India’s smartwatch market in flux as unknown brands challenge heavyweights

India’s smartwatch market has transformed, seemingly overnight. For years, it has been dominated by its homegrown players, while global giants like Apple and Samsung have struggled for presence, amid the hundreds of millions of annual shipments. Suddenly, however, the category has been flooded with unknown brands, which have no prior and significant existence. These have … Read more

How Google Could Make the Pixel Watch 3 the Smartwatch to Beat

Even though the Pixel Watch 2 was a significant upgrade over the original, there’s plenty of room for improvement in the Pixel Watch 3.  Among the biggest changes I hope to see this year is longer battery life. Google isn’t alone; achieving multiday battery life is a challenge for many smartwatch manufacturers, including Apple and … Read more

First Look: The OnePlus Watch 2

I tried to wear the OnePlus Watch 2 for a short weekend workout but couldn’t. The watch is too big for me and too dense. It’s not just me, either; I asked my partner if his wrists would be interested in trying on the smartwatch, and he rejected it after seeing the relatively ginormous 47mm … Read more

OnePlus took a three-year ‘reflective pause’ before increasing its smartwatch battery

It’s 2024. All smartwatches should offer multiple days of battery life, full stop. As things stand now, there’s a jaw-droppingly wide range across the devices. I would go so far as to say that limited battery has been — and continues to be — the single biggest issue with the Apple Watch. The Series 9 … Read more

Why I wear this $220 smartwatch even after testing Garmin and Apple watches

Matthew Miller/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Amazfit Balance smartwatch is available now for $219.It features a sleek and stylish design with a brilliant AMOLED display, accurate GPS, and a list of health-tracking features.Just be prepared for the data-heavy companion app, which will take some time to familiarize with. As a reviewer of wearables here on ZDNET, I’ve … Read more

WowMouse turns your smartwatch into a gesture-based Bluetooth mouse

A company called Doublepoint announced a new app during CES this week called WowMouse that turns Android smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch into a gesture-based mouse for your computer. That means waving your arm around to move the mouse and pinching your fingers to click (similar to the Double Tap feature on the Apple … Read more

What’s in my Backpack: CES 2024 Edition

Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo Every year I attend CES, I often regret leaving something behind. The thing is, I’m not a heavy packer; I’ve been at this work travel game long enough that I figured out how to fit a week’s worth of clothing, amenities, and comforts in a suitcase that fits in the … Read more

Best Apple Watch (2023): Which Model Should You Buy?

Do you want an Apple Watch that can replace your satellite messenger, your cycling computer, and your running watch? Then, my friend, the Watch Ultra 2 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is for you. Like the Series 9, it has the new S9 chipset for faster processing and Double Tap; the new ultra-wideband chip for precision-locating your … Read more

Withings ScanWatch 2 Review: Attractive Smartwatch Hybrid, Pricey Subscription

I loved the original Withings ScanWatch (8/10, WIRED recommends). It was a refined, elegant, health- and fitness-focused hybrid smartwatch with impressive stamina. The ScanWatch 2 retains everything that made the original so compelling and adds some subtle improvements, most notably temperature tracking, but this comes with an unpalatable price hike. Unlike your average smartwatch, the … Read more