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Apple, Google and Samsung May Have Exciting Smartwatch Plans for 2022
Smartwatches have existed for years, but brands like Apple, Google, Samsung and Fitbit might have major changes in store for 2022. We could see a new type of Apple Watch designed for extreme sports, while Google could release its first consumer smartwatch. Fitbit, which Google owns, might introduce its first smartwatch powered by Google's software instead of its own. That's if the rumors and reports that have emerged so far turn out to be true.
A Pew Research Report from 2020 says one in five Americans use a smartwatch or fitness tracker, while Counterpoint Research's data says the smartwatch industry grew by 24% year-over-year in 2021. With that in mind, it wouldn't be surprising to see companies like Apple, Google, Samsung and others further their wearable tech ambitions this year.
Here's a look at the most interesting rumored smartwatches we're hoping to see this year.
Previous iterations of Apple Watch got a special version.
David Carnoy/CNETApple Watch Explorer Edition
Apple might add a new rugged to its smartwatch lineup this year known as the Explorer Edition, according to Bloomberg. This would be a more rugged version of the Apple Watch geared toward those who engage in outdoor activities and extreme sports, the report says. It's expected to have the same functionality as Apple's regular smartwatches, but with more impact protection similar to Casio's G-Shock watches.
The watch is sometimes referred to as the "Explorer Edition" inside Apple, according to the report, but it's unclear if the product would go by that name. Bloomberg previously said the new rugged Apple Watch could arrive in 2022, so there's a chance we might see it during Apple's annual fall product event. Apple already began taking a step in this direction by making the Apple Watch Series 7's front crystal more durable.
I'm not the target audience for a watch like this, but I'm still excited to see what Apple's take on the rugged smartwatch could look like. There's an opportunity for Apple to reach more than just extreme athletes with a more durable smartwatch. A rugged Apple Watch could also be ideal for those with physically demanding occupations, such as construction workers, brick masons, landscapers and mechanics.
The Apple Watch Series 7 debuted a slightly larger Apple Watch screen over previous years.
Lexy Savvides/CNETApple Watch Series 8
There's also the Apple Watch Series 8, which is expected to debut this fall in typical Apple fashion. The biggest upgrade will likely be the addition of a body temperature sensor, according to Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal. The thermometer might be designed to help wearers with fertility planning, reports from the Journal and Bloomberg indicate. Adding the ability to measure temperature would also help Apple catch up to other wellness trackers from Oura and Fitbit in this regard.
But Apple's more significant health-tracking updates -- like glucose and blood pressure monitoring -- are still expected to be years away, according to the reports. Apple's blood pressure monitoring technology likely won't be ready for the Apple Watch until 2024 at the earliest, and Apple hasn't even assigned a target launch window for blood sugar readings, according to a recent Bloomberg report. That makes me believe the Series 8 might be another incremental upgrade with processing and design improvements.
Still, I'm looking forward to learning how Apple would incorporate temperature sensing into the Apple Watch's suite of health features, if at all. Otherwise, I'm hoping to see longer battery life, more detailed sleep tracking and metrics that focus on recovering from workouts in the next Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch SE debuted in 2020 and could get an update in 2022.
Lexy Savvides/CNETApple Watch SE 2
While the rumored Apple Watch Series 8 will likely demand much of the attention this fall, I'm personally more excited about a next-generation Apple Watch SE. The main differences between Apple's flagship watches and the SE usually involve sophisticated health tracking features -- such as blood oxygen saturation and the ability to take an ECG. But the Apple Watch SE still has most of the Apple Watch's most important features for $120 less than the Series 7, making it feel like the right model for most people. Such features include activity tracking, fall detection, irregular heart rate notifications, Apple Pay support and iPhone notifications.
Apple hasn't released a new Apple Watch SE since 2020, so I'm hoping to see an update this year. We don't know much about what to expect from the next Apple Watch SE, but a June 2021 Bloomberg report said a new version may arrive later this year. Based on Apple's previous releases, a newer processor, some design tweaks and new color options seem like plausible additions. But this is just speculation based on Apple's previous launches.
The SE's lower price means its functionality will be more limited than Apple's next flagship watch. Aside from the absence of those health features mentioned above, the current SE also has a smaller screen than the Series 7, lacks an always-on display and doesn't charge as quickly.
