. But, I've been attending WWDC all week to find out more and so, if you do have a compatible model, here’s what Siri AI will be able to do.

Conversation, from your wrist

Siri AI will let you ask open-ended questions, brainstorm workout ideas, and have natural back-and-forth conversations from your wrist. There should be no more barking commands and hoping for the best only to be disappointed with the results.

Instead, Siri AI will be able to tap into your personal context across all your Apple devices, from your iPhone to your Mac.

Need your passport number on the go? The door code for your Airbnb? A note you saved three weeks ago with your workout routine? You should just be able to ask, and as long as that information is available somewhere within Apple’s native apps, like Mail or Messages, Siri should be able to pull it up.

Siri AI will also be able to take actions in apps, like share flight details with your family, play the song your personal trainer recommended to get you motivated, or update your Activity ring goals without you having to fiddle around in the settings on your wrist.

Siri gets its own home

Like iPhone, a dedicated Siri app is coming to Apple Watch with watchOS 27.

As you would expect, it has a slightly different layout to what you will see on iPhone, but the premise is the same: it brings all your Siri conversations into one place, and syncs them across iPhone and Apple Watch. That means you can start with a question or prompt on your phone and pick it up from your wrist.

You’ll also be able to pin conversations for quick access, or kick off a fresh one from the icon in the bottom right corner.

Beyond personal context, Siri AI can pull real-time information from the web, whether you need workout inspiration, check your train timetable, or get some wellness tips.

A new dynamic grid

There are a couple of other features worth mentioning, too, which are partly related to Siri.

The watchOS 27 software will bring a new dynamic app grid that will automatically surface your most-used apps and Siri suggestions, with the Siri app sitting in the middle.

There’s also a feature called Call Context that is coming to iPhone with iOS 27, and Apple Watch with watchOS 27. This brings relevant information to your Watch face during business calls, such as your booking reference code when you are on the phone to British Airways trying to change your flight because you haven’t closed your rings yet.

Other watchOS 27 features worth noting

Beyond Siri and the dynamic app grid, watchOS 27 brings several other improvements.

A new single tap gesture lets you open a Smart Stack widget just by pinching your index finger and thumb together once. The Smart Stack will also be smarter, surfacing more contextually relevant widgets, such as birthday reminders for close contacts or the location of your parked car.

On the fitness front, Workout Buddy which arrived with watchOS 26 is getting new data insights around pace, distance, and workout duration, and it will also be able to run without your iPhone nearby.

Improved motion tracking algorithms also promise more accurate distance measurements for treadmill runs and walks for those who prefer to workout inside.

There are health improvements in watchOS 27, too: the Cycle Tracking app now offers perimenopause and menopause support, sending notifications when your logged cycle patterns suggest perimenopause, along with related symptom tracking and educational resources.

Meanwhile, the Find My app is being consolidated so that Find Devices, Find People, and Find Items all live in one place with a map-centric view (thank god, this one might become my favourite), and the Wallet app will let you create custom passes for any membership or card that uses a QR or barcode. It'll also pin it in the Smart Stack for easy access.

Which Apple Watch models are compatible?

Apple's watchOS 27 requires an iPhone 11 or later, or an iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), running iOS 27. You’ll also need an Apple Watch SE 3, Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, and Ultra 3.

However, with the Apple Watch SE 3, it is worth noting that Apple Intelligence features will require a compatible iPhone to be nearby.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 could offer a much longer battery life than its predecessor. According to the latest details, the watch could have a bigger battery as well as running more efficient core hardware.

That might see the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 able to last for over three days, while the previous could only last two to three. Specifically, it's said that the capacity of the battery will be 784mAh and advertised as 800mAh.

That's a 30% increase over the Galaxy Watch Ultra, if the information from SamMobile is accurate.

It's said that the new Galaxy Watch Ultra will use the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip, which itself claims to be 30% more power efficient than previous chips. That could see Samsung's new Galaxy Watch getting double battery benefits.

Alongside the launch of the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 we're expecting to see the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch 9 Classic, which are also expected to see an increase in the battery capacity.

For the Ultra 2, the bigger battery and more efficient chip might not translate directly into a linear increase in battery life because of the features that Samsung packs into the watch.

With more power on offer, Samsung might feel it can use more power hungry features with less concern for battery life, delivering a better experience. That might come in the form of better on-device AI (powered by that new chip) as well as onboard 5G.

Other than that, we don't know a huge amount about the new devices and what to expect. So far we've not seen any design leaks, but we're not expecting a huge change to the design. That might suit those wanting a Watch Ultra, where the rugged design makes for most of the appeal.

It's likely that Samsung will focus on delivering better health and fitness features, with added refinement in the Samsung Health app, with particular AI functions reserved for Galaxy phone users.

It's thought that Samsung's new smartwatches will launch alongside the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8 at an event on 22 July.

Pebble has confirmed that it expects to start shipping the Pebble Round 2 in July, as the original founder, Eric Migicovsky, looks to bring back the iconic wearable brand.

Pebble was one of the early smartwatch players, originally launching in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter campaign, with its devices notable for using E Ink displays. In 2016, Pebble's software was acquired by Fitbit, which in turn was acquired by Google.

Bringing things full circle, Google made the software open source in 2025, at which point Migicovsky started working on new devices – including the new Pebble Round 2, which was announced in January 2026.

Sharing the details on X, Eric Migicovsky highlighted that he'd been looking at pre-production samples, but some adjustments are needed to the tooling to get the quality that's expected.

That should see samples landing with preorder customers from July, as Pebble looks to make something of a quiet comeback.

While a typical Garmin or Apple Watch aims to do absolutely everything, Pebble's philosophy is different. It's about creating nice devices that people will want to use and not overwhelming them with features and functions.

That in turn focuses on battery life and experience, rather than hitting every point on a spec sheet. The result should be a watch that you enjoy wearing, not one that leaves you bamboozled. It's very much a case of less is more.

I tried the new Pebble devices with Migicovsky when they were announced at CES 2026 and I left impressed. The Pebble Round 2 should be a conversation starter, a device that's thin and elegant, will tell you the time with a 1.3-inch colour e-paper display, and sports two weeks of battery life, with step and sleep tracking.

There are a selection of apps to use and a built-in mic to provide a gateway to AI companions on your phone.

The Pebble Round 2 is priced at $199 direct from Pebble.

Samsung has revealed a major update to Samsung Health that transforms its smartwatches from passive fitness trackers into what the company calls a more "proactive health companion."

The update introduces a suite of AI-powered health tools that analyse everything from sleep quality and cardiovascular fitness to overall activity levels.

Samsung says the goal is to make health management simpler by translating complex biometric information into easy-to-understand guidance.

Among the headline additions is a new Vitals feature that monitors several overnight health indicators, including heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen levels.

The system can then highlight unusual changes and trends that may warrant attention.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because the Apple Watch has a similar feature with the same name, introduced in watchOS 11.

This follows Samsung's strange trend of naming its products after their Apple equivalents (see also: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra).

Samsung is also introducing a Heart Health Score, which combines cardiovascular metrics into a single assessment, alongside Daily Cardio Load.

The feature, reminiscent of Training Load found on Garmin watches, is designed to help users understand how much strain exercise and daily activities place on their cardiovascular system.

Finally, the new Fitness Index brings together sleep, activity and fitness data to provide a broader view of overall wellbeing.

More than just a glorified health dashboard

The update appears to be part of Samsung's wider push towards preventative health monitoring and AI-driven coaching.

The company wants Samsung Health to identify patterns and offer actionable suggestions that can help improve habits over time.

Samsung has also redesigned the Samsung Health app, introducing dedicated sections for Sleep, Activity, Nutrition, Mindfulness and Vitals.

The company says these categories will work together to deliver more personalised recommendations and daily wellness guidance.

The rollout begins on 8 June, giving you an early look at the health platform ahead of Samsung's next Galaxy Watch launch.

While Samsung hasn't officially named the upcoming wearables in this announcement, the timing suggests these features will play a central role in the next generation of Galaxy Watch devices expected later this year.

Last year's announcement followed a very similar pattern, when the brand televised the new features a few weeks prior to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.

Read more about the update at Samsung.

Xiaomi has unveiled a batch of new wearables, including the Xiaomi Watch S5 46mm and Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro, as part of its Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) range.

The new devices blend flagship-style materials and long battery life with prices that still undercut many rivals from Samsung, Garmin and even Huawei.

The standout launch is arguably the Xiaomi Watch S5 46mm, featuring a stainless steel frame, optional ceramic and forged carbon bezels, and a 1.48-inch AMOLED display capable of reaching 2,500 nits peak brightness.

Xiaomi says the smartwatch weighs just 46g and measures only 10.99 mm thick despite packing an 815mAh battery rated for up to 21 days of use under light conditions.

A surprisingly premium push

The Watch S5 46mm also arrives with more advanced health and sports tracking than previous Xiaomi wearables.

Xiaomi claims the upgraded heart-rate system improves monitoring accuracy to 98.4%, while the watch supports more than 150 sports modes and dual-band five-system GNSS positioning for more reliable outdoor tracking.

One of the more unusual additions is something Xiaomi calls “Passion Mode.”

This tracks cheering gestures such as clapping, arm swinging and fist clenching during sporting events, then converts them into measurable workout-style data, including calorie burn and cheer counts.

It sounds slightly ridiculous, but it certainly helps the wearable stand out in an increasingly crowded market.

Sleep tracking has also been upgraded, compared to the Xiaomi Watch S4, to include HRV monitoring and weekly and monthly sleep reports.

The smartwatch runs Xiaomi HyperOS 3 and supports the usual ecosystem features, including remote camera controls, phone-finding features, and Xiaomi Home integration.

Fitness bands are becoming smartwatches

Alongside the Watch S5, Xiaomi introduced the Smart Band 10 Pro, a new fitness tracker with surprisingly smartwatch-like specs and features.

The successor of the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro features a large 1.74-inch AMOLED display with up to 2,000-nit peak brightness, built-in GNSS positioning, and up to 21 days of battery life, all packed into a slim 9.7mm body weighing just 21.6g.

Like the Xiaomi Watch S5, the Smart Band 10 Pro supports more than 150 sports modes and upgraded heart-rate monitoring, with the company claiming 98.2% accuracy from its revised sensors and algorithms.

The wearable also introduces some genuinely useful cross-platform functionality: when paired with a Xiaomi smartphone and an iPhone simultaneously, you can receive calls, messages and notifications from both devices on a single band.

Xiaomi is also pushing further into women’s health tracking through a partnership with Clue, with buyers receiving a three-month Clue Plus membership for deeper cycle and fertility insights.

More than just wearables

The brand also announced the Xiaomi Buds 6 semi-in-ear earbuds with Harman tuning and adaptive sound features, the Sound Play portable speaker with synchronised lighting effects, and the Robot Vacuum H50 Pro with 15,000Pa suction and an automated cleaning dock.

