Latest features and models of smartwatches in 2024

A Deep Dive into Smartwatches – Features, Mechanisms, and the Latest models

Introduction

In the previous article,” Smartwatches: Beyond Timekeeping – A Comprehensive History Brief”, we discussed the history of smartwatches and their evolution. In today’s part, we will be discussing more into the present of smartwatches, their latest features, tech and most importantly, latest models in the market. We know that purchasing a new smartwatch can be overwhelming, but by the end of this article, you will be able to decide what to look for in smartwatches, best models to buy, and models to avoid.

In this article, you will know:

Features you should look at in any smartwatch you want to buy
How many features like heart monitoring, sleep tracking, etc really work
Latest models, their pros and cons and why should or shouldn’t you buy them

Smartwatches, features, technologies and latest models

Overview of Smartwatches:

Smartwatches have revolutionized our lives by seamlessly engaging technology into our daily routines. They became more than just a time-tracking accessory, but these devices offered us the chance to stay connected anywhere and anytime as well as enabling us to take care of our health. They made it easy to healthcare us by features like sleep-monitoring, activity tracking and stress management.

In today’s guide, we dive deep into various features and benefits of smartwatches, including important measurements like Blood pressure, BPM and O2, as well as make use of popular apps like WhatsApp, Instagram etc. We need to note that, when comparing these devices with smartphones, their evolution is much slower, but with every year, innovative companies introduce cutting-edge features that surprise us, and we are going to deep dive in them in a few lines later.

Features of Smartwatches

Fitness and Health Tracking

If you’re trying to settle down on a smartwatch that contribute to your fitness and health you need to consider them to multiple accurate features like heart monitoring, sleep tracking, BPM, spO2, etc. Such watches can allow you to witness your overall fitness and adjust your activities accordingly.

1. Heart rate monitoring:

Heart rate is referred to as Beat per minute (BPM).

Smartwatches give you the ability to track your heart health and activity throughout the day and provide you with overall insights that help you and your doctor to create a clear idea about your heart condition. Latest models nowadays notify you when you have any irregularities in your heart activity. But how is that even done?
Smartwatches uses a technology called “photoplethysmography (PPG)”. This technology include special type of LED lights that can detect changes in blood flow in each heart beat and calculate your BPM.

Best models with this feature include Fire-Boltt Talk 2 Pro Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Watch4 LTE
and Noise ColorFit Pulse Grand Smart Watch.

2. Sleep tracking:

Actigraphy is the actual science behind sleep tracking devices. It is either heart rate or movement recognition. Smartwatches can sense movement while wearers are sleeping thanks to actigraphy or wrist movement tracking.

To understand how smartwatches track or monitor your sleep, we need to explain a little something called Actigraphy.
Actigraphy is the building block behind all sleep monitoring devices. It does its job by monitoring heart rate and movement using scientifically proven data that tells whether your awake or asleep. We all know that your heart rate decreases during sleep as well as blood pressure, so smartwatches track these physiological changes to get to know your sleep life better and give you better idea about it.

Sleep tracking devices like the latest models of smartwatches can help patients with sleep apnea and many other sleeping disorders to progress their health condition.

One of the best models we recommend in this area are the Garmin Vivoactive 5, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Apple Series 9

3. Activity and exercise tracking:

If you’re considering getting into shape and improving your overall fitness, smartwatches can be your partner in this journey. The best fitness tracking watches are those that adapt with your lifestyle and workout, able to track all your data seamlessly and have the best durability to withstand all hits and accidents. Logically, any smartwatch you’re planning to buy should get the basic features from heart monitoring, blood oxygen levels, ECG, and others.

And the best models of 2024 in this regime are Garmin Forerunner 265, Apple Watch Ultra and Amazfit Band 7.

Connectivity:

One of the major features we use smartwatches for is the ability to leave our phones behind and use them as a “mini phone”, but is this the case with all smartwatches or not?

First of all, you need to beware that not all smartwatches have the ability to receive notifications, calls and SMSs while away from your phone.
This feature is called cellular connectivity, or more commonly, LTE.
Smartwatches can be of two models, LTE, and non-LTE models.