If Apple brings any of these features to the next-generation SE, I'm hoping it's the always-on display. Having a screen capable of staying on even when the watch is idle makes the Apple Watch much more useful as a timepiece. It's one of the few features I find myself missing in everyday use when switching between Apple's high-end watch and the SE. Apple could still distinguish the Series 8 from the SE with its wider selection of health features and larger screen. Since Apple might discontinue the $199 Apple Watch Series 3 soon, a new SE would round out Apple's lineup with a new budget-friendly option.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4.
Scott Stein/CNETSamsung Galaxy Watch 5
Samsung's Galaxy Watch is one of the best smartwatches available for Android device owners, and rumors suggest a new Galaxy Watch 5 could be coming this year. It'll likely have a round screen and Google's Wear OS software just like the Galaxy Watch 4, but with a bigger battery and a temperature sensor. That's according to rumors from blog SamMobile, which claims to have found the device's battery in a regulatory filing, and Korean outlet ETNews.
These rumored upgrades suggest the Galaxy Watch 5 may be a refinement of the Watch 4 rather than a dramatic upgrade. But considering the Galaxy Watch 4 already does a lot of things right, from its smooth performance and vibrant screen to its wide array of health features, I'm fine with that.
One of CNET's biggest criticisms was the watch's battery life, and it sounds like the Galaxy Watch 5 might address this shortcoming. The bigger update we're hoping to see, however, is tighter integration with Google's apps and services. Such a change could give the Galaxy Watch 5 a more seamless Android experience, rather than feeling split between Google and Samsung's ecosystems.
A rendering reportedly showing what the Google Pixel Watch could look like based on leaks obtained by Jon Prosser. The image is in Prosser's video about the Pixel Watch on the YouTube channel Front Page Tech.
Jon Prosser/Front Page TechGoogle Pixel Watch
Google owns Fitbit and makes software for Android-friendly smartwatches, but it doesn't have a smartwatch of its own. That could all change this year as Google is expected to release its first consumer smartwatch, according to reports from Insider and YouTuber Jon Prosser.
Details on the watch are scarce, but Prosser shared purportedly leaked marketing materials indicating it could have a round design. Considering other Wear OS watches are also round, it's not much of a surprise. An old report from German blog WinFuture also suggests the Pixel Watch could come in three different versions. Insider says we can also expect heart rate monitoring and basic health tracking features.
At a higher level, I'm hoping Google's smartwatch takes a page from its Pixel phones. Google has made its mobile devices stand out by giving them clever software features that are either exclusive to Pixel phones, or arrive on Pixel devices before trickling down to other Android devices. Google has an opportunity to do the same for smartwatches, potentially creating a blueprint for what the Android smartwatch experience should be like.
The Fitbit Sense.
Lexy Savvides/CNETFitbit's Wear OS Watch
Fitbit is working on a new premium smartwatch powered by Google and Samsung's new Wear OS software, CNET's Scott Stein reported last year. It'll likely have high-end features that might even be an upgrade from the Fitbit Sense, the company's most expensive watch, along with cellular connectivity and Google's apps.
It would be a big step forward for Fitbit, which currently sells smartwatches that run its own Fitbit OS software. While I've always appreciated Fitbit's wide selection of health features, detailed sleep tracking and long battery life, I've always felt its software could use some work. The experience doesn't feel as polished as the software on watches from Apple and Samsung, and there aren't as many apps. But that could all change with Wear OS.
Yet Fitbit might not be completely abandoning its Fitbit OS either. A next-generation version of the Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Sense watch may be in the works according to 9to5Google, which wouldn't run on Wear OS.
Only Apple, Samsung and Fitbit truly know what products are in their respective pipelines. But whatever their plans may be, health monitoring will likely continue to be a big focus for the smartwatch industry at large. Current smartwatches can already track an assortment of data points about our bodies, from how much time we spent asleep to our resting heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. Experts believe making better sense of such data is a big part of where wearable devices are going next.
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What's happening
The Apple Watch is an excellent smartwatch and fitness tracker, but I'd like to see more wellness tools, longer battery life and additional uses for its U1 chip.
Why it matters
Apple is a leader in the wearables market, but competitors like Fitbit and Oura are ahead in certain areas.
What's next
Apple is expected to announce new Apple Watch models in the fall.