Pricing starts at £149.99 (~$210 / 173 / AU$281) for the Xiaomi Watch S5 46mm and £69.99 (~£94 / 81 / AU$131) for the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro.

Samsung watch owners are due for a free treat thanks to the newly announced Wear OS 7 update that's on its way.

Google unveiled Wear OS 7 at its I/O 2026 event this week, meaning Samsung smartwatch owners can expect it on their devices in the future too.

One of the standout features expected to arrive with the new Wear update is improved battery performance. Google says this update can give up to 10% better battery life, which could be all the difference for all day and even multi day use.

Google was cautious to say that "select smartwatches" will also get Gemini Intelligence as a helpful AI upgrade. What was less clear was if this will be supported on current smartwatches, or if this is something that will be reserved only for newer models. There is both the hardware strain and the marketing planning to be thought about here.

It would seem likely that Samsung will use this AI upgrade as a way to sell its newer smartwatches, due out later in the year. But, hardware permitting, perhaps it will roll out to older models following that initial launch - potentially.

Wear Widgets is another new addition coming with Wear OS 7. As the name suggests, this offers a "flexible and dynamic" way to get more "expressiveness and consistency".

As you might imagine, these will be similar to the widgets found on Android phones, only more condensed to offer pertinent information on a smartwatch sized display.

Live Updates is also incoming as a way to offer real-time information – ideal for things like delivery tracking coming in from a connected device.

Customisation is also being improved, with the ability to personalise auto-launch on a per-app basis right from the watch.

This is all Google but, of course, Samsung will skin Wear OS 7 with its own One UI. This could mean we see even more features added to Samsung smartwatches when this arrives.

When will Wear OS 7 be available?

Google hasn't officially given a launch date for Wear OS 7. However, based on previous announcements and launches, we should be able to expect this to start rolling out at the back end of this year.

The reveal of the next batch of Samsung Watches must be upon us, as the brand is seemingly trying to clear its stock of 'old' smartwatches, including one of my favourite – and certainly most handsome – wearables from last year, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.

Shop all Galaxy Watch deals on Amazon

The watch fell to its lowest ever price today and is currently selling for only £249, a 45% saving compared to its recommended retail price. Full disclosure, it's been retailing for around £260-£270 in recent months, but that doesn't change the fact that it is the cheapest it's ever been!

Samsung’s top-tier wearable combines classic watch aesthetics with modern smartwatch functionality. The 46mm GPS-only version has a stainless steel case and a rotating bezel, offering a tactile way to scroll through menus, notifications and apps.

The watch features a bright 1.34-inch Super AMOLED display protected by Sapphire Crystal glass, with peak brightness reaching 3,000 nits. It uses the Exynos W1000 3nm processor alongside 2GB of RAM and a generous 64GB of storage, double the standard Galaxy Watch 8.

Its BioActive Sensor can track heart rate, blood oxygen, ECG readings, and provide sleep analysis and body composition measurements. Newer software-led tools such as Energy Score, Running Coach and vascular load monitoring also make an appearance, alongside dual-band GPS for more accurate workout tracking.

Running on Wear OS with Galaxy AI and Google Gemini integration, the Galaxy Watch8 Classic also supports voice commands, smart replies, NFC payments and app syncing across the wider Samsung ecosystem. The GPS-only model skips LTE connectivity but still includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC support.

It's safe to assume at this point that the next generation of Apple Watches might not look dramatically different on the outside, but a fresh rumour suggests one of the wearable’s most controversial features could be getting a major internal overhaul.

According to recent reports, Apple is exploring a redesigned blood oxygen monitoring system for future Apple Watches following its lengthy legal battle with medical technology company Masimo.

The dispute has dominated the Apple Watch conversation for the last two years and forced Apple to rethink how one of its flagship health features actually works.

The issue dates back to 2023, when the US International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had infringed Masimo’s pulse oximetry patents, resulting in an import ban affecting certain Apple Watch models in the US.

Apple responded by disabling or limiting blood oxygen functionality on affected devices while it worked on a workaround.

Last year, the company reintroduced the feature with a redesigned system that shifts part of the blood-oxygen processing from the Apple Watch itself to the paired iPhone.

In the feature's current iteration, the watch collects raw data, while the iPhone handles the calculations and displays the results in the Health app.

A legal fix that could become a hardware strategy

Apple has since scored several legal wins, with US trade officials recently ruling that the redesigned implementation does not infringe Masimo’s patents.

Even so, the company now appears keen to move beyond temporary software workarounds and develop a more permanent hardware-level solution for future watches.

This fits neatly into the direction Apple is expected to take under the soon-to-be CEO, John Ternus.

While Tim Cook helped introduce and turn the Apple Watch into a health and wellness platform through software, services and ecosystem integration, many analysts expect Apple’s next era to focus more aggressively on proprietary hardware and sensor technology.

The Apple Watch has already become increasingly sensor-led over the years, adding ECG, temperature tracking, sleep analysis and advanced heart monitoring.

Blood oxygen sensing was supposed to be another cornerstone of that strategy before the Masimo dispute interrupted Apple’s plans.

Health remains the Apple Watch’s biggest selling point

The rumoured redesign suggests Apple still sees health hardware as the future of the Apple Watch, especially as the smartwatch market becomes more competitive and AI-driven software features become easier for rivals to replicate.

A more advanced blood-oxygen system might open the door for deeper respiratory and recovery insights, areas Apple has gradually been investing in through watchOS updates.

For now, the rumours remain unconfirmed, but the broader direction feels believable.

Apple has spent years positioning the Apple Watch as a serious health device, and after two years of legal turbulence, it looks increasingly likely the company wants complete control over the underlying hardware powering those features.

[via PhoneArena, Reuters, Techradar]

There is no shortage of smartwatches out there these days. Whether you opt for the Apple Watch, a fitness watch like Garmin, or consider something a little different like the Pebble, you have multiple options.

Those options weren’t enough for one user, however. As posted on GitHub and reported by Notebookcheck, there’s a smartwatch on the DIY scene that looks to offer a battery life of 10 months on a single charge. How, you might ask? Well, it uses solar power to charge, but not in the same way as you’ll find on the likes of the Garmin Fenix 8 Solar.

What is the LightInk smartwatch and how can I get it?

Instead, the smartwatch, which is being called LightInk, has a solar panel at the top of its rectangular display, making it considerably more visible than you’ll find on the Garmin Fenix solar watches. Solar technology is pretty much integrated into the display on the Garmin options, making it practically invisible, whereas the LightInk makes it more of a design feature.

There is a 100mAh battery inside the smartwatch and a couple of features are supported, including LoRa and GPS. Apparently there is no accelerometer as this would consume too much power, and currently, there is no companion app either. That makes the LightInk more of a wrist watch than a smartwatch really, though it does have an E Ink display with a backlight for use when it’s dark and there is a speaker too.

The other caveat with the LightInk smartwatch is that you have to build it yourself. Those interested in it can do this using the detailed guide, but you’d need to have a circuit board manufactured by a service provider as well as access to a 3D printer. You’ll also need to be prepared to do some soldering.

As such, we suspect the latest Pebble Time 2 will be a more appealing option to many, but if you do want to build your own smartwatch with a battery life that lasts months, well the LightInk is an option.

Samsung just revealed results from testing that found its Galaxy Watch 6 was able to accurately detect fainting, and warn wearers before that happens.

The trials, carried out at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in Korea, showed that the watch could successfully predict VVS - vasovagal syncope with high accuracy.

This is important as VVS is what happens when a person's heart rate and blood pressure drop abruptly. This can be caused by sudden stress and can result in a temporary lack of consciousness.

By detecting fainting before it happens, it could mean the watch is able to save people from potentially fatal accidents. From falling, to crashing while driving, detecting fainting before it's too late is a pretty big deal.

Professor Junhwan Cho of the Department of Cardiology at the hospital said: "Up to 40% of people experience vasovagal syncope over their lifetime, with one-third experiencing recurrent episodes.

"An early warning could give patients advance time to get into a safe position or call for help, which would dramatically reduce the incidence of secondary injuries."

The research - carried out on 132 patients - found that the watch's PPG sensor, which tracks HRV, when used in conjunction with an AI algorithm, could detect fainting early.

This was able to detect fainting up to five minutes before an episode with nearly 85% accuracy.

Samsung plans to use these results to offer better detection technologies using its wearables in the future. So expect to see this feature implemented as a software update across hardware supportive watches in the future.

How much is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 isn't the company's newest watch, making it a bit of a deal to grab right now. Keep in mind this new feature may not be available soon, but if you like everything else the watch can offer right now, then it could be worth snapping up in a deal.

Current pricing has the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 at the £180 mark.

OnePlus has been in the news quite a bit recently, but not necessarily for good reasons. It has been cutting staff and is currently “evaluating” its global business, but while there appears to be plenty happening behind the scenes, there are still products being revealed – just in a slightly less conventional way.

As spotted by 9to5Google, the OnePlus Watch 4 has been posted to the global OnePlus website, revealing the design and key details about the company’s next smartwatch.

What do we know about the OnePlus Watch 4?

According to the promotional page, the smartwatch will run on Wear OS 6 with OxygenOS Watch 8 over the top, and it is expected to offer the same battery life as the Watch 3. That means 16 days in power saving mode and three days for heavy use.

Google’s Gemini is also advertised on the page, while the smartwatch appears to opt for the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor, again like the Watch 3.

What looks to be different this time is that the Watch 4 will get a titanium case rather than stainless steel with just a titanium bezel, as per its predecessor.

It is also lighter at 43g and a little thinner at 474 x 47.4 x 11mm. Other specifications appear to include 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a range of health sensors, while multiple health certifications are also listed for the new smartwatch.

The problem is whether it will actually launch, or more to the point, where.

The promotional page on the global OnePlus site doesn’t give any indication of price or release date, so for now, it just wait and see.

That's a shame really, as it looks like a fairly decent upgrade that fans of the brand will no doubt have appreciated.

Apple may be offering blood sugar monitoring on your future Apple Watch if a new breakthrough is anything to go by.

Scientists at MIT have released research which was able to use a light to measure blood glucose. This is not only huge news for the world of smartwatches but also for anybody with diabetes, who may have had to take invasive finger pricks for blood measurements.

How does non invasive glucose monitoring work?

The MIT team used a form of Raman spectroscopy to detect glucose levels in the blood. This is done by shining near-infrared or visible light onto tissues in order to detect their chemical composition.

At the early stage the device used in testing was large - around the size of a desktop printer - far to large to work in a wearable.

But since then it's already been scaled down with a new prototype the size of a smartphone which is currently in testing. Researchers are working on making it even smaller, "about the size of a watch".

More work needs to go into not only scaling it down in size but also to ensure it can work accurately across different skin tones.

