Have a gadget lover on your holiday gift list? You might be considering a smartwatch.
We’ve all heard about the Apple Watch, but there are other options vying for your attention.
Consumer Reports just wrapped up tests of some of the newest watches on the market.
Smartwatches come in all shapes, sizes and prices. They can count your steps, check your heart rate, and display all your notifications conveniently on your wrist. And they tell time, too.
Consumer Reports checked out more than a dozen watches, comparing everything from how easy the screens are to scratch to the accuracy of the heart rate monitor.
When it came to water resistance, the $175 Sony SmartWatch 3 failed the test, landing at the bottom of Consumer Reports’ ratings.
Topping the ratings was the Apple Watch, which starts at $550.
“The face doesn’t scratch very easily,” said Kerry Allen, of Consumer Reports. “And Apple Watch has caught up with Android Wear and Pebble to allow apps to be developed by third parties.”
That means plenty of options like Fantastical, a calendar app, and OmniFocus, a personal organizer app.
If you’re on a tighter budget, a good, less expensive choice is the $130 Asus ZenWatch 2. Unlike the Apple Watch, it works with an Apple or Android phone.
Another option? The $350 Samsung Gear S2. It offers 3G connectivity so you don’t have to stay tethered to your phone to get calls and notifications.
Battery life is another big problem with the new watches, though all the smartwatches Consumer Reports recommends lasted at least a day.
CREDITS
Reporter: Monica Laliberte
Producer: Jenn Sorber Smith