The Apple Watch did little more than send iPhone alerts to your wrist when it launched in 2015. Now, roughly seven years later, it's evolved into a powerful fitness tracker and communication device. That said, there are plenty of ways Apple could improve its smartwatch.
While the Apple Watch's wide selection of workouts, intuitive software and addictive Activity Rings have made it my favorite fitness tracker, I often find myself wanting more. Other gadget-makers, like Oura and Fitbit, are outpacing Apple in certain areas, particularly when it comes to workout recovery. It's time for Apple to catch up, and I'm hoping its next smartwatch helps the company get there.
Apple typically releases new Apple Watch models in the fall. But we got a preview of the new WatchOS 9 software coming to the Apple Watch Series 4 and later at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June. Here's what else I'd like to see.
The Apple Watch Series 7 can charge faster, but I also want longer battery life.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNETLonger battery life
Battery life has long been the Apple Watch's Achilles' heel. While the Apple Watch can usually get me through about a day and a half, Fitbit trackers and watches can last multiple days on a single charge. The Fitbit Sense, for example, can typically function for two to four days before requiring a charge, while the Fitbit Versa 3 has lasted up to six days according to CNET's reviews. (But remember that battery life will always vary depending on usage.)
I'd love to see multiday battery life from the Apple Watch, even if it's only three days. That would be enough to take my Apple Watch on a weekend trip without having to worry about plugging it in or packing a charger. It would also make the Apple Watch a more viable sleep tracker. I haven't been using the Apple Watch to track sleep very often because I find its exercise and activity tracking to be a more valuable use of its battery. But extending the amount of time between charges could change that.
To be fair, Apple has worked around this by improving the Apple Watch's charging speed with the Series 6 and 7. And that is helpful to some degree. If you wear your Apple Watch overnight, you can top it off during your morning routine and still have enough juice to make it through the day.
For most people, that's an adequate solution. But since I'm so obsessed with closing my Activity Rings, my Apple Watch remains strapped to my wrist for as long as I'm awake. I also rely on it to keep me on schedule as I'm getting ready to leave the house in the morning, so I'd rather have it sitting on my wrist than its charger.
Apple might have another battery workaround in its pipeline that could debut with the Apple Watch Seres 8. The new watch might include a new low power mode that would enable the Apple Watch to run some apps and features while preserving its battery, according to Bloomberg. It sounds like the new feature will allow for more functionality than the watch's current power reserve mode, which only shows the time. Bloomberg previously reported this feature would arrive in WatchOS 9, but there was no mention of it at WWDC.
Read More: A New Apple Watch SE Actually Sounds More Exciting Than the Series 8
The Oura app's daily Readiness score, a combination of multiple measurements.
Scott Stein/CNETWorkout recovery features
My Apple Watch can tell me a lot of things, like how many active calories I've burned and long-term progress toward my fitness goals. But one thing it can't tell me is whether I need a rest day.
Since I'm usually very fixated on closing my Activity Rings, I sometimes push myself to work out when I probably need to take a break. There are also times when I know I can push myself harder, but I still opt for an easier workout. It would be great if the Apple Watch could help me navigate those decisions based on bodily signals, my recent activity and sleep.
Fitbit's daily readiness score.
Screenshot by Lexy Savvides/CNETOura and Fitbit already offer metrics like this: readiness scores. As the name implies, a readiness score indicates whether your body is rested enough to tackle a heavy workout, or if you should skip the gym and rest up. Both Oura and Fitbit also offer advice and can adjust your fitness goals based on your score. For example, these apps might tell you to pay attention to how you're feeling and get some rest if you receive a low score. And if you receive a good or average score, they might suggest a moderate workout.
The Apple Watch can nudge you to move if you haven't made much progress toward closing your rings. It can also congratulate you when you've had a particularly active day. But it doesn't have a specific metric that prioritizes recovery like Oura and Fitbit's readiness scores. The Mindfulness app and Apple Fitness Plus' mediation programs certainly help, but it would be nice to see recovery built into the Apple Watch's goals and metrics in a meaningful way.
It sounds minor, but tips like this go a long way. On days when I'm feeling tired, a low readiness score along with a reminder to take it easy provides further validation that I don't need to commit to a full workout if I don't feel up to it. The Apple Watch's mindfulness reminders don't go far enough since they're easy to ignore. The readiness score usually correlates more closely with how I'm feeling based on my sleep and activity, so it feels more meaningful than a reminder to take a deep breath.