There are plans to run a larger study next year, working with a local hopsital, which will include people with diabetes.

So when this filters its way down to the mainstream, and Apple specifically, remains to be seen. But, at long last, non invasive blood glucose monitoring appears to be on its way.

This isn't anything new, but I'd like to think that the job of a tech journalist is to shine a light on issues in the industry, big and small – and in this case, it's actually shining lights that are the issues. I've been to the theatre a couple of times in recent months and each visit has brought a minor annoyance to my notice.

In any performance in a darkened room, whether it's live theatre or a cinema, most people know that it's obnoxious to take their phones out and check them – the light is a distraction for everyone, after all. That might not stop them, but there are plenty of announcements telling people to turn their phones off.

What we also need, though, is announcements telling people to use cinema mode on their smartwatches, and particularly on Apple Watches. I'm tired of seeing the flashes of screens waking as people shift in their seats, or indeed of older models with always-on displays that constantly glow out in the dark.

The mode is unbelievably easy to activate and deactivate on Apple's wearables, and I do it myself every time I go to an event – so I can attest that it's no great sacrifice.

As a reminder, if you click the side button on your Apple Watch (above the digital crown) you'll get access to your control centre. On here by default you'll see one icon that looks like two masks – one happy, one sad. That's a nod to historic symbols of the dramatic arts, and tapping it will activate cinema mode.

This will keep your watch's screen powered off unless you tap on it, and will also put it into silent mode. You'll still get haptics for notifications, but they won't disturb anyone around you.

Best of all, rather than tapping on the watch's screen if you want to check the time, you can instead turn the digital crown. As you turn it, the brightness will crank up from the bare minimum, so you can keep the disturbance to a minimum.

As I say, I get annoyed by someone's smartwatch literally every time I go to a dark-room event of any description, and I'm amazed that so few people seem to know about this mode and use it. Obviously, it might be that I'm in a silent majority by using it, since I'll never notice smartwatches that are turned down, but I'd still love it to be more widespread.

So, consider this a PSA, whether you knew about cinema mode or not – spread it around, and get more people using it if you can.

If you've been holding off on upgrading your old Apple Watch, now is the time to act. Amazon has decided to slash the price of the Series 9 by $400 – that's 57% percent off! Black Friday truly came early with this offer.

Shop all Apple Watch deals at Amazon

It's by far the lowest price I've ever seen, and it's also the biggest discount on Apple Watch deals currently available on Amazon. That said, the Ultrea 2 and the Series 10 are also a lot cheaper than usual.

The 41mm Cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 9 packs all of Apple’s latest smartwatch tech into a compact, everyday-friendly size. It runs on the S9 SiP chip, which brings faster performance and enables on-device Siri, allowing you to access health data and control functions without relying on the cloud.

The 1.7-inch Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display is one of its standout features, with up to 2000 nits of brightness, making it easy to read even in direct sunlight. The screen also scales down to just 1 nit for low-light environments, helping preserve battery life and improve night-time usability.

As a Cellular model, it supports LTE connectivity via eSIM, meaning you can take calls, stream music, and use apps without your iPhone nearby. Connectivity also includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3 for stable pairing with accessories.

Health and fitness tracking remain central. You get a third-generation optical heart sensor, ECG capability, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, and advanced workout tracking, alongside safety features like Emergency SOS and international calling.

Design-wise, the 41mm case measures 41 x 35 x 10.7mm and weighs just over 32g in aluminium, making it lightweight for all-day wear. It’s water-resistant to 50 metres and IP6X dust-resistant.

Google's Pixel Watch has been on offer before, but never for this cheap. The brand's flagship (and only) wearable is sleek, and has a ton of helpful health and fitness features – and now, it offers them all for £100 less, thanks to this Amazon deal.

Shop all smartwatch deals on Amazon

Most people are pleased with the watch, with one reviewer recently saying, "A Stunning Upgrade - This is the Smartwatch I've Been Waiting For!" Another noted that wearing the Pixel Watch 4 is "like having your very own personal trainer on your wrist."

The Pixel Watch 4 is Google’s most advanced smartwatch yet, combining upgraded hardware with deeper AI and fitness integration. It runs Wear OS 6 and is powered by the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip with a dedicated co-processor for improved performance and efficiency.

It features a brighter “Actua 360” AMOLED LTPO display, which reaches up to 3,000 nits and offers a larger viewing area thanks to slimmer bezels. The domed glass design adds durability while keeping the signature Pixel Watch look.

Battery life sits at around 30 hours for the 41mm model, stretching further with Battery Saver, and fast charging delivers hours of use in minutes.

The watch includes heart rate monitoring, ECG, SpO2, skin temperature sensing and stress tracking via a cEDA sensor, alongside detailed sleep analysis and Fitbit-powered insights. New AI-driven coaching and automatic workout detection aim to deliver more personalised guidance over time.

On the smart side, Gemini AI is deeply integrated, enabling features like “Raise to Talk” voice control, smart replies and contextual assistance. Connectivity is strong, too, with dual-frequency GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC and optional LTE, plus safety features like emergency SOS.

Apple’s long-running legal dispute with Masimo over the blood oxygen feature in its smartwatches has taken another turn, following a new ruling from a US trade judge.

Masimo previously secured a decision that Apple had infringed its pulse oximetry patents, which led to an import ban on certain Apple Watch models in the US.

In its case, Masimo claims Apple used its patented blood oxygen monitoring technology without permission.

The company says Apple hired away key staff, gained access to their expertise, and then built similar pulse oximetry features into the Apple Watch, leading to the original infringement ruling.

What blood oxygen monitoring actually does

Blood oxygen monitoring on smartwatches uses optical sensors to estimate how much oxygen is carried in the blood.

The device shines light into the skin and measures how it is absorbed to calculate SpO2 levels, offering a general indicator of respiratory and overall health.

Apple quickly introduced a workaround and has continued selling its smartwatches in the US.

The company adjusted how the feature works by shifting some data processing from the wearable itself to a paired iPhone.

The latest ruling says that this updated implementation does not infringe Masimo’s patents.

That change allowed Apple to reintroduce the feature while the legal process continued.

Legal victory for Masimo, practical win for Apple

It is worth noting that the earlier finding of infringement has not been overturned.

Masimo retains its original win, and separate proceedings have also resulted in the award of financial damages.

However, the latest decision limits the practical impact of those outcomes on Apple’s current products.

The ruling means Apple can continue selling watches with the revised feature in place.

For consumers, this maintains access to blood oxygen tracking, although the way the data is handled differs from earlier versions of the feature.

The case remains ongoing, with further appeals and decisions expected.

For now, the latest development suggests that while the legal dispute is unresolved, Apple’s changes have addressed the specific issue at the centre of the import ban.

Samsung recently confirmed that its upcoming smartwatches will adopt Qualcomm’s new wearable platform, a move expected to deliver a major boost in performance and battery life.

But a new leak now suggests that not every watch in the lineup will benefit from the upgrade.

According to a report citing industry sources, the high-end Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is likely to feature the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip, while the standard Galaxy Watch 9 could continue using Samsung’s in-house Exynos processor instead.

If accurate, the strategy would mark a shift for Samsung’s smartwatch lineup, effectively creating a clearer performance gap between the Ultra model and the regular Galaxy Watch.

A big step forward for wearable chips

The Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, announced at Mobile World Congress 2026, is Qualcomm’s most powerful wearable chipset to date.

Built on a 3nm process, it promises up to five-times faster CPU performance and up to seven-times faster graphics than previous Snapdragon wearable chips.

The chip also includes a dedicated neural processing unit capable of running AI models directly on the watch, enabling features such as real-time voice processing, smarter health insights, and context-aware notifications without relying heavily on cloud processing.

Qualcomm also claims the platform could deliver around 30% longer battery life, thanks to its improved architecture and power efficiency.

A split strategy for Samsung’s watches

Samsung has traditionally relied on its own Exynos wearable chips, but the company confirmed last week that upcoming Galaxy Watch models will incorporate Qualcomm’s new platform to power more advanced AI-driven features.

However, the latest leak indicates that the Snapdragon chip might not appear across the entire lineup.

Instead, Samsung could reserve the more powerful silicon for its premium models while sticking with Exynos in the standard Galaxy Watch.

That approach wouldn’t be unprecedented, as Samsung often differentiates its products through processor choices, and a similar strategy has been used in its smartphone lineup.

What it could mean for the Galaxy Watch 9

If Samsung does split its wearable processors, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 would likely become the showcase for Qualcomm’s new chip, potentially offering faster performance, improved AI capabilities and longer battery life.

The Galaxy Watch 9, meanwhile, may remain closer to current models in terms of raw processing power, positioning it as the more affordable entry point into Samsung’s smartwatch ecosystem.

Samsung is widely expected to unveil its next Galaxy Watch lineup alongside its foldable phones this summer at its bi-annual Galaxy Unpacked event, which means we may not have to wait long to find out which watches get the upgrade.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is currently down to £299 on Amazon, a £150 price cut compared to its recommended retail price

[via Notebookcheck]

Google has started rolling out its March 2026 update for Pixel Watch, and it’s one of those drops that actually improves the stuff you do every day, such as paying for goods, keeping tabs on your phone, and getting around one-handed.

Updates begin rolling out now and continue over the next few weeks.

Express Pay is the most attention-grabbing upgrade, letting you tap your smartwatch on a payment terminal without opening Google Wallet first.

You’ll need to toggle it on, and your watch still has to be unlocked, but it removes the extra step that made tap-to-pay feel less smooth on the wrist.

Your watch can now protect your phone

With Pixel Watch 2 (or later) paired to a Pixel 8 or later, your watch can alert you if you leave your phone behind and automatically lock your phone when you wander out of Bluetooth range.

In terms of security-minded improvements, Google says connected devices can now perform faster identity checks for sensitive actions once you add a PIN.

This latter feature is limited to Pixel Watch 3/Pixel Watch 4 paired with Pixel 8 Pro and newer phones (with some exclusions noted by Google).

Find Hub and new gestures

Google is bringing Find Hub onto Pixel Watch, so you can ring nearby devices over Bluetooth, or see location and directions when something’s out of range.

And if you’re on Pixel Watch 3, Google is also expanding the one-handed gesture controls introduced on Pixel Watch 4, so you can do things like answer calls or control media with gestures when your other hand is busy.

On the safety side, Google says earthquake alerts are now available as a standalone feature on Pixel Watch, and Satellite SOS (a Pixel Watch 4 feature) is expanding beyond the contiguous US to include Canada, Europe, Alaska and Hawaii.

In the UK, Amazon is currently selling the 45 mm WiFi version of the Pixel Watch 4 for only £329 (down from £399), £20 cheaper than the 41 mm model.

[via Google Support]

Samsung confirmed at MWC 2026 that its upcoming Galaxy Watch lineup will run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, according to remarks by InKang Song, EVP and Head of Technology Strategy.

