If you haven’t heard yet, you must be living under a rock – Apple officially announced the new Apple Watch (not the fabled ‘iWatch’). It’s been hyped up for nearly a year now, and it’s finally coming out on April 24. But what can it actually do? Well, put simply… not much.
This “revolutionary” device does what you’d expect – it sends notifications from your phone to your wrist, allows you to access Siri, and tracks your fitness. Oh yeah, it also allows you to send emojis to your friends. Pretty revolutionary, huh? I don’t think so.
Send Emojis Real-Time with the Apple Watch
“But, come on, it’s APPLE!” you might say. Alright, that’s fair, but check this out: you know that really nice steel band you wanted? It’s $600. You can do a double-take if necessary. $600. The rumored $349 price tag is for the sport model – aluminum-crafted and rubber band version. The other stainless steel and gold models range from $549 to $17,000. For everyone who had $350 saved up to pre-order or wait in line, you’re out of luck unless you like aluminum and rubber.
With the initial digs at Apple out of the way, let’s take a look at how it stands up to its competitors.
Apple Watch vs. Moto 360
Moto 360 (left) & Apple Watch (right)
The Apple Watch still hasn’t been released, but the Moto 360 has been available for purchase since September 5, 2014. Looking at prices, the Apple Watch is $349-399 for the sport models, at $549-599 and higher for standard models (steel build); the all-metal Moto 360 is only $299.
The display assembly on the Apple Watch (standard, 38mm) is made from Sapphire crystal and has a resolution of 312×390. The Moto 360 has a Gorilla glass-covered display with a resolution of 320×290.
The battery life on each of these watches is probably comparable; Apple has no official word on battery life, other than “you charge it daily.” The Moto 360 has been reported to have battery life just shy of a full day.
Apple Watch vs. Pebble Time
Pebble Time Steel (left) and Apple Watch (right)
Just before the official launch date of the Apple Watch, Pebble came out with their newest addition – the Pebble Time & Pebble Time Steel. You’re likely familiar with the original Pebble Watch, with 5-day battery life and a 144×168 black & white e-paper display. The new Pebble Time boasts the same battery life, a new timeline OS, a built-in microphone for activating Siri and voice dictation, and (perhaps my most favorite feature) a new color e-paper display.
Compared to the Apple Watch, the Pebble Time may seem lacking at first glance – especially due to the e-paper display that’s not touch enabled. However, it’s got nearly the same feature set as the Apple Watch! It can track fitness (currently using a 3rd party accessory, but hopefully integrated trackers will be seen in the near future with Pebble’s Smart Straps), vibrate with notifications, and is compatible with both iOS and Android. Plus, the Pebble Time is only $199 with the more luxurious Pebble Time Steel at $299.
Galaxy Gear 2 vs. Apple Watch
Galaxy Gear 2 (left) and Apple Watch (right)
My last comparison is a pretty big one – the Samsung Galaxy Gear vs. the Apple Watch. These two watches are very close in their sets of features. They both can track fitness, provide instant notifications, and are essentially “second monitors” for your phone.
One major thing the Gear 2 provides that the Apple Watch lacks is the camera. The original Gear had a pretty clunky camera on the watch band, but the new Gear 2 has a sleek camera built-in to the main casing. Another considerable improvement on the Gear 2 is the 3-day battery life; it’s nothing like the Pebble’s 5-day battery but is still 3 times longer than the Apple Watch.
In my opinion, these are both fantastic watches but are limited by their operating systems. Obviously, the Apple Watch is only compatible with iOS and the Gear 2 is only compatible with Android. The Gear 2 comes in at $299 with a comparable Apple Watch anywhere from $349 to $599.
Conclusion
Which Is Your Favorite?
In conclusion, I think the Apple Watch is a not-so-bad smart watch compared to the rest of the marker, but would strongly recommend checking out others such as the Pebble Time Steel. However, I might be a bit biased towards Pebble as a loyal backer from the beginning 😉
Which one do you all love the most? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
