Features Of My Perfect Smartwatch

It is crazy to think that smart watches have only been with us for just over a year and already they have created a new multi-million dollar market. For the majority of people, they will be happy with the current smartwatches like the Apple Watch, Moto 360 2nd Generation and even the new Tag Heuer smart watch (actually called the Tag Heuer Connected) with a whopping price tag of over $1,500! The problem I am finding, though, is that the ‘perfect smartwatch’, in my opinion, is not out there to purchase. For this reason, here are some of the features a smartwatch must have to be deemed ‘perfect’.

1. A long battery. I currently own the Sony Smartwatch 3 and it is a breath of fresh air that the battery can last a solid two days without charging. Preferably I would want another day to really make it amazing but smartwatches with a day charge just do not spark anything off for me – who wants to worry about their watch having battery every day?
2. Circular screen. Yes, I cannot stand square screens on smartwatches. Some of them look nice like the Asus ZenWatch. However, every smartwatch would look far better if they all had circular screens. In terms of use, it might not show as much text as a square screen. However, this is where the trade off between practicality and design/fashion comes into place – for most people out there, they will put fashion and design over practicality.
3. OLED screen – I hate the fact that every smartwatch image promoted by manufacturers shows people wearing the watches with the screen on. In reality, this would drain the battery within hours! To save battery, smartwatches turn the screens off and on when the user moves his/her wrist or taps on the screen. This is why OLED screens are perfect for smartwatches – not every pixel needs to be ‘on’. Therefore, only around 10% of the pixels can constantly be on to show a watch face to make the watch look a bit better than just a blank screen.
4. Metal design. I cannot understand why there are manufacturers that have plastic designs for watches still out there (with the exception of smartwatches with sport in mind). To get a premium look and feel, the smartwatch must be made out of metal.
5. Android Wear. This is a subjective opinion since my time with the Apple Watch has been minimal. But, from a glance, Android Wear seems much cleaner and easier to use than Apple Watch. Navigation is easy and the way notifications work like Google Now Cards is genius.

Ultimately, I do not think we have long to wait for such a watch. It is a fierce market with manufactures constantly improving their watches to make them have better batteries, improved design and improved screens – you only have to see the improvement from the first generation Moto 360 to second generation to notice this! So, the future is bright for wearable tech…