The chip, unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2026, is designed specifically for next-generation smartwatches and other compact AI-powered wearables such as pendants.

Qualcomm says the platform can deliver up to 30% longer battery life, alongside major gains in performance and AI processing.

It's a major move from Samsung, given its long-standing reliance on its own Exynos wearable chips, potentially signalling a broader push toward more powerful on-device AI experiences on its watches.

A new generation of smartwatch silicon

The Snapdragon Wear Elite is built on a 3nm manufacturing process, allowing Qualcomm to squeeze more power and efficiency into the tiny silicon used in wearables.

According to Qualcomm, the chip delivers up to 5x faster single-core CPU performance and 7x faster graphics than previous wearable platforms.

It also includes a dedicated neural processing unit capable of running small AI models locally on the device.

That could enable smarter assistants, context-aware health features and real-time insights without constantly relying on the cloud.

Better still, Qualcomm says the new chip can extend smartwatch battery life by roughly 30% per charge while supporting much faster charging speeds, and up to 50% in around 10 minutes.

Beyond performance, the chip also introduces support for newer connectivity standards, including Bluetooth 6.0, ultra-wideband and even satellite communication, features that could eventually expand what smartwatches can do independently of a phone.

What Samsung wearables we expect this year

Samsung hasn’t confirmed which devices will debut with the Snapdragon Wear Elite, but the most likely candidate is the next flagship Galaxy Watch refresh.

The company typically launches new wearables in the summer alongside its foldable phones, which means a successor to the current Galaxy Watch lineup could arrive later this year.

The upcoming models would follow last year’s Galaxy Watch generation, which ran on Samsung’s Exynos W-series silicon.

If Samsung’s confirmation holds, the next Galaxy Watch could be among the first smartwatches to ship with Qualcomm’s new platform.

The move could also reshape the wearable chip race, as Qualcomm attempts to establish its Snapdragon Wear Elite platform as the new standard for Wear OS devices from brands such as Samsung, Google and Motorola.

The current-gen Galaxy Watch 8 is currently down to £269 (RRP £319) at John Lewis in the UK.

Plus, Amazon is selling the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) for only £479 (was £599).

In the US, Amazon has a Galaxy Watch 8 deal going on (was $349.99, now $326).

[via Gadgets & Wearables]

For a smart watch to be considered a running watch, it needs to offer something a little bit special. It needs to be lightweight and comfortable enough to wear for long runs and have a battery life to match, plus it needs to provide clear and accurate data to track your runs, from your health metrics to the route you took.

Huawei's latest model certainly does all the and more. Our Huawei Watch GT Runner 2 review gave the watch high praise for its compact design, redesigned GPS hardware and deep feature set that suits both runners and everyday health tracking. A serious contender for one of the best running watches to be released in 2026.

While the GT Runner 2 is already competitively priced, those looking to buy it on launch can benefit from a special launch price and extra benefits worth over £109. Rather than the standard price of £349.99, you can purchase the watch on the Huawei store for £319.99, with an exclusive coupon worth £30 and an additional watch strap for free.

From 26 February, buyers will also receive the Huawei Multipass, including premium trial subscriptions to Huawei Health+, Komoot, Intervals.icu, Kotch and Race Pace – all for free.

Like clockwork, Apple launched its latest lineup of wearables in September 2025. These include three new products, of which I have already reviewed two. I left the mainline Apple Watch until last, partly because it felt like the safest bet of the bunch, and in many ways, that assumption proved accurate.

That said, and as is always the case, one has to take out their magnifying glass from their drawer to see what’s changed between the Apple Watch Series 10 and the Series 11. Both watches use the same design and the same size, as well as the S10 chip, among other key similarities.

Even though strapping the Series 11 on my wrist felt like a familiar sensation, I can’t say I disliked the experience. Apple still isn’t behind the competition too much with its watches, except maybe battery life, which it really needs to work on and even though the Series 11 introduces a longer battery life compared to all other Apple Watches that preceded it.

I've been wearing the watch for the last few weeks to find out if it’s worth the upgrade or if you’re better off sticking with your older Apple Watches. Spoiler alert: I wouldn’t rush to the nearest Genius Bar to order the watch, but it might be worth the upgrade if you have an older Apple Watch (no surprise there).

Apple Watch Series 11 review

Price and availability

The Apple Watch Series 11 comes in two sizes, 42 mm and 46 mm, with prices from £369 / $399 / €449 / AU$679 for the more affordable aluminium model. The titanium model adds a significant premium and is selling for £649 / $699 / €799 / AU$1,249 (42 mm model).

The watches are available now at Apple UK, Apple US, Apple EU, and Apple AU.

As before, the Series 11 is available in GPS-only and GPS+Cellular versions, the latter of which allows you to make and receive phone calls and messages with an iPhone in sight.

Since the watch has been out for a few months, it’s not impossible to find good discounts. In fact, Apple seems to have shifted its strict pricing policy we’ve seen for yours, allowing third-party retailers such as Amazon to sell the Series 11 at a heavily discounted price.

So much so that these days, you can own the latest Apple Watch Series 11 for as little as $300 in the US. Prices in other countries vary; the semi-permanent price cut seems to focus only on the brand’s largest market (i.e., the USA). Having said that, the UK has seen some price drops in recent weeks.

Design and materials

As mentioned above, the Series 11 is a spitting image of the Series 10. It comes in the same two sizes, 42 mm and 46 mm, and feels identical to its predecessor. As such, it has the same dimensions, including the ultra-thin case depth of 9.7 mm, and weight as the Series 10.

The main (only?) physical difference is the tougher Ion-X glass on the aluminium models, featuring a new ceramic coating. This new layer is said to make the screen twice as scratch-resistant as before. The watch also comes in a new colour, Space Grey, which joins the Jet Black, Silver, and Rose Gold trio.

Another, admittedly less visible, update is the 5G modem, an upgrade from the Series 10’s 4G modem. This is said to improve performance and provide better coverage when using the Apple Watch for calls and messages. Needless to say, this new feature only concerns the GPS+Cellular model.

This really is all there is to new design elements. The watch still features the same smooth latch mechanism that easily attaches and detaches the straps, as well as the digital crown and push button. The sensors and the chip (S10 SiP) are also the same as in the Series 10.

Features

There aren’t any exclusive features to the Apple Watch Series 11, but watchOS 26 introduced a few new additions to the already robust health and fitness offerings on the Apple Watch.

Chiefly among these is Sleep Score, a feature everyone’s been begging Apple for. The feature has recently been updated to make it less misleading by suggesting that lower sleep scores are bad.

Apple’s Sleep Score isn’t as robust as those from other brands, such as Samsung or Huawei, but it’s a good start, and I look forward to seeing many more refinements in the coming years.

Liquid Glass is another addition to the mix, which made its way over from iPhones. It’s much subtler on the Apple Watch due to the smaller screen and processor. I’d go so far as to say it makes little difference in everyday use, but maybe it's just me.

Workout Buddy has also been introduced with watchOS 26. This AI-powered feature is fully in line with Apple’s approach to workouts and turns solitary workouts into quasi-studio sessions by offering personalised motivation, encouragement, and real-time feedback.

I’m not a person who enjoys random bits of motivation coming from an algorithm mid-run, but I’m sure many people appreciate this. After all, Apple Watch is the most-used wearable on Strava, and given how popular the Apple AirPods Pro 3 are, I wouldn’t be surprised if most Apple Watch users use Workout Buddy.

Hypertension Notifications join the ranks of Apple’s health features. It looks for patterns consistent with high blood pressure over time (using the optical heart sensor) and can notify you if such patterns are detected. I apparently don’t have these, so I can’t really comment on them.

Similar to Crash or Fall Detection, I’m certain some Apple Watch users will appreciate Hypertension Notifications and will be able to use this information to better address blood pressure issues.

Of course, the Apple Watch can’t actually measure high blood pressure – it doesn’t have an inflatable cuff, for one – so Hypertension Notifications look for the signs of high pressure in the data the watch can collect.

Apple has finally brought the Notes app to Apple Watch, letting you view notes, pin items, and check off checklists right from your wrist. This is a fun addition, and I have been using it while testing the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Double-tap has been the only gesture control option on Apple Watches before watchOS 26. Now, Wrist Flick is also available, allowing you to – well – flick your wrist dismiss notifications/calls, silence alerts and return to the watchface

I still think that Gesture control holds great promise, but, admittedly, Apple hasn’t been rolling it out as quickly as I'd hoped. Both Double Tap and Wrist Flick are only available with a handful of Apple Watch apps, and unless you’re in very specific situations, it’s unlikely you’ll remember to use them. At least, that’s what happens to me most of the time.

I wish Apple championed accessibility by extending gesture control and introducing new features and apps that work with it. Great, now I can dismiss a timer by flicking my wrist or double-tapping my fingers – so what?

Why can’t we have more features connected to these? How about other options, maybe shaking the watch, or circling your wrist? Gesture control has almost endless potential, but unless it’s acted on by the company, it’ll stay just that.

Battery life and charging

One of the most significant Series 11 upgrades over previous Apple Watch iterations is battery life. After 11 years (!), Apple decided to extend the ‘all day’ 18-hour battery life to 24 whole hours. Better still, in my experience, the watch can last nearly two days if you turn off features such as blood oxygen monitoring and the always-on display.

To paraphrase Neil Armstrong, the Series 11’s extended battery life is a huge leap for the Apple Watch, but only a tiny step for smartwatches. Many (most) AMOLED smartwatches have week-long battery life these days, not to mention some Garmin watches, including the microLED Fenix 8 Pro, that can go for weeks without needing a charge.

Luckily, fast charging is still available, providing up to 8 hours of battery life with just 15 minutes on the puck. Charging is fast, in general, which is even better. However, it would be much better if I didn’t have to charge the watch more than once or twice a week.

At this point, Apple’s battery life feels increasingly out of step with the rest of the smartwatch market. Brands started to overtake Apple with their smartwatches, offering deeper health features, better fitness functionality, and even more premium builds.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Series 11 is a reminder of how polished Apple’s smartwatch has become, and how cautious its evolution now feels. The changes over the Series 10 are real but modest, making this a sensible upgrade for owners of much older models rather than anyone already on recent hardware.

Battery life improvements and watchOS 26 refinements keep the Series 11 competitive, but rivals are pushing ahead in areas Apple once dominated. The foundations are all here for something bolder. For now, the Series 11 feels less like a leap forward and more like Apple catching its breath.

There was a time not so long ago when it was nearly impossible to find a deal on Apple products. Now and again, there was a 5 per cent discount on a MacBook, or a 7 per cent 'special offer' on an Apple Watch. Now, it seems the brand is trying a new pricing model, one that almost permanently slashes the prices of its products.