The Apple Watch's Workout app is getting new metrics in WatchOS 9 like heart rate zones and the ability to customize recovery intervals during a session, which could make it easier to manage your intensity during a workout. But the Apple Watch still won't have an alternative to the readiness scores found in apps from other fitness device makers.
The Apple Watch already does a good job motivating me to move. Now it just needs to remind me to rest.
Read more: Apple, Google and Samsung May Have Exciting Smartwatch Plans for 2022
The Apple WatchOS 7 sleep app shows just overall sleep time, while devices like the Fitbit Versa 2 (right) show estimated light/deep and REM phases, plus a sleep score.
Scott Stein/CNETA sleep score
The Apple Watch will get a big upgrade to its sleep tracking capabilities when WatchOS 9 arrives this fall. Apple is finally bringing the ability to measure different stages of sleep to the Apple Watch, a long-requested feature that other fitness devices from Oura and Fitbit have offered for years. While this is a major improvement, it looks like the Apple Watch still won't provide the level of sleep coaching found on other devices.
Oura , Fitbit, Samsung, Amazon and Withings all offer a sleep score that asses the quality of your sleep to help you make more sense of all the metrics these devices gather overnight. Similar to the previously mentioned recovery feature, these scores help me contextualize my sleep and help motivate me to get more rest when I need it. Samsung and Fitbit also offer sleep coaching programs that make observations about your sleeping patterns over a period of time to provide more targeted advice.
The Apple Watch can already record data about sleep duration, time spent in bed, sleeping pattern trends and respiratory rate. The addition of sleep stages is a big step toward making the Apple Watch feel like an even more well-rounded wellness device, but I'd still like to see more.
I'd love to change my Apple Watch's activity goals depending on the day.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNETDifferent activity goals for specific days of the week
It's rare that any given day is exactly the same when it comes to exercise. Factors like how much sleep I got the night before, social plans, what I've eaten that day and whether I'm commuting to the office all impact how active I am. That's why I wish I could adjust the Apple Watch's goals according to each day of the week.
You can change your move, stand and exercise goals on the Apple Watch by opening the Activity app and tapping the Change Goals button. But there aren't any options for tailoring those goals to specific weekdays. I'd love to increase my move goal on days when I know I'll be heading into the office, since my commute involves a lot of walking.
Read more: Why Apple Should Launch an iPhone Subscription Plan
The HomePod Mini uses the U1 chip to improve the way audio is transferred between devices.
AppleMore uses for the U1 chip
The Apple Watch Series 6 and 7 as well as the iPhone 11, 12 and 13 have Apple's U1 ultra wideband chip. If you're not familiar, ultra wideband is a wireless short-range protocol that allows for precise location tracking. But don't think of it as an alternative for GPS. Rather, UWB is often used to help devices communicate with nearby gadgets within the same room. It makes Apple's AirDrop sharing feature work more quickly since it can locate other nearby iPhones with more precision.
Ultra wideband, or UWB, also improves the way the iPhone and Apple Watch models function as digital car keys. Compatible cars can recognize your device when it's nearby, meaning the car will unlock as you approach it rather than requiring you to hold your phone or Apple Watch near a key reader.
This is a promising start, but I'd love to see even more clever use cases for the U1 chip. In theory, UWB could give our devices another layer of intelligence that essentially enables nearby gadgets to react to your presence. My colleague Stephen Shankland came up with some ideas for how UWB could be practically useful when he wrote about the technology last year.
Imagine if your TV could automatically switch to the right Netflix profile once it recognizes that your phone or watch is nearby. Or what if your smart speaker only gave calendar alerts relevant to the people in the room? Apple seems to be moving in this direction as evidenced by the HomePod Mini, which can provide certain haptic effects when transferring audio to an UWB-equipped iPhone. I'm hoping to see even more functionality like this built into the Apple Watch.
We'll likely have to wait until the fall to learn what's in store for the next Apple Watch. Based on Apple's history, it seems plausible to expect routine upgrades like a new processor. But since the Series 7 felt more like a refinement of the Series 6 rather than a generational upgrade, I'm hoping to see bigger updates in the near future.
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