XDA - Wearable Reviews

Amazfit GTR Mini review: Big battery life and excellent fitness tracking in a small package

Chris Wedel — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 13:00:17 GMT

Many of the big-name smartwatch brands release one or two watches per year. If a company does bring more than one device to the market, then it will usually be a standard and a pro/ultra model. Fitness tracker brands are a bit different, often providing multiple devices to offer a range of performance and hardware designs in various price points. Amazfit straddles the line between smartwatch and fitness tracker but leans into the latter when it comes to its portfolio of wearables, including one of its latest, the GTR Mini.

Exclusive: These are Xiaomi's new Wireless AR Smart Glasses, and they look like they're from the future

Ben Sin — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 03:00:17 GMT

Mobile World Congress is an exciting trade show for mobile enthusiasts because it's not just a launching ground for commercial-ready products, but also a place where some of the world's top tech brands show off prototypes or ideas for future products. And while Xiaomi just held an actual launch event for its Xiaomi 13 series two days ago, it had another surprise announcement today: a pair of augmented reality glasses with more advanced technology than any existing AR glasses currently on market.

Fitbit Sense 2 review: A fantastic wearable that straddles the line between two worlds

Chris Wedel — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 14:00:15 GMT

Fitbit is one of the most well-known brands when it comes to fitness and health-related wearables — and it has been for years. Google purchased Fitbit back in 2019, though it wasn't finalized until 2021, and had stated that Fitbit would release a Wear OS watch. The Fitbit Sense 2 is the latest smartwatch from the brand, and it doesn't run Wear OS. Instead, it uses a refreshed version of Fitbit OS. Though I've never owned a Fitbit, I have preferred a more complete smartwatch experience that includes an expansive app catalog that coordinates with my smartphone. But the Sense 2 is an intriguing device that offers shades of a Wear OS device but with better battery life, dedicated fitness features, and a large community of fellow Fitbit users.

Amazfit GTR 4 review: A stylish watch with good battery life

Karthik Iyer — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 20:00:17 GMT

For many shoppers, the choice between smartwatches comes down to two big players — Apple and Samsung. On one side, you have the Apple Watch and the Galaxy Watch making up more than half of the smartwatch market. And on the other side, there are brands like Amazfit. Granted, Amazfit hasn't had a flawless run in the past, but their last few smartwatches have been great, particularly for the price. The company's new Amazfit GTR 4 — which I've spent several days with — is no exception. It's a great alternative to some of the best smartwatches out there, and it is a great watch that puts this brand under the spotlight.

TCL NXTWEAR S hands-on: The 130-inch screen you can take anywhere

Ben Sin — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 14:00:15 GMT

Although TCL makes a wide variety of products, including smartphones, these days, the company is still best known for its TVs, and TCL's newest product is essentially a wearable TV that offers a portable screen. Named the NXTWEAR S, this set of eyewear is an iterative update to the NXTWEAR Air that was shown off at CES earlier this year.

Apple Watch Ultra: The best screen and battery life in an Apple Watch ever

Ben Sin — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 13:00:14 GMT

Apple's new Watch Ultra is a maximal wearable with new features designed to make life easier for mountaineers, deep sea divers, endurance sports athletes, and people who don't spend their days in front of a laptop screen in general. I am none of these things, but even as a merely semi-active urbanite, I can see the appeal of the Apple Watch Ultra -- it's got a bigger, brighter screen that's easier to read even from a distance or under the most intense sunlight; it's built like a tank, so I don't stress when I accidentally clang my wrist against table edges and car doors; and battery life is much, much better -- enough that I can take it on a weekend trip without needing to bring a charger.