Shop today's Apple deals on Amazon

For example, the Apple Watch Series 11, launched a mere six months ago, has been selling for $299 on Amazon since early December. The retailer occasionally bumps the price back up to $380- $390, but according to price-tracking sites, $299 seems to be the new normal.

Needless to say, Apple sells the smartwatch for full price on its website, but the fact that it doesn't seem to care that the world's largest online marketplace constantly and significantly undercuts it says a lot about how the Cupertino-based company's approach changed in recent times.

The reason for this change of heart could be that interest in the Apple Watch has waned in recent years. The Apple Watch Series 10, which people expected to reset the wearable for years to come, only introduced minor physical changes and little to no new exclusive software.

Re-positioning the wearable as a more affordable product helps shift Apple's stock and, more importantly, make it easier for people to upgrade. After all, the more keenly-priced Apple AirPods Pro 3 seem to be flying off the shelves, according to none other than Apple CEO Tim Cook himself.

Funnily enough, the AirPods Pro 3 is also in a similar situation as the Apple Watch Series 11, often selling for $199 instead of its $249 MSRP. It's currently down to $229 on Amazon, which certainly isn't the cheapest the noise-cancelling headphones have ever been, but it's still a $20 discount.

It would shock the world if the upcoming Apple Watch Series 12 launched at a lower price, but maybe that's not the point. Getting a good discount is part of the game, and the thought of saving $100 on a new Apple Watch makes the deal all the sweeter.

Over the years, Google’s Pixel Watch hasn't seemed to change all that much between iterations. So the idea of a fresh release having a camera built in feels a tad unrealistic. Plus, it’s never felt like it needed one.

However, a new Fitbit patent has appeared on the US Patent Office website showing a clever way a camera could be used on a future Google smartwatch, and most interestingly, it wouldn't take or store any photos at all.

Spotted by Gadgetsandwearables, the idea - it seems - is to track your exposure to blue light, the kind of harsh, cool-toned light that can mess with sleep when you’re surrounded by bright screens and LEDs late at night.

A camera that isn’t for photos

The patent describes using a watch camera to briefly “sample” the light around you, before immediately binning the image. Instead of capturing anything you could view later, the watch would rely on numbers the camera already calculates behind the scenes, like automatic white balance data.

Basically, it seems the camera would be there to document your day. It's more about quickly working out whether the room you’re in is heavy on blue light, and then turn that into a health-style metric. The watch could then flag when your exposure is above average, or give you a gentle nudge if you’re still sitting under bright lighting late in the evening.

It’s a clever bit of recycling, really. You’d be using signals the camera already generates, without adding extra sensors, and without creating a privacy headache where your watch is secretly snapping pictures.

More like Pixel Watch than Fitbit?

Fitbit’s hardware has been drifting towards slimmer, simpler trackers, where battery life and comfort are king. Adding a camera, even a tiny one, doesn’t exactly match that vibe.

Pixel Watch, though, is already positioned as the “smart” option in the family, and it’s the more natural place for experimental features that blend health tracking with contextual awareness. If Google ever did put a camera on a watch, my guessign are it would almost certainly be sold as an ambient sensor first, with anything else being secondary.

Of course, this is still just a patent, and patents are basically a window into what a company might try one day and definitely not a strong rumour as to what’s coming next.

Still, it adds to the growing pile of Pixel Watch chatter lately, especially after a separate leak recently suggested Google is also working on “left behind” alerts that could warn you if you walk away from your phone, and potentially auto-lock it, too.

Again, nothing confirmed here yet but if Google does ship it, it’ll be a very welcome move.

OnePlus has been on a bit of a hot streak with wearables lately, especially for those who are all about build quality and battery life. The brand’s smartwatch success so far might be down to how it sticks mostly to a simple formula: making wearables that look premium, last ages, and don’t overcomplicate the basics, all at a decent price point.

The all-new Watch Lite is the latest example of that, being aimed at people who want a proper everyday watch experience without paying flagship money (even though the OnePlus Watch 3 isn't the most expensive smartwatch to begin with).

This isn’t a Wear OS device, so it’s not trying to be an app-packed mini phone on your wrist. Instead, the OnePlus Watch Lite focuses on offering users a slim, modern design with a sexy, bright display, health and workout tracking, and the usual essentials like notifications and calls, all in a package that’s meant to be easy to live with.

The question, of course, is whether “Lite” means smartly stripped back or a little too cut down. I’ve been testing the OnePlus Watch Lite for the past month to see how it holds up day to day. Here’s what I found.

OnePlus Watch Lite review

Price and availability

The OnePlus Watch Lite is available to buy now in the UK and certain parts of Europe from OnePlus' webstore, costing £159 and €179, respectively.

At the time of writing, OnePlus hadn’t officially launched the Watch Lite in the US or Australia, so if you’re based there, you’ll likely be looking at importing it. If you just want a rough idea of what that £179 works out as elsewhere, it comes to around $230 in the US and about AU$350 down under, depending on exchange rates and whether your bank decides to take a cheeky cut on top.

In terms of value, it sits in an interesting spot. It’s not bargain-bin cheap, because options like the CMF Watch 3 Pro cost quite a bit less, but it does look and feel more premium than a lot of those cheaper wearables, and it adds proper swim resistance too.

At the same time, if you stretch your budget a little further, you start wandering into Apple Watch SE 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic territory, which brings you better smartwatch features, proper payments, and third-party apps.

So really, the Watch Lite only makes total sense if you actually want what it’s offering, rather than what you assume a smartwatch should be giving you.

Specifications

• Screen: 1.46-inch AMOLED (464 x 464), up to 3000 nits
• Case Material: Stainless steel + plastic back
• Water Resistance: 5ATM / IP68
• Battery Life: Up to 10 days (realistically ~4 days with always-on display, ~7 days typical use)
• Sports Modes: 100+
• Health Tracking: Heart rate, SpO2, wrist temperature, sleep, stress + 60s health check
• GPS: Dual-band GPS
• Smart Features: Notifications, Bluetooth calls (mic + speaker), music controls (phone only)
• Payments: No (NFC is for smart locks only)
• Price: £179 / ~$179 / ~AU$350

Design and build quality

OnePlus could have called this thing the Watch Slim and it would have made just as much sense, because the first thing you notice when you put it on is how low it sits on your wrist. At 8.9mm thick, it slips under sleeves easily, doesn’t feel clunky, and generally avoids that chunky sports-watch vibe that some people love and other people hate.

It comes in silver or black stainless steel, and the silver model in particular does a top job of looking more expensive than it is. There’s a nice shine to the case, the strap looks clean and a bit more grown-up than the usual generic rubber band, and doesn’t scream “fitness tracker”.

Comfort is another strong point here. It’s light enough that you stop noticing it during the day, and secure enough that it doesn’t feel like it’s sliding around during workouts.

Controls are refreshingly simple, too. You get one rotating crown that you can spin and press to move around the interface, and what looks like a second button is actually a touch-sensitive sensor used for health readings. It’s a neat little design trick, because it keeps the watch looking clean while still giving you something physical to use when your hands are sweaty, or you’re mid-run and can’t be bothered with precise touchscreen taps.

In terms of durability, the watch sports IP68 and 5ATM ratings, meaning it’s not just splash-proof, it’s actually swim-friendly. Plenty of cheaper watches claim they can handle water, then quietly fall apart the moment you look at a swimming pool, so it’s nice to see OnePlus taking this bit more seriously.

Display

The Watch Lite’s screen is the show-stealer when it comes to design. You get a 1.46-inch AMOLED panel with a 464 x 464 resolution, and it’s sharp, colourful, and properly punchy. Blacks look deep, meaning watch faces pop, and the whole thing just feels a lot more premium than the price would suggest.

This is all thanks to the wearable’s brightness. OnePlus claims up to 3,000 nits peak brightness, which is the kind of figure you normally hear attached to pricier watches, and in daily use it translates to one of my favourite features of any smartwatch - I could always see it outdoors.

On bright days, cloudy days, and those awkward in-between days where the sun randomly decides to appear for five minutes just to ruin your screen visibility, the Watch Lite stayed readable without me having to squint.

It’s also protected by a Sapphire crystal, which again is a spec you don’t always see at this price. It doesn’t make the watch indestructible, but it does mean you’re less likely to end up with a screen full of scratches after a few months of wear.

Features and performance

Here’s where you need to be on the same page as OnePlus, because the Watch Lite is not trying to be a full smartwatch. It uses OnePlus’ own software rather than Google’s Wear OS platform, and the whole experience feels more like a fitness platform with a few smart extras, rather than a smartwatch with a fitness mode bolted on.

The good news is that it all runs smoothly. Whether you're swiping around menus, opening widgets, jumping into workouts, checking stats, etc - it all feels snappy and responsive, and the interface is simple enough that you’re not constantly hunting for where OnePlus has hidden a setting this time. It’s quite beginner-friendly in that sense, too, even if it doesn’t hold your hand with coaching.

You still get the basics you’d expect on your wrist. Notifications come through clearly and are easy to glance at, although they’re not as interactive as they would be on a full smartwatch. You also get weather, alarms, timers, calendar, and some small useful tools like a camera remote shutter.

Lifestyle features like music controls are here as well, although that doesn't mean you can store music on the watch or listen to tracks through the watch speaker. It’s basically a remote control, not a wrist worn iPod.

The bigger compromise on the Watch Lite, however, is the apps. Because it’s not Wear OS, there’s no proper app store, and you’re limited to what OnePlus includes. For some people that’s absolutely fine, but if you’re used to having Spotify, Google Maps, proper messaging tools, or smart home controls on your wrist, you might miss them here.

Then there’s NFC. The Watch Lite does have it, but not for contactless payments. It’s more for things like compatible smart locks, which feels like one of those gimmicky features most people won't ever actually use. So, if you rely on wrist payments, this is going to be the feature that makes you look elsewhere.

well-beingThis is where the Watch Lite earns its name, because it’s clearly built with fitness as the main event. It supports over 100 sports modes, has dual-band GPS, and includes a solid sensor suite for tracking your general well-being.

On the health side, you’ve got heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen, stress tracking, sleep tracking, and wrist temperature, plus menstrual cycle tracking for those who need it.

OnePlus also includes a quick, all-in-one health check that takes about a minute and pulls together several readings in one go. This works by going through your measurements and gives you a health snapshot. It’s one of those features that sounds like a gimmick until you actually use it a few times, because it’s quite a convenient way to check in when you’re feeling a bit off or you’ve had a rough night’s sleep.

The Watch Life's GPS performance is a big plus at this price, too. Dual-band tracking tends to be more accurate than single-band setups, and in daily use, I found it locked on very quickly and held signal reliably. Route mapping was strong for the most part, and it’s the sort of thing that makes the Watch Lite feel more capable than some similarly priced rivals that cut corners on location tracking.

