The Apple Watch is coming, but it's not the only smartwatch launch of 2015...
Mark your diaries – April 2015 is the month when the company behind the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad tries to revolutionise wristwear by officially launching the Apple Watch.
Apple's rival to the Android Wear and Pebble wearables will be pinning its success on offering luxury watch strap options, a new operating system and a Retina display, among other features. It's aiming to convert smartwatch non-believers.
Apple, however, isn't the only company vying for wrist space this year, as tech heavyweights and iconic watch brands alike aim to give the Apple Watch a run for its money. Second-generation Android Wear watches like the Moto 360 2 and G Watch R 2 aside, here are the five smartwatches that might be worth waiting for instead...
SEE ALSO: Time is running out for smartwatches
Swatch
After downplaying the rise of the smartwatch, the iconic watch brand has now decided it's going to get in on the action and will launch its answer to the Apple Watch in the spring. Yes, that's around the same time as Apple's smartwatch lands.
The Swiss company has yet to give any indication of how its smartwatch will look, but has revealed some of the features we can expect, such as using NFC to support mobile payments and being compatible with Android and Windows Phone smartphones.
This isn't entirely new territory for Swatch Group, with its Tissot watch brand having featured touchscreen displays and activity-tracking features for some time. Swatch has also been busy on the patent front to impove its smartwatch in the future, with some patents related to boosting battery life. Perhaps Swatch could be the one to solve what's possibly the biggest issue with smartwatches.
When is it launching? Spring 2015
How much? £TBC
Pebble 2.0
When Apple announced its smartwatch in 2014, Pebble claimed the big reveal boosted sales of its smartwatch and CEO Eric Migicovsky recently revealed the company has now sold over one million Pebble watches.
In a bid to fend off the Apple-shaped competition, new Pebble watch models are in the offing, along with a new software platform that Migicovsky claims will be, ‘unlike anything else used on smartwatches to date.’
The company, which raised millions through Kickstarter, quickly learnt from its mistakes with its very first smartwatch, the InPulse, and has strongly focused on delivering software that works for Android and iOS, along with a battery life that lasts for more than a couple of days.
In our recent interview with former Pebble Chief Envangelist, Myriam Joire, it sounds like Pebble could step away from the more expensive stainless steel version, which would give Apple the edge on design. There's no firm date on when we'll see the next-gen Pebbles, but we anticipate it won't be far off from when the Apple Watch lands.
When is it launching? TBC
How much will it cost? £TBC
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Tag Heuer
The luxury watch company sees the Apple Watch as the biggest threat to its expensive timepieces and will launch its own smartwatch around the same time as Apple's smartwatch.
Like Swatch, the Swiss watchmaker has yet to show off the first Tag Heuer smartwatch, but Jean-Claude Biver, head of parent company LVMH’s watch division, revealed in an interview with Bloomberg that some of the smart features we can expect include built-in GPS and the ability to track heart rate.
Tag Heuer will also be producing apps to coincide with brands and sports that the company sponsors, such as FIA Formula-E racing and running events like the New York marathon.
While key hardware components like the watch case and the dial will be Swiss made, the smart features will be built in the US. Biver has confirmed it's already been in discussions with partners, with Intel and Google among the rumoured companies involved.
When is it launching? TBC
How much will it cost? £TBC
Montblanc e-Strap
The German manufacturer is taking a slightly different approach to building a smartwatch by creating a strap that turns dumb watches into smart ones. The Montblanc e-Strap, which will debut on Montblanc's TimeWalker Urban Speed watches, houses all the tech inside unit attached to the watch strap, and can be bought separately.
The e-Strap will be compatible with Android and iOS smartphones like the iPhone 6 and Samsung's top-end Galaxy range, connecting via Bluetooth 4.0, and will add the kind of functionality we've already seen on other smartwatches.
That includes viewing emails and texts, caller ID, vibration alerts and using the strap as a music player remote. There'll be some basic activity-tracking support with a built-in pedometer, although there's been no indication of whether there will be any app support, which no doubt will be slightly tricky to implement.
When is it launching? June 2015
How much will it cost? Montblanc TimeWalker Urban Speed with e-Strap (From 2,990 Euros/Around £2,100) or Montblanc e-Strap (350 Euros/£260)
Sony FES
Sony's smartwatch efforts so far, including the SmartWatch 3 have not been all that great and while the FES isn't technically a smartwatch, it's still an intriguing device.
Fashion Entertainments, the name attached to the FES, is actually a division at Sony. The Japanese company didn't reveal the connection right away, as it wanted to gauge impartial interest by launching the FES anonymously through a sneaky crowdfunding campaign.
Its key feature is an e-paper display that doesn't require a backlight to make the screen legible. That means it'll also need less power to run and should wipe the floor with most smartwatches in terms of battery life. Another neat feature is the screen's ability to change appearance based on user gestures. So if you lift the wrist to check the time, the strap will come to life.
The minimalist watch will come in 24 design versions and has raised 3.5 million yen (just under £20,000) through its crowdfunding campaign in Japan. While a firm FES release date hasn't been revealed, it's expected to land in the first half of 2015.
When is it launching? Early to mid 2015
How much will it cost? £TBC