The major upside for the LTE models is that you don’t need your phone to be around at all, and totally rely on the watch for calls, messages and even some internet activity.

But even with this fancy technology are LTE Smartwatches Worth It?
If having your phone carried with you all the time is a problem for you like me, consider getting.
Also, if your lifestyle includes activities that make carrying your phone around hard, like exercising, building constructors, doctors, etc, then consider getting a device of these.

We can’t really recommend any models here, as the latest models contain such features, but devices like Apple Watch Series 9, Google Wear, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 are very good ones.

Battery Life:

As we become more dependent on smartwatches and their addictive beautiful features, it’s so important to get a model with good battery life or what’s the use?

The battery life of a smartwatch highly depends on many factors like the brand, model, and personal usage of the device, but in general, almost all current models can last from one day to two, some high-end models can last up to five days or even more. Also, your watch’s battery life really varies upon the features you use frequently, meaning that if you use GPS a lot, Always-on-screen feature and some other features like Bluetooth and high brightness, then your device’s battery would mostly drain quicker than you think.

The battery life of smartwatches varies depending on several factors including:

Display: The brighter and larger the display, the more likely to drain the device’s battery more quickly. Note that OLED displays are more energy-saving than LED choices, so consider this when purchasing.
Usage: more time consumed using your device in many activities like listening to music, texting, making phone calls would absolutely lead to quicker battery drainage.
Connectivity: Keeping LTE activated all the time leads to quicker draining.
Battery capacity: Consider purchasing models with bigger battery capacity would save you much effort and carefree to keep charging it but beware that it means getting bigger device dimensions most of the time.

Smartwatches with the best battery life in 2024: Garmin Vivoactive 4, OnePlus Watch 2, Amazfit Band 7

Latest Models in the Market:

We talked about the most important features that are a must when buying a smartwatch.
But maybe you got confused, and now you don’t know what to buy, don’t worry I will help you.

These are the best latest models with overall comprehensive package of features:

1. Apple Watch Ultra 2:

We were all used to the classic Apple Watch design for many years, but Apple surprised us when they launched the Apple Watch Ultra line. This year’s Ultra comes with a much brighter screen, more powerful processor, and bigger storage capacity.
If you’re afraid that it’s heavy, don’t worry, Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes with a titanium build-up for better durability and lighter weight.

Why you should by it: Larger and brighter screen, new accident detection feature, long-lasting battery life.

Why not: expensive, some people find it hugely sized.

2. Apple Watch Series 9:

Released later this year, Apple Watch Series 9 introduced very solid features to the market from Crash detection, Higher water resistance and more advanced sleep and exercise monitoring technologies.

Why should you buy it: best smartwatch for iPhone users, 2-day battery life, double-tap gesturing technology and more accurate health censoring and monitoring.

Why not: Sleep tracking not the best, no blood pressure measurement, no design changes.

3. Google Pixel watch 2:

Google introduced their latest watch model, Pixel watch 2, with longer battery life than last year’s model. It comes with FitBit development platform. It’s one of the rare models with stress tracking and management features.

Why should you buy it: small size and better comfort, longer battery life and FitBit inclusion.

Why not: comes with one size model, limited exercise customizability.

4. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6:

If you are looking to buy a smartwatch with a mix of good-looking and high-end tech features, Galaxy watch 6 might be your choice.
Coming with an AMOLED screen, that gives you brighter and richer colors indoors and outdoors.
The powerful chipset gives the model, surprising fast performance and device integration that satisfies its users.

Why should you buy it: Larger and richer screen, strong performance with a powerful chipset, smooth software

Why not: a little bit expensive, only one-day battery life.

Conclusion:

In the end, exploring smartwatches has been a real eye-opener, showing us their cool features, how they work, and their latest techie stuff. We’ve seen how they went from just telling time to being a big part of our everyday lives. We also checked out the newest models like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Series 9, Google Pixel Watch 2, and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Each of them bring something cool to the table, whether it’s a sleek design, fancy features, or just lasting a long time on a charge. So, if you’re thinking about getting a smartwatch, this guide should help you pick the right one for you.