Heart rate accuracy is generally good too, especially during steady runs and treadmill sessions. Sleep tracking is also decent, and the watch does a good job of recognising when you’ve fallen asleep and when you’ve woken up. Sleep data is presented clearly, and you get useful basics like stages and scores, but be aware that it doesn’t go very deep with coaching or actionable advice.

All your data lives in the OHealth companion app, and thankfully, it’s laid out in a way that makes it easy to actually use.

Fitness and health tracking

This is where the Watch Lite comes into its own, as it’s clearly built with fitness as the main event. It supports over 100 sports modes, has dual-band GPS, and includes a solid sensor suite for tracking your general well-being.

On the health side, you’ve got heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen, stress tracking, sleep tracking, and wrist temperature, plus menstrual cycle tracking for those who need it.

One feature that OnePlus includes is a quick, all-in-one health check that takes about a minute and pulls together several readings in one go.

This works by going through your measurements and pretty much giving you a snapshot of your health. I mean, it's not going to diagnose any hereditary ailments, but it’s quite a convenient way to check in when you’re feeling a bit off, or you’ve had a rough night’s sleep.

The Watch Life's GPS performance is a big plus at the price they're charging, too. Dual-band tracking tends to be more accurate than single-band setups, and in daily use, I found it was able to lock on very quickly and hold signal reliably throughout my workouts. Route mapping was strong for the most part, too, and it’s the sort of thing that makes the Watch Lite feel more capable than some similarly priced rivals that cut corners on location tracking.

I found heart rate accuracy to be generally good, especially during steady runs and treadmill sessions. Meanwhile, sleep tracking is decent, and the watch does a good job of recognising when you’ve fallen asleep and when you’ve woken up. What I like about it is that your sleep data is presented clearly, and you get useful basics like stages and scores. But be aware, it doesn’t go very deep with coaching or actionable advice.

Anyhow, you'll find all your fitness and health data stored in the watch's OHealth companion app and, thankfully, it’s laid out in a way that makes it easy to actually use. Again, it's just a shame it isn't Watch OS.

Battery life

Battery life is one of the Watch Lite’s biggest positives, and it’s the sort of thing you notice most when you go back to wearing a watch that needs charging every day, *cough* Apple.

OnePlus claims up to 10 days of juice per charge, and while you’re not going to hit that if you hammer GPS workouts, crank brightness, and keep the always-on display running constantly, it’s still a watch that can comfortably last most of the week with normal use.

In my experience, with the always-on enabled alongside using the watch's general lifestyle smarts, such as notifications, and 3-4 workouts per week, you’re looking at roughly four days. Turn AOD off and use it like a regular person, checking the screen when you need to rather than leaving it on permanently, and you can push closer to a week. If you go lighter on workouts and use power saving, I think you’ll edge nearer to that full 10-day claim.

Verdict

The OnePlus Watch Lite makes the most sense when you judge it as a fitness-first wearable, not a Wear OS rival. It’s slim, comfortable and genuinely stylish, the display punches above its price, GPS is solid, and the battery life is the sort that makes nightly charging feel outdated.

As with most wearables these days, there are compromises. The big one is the lack of a real app ecosystem alongside the absence of NFC payments. Also, some of the smarter connectivity tricks still feel like they’re finding their feet. Basically, if you want a watch that can properly stand in for your phone, you’ll be better off stretching to a Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch.

But if you just want a good-looking, dependable watch that tracks workouts well, covers the health basics, handles notifications and calls, and lasts long enough that you stop checking percentages, the Watch Lite is a very easy and mostly pleasant one to live with.

Garmin might be about to dip its toe into a different kind of wearable - and the first clue has popped up in the most awkward of places: the brand’s own webstore.

A product page for something called the CIRQA Smart Band briefly appeared across multiple Garmin regional sites, including the US, Canada, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, complete with an “Add to Cart” button - all before disappearing again moments later. The link now reads: "Sorry, we can't find that page."

The listing was shared among fans on a Garmin subreddit by someone who unintentionally discovered it while "searching for signs of a smart band on the Connect+ compatible devices page".

While there were no glossy product photos nor feature list on the page, there was enough there for us to assume this was an accidental early listing.

A screen-free Garmin Whoop rival on the way?

The leaked page reportedly showed the CIRQA Smart Band with two size options (S/M and L/XL) and two colourways of Black and French Gray, alongside the part number: 010-04675-00.

Most interestingly, the listing allegedly said it was “Available to ship in 4-5 months”, which - unless Garmin has suddenly started doing pre-orders five months out - points to a potential May/June 2026 launch window.

Support pages for the CIRQA also appeared in several regions around the same time, and those have now been pulled, too, which tends to be the kind of housekeeping you only bother with when you've really messed up.

From what we can see in the listing, the CIRQA doesn’t sound like a Vivosmart-style tracker with a screen.

The "smart band" moniker feels more like Garmin having a pop at a screenless recovery-type band - something that can track health and readiness 24/7 without turning your wrist into a notification billboard. Think Whoop, or Zepp Health’s Helio Strap, where all the insights live in the app.

And if it is in fact true, it will probably go down well with Garmin fans, who have been asking for something like this for ages. Plenty of people want Garmin’s training and recovery smarts without wearing a chunky sports watch to bed.

Will Garmin put it behind a paywall?

Garmin already flirted with the idea of a screen-less band last year with the Index Sleep Monitor, but it wasn't quite what we were expecting.

Despite early speculation, the smart sleep band wasn't part of the new Garmin Connect+ subscription and didn't seem to bring any exclusive paywalled features, for now, at least. Instead, that wraps around your upper arm like a blood pressure cuff and tracks everything from HRV status and sleep stages to breathing variations and skin temperature.

CIRQA, on the other hand, sounds like it could finally be Garmin's answer to Whoop - an “all-day, all-night” band acting as a proper alternative to a watch, not just a bedtime accessory.

The one thing Garmin will need to get right with the CIRQA band is how it handles features.

Whoop’s entire thing is the subscription, and Garmin has traditionally avoided that. However, the brand has started edging more into paid extras lately with Garmin Connect+. If CIRQA ends up being a brilliant band that then asks for a monthly fee to unlock the good bits, that could be a tough sell for long-time Garmin users.

For now, though, all we’ve got is a leaked listing and the fact Garmin hit “delete” faster than it could say "Whoops". Still, when a product page shows up on an official store with sizes, colours and a shipping estimate, it’s usually not nothing.

There's no shortage of fitness trackers out there right now. While the old guard will still opt for a smartwatch, in 2026 there's an option for every type of person, like smart rings and other fitness trackers.

The Polar Loop definitely sits in the latter camp. As a bracelet-style, screen-free wearable, it draws obvious comparison to devices like the Whoop.

Where the Loop differs, though, is in its price structure – it can be had with a one-off payment, where the Whoop requires a monthly fee to use. So, for subscription averse fitness lovers, this sounds like a treat.

Polar Loop review: Key Specs

The Polar Loop is designed to get in your way as little as possible within the course of a day, and that starts with the dimensions of the thing. Measuring 42x27mm and just 9mm thick is really wearable – most of my time here at T3 is spent testing luxury watches, and those dimensions are very nice indeed.

It's also incredibly light – just 29g with the wristband attached – which means you'll hardly even notice it over the course of a day. That doesn't come at the consequence of rugged design, either, with a stainless steel construction and 30m of water resistance on offer.

The device is powered by a 170mAh battery. That doesn't sound like a lot, but with no screen to power, it can actually stretch quite far – eight days, says Polar.

In terms of fitness tracking, you can expect all of the usual suspects to be included. The Loop will track your heart rate, step count, different activities and sports, calories, sleep and more.

Polar Loop review: Performance

On the wrist, much of the Loop's spec-sheet goodness appears to translate into real-world use. You'll quickly feel it melt away on the wrist, which is perfect for something designed to be worn everyday and in all manner of situations.

It's also stylish, without being overbearing in its design. I love that users are able to customise the look with additional bands, and the range of strap and case colour combinations feels well thought out. You should have no trouble matching any outfit with what's on offer.

Operation is also pretty self explanatory. If you opt to do nothing else, the Loop will track your heart rate and activity, and monitor your sleep without needing any additional input.

Hop into the app, though, and you can bolster this with some additional input. There are a wealth of specialised activities and sports to select from, which tailor the collected data with the activity in mind. That's handy because the device will simply default to 'Other Indoor' when it notices you've started doing something.

That also leads me to my first couple of gripes with the product. First, it doesn't seem to register when I've logged an activity, instead deciding to double up with a partially duplicated activity it has registered. That means I get a half hour walk, but also eight and a half minutes of 'Other Indoor' – annoying!

It's also worth noting that the activity selection screen isn't especially useful. There's lots of different options on offer, but unless you're a heptathlete, you probably won't use more than a handful. A favourites option – or even just a frequently used section – would go a long way here.

Really, it's the software side of the product where things aren't as polished. The overall app design is clumsy at best, with a design that just doesn't feel connected to the userbase the device targets. It's a tracker aimed at the Average Joe, with an app that is made for a sports scientist, and I really believe changes to it would go a long way.

The only other point of note on that front is that the device lacks any sort of Blood Oxygen measurement. That's a shame, as lots of other devices are including that these days, meaning it does feel missing.

Still, what this does track, it does in style. I think the sleep tracking is best here – clear graphs and useful information boxes which inform the user of what the data means in the real world. Daily activity graphs aren't too bad, either, though perhaps a little more convoluted than they really need to be.

Polar Loop review: Verdict

If you're after a basic health tracker which can keep note of your daily steps, track the quality of your sleep, and do both without interrupting you with a constant flurry of notifications, the Polar Loop is well worth a look.

This is a device which does the basics well, and can be a useful companion for tracking data without needing to be absorbed into it at all times. However, if you're not using the data for anything, it does beg the question of why you're wearing it at all.

While I do like the idea, I think the app needs a real overhaul to be more user friendly. It's essentially a device aimed at casuals, with an app made for sports scientists, and that's almost never the way around you'd want it.

Polar Loop review: Also Consider

It's no secret that the Polar Loop's design is inspired by that of the Whoop fitness trackers. As such, if you're looking for an alternative, that's a good place to start.

If you're still seeking something which does away with the subscription model, the Amazfit Helio Strap is a killer option – and costs less, too!

Huawei has never been shy about going after the big players in the wearables space, but it’s also been a bit, let's say, inconsistent about how hard it commits to specific categories.

A few years back, for example, it tried to take on Garmin more directly with the Watch GT Runner, a lighter, running-focused off-shoot of its more popular GT line, which leaned more into the coaching side of things. It was a decent first attempt, but it didn’t quite have what it takes to lure dedicated runners away from the likes of Garmin and Polar.

Since then, Huawei’s wearables have mostly gone in other directions, focusing on more general smartwatches, health-first devices like the Watch D line, and more rugged, outdoorsy models such as the Watch Ultimate.