Google Pixel Watch review: An overpriced beauty that's half Wear OS, half Fitbit

Adam Conway — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:00:27 GMT

Google has been long rumored to be working on a Pixel Watch -- for years, in fact. It took a long time for it to eventually come to fruition, and with it comes a lot of Google's trademark software smarts. While the watch itself has been shrouded in controversy thanks to perceived large bezels, a high price tag, and a poor battery life, I've found that Google has still nailed the fundamentals of a decent smartwatch. It's very much a "first-gen" product, but that was to be expected.

Nreal Air Review: Virtual Mac desktop is enticing, but it's best used as a wearable large screen

Ben Sin — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 15:00:51 GMT

I still remember meeting Xu Chi, the founder of augmented reality glasses maker Nreal, three years ago. We were meeting at a Hong Kong co-working space, just a few hours before he was set to fly to Las Vegas, where was going to introduce his company's first augmented reality (AR) glasses at CES 2019.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro review: Not 'Pro' enough, but still the second best Android smartwatch

Ben Sin — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 13:00:22 GMT

One of the things we snarky tech reviewers often joke about is that smartphones have overused the "Pro" naming scheme to the point the word has lost its meaning. When every smartphone is a Pro, and the differentiating factors between Pro Android phones and the non-Pro variant is a curved screen and maybe a zoom lens, maybe it's time companies come up with another moniker.

Huawei Eyewear Hands-On: Lighweight audio glasses with great acoustics

Adam Conway — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 12:45:41 GMT

Huawei launched a series of flashy products at the IFA trade show in Berlin over the weekend, including a new upper mid-range phone with a whopping 60MP selfie camera, a new flagship laptop running Intel's 12th generation Intel processor, and the Huawei Watch Fit D that can measure blood pressure via a miniature pump inside the band. However, one product that didn't get any stage or show booth time was the Huawei Eyewear. These are a pair of "smart glasses" with an open acoustic system and microphone built into the arms so the wearer can listen to audio or take phone calls while wearing the glasses, without needing to access their smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Review: The Wear OS smartwatch we've been waiting for

Nirave Gondhia — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:30:15 GMT

While there are a lot of choices when it comes to good smartphones, the choices are far slimmer when it comes to wearables, and even slimmer when you consider compatibility with your smartphone of choice.

Amazfit T-Rex 2 Review: Heavy-duty fitness tracking

Karthik Iyer — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 08:00:18 GMT

Amazfit has been able to leave the competition behind with its relatively affordable smartwatches and the promise of great battery life. The company's T-Rex 2 smartwatch-- which I've been using for the better part of the last few weeks -- costs less than $200 and it has lasted me well over two weeks on a single charge. It falls short of the company claims about its battery life, but I'd say it's still quite commendable given my usage was also on the heavier side.

Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Review: This $60 fitness tracker is a great value product

Ben Sin — Sun, 03 Jul 2022 11:00:44 GMT

Xiaomi's line of fitness trackers has gone through several minor name changes over the years, from Mi Smart Band to Mi Band, to now, Smart Band, but the appeal remains the same -- it's a very affordable fitness tracker that can provide accurate fitness and health tracking, with data immediately viewable on a screen that, in recent years, has gotten larger and more vibrant. We now have the Xiaomi Smart Band 7, or as the common folk will call it "the Mi Band 7", and it promises to do more of the same.

Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro Review: The most luxurious smartwatch hardware

Ben Sin — Tue, 31 May 2022 11:00:24 GMT

I have been reviewing Huawei consumer products for half a decade and there's a clear leitmotif that runs through all my reviews: impeccable hardware that is usually the best looking and well-built in its product category, but the software experience doesn't quite keep up if compared to top rivals. And even though Huawei's new smartwatch series, the Watch GT 3 Pro, makes strides towards improving the software end, it's still not all the way there. Whether it's the titanium or ceramic model, the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro looks absolutely gorgeous and makes Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 feel cheap by comparison. But there are just things the Galaxy Watch 4 or the Apple Watch 7 can do that Huawei's smartwatches still cannot, like the ability to access an English voice assistant or respond to notifications in a dynamic manner.