Successes of 2022: Android smartwatches are finally becoming interesting

I used to sigh when I reviewed watches.

I wanted a device that would compete with the Apple Watch but it wasn't happening. It was always there. Dismal battery life, a laggy OS, outdated or inaccurate health features, and more tumbleweeds than third-party apps are just some of the things that come to mind. I was losing hope that I would ever be a good reviewer.

That wasn't the case in the year 2022. The Wear OS watches were the ones I looked forward to the most.

There were a lot of reasons to be happy. The Pixel Watch is no longer a myth after a long time. It is a real watch that you can purchase. I wasn't expecting much when I got my first watch. It didn't have to do anything, it just had to do it. I was surprised by how hopeful I was that I could write a good review since I gave it a 6 (which, by our rating scale, means good, with some issues and some redeeming qualities) The hardware was good, but the design was more impressive than the leaks had led me to believe. It had a lot of potential and was viable. I had two full-featured watches that I would recommend to users of the operating system. They weren't both from the same company.

I want to sound like a normal person. The Wear OS 3 watches have a long way to go. This year's successes mean something to me after a long time of disappointment.

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

The watches this year were surprising. I thought the watch would be terrible. I almost never pick a big watch over a smaller one, and I preferred the regularGalaxy Watch 5. The Watch 5 had a physical rotating bezel, but the Pro had a raised lip and a touch screen. Turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to import routes were added to the flagship smartwatch. Body composition analysis is one of the things that no Apple Watch can do. It used to be that the Apple Watch was always ahead of the competition. Nowadays, that is less true.

Even watches that didn't impress me had their merits. Sometimes yearly updates don't feel progressive even if they are. The GALAXY WATCH 4 and 5 offer more choices than the previous ones. If you prefer to use a payment method other than Bixby, you don't have to be afraid of it. The experience for allAndroid users is much better than it used to be, but that doesn't mean that SAMSUNG watches won't work with SAMSUNG phones.

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

It wasn't my cup of tea but it was interesting. The bare bones version of Wear OS 3 felt unfinished and the price was ridiculous. It was the first Wear OS 3 watch to work with Apple's mobile operating system. Even if the watch wasn't great, the contradiction of all its parts was enjoyable. It wasn't boring but I might not have liked it.

The last device I wore was the Fossil Gen 6 wellness edition. In the past, I have been overwhelmed by the number of Fossil watches that were different only in design. I ripped the package open to see what I could find. Is Wear OS 3 compatible with the Summit 3? There are new health features in Fossil watches. The Fossil Gen 6 was a bit better than the Summit 3, but it wasn't up to expectations. I was hoping for the Fossil watch, but it wasn't boring. There were some signs that things were getting better.

It has been a long time since there was any kind of buzz around the device. I think all the small updates are a sign that the tide is shifting. I feel hopeful for the first time.