After the last couple of years, I have begun to wonder if we hit peak smartwatch. How much different can they get? Once you can record every kind of health metric under the sun, provide support for third-party apps, release new animated watch face designs featuring Snoopy, and even shove AI in there, what more can you do?
Even the best smartwatches have started to look increasingly iterative upon release. There are usability concerns that need addressing, such as better battery life across the board and more accurate heart-rate sensors, but the basic smartwatch design has hardly changed for years. It’s why I love hybrid smartwatches so much, like the Withings Scanwatch Horizon and Garmin Instinct Crossover: without fresh new stuff that works, we’re veering dangerously close to being bored by samey wrist-mounted wearables.
