Much of CES 2022 has been held virtually this year rather than in-person, but we've still seen a whole host of fantastic hardware get unveiled. In this article, we're going to be rounding up the best devices in the wearables category.
You've got more choice than ever when it comes to picking the best smartwatch for your wrist, and these new models for 2022 give the current devices some serious competition – both in terms of cutting-edge smartwatches and hybrid watches that retain more of a classic timepiece look.
These wearables also point towards the future of this device category, with watches, trackers and even smart rings getting smarter all the time, and featuring more and more on-board sensors to monitor your vital statistics.
1. Garmin Venu 2 Plus
Garmin has carefully carved out a sizable niche for itself in the smartwatch market, and that niche is about to get bigger with the arrival of the Garmin Venu 2 Plus – the follow-up to the existing Garmin Venu 2, which has already impressed us.
The big difference between the existing and the new model is voice control: you'll be able to use your phone's digital assistant (Siri, Google Assistant or Bixby) and take calls from your wrist, so this updated smartwatch will allow you to keep your smartphone in your pocket or bag for longer. Other than that, this is very much the same as the Venu 2 that we've already seen, with 24/7 heart rate tracking, on-board GPS, SpO2 measurements, all-day stress tracking, sleep monitoring, and women's health tools.
You can pick this up direct from Garmin for $449.99 / £399 (we're still waiting on the official price in Australia). That's quite a bit more than the Venu 2, but for what you get in this wearable package, you might well consider the investment worth it. Your color combination choices are black and slate, cream-gold and ivory, or powder gray and silver.
2. Razer x Fossil Gen 6
When it comes to Wear OS smartwatches, Fossil is one of the best in the business – and the flagship Fossil Gen 6 timepiece now has a new edition, courtesy of Razer. You might struggle to get your hands on this one though, considering only 1,337 units are going to be produced in total.
The Razer x Fossil Gen 6 is one of the first smartwatches we've seen to be powered by the latest Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus Platform - we also know it's going to be right up to date with software too, running the latest Wear OS 3. In addition to the usual health and fitness tracking, it also has watch faces supporting Razer's Chroma RGB lighting system.
You'll be able to get the Razer x Fossil Gen 6 around your wrist for $329 / £329 (around AU$450), if you're lucky enough to be able to get one. Strap options are black or bright green, and you can sign up now on the Razer website to get notified when this limited edition smartwatch goes on sale.
3. Garmin Vivomove Sport
The Vivomove Sport is a hybrid watch, perfect for those who prefer their watches to be in the traditional analog form but don't mind a dash of smarts on top. In other words, it looks like a normal watch, but it's still counting your step count, your burned calories, and your other vital statistics in the background.
You can view these stats via a hidden digital display that slides into view alongside the analog hands when needed, and there's also the option to show phone notifications on the watch face too. Garmin says battery life is up to five days, and one of the advantages of not having a fully digital display is more time between battery charges.
This isn't the first hybrid watch that Garmin has released of course – the Vivomove Sport is actually very similar to the Garmin Vivomove 3, though it's slightly cheaper: you can pick up the new Sport model from Garmin for $179.99 / £159 / AU$279, and it's available now in Cool Mint, Black or Cocoa.
4. Skagen Falster Gen 6
We've previously been impressed with the Skagen brand of smartwatches released by Fossil, and the Skagen Falster Gen 6 is very similar to the Razer x Fossil Gen 6 that we've mentioned above – it has the same Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus processor, and will get the same Wear OS 3 software update when the time comes.
The differences are mainly aesthetic – you can see that the Skagen Falster Gen 6 has a more classic smartwatch look – and it's available in a total of six different models, with various case colorings and strap types covered (stainless steel mesh and brown leather straps are two of the options in the range).
There are plenty of health and fitness tracking features here, as you would expect, and the sensors extend to a blood oxygen (Sp02) sensor on the back. In terms of pricing, you can pick up the Skagen Falster Gen 6 for $295 / £279 (which is roughly AU$410).
5. Movano Smart Ring
Smart rings are notoriously difficult to get right, but new startup Movano isn't deterred: it's bringing out a new smart ring later this year. We're not sure how much it'll cost yet, but the company has said it's aiming for a price point under $299 (about £230 / AU$420).
The ring has an impressive list of capabilities, covering sleep monitoring, heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration levels, temperature, blood oxygen readings, step count, and calories burned – and the company is promising that the device is going to get more features over time as well.
Those features, pending regulatory approval, will include blood glucose and blood pressure monitoring, something that smart rings haven't managed to achieve so far. The Movano device might just hit the sweet spot in terms of price and features.
