While much of the tech world's attention has been focused on AI in 2024, smartwatches and fitness trackers continue to become increasingly important in our daily lives. As we approach 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 entirely new hardware like the OnePlus Watch 2, smartwatch makers have been hard at work this year.
That has the side effect of making it hard to keep up, so we've rounded up all the biggest smartwatch launches you need to know about this year, followed by some of the most exciting ones we expect to arrive in the next six months.
Thinking about buying a new smartwatch? Read on for a HIIT-style rundown of this year's highlights to help you decide on your plan of action…
Smartwatches in 2024: what have been the biggest launches so far this year?
Considering we're still expecting some major releases soon (more on those shortly), 2024 looks like a year packed with smartwatches.
In March came the Garmin Forerunner 165, a much more affordable smartwatch from the company that has taken the industry by storm in recent years. Despite the lower price tag, it's still a compelling 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 more affordable options, we’ve already seen two fantastic contenders for our list of the best budget 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 great battery life and a nice, big, bright AMOLED panel, but it lacks built-in GPS. The latter adds GPS support and costs $99.99 (though you can find it for much less).
Returning to smartwatches, the standout Wear OS model of the year has undoubtedly been the OnePlus Watch 2 (below). It arrived a couple of months ago and has already earned a place in our guide to the best smartwatches. We called it “the king of comebacks” in our OnePlus Watch 2 review for its full functionality with Google's Wear OS, sleek appearance, and excellent dual-frequency GPS tracking.
Looking for an alternative to a Garmin that prioritizes physical activity and is a smartwatch second? The new Suunto Race is a much better smartwatch model from the Finnish company. It's a premium device that, despite some quirks in the user experience, is worth trying and is cheaper than its rivals. Check out our review of the Sunnto Race for our full verdict.
Finally, Samsung gave us a small taste of what's to come 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 (no international pricing yet, but that works out to around £160/AU$300). Meanwhile, the LTE version will set you back $249 (around £190 / AU$360).
You can read our early thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE, but our attention will soon turn to the likely launch of its more expensive siblings…
Smartwatches in 2024: what launches can we expect during the rest of the year?
We've seen a lot of good smartwatch launches this year, but the “big three” haven't shown their cards yet. That is about to change.
The big releases to come…
Samsung is expected to launch its Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 very soon, likely at its upcoming Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event on July 10. As is often the case, most of the details have been leaked ahead of time.
A 3-nanometer chip and AI-focused features are expected, as well as improvements to the health sensor. Samsung is also expected to launch the higher-end Galaxy Watch Ultra this year, with improved battery life, a new color scheme, and the possibility of a larger display.
What about the current king of our guide to the best smartwatches, Apple? As sure as death and taxes, we expect a new Apple Watch model this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the product line's introduction.
Sources can't get an exact idea of what it will look like or what it will offer, but the Apple Watch 10 (or Apple Watch X, as it has also been called) is expected to have a slightly larger screen. It may not come with a blood oxygen sensor, but we'll talk about that shortly.
An Apple Watch Ultra 3 has also been discussed, but it seems updates could be few and far between after the microLED that was supposedly planned was seemingly scrapped.
Lastly, Google's Pixel Watch 3 is likely to be unveiled at a recently announced event in August and could be larger than its predecessor. That makes us hope that it has more sensors or, at least, a larger battery.
Smartwatches in 2024: What else did you miss?
Remember when we said blood oxygen monitoring may not be part of Apple's 2024 lineup? That's because the company was banned from selling its wearables late last year due to a dispute between Apple and Masimo, a company that claims to have a patent on blood oxygen sensor technology like that of the Apple Watch. .
While the ban has been lifted, the legal battle continues, so Apple is unlikely to make much of the sensor at its highly anticipated September event. While things could change before then, it remains to be seen whether it will add the sensor but leave it dormant before a later software update, or remove it entirely.
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 figure out when it’s best to take a rest day. You can also finally pause your Apple Fitness rings and use Apple Watch to track gestational pregnancy (yes, really).
Things are not so positive for owners of older Samsung fitness trackers, as the manufacturer recently confirmed that it will stop supporting Tizen-based models. Essentially, if your Galaxy Watch is older than the Galaxy Watch 4, there's a good chance it will run out and content support will slow down until September 30 of next year, when support will officially end.
Finally, the OnePlus Watch 2 we mentioned above has the impressive distinction of offering two operating systems on the same device. Wear OS 4 and RTOS run on their own chips and the device switches between them as needed. OnePlus calls it “dual motor architecture” and, as we covered previously, it has made the Watch 2 one of the best launches of the year so far.
