Best Smartwatches in July 2014

Google officially revealed Android Wear earlier this year, also announcing they have teamed-up with several OMEs and that new smartwatches running on the new platform are on the way.

We already know about the existence of three Android Wear-powered smartwatches: LG G Watch, Motorola Moto 360, and Samsung Gear Live, two of them which are already available for purchase in select markets. Anyway, the smartwatches offer is more varied than that.

If let’s say you have a job that involves exchanging lots of texts or emails, then a smartwatch would be ideal for you. You won’t even have to touch your smartphone to see who wants to get in touch with you, which is pretty cool. Another great thing about smartwatches is that may of them look really nice so, besides being a handy gadget, a smartwatch is also a cool fashion item.

There are lots of smartwatches currently on the market, but only some of them are worthy of spending your money on. If you want to know which are the Best Smartwatches in July 2014 check out the list below. Who knows, maybe you will find the one that fits your needs.

Samsung Gear Live

Samsung Gear Live is the first Android Wear-powered smartwatch manufactured by the South Korean company and it was officially introduced earlier last month at Google I/O 2014 technology event.

Gear Live introduces a metallic, buttonless design, being available with either a Black or Wine Red strap. The watch is IP67 water and dust resistant, has a heart rate monitor, and an always-on display. Gear Live is compatible with any smartphone running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean or higher and it allows you to send texts, take notes, or ask various questions using “Ok Google” hotword.

Samsung Gear Live packs a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display, a quad-core Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 processor, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of internal storage, 300 mAh battery, and weighs 59 grams.

If you happen to live in a country with support for Google Play Store Devices, you can grab the Galaxy Gear Live from there at $199.

Samsung Gear 2

Gear 2 was announced Samsung at Mobile World Congress 2014 in February, and unlike its predecessor, Galaxy Gear, it runs a customized version of Tizen OS.

Samsung Gear 2 comes with four strap color options (Black, Orange, and Brown) and, just like the Gear Live, is IP67 certified. It also integrates a built-in camera that is capable of recording 720p videos. It also comes with a heart rate monitor and an infra red blaster, the latter one allowing the user to control various devices like TVs or Set-top boxes.

Gear 2 is compatible with 17 Samsung devices including Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, and more.

Hardware-wise, the Galaxy Gear 2 packs a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display with 1:1 aspect ratio, dual-core 1 GHz Exynos processor, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of native storage, Bluetooth Low Energy, a 2 MP BSI camera sensor, and a 300 mAh battery.

The Samsung Gear 2 is currently available on Amazon at a price of $299 on Black, Brown, and Orange.

Samsung Gear 2 Neo

Gear 2 Neo was launched along side Gear 2 at Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona and it’s seen as a more affordable alternative to the Gear 2.

Samsung Gear 2 Neo is available in Charcoal Black, Mocha Gray, and Wild Orange, arrives with customizable themes for the screen, and it can be used as fitness manager courtesy of the integrated heart rate monitor.

The smartwatch also comes with an infra red port with support for Samsung WatchOn, is water and dust resistant (IP67 certified), runs Tizen OS, and is compatible with 17 Samsung device models. Just to name a few Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4 Mini, or Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition.

The technical specifications list of the Gear 2 Neo include an 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display, a 300 mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, 512 MB RAM, and 4 GB of native storage.

You can purchase the Black, Gray, or Orange Gear 2 Neo models from Amazon at a price of $199.

Samsung Gear Fit

Samsung Gear Fit is the third Tizen OS-powered smartwatch introduced by the South Korean company at MWC 2014 and it’s designed to satisfy your fitness urges.

Samsung Gear Fit packs an 1.84-inch Curved Super AMOLED display with 432 x 128 resolution, dual-core 1 GHz CPU, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB native storage, 210 mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, heart rate sensor, gyro, and accelerometer.

Gear Fit is IP67 certified, while its straps are interchangable, with not less than 6 color options available. Gear Fit comes with an always-on activity tracking service that monitors your activities throughout the day. The smartwatch is compatible with 17 Samsung devices including Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy Grand 2, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 3 Neo, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3.

Samsung Gear Fit is available on Amazon at a price of only $143.

LG G Watch

LG was one of the first companies to officially reveal they will be launching a smartwatch powered by Google’s new platform, Android Wear.

LG G Watch was announced a day after Google introduced Android Wear and it’s now available for purchase both in Google Play Store and on Amazon.

The Android Wear-powered watch comes with changeable straps (Black Titan and White Gold straps offered by LG), it comes with an always-on display, and IP67 certification which means that it’s water and dust resistant.

G Watch is compatible with any Android smartphone running Jelly Bean 4.3 and it arrives with a 1.65-inch IPS LCD display, quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB storage, Bluetooth 4.0, and a 400 mAh battery.

You can order the LG G Watch from Amazon at a price of $294.

Sony Smartwatch SW2

The Sony Smartwatch SW2 is more budget-friendly than other smartwatches in the list, but this doesn’t necessarily means it’s not competitive.

The watch measures 42 x 9 x 41 mm, weighs 122.5 grams, and it’s water (IP57) and scratch resistant. It has an aluminum body and silicon or stainless steal wristband, packs an 1.6-inch screen with 220 x 176 resolution, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, and it’s compatible with smartphones running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or later.

Sony claims that the Smartwatch SW2 has an autonomy of 7 days on low usage or 3-4 days on normal usage.

If you want to get your hands on the Sony Smartwatch SW2, you can order it fromAmazon at a price of $145.

Pebble Steel

Pebble Steel is definitely one of the best-looking smartwatches currently on the market and it also has quite a few apps you can choose from in the dedicated App Store.

Pebble Steel promises 5 – 7 day battery life and it’s also 5 atm waterproof (metal band only). Pebble Steel is 46 mm long, 34 mm wide, 10.5 mm thin and it has a weight of 56 grams.

It has a black and white screen and RGB LED + phone notifications support.

On Amazon, the Pebble Steel smartwatch has a price of $229 and it can be ordered from here.

Pebble

Pebble is the first-gen smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology Corporation and it was released in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter crowd founding.

Pebble comes with a black and white e-paper display and promises an autonomy of 5 – 7 days between charges, while measuring 52 x 36 x 11.5 mm and having a weight of 38 grams.

It’s also water proof to 5 atm, has a polycarbonate case, TPU rubber or silicone watchband, and it’s compatible with all Pebble apps.

You can buy the first-gen Pebble from Amazon at a price of $149.

Qualcomm Toq

Qualcomm Toq was officially released in December 2013 and it’s compatible with smartphones running Android 4.0.3 or latter, but, according to the company, Jelly Bean and above is preferred.

Qualcom Toq has an always-on 1.55-inch Mirasol display with 222 ppi pixel density and has wireless charging support. The smartphone also comes with Bluetooth 3.0 and a 240 mAh battery that can last “multiple days between charges.”

Qualcom Toq has a weight of 91 grams, while the wrist band size ranges from 6 to 8.7 inches.

The smartwatch can be ordered from Amazon at a price of $249.