Smartwatches

What is a Smartwatch

In our eyes, a watch becomes a Smartwatch when it replaces its traditional face and mechanical hands with a touch screen. Some hybrids do a bit of both, putting simpler displays inside the face of a regular watch, but we’ll cover those later.

When it comes to smartwatch operating systems, like with computers and smartphones there are a couple of main factors to consider. First there is the watch OS, which is the operating used exclusively by the Apple Watch.

Next there is Wear OS, which belongs to Google and was called Android Wear until 2018. The name was changed to promote the fact that watches running Google’s software work with iPhones as well as Android devices – a key differentiator, as all models of Apple Watch only work with iPhones.

Although Google doesn’t produce a smartwatch of its own (those persistent rumors haven’t come true just yet), Wear OS is found on smartwatches made by many brands, from Misfit and Montblanc, to Fossil and Tag Heuer.