While much of the tech world’s attention has been on AI in 2024, smartwatches and fitness trackers continue to become increasingly important in our daily lives. As we reach the halfway point of the year, it’s time to look back at the biggest smartwatch launches so far in 2024 – and what’s coming in the next six months.
Whether it’s new software features like watchOS 11 or Polar’s big Vantage 3 update, or brand new hardware like the OnePlus Watch 2, smartwatch makers have been hard at work this year.
This has the effect of making it hard to keep up, which is why we’ve rounded up all the biggest smartwatch releases you need to know about this year, followed by some of the most exciting ones we’re predicting will be released in the next six months.
Are you planning to buy a new smart watch? Read on for a HIIT-style tour of this year’s highlights to help you decide your plan of action…
Smartwatches in 2024: What were the biggest launches this year?
Given that we’re still expecting big releases soon (we’ll get to that soon), 2024 is shaping up to be a busy year for smartwatches.
March saw the arrival of the Garmin Forerunner 165, a much more affordable smartwatch from the company that has taken the industry by storm in recent years. Despite its lower price tag, it’s still a great-looking device with an AMOLED display and 13 days of battery life. Read our Garmin Forerunner 165 review for an in-depth look at its strengths and weaknesses.
Speaking of cheaper options, we’ve already seen two fantastic contenders for our list of the best cheap fitness trackers – the Honor Band 7 and the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro – if you want something more minimalist than a smartwatch. The former has excellent battery life and a big, bright AMOLED display, but it doesn’t have built-in GPS. The latter adds GPS support and costs $99.99 / £60 / AU$95 (although it’s possible to find it for much less).
Back to smartwatches, the Wear OS flagship of the year was undoubtedly the OnePlus Watch 2 (below). It arrived a few months ago and has already made its way into our best smartwatches guide. We called it “the comeback queen” in our OnePlus Watch 2 review for its full features with Google’s Wear OS, sleek looks, and excellent dual-frequency GPS tracking.
Looking for a Garmin alternative that puts fitness before smartwatches? The new Suunto Race is a much more capable smartwatch from the Finnish company. It’s a premium device that, despite a few user experience quirks, is worth a look – and it’s cheaper than its competitors. Check out our Suunto Race review for our full verdict.
Finally, Samsung gave us a little taste of what awaits us in 2024 with the surprise launch of the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE in June. It’s Samsung’s answer to the Apple Watch SE and costs $199 for the Bluetooth-only model (there’s no international pricing yet, but it works out to around £160 / AU$300). The LTE version, meanwhile, will set you back $249 (around £190 / AU$360).
You can read our first thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE, but our attention will soon turn to the likely launch of its more expensive siblings…
Connected watches in 2024: what launches are we expecting for the rest of the year?
We’ve seen a lot of great smartwatch launches this year, but the “big three” haven’t shown their hand yet. That’s about to change.
The big launches to come…
Samsung is expected to launch its Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 very soon, most likely at its upcoming Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event on July 10. As is often the case, most of the details have leaked ahead of time.
Expect a 3-nanometer chipset and AI-driven features, as well as improvements to health sensors. Samsung is also expected to launch the premium Galaxy Watch Ultra this year, with better battery life, a new colorway, and the possibility of a larger display.
And what about the current king of our best smartwatches guide, Apple? As sure as death and taxes, we’re expecting a new Apple Watch model this year to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the product line’s reveal.
Sources haven’t been able to pinpoint what it will look like or what it will offer yet, but the Apple Watch 10 (or Apple Watch X, as it’s also known) is expected to have a slightly larger display. It may not have a blood oxygen sensor, though, but we’ll talk about that shortly.
An Apple Watch Ultra 3 has also been rumored, but it looks like upgrades could be limited after the microLED that was apparently planned was apparently scrapped.
Finally, Google’s Pixel Watch 3 will likely be revealed at a recently announced event in August, and it could be larger than its predecessor. This makes us hope for more sensors, or at least a bigger battery.
Connected watches in 2024: what other new features have you missed?
Remember when we said blood oxygen monitoring might not be part of Apple’s 2024 lineup? That’s because late last year the company was banned from selling its wearable devices due to a dispute between Apple and Masimo, a company that claims to have a patent on the technology of blood oxygen sensors like the one in the Apple Watch.
Although the ban has been lifted, the legal battle continues and so Apple is unlikely to make much of the sensor at its planned September event. While things could change between now and then, it remains to be seen whether Apple will add the sensor but leave it dormant pending a later software update, or remove it altogether.
Speaking of software updates, WWDC brought new Apple Watch features with watchOS 11. Expect a new Vitals app to measure any potential deviations from your body’s standard data points, as well as Training Load to finally help you determine when it’s best to rest. day. You can finally pause your Apple Fitness rings and use the Apple Watch to track gestational pregnancy (yes, really).
Things aren’t as positive for owners of older Samsung fitness trackers, as the manufacturer recently confirmed that it will end support for Tizen-based models. Essentially, if your Galaxy Watch is older than the Galaxy Watch 4, there’s a good chance it’s sunset, with content support slowing down until September 30 of next year, when it will officially end.
Finally, the OnePlus Watch 2 we mentioned earlier has the distinction of offering two operating systems on the same device. Wear OS 4 and RTOS both run on their own chips, and the device switches between them as needed. OnePlus calls this a “dual-engine architecture,” and as we saw earlier, it’s made the Watch 2 one of the best releases of the year so far.