Now, though, a new leak suggests Huawei might be sharpening its elbows again, ready for a fight with Garmin, because something described as a “professional sports watch” is reportedly in the works - and it sounds more serious than your bog-standard, all-rounder watch.

The deets so far

The fresh rumours arrive via Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station, who claims Huawei has a sports-focused wearable in the pipeline currently nicknamed “Racing Legend” - although the leaked image itself actually references a “Track Legend” trademark, which Huawei reportedly registered some time ago.

In other words, the naming still feels a bit lost in translation, but the core detail seems to be that it's a new watch codenamed Chitu, and it’s being positioned as a professional sports watch.

We also get some early detail on looks. The leak lists four colour options: Track Legend (which sounds like a special edition or headline colourway), plus Ray Shadow Black, Dawn Orange and Chi Guang Blue. That last one is likely just Huawei being pretentious about the colour blue, but it does suggest the usual sporty palette you see on performance watches.

Straps are another big talking point here. The leak claims there will be 22 strap variants, with 16mm and 22mm strap sizes mentioned, too.

The name “Racing Legend” has also been floating around in earlier reporting, so it’s possible this is just a translation mishap or internal naming. Either way, a proper pro sports watch from Huawei is exactly the sort of thing that would be aimed straight at Garmin’s dominance in the world of running watches.

For now, this is still firmly leak territory. But the fact it’s showing up with a trademarked name, colourways and strap options suggests Huawei’s edging ever closer to making it a reality.

The first time it happened, I assumed it was a one-off. I stepped out into the winter cold, something we know all too well in England, tapped Start on my run, and my smartwatch immediately lost the plot.

My apparent heart rate spiked when I was barely moving, then flatlined, then snapped back to something believable.

GPS wasn’t much better; my pace seemingly lurched up and down, and the route map looked like I’d been zig-zagging.

After a few repeats, it clicked: it wasn’t my fitness or some strange health issue, but the icy conditions.

Cold weather can trip up wrist-based heart rate sensors, and it can make GPS tracking feel less consistent if you rush the start.

The good news? I fixed it with a handful of simple changes and now get accurate readings no matter when I choose to run, walk, or jog.

Why cold smartwatches struggle

Once I stopped questioning my fitness, the pattern made sense. Wrist-based heart rate tracking is optical, relying on getting a clean read of blood flow close to your skin.

In the cold, your body naturally prioritises keeping your core warm, which can reduce circulation in your extremities and make that optical signal noisier and easier to misread.

That’s when you see weird spikes, drop-outs, or a watch “locking on” to something else rhythmic, like your cadence. In simple terms, it's not you, it's the smartwatch.

GPS can feel similarly flaky if you rush the start. Should you begin moving before the watch has a solid satellite lock (something that's very easy to do when you just want to get going), early pacing and the track line can wobble while it catches up.

And, on top of that, manufacturers explicitly note wearable devices have recommended operating temperature ranges, which is worth bearing in mind for proper winter sessions.

Fix 1: Warm the sensor before starting

The biggest change I made was also the easiest. I stopped asking the watch to do its most delicate sensing while my wrists were cold.

If I stepped straight into the cold and immediately started an activity, that was when I’d get the most chaotic heart rate readings. Now, I give myself a few minutes to warm up before I even think about tracking anything.

In practice, that means I’ll walk briskly for five minutes or simply keep my watch tucked under my sleeve until I’m ready to move.

Once my skin’s warmed up a bit, blood flow is more consistent, and the sensor has an easier job, while the heart rate line stops doing that annoying spike-and-drop routine.

Fix 2: Wear your watch properly

The second fix was realising I’d been wearing my watch the “everyday” way, even when the conditions weren’t everyday.

In summer, a slightly looser strap and a lower wrist position can still give you decent results. In the cold, that same setup is basically inviting light leak, movement, and patchy contact.

Now, when it’s cold, I wear the watch a touch higher up my arm, away from the wrist bone, and I tighten the strap so it’s snug without feeling restrictive.

The goal is to have consistent contact. If the sensor is bouncing, twisting, or letting light in, you’re more likely to see those random spikes or drop-outs.

The other winter tweak is layering. If I’m wearing long sleeves, I’ll keep the watch under my cuff so it sits in a warmer pocket of air, rather than exposed to the wind, which might sound obvious but makes a big difference.

Fix 3: Switch to an external heart rate sensor

If the warm-up tweaks help but you still see dodgy readings in the cold, the next step is to stop asking your watch to do everything from your wrist.

For training days where accuracy matters, you can pair your watch with an external heart rate monitor.

A chest strap like the Garmin HRM-Pro is still the most dependable option, because it isn’t trying to interpret blood-flow changes at the surface of your skin, so it’s far less affected by icy hands or the watch moving around.

If you hate the idea of a chest strap, there’s a solid middle ground: an armband-style sensor like the Polar Verity Sense worn higher up the arm.

Fix 4: GPS reliability tweaks that actually help

The quickest GPS win is simply giving your smartwatch a moment to do its thing before you move. Most sports watches will show some kind of GPS indicator – wait until that’s settled, then hit Start.

Additionally, if your watch offers a more advanced GPS mode – usually labelled something like dual-frequency or multi-band – it’s designed to improve consistency in tougher environments, like in tunnels and around cities.

The trade-off is battery life, so you don’t need it for every walk, but it’s worth switching on for sessions where you care about pace accuracy, or you know your route is a bit of a GPS nightmare. Two other quick checks: avoid aggressive power-saving modes during tracked workouts, and try to start in an open area if you can.

Anything else I need to know?

In cold weather, smartwatches aren’t suddenly “bad”: they’re just dealing with weaker signals, more layers, and more chances for the watch to shift around.

A few small habits help. Treat the first minute of any workout as a settling-in period, rather than an instant performance test, and keep the watch in a warmer spot on your arm.

The other mindset shift is knowing what you’re trying to achieve: for easy runs and general fitness, “close enough” is often fine.

The Apple Watch Series 11 only launched a few months ago, but we’re already seeing some hefty discounts land online - and Amazon’s leading the charge with this one.

Check out Amazon's latest Apple Watch deals here

Right now, you can get the Apple Watch Series 11 GPS 42mm model for just £299 – that’s a tidy £70 off its usual price of £369, making it a tempting time to upgrade your wrist game. What's more, you can get it at this discounted price in an array of colours - white, black, purple or space grey.

So, if you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on Apple’s newest wearable, this is the kind of price drop worth jumping on. It’s not every day you get a near-20% discount on a current-gen Apple device - and you can bet it won’t hang around forever.

What’s new in the Apple Watch Series 11?

While it may look familiar on the outside, the Series 11 brings some worthwhile updates over the Series 10 - especially when it comes to health and battery life.

Its biggest addition is hypertension notifications, which is a first for Apple. You also get an upgraded sleep score feature for more detailed rest and recovery tracking, plus the battery now stretches to a full 24 hours on a single charge - a long-overdue leap from Apple’s long-standing 18-hour ceiling.

Durability gets a bump too, with a new lens that's twice as scratch-resistant, and there’s 5G cellular support for faster syncing if you go for the cellular variant (this deal’s on the GPS-only model though).

Is it still worth buying?

Let’s be honest, Apple didn’t reinvent the smartwatch wheel with the Series 11. But the upgrades here make it a better all-rounder than the Series 10, and a more future-proof option than, say, the Apple Watch SE 3, which lacks some of the newer health tech.

Yes, the SE 3 does offer serious value for less, and for most users, it’ll tick a lot of boxes. But if you care about health features like blood pressure tracking or want the latest Apple Watch with the best battery performance yet, this deal makes the Series 11 the more compelling buy.

And at £70 off, you’re getting that cutting-edge tech without too much of a splurge.

So, if you’re upgrading from a Series 8 or older, or just want to see what all the fuss is about with the newest model, this discount makes now a great time to buy.

Honor has officially unveiled the Watch GS 5, confirming the full spec sheet via Weibo after weeks of teasers and leaks.

On paper, it’s offering the two things people keep asking budget smartwatches to do better - that is - last longer between, and take health tracking a bit more seriously.

Battery life is perhaps the main draw here, though, with Honor saying the GS 5 will last up to 23 days on a single charge. That's the kind of number you normally only really see in more spenny, premium watches.

Still, even Honor’s own figures suggest around nine days with the always-on display enabled, which is still comfortably ahead of most AMOLED rivals.

The Watch GS 5 comes in a 44mm case that’s just 9.9mm thick, and it weighs 26g thanks to a lightweight aluminium composite build. It’s also rated to 5ATM, so it should be fine for swimming and general water exposure.

Up front, there’s a 1.32-inch AMOLED display with a 466 x 466 resolution and a claimed peak brightness of 1,500 nits. In real terms, that should mean crisp watch faces and good visibility outdoors, even in bright conditions.

The rest of the feature list is pretty solid, too. There's built-in GPS, NFC, speaker and microphone hardware, an AI voice assistant, and over 100 sport modes for the usual mix of gym, run, cycle and everything in between.

Ambitious heart tracking features

Where this watch gets really interesting, though, is in the health stuff.

Alongside standard heart rate tracking, Honor says the GS 5 offers alerts for irregular rhythms, potential atrial fibrillation, and sleep apnoea risk.

But one report also claims Honor is introducing an “industry-first” sudden cardiac arrest screening feature. It apparently looks at longer-term heart rhythm trends and something called “heart deceleration capacity”, a more clinical-style metric linked to how well your heart can slow down and recover.

As ever, Honor’s careful to frame these innovative features as risk assessments as opposed to diagnosis tools. And then still, we don't know if they'll even be cleared for wider use outside China.

For now, though, the Honor Watch GS 5 is available in China priced at 699 yuan - roughly about £75 / $95 / AU$150, depending on exchange rates.

There’s no word yet on global availability, but if the previous GS watches are anything to go by, a wider launch could follow in the coming months.

Huawei has pushed quite the meaningful health upgrade to its Watch Ultimate 2, adding a new screening tool designed to estimate your risk of coronary heart disease - a feature that could nudge some people into getting checked before things get serious.

According to a report by HuaweiCentral, the update will be arriving via a HarmonyOS firmware update (version 6.0.0.209) and, while it won’t magically diagnose anything, it’s the sort of “early warning” health insight that Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch owners still don't have yet.

Coronary risk screening arrives

The big addition in this update is, of course, the coronary heart disease risk assessment, which will be delivered through Huawei’s Research app.

It works by requiring users to opt into Huawei’s coronary heart disease research project inside the app before they then wear the watch for a few days. It then uses the data it’s collecting day and night to generate an assessment of your risk.

According to the report, users should expect results after three to four days of wear. You’ll also need a Huawei phone running HarmonyOS 5 or later, plus the Huawei Research app updated to version 1.1.10.320 or newer.

It’s worth being clear about what this is - a screening-style feature based on trends and signals, not a medical diagnosis. Still, it’s an interesting move, and it fits Huawei’s broader strategy of using wearables to deliver more advanced health insights than most mainstream smartwatches currently offer.

More modes, more cycling smarts

On the sports side, the Watch Ultimate 2 is also getting features aimed at cyclists, including real-time simulated cadence support in outdoor cycling mode. The idea with that, it seems, will be to give users access to more “pro-style” cycling data without having to buy and fit a separate cadence sensor on your bike.

There’s also a new 3D distance compensation feature, which uses GPS and the watch’s barometer to better account for elevation changes - handy if you do a lot of hilly riding where flat 2D mapping can make your effort look a bit underwhelming.

Nevertheless, if you’ve got a Watch Ultimate 2, the update is rolling out in batches now - so it might take a little while to hit your wrist.

Google might finally be adding a small-but-very useful feature for its smartwatches - the kind that you don’t realise you need until you leave your phone on a café table and walk off like an idiot.

According to a new APK teardown spotted by Android Authority, Google is working on a “Notify when left behind” feature for Pixel Watch that would alert you when your connected Android phone gets separated from your wrist.

This is by no means anything new - Apple Watch users have had a similar feature for years, and something Samsung’s Galaxy Watch already offers in its own ecosystem. Regardless, whether Google's late to the party or not, this will still be good news for Pixel Watch fans.

How the Pixel Watch version could work

The idea is simple - if your Pixel Watch notices your phone is no longer nearby, it'll ping you. Handy for forgetful moments, and potentially even more useful if your phone gets nicked and suddenly vanishes out of Bluetooth range.

While it's not a feature Google has official announced just yet, the strings found in Google’s code suggest the feature will require two (quite obvious) things - that your watch will need to be on your wrist, and that Bluetooth will need to be switched on for both devices.

It also looks like you’ll be able to set it up from your watch, with a note that you may need to have the watch unlocked during enrolment, which suggests Google is treating this as a security-adjacent tool, not just a casual reminder.

So, will every Pixel Watch get this feature? Well, there’s wording in the code that implies that's not the case, with a “Not supported watch” message telling users to update their watch software or use a compatible model. So don’t assume your older Pixel Watch is automatically getting it.

The more interesting bit is what this feature might do beyond just buzzing your wrist.

The report suggests the feature will tie into a separate “auto-lock” capability previously spotted, where your phone would automatically lock when it gets separated from your Pixel Watch. That’d be a pretty useful extra layer of protection if your handset slips out of your pocket, or someone grabs it and runs.

Newer strings also suggest you’ll be able to quiet the alerts in “trusted locations” so your watch doesn’t yell at you every time you leave your phone charging upstairs, and that toggling Airplane Mode could trigger the behaviour too, since it effectively kills Bluetooth and forces a “we’re separated” moment.

None of this confirms a release date, however, but if Google does ship it, it’ll be a very welcome move.

The Pixel Watch 4 might be Google's the latest generation wearable, but if you’re not bothered about having the newest model on your wrist, Amazon has just made its predecessor - the Pixel Watch 3 - by far the smarter buy.

The LTE version of Google’s 45mm Pixel Watch 3 has dropped to a price I don't think I've seen on Amazon before - and it’s not a token $20 off, either. The deal gives you a pretty massive 40% saving.

This is the kind of discount that usually only shows up when a brand is properly clearing stock ahead of the next generation, so if you're considering this smartwatch, it's probably worth pouncing now while it's at its cheapest.

Why buy the Pixel Watch 3?

So what are you actually getting for the money? In T3’s Pixel Watch 3 review, we called out the watch's gorgeous Actua AMOLED display as a standout feature, bolstered by slimmer bezels and a brightness boost that makes stats way more readable outdoors.

The larger version with the 45mm case - which is the on offer right now - also gives you more screen space to work with, which is ideal when you’re mid-run and trying to glance at pace or heart rate without squinting.

Fitness is still the main reason to buy this watch, though. Fitbit integration remains great, with strong sleep tracking, stress monitoring, loads of workout modes, and features like Cardio Load and Daily Readiness to help you judge whether you should push hard or take a recovery day.

You also get ECG support, skin temperature tracking and the usual Wear OS perks like notifications, Google apps and NFC payments.

It's worth noting the compromises haven’t changed here though. For example, the strap-swapping system is still a bit fiddly, and some of Fitbit’s deeper insights sit behind Fitbit Premium once the free trial ends.

But if you just want a stylish, genuinely capable Android smartwatch with LTE, this is about as good as it gets for the money right now.

And compared with Pixel Watch 4 pricing, it’s an absolute bargain.

Apple Watch rumours tend to fall into two camps. One usually promises a revolution, while the other quietly whispers, “another refinement year.” With the upcoming Apple Watch Series 12, those two camps feel more divided than ever.

Some leaks point to a largely familiar Apple Watch with smarter software and tighter health insights. Yet another set hints at a redesigned sensor layout that could unlock entirely new capabilities.

What seems almost certain is timing. Apple Watch Series 12 is widely expected to arrive in September 2026, following Apple’s long-standing autumn launch rhythm alongside new iPhones. Beyond that, everything becomes far more interesting.

Option A: The incremental path

If Apple sticks to its recent playbook, Series 12 will look much like Series 11 from the outside. The case, screen shape, and general design language would remain familiar, while the real changes would happen under the hood.

This version of Series 12 would lean heavily on Apple’s growing focus on algorithm-driven health rather than on headline-grabbing new sensors.

Blood pressure is the clearest example. Apple already offers hypertension notifications based on long-term optical heart rate data, carefully framed as trend detection rather than a medical-grade reading.

Series 12 could refine that further, with faster confidence, fewer false positives, and more personalised guidance in the Health and Fitness apps.

Battery efficiency, charging speed and performance would likely see minor improvements, too. None of these would dominate a keynote, but together they would make the watch feel smoother, smarter and easier to live with, exactly the kind of upgrade Apple has delivered several times before.

In this scenario, Series 12 becomes a polished evolution rather than a redesign. It would align with Apple’s recent message that the Apple Watch is already a health platform, and that its future is about making that platform more reliable, more predictive, and more personal.

Option B: The big swing

The alternative future depends on one specific rumour: a redesigned underside with a ring-style layout of multiple sensors. If that change is real (and if it lands on Series 12), the upgrade story changes dramatically.

More sensors don’t automatically mean flashy new metrics, but they can dramatically improve signal quality. Better spacing, more emitters and receivers, and improved contact with skin would all allow Apple to gather cleaner data during movement, workouts and sleep.

Oura introduced a more substantial sensor setup with its latest Oura Ring 4, which allows the ring to rotate up to 30% from its 'ideal' placement without compromising sensor data. A similar setup on the Series 12 could drastically improve data capture in tricky scenarios.

Apple already measures heart rate, oxygen saturation, temperature and motion very well. The next step is making those measurements more consistent in the messy, real-world conditions in which people actually use their watches.

This is also where blood pressure and blood glucose speculation resurfaces. True non-invasive glucose tracking still feels unlikely for 2026 – even though rumours have already been circulating for at least 5 years – but better sensors could bring Apple closer to early warning signals and long-term trend modelling.

Blood pressure, meanwhile, could evolve from risk detection into something more immediate and actionable, even if Apple continues to avoid presenting it as a traditional reading. One thing is for sure: it's unlikely Apple will offer anything even remotely similar to the Huawei Watch D2's inflating cuff.

What extra sensors could realistically unlock

If Apple adds or improves sensor hardware, the most believable gains mirror features already seen across other wearables:

• More reliable stress and strain modelling based on physiological responses
• Smarter illness and fatigue detection using temperature and heart data together
• Improved workout heart-rate accuracy during high-movement training
• Better heat and hydration guidance built from combined metrics rather than single readings

In other words, not necessarily new numbers on a screen — but more confidence in the ones people already use.

MicroLED: Garmin’s flex, Apple’s question mark

Garmin has now shown that MicroLED displays are possible in mainstream sports watches, with what surely was the biggest wearable launch last year: the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED. It offers extreme brightness, contrast and efficiency. That naturally raises the question: will Apple respond with MicroLED on Series 12?

Right now, the evidence suggests caution. Apple’s own MicroLED Apple Watch project was reportedly paused or cancelled in previous years, and there’s no strong sign that 2026 is the comeback moment.

Apple could still adopt the technology through suppliers, but for now, Series 12 is more likely to continue refining OLED rather than leaping to MicroLED. If any Apple Watch models would introduce this new technology, it's likely be the Ultra.

Will it cost more?

Apple doesn’t raise base Apple Watch prices lightly. A price increase becomes more likely if Series 12 introduces clearly premium hardware changes or if Apple reshapes the lineup into new tiers. Otherwise, Series 12 is expected to stay close to its predecessor’s pricing, with higher costs reserved for Ultra models or material upgrades.

Still, with sensor complexity, silicon costs, and health certification all rising, Series 12 may quietly test the upper edge of Apple’s traditional pricing comfort zone.

The wishlist that would actually matter

If Apple wants Series 12 to feel genuinely new without rewriting the rulebook, a few upgrades would go a long way.

• Multi-day battery life without sacrificing thinness: the Series 11 improved battery life slightly, but it's still far cry from other AMOLED watches available now
• Faster charging that makes short top-ups genuinely useful: you can get around 8 hours of use from 15 minutes already with Series 11, but it would be a lot better if 5–10 minute bathroom/shower charges could reliably replace overnight charging.
• Even more accurate workout tracking during intervals and strength sessions: wrist-based sensors have always suffered from sub-optimal heart rate readings during high-intensity training; maybe the new sensor could improve this.
• Recovery and readiness insights that feel as natural as checking the time: Apple lags behind the competition, mainly Garmin, when it comes to providing more comprehensive feedback on training and recovery. Sleep Score has only recently been added, but there is a lot more room for improvement in this area.
• A display that stays bright, efficient and readable in every environment.

None of these is headline-grabbing on its own, but together, they would define a watch that feels less like a gadget and more like a health companion.

Two futures, one decision

The Apple Watch sits at a crossroads, and has been for a while. It's not that the wearable industry has run out of innovation. There is a ton of exciting stuff on the horizon, from wrist-based AI transcription to UVA ray-tracking pendants.

What’s changed is Apple’s role in leading that conversation. While each new Apple Watch generation brings polish and refinement, it has been years since a launch truly reshaped expectations of what a smartwatch could be.

Rumours continue to swirl, as they always do, but recent releases from Cupertino have felt evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Series 12 offers Apple another chance to reset that narrative. Delivering yet another incremental upgrade risks reinforcing the idea that the Apple Watch is following the industry rather than defining it.

Still, Apple has surprised us before. And with nine months to go until the next autumn Special Event, there’s still time for the company to pull something genuinely bold from its hat. Whatever form it takes, Apple Watch fans will be hoping that Series 12 isn’t just better, but exciting again.