If a new wearable has been on your wishlist, you may have been a little disappointed with 2023's offering. There were some excellent devices announced, but none were hugely groundbreaking compared to previous iterations.
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 were identical in design to the previous best Apple Watches, the Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra for example, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic weren't too dissimilar from their predecessors either - apart from the re-introduction of the rotating bezel on the Classic, of course.
There's plenty in the pipeline for 2024 however, with rumours of some genuinely exciting wearables to look forward to in the next 12 months.
Samsung Galaxy Ring
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is the first wearable we are expecting to see appear in the new year and it's one of the more exciting ones too. Samsung has been in the wearables game for a long time now – anyone remember the Samsung Galaxy Gear? – but the Galaxy Ring would mark a new category for the company, and it's a sector it could dominate if it applies the same premium build quality to smart rings as it does to its Galaxy smartphones.
Going after the popular Oura Ring and Circular Ring pictured above, the Galaxy Ring is expected to be a minimalist take on fitness trackers, offering a number of sensors within a small and discreet format. Rumors suggest many mainstay Galaxy Watch features will be on the Ring, including the ability to measure heart rate, steps, and SpO2 from your finger.
The best part? It's expected to launch in January 2024 alongside the Galaxy S24 smartphones so we may not have too long to wait to see if Samsung will put a ring on it.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
It wouldn't seem right to mention the Galaxy Ring without talking about the Galaxy Watch 7 models. Whether we will continue to see a Galaxy Watch 7 and a Galaxy Watch 7 Classic, or whether Samsung switches back to a Watch 7 Pro in place of the Watch 7 Classic for 2024 remains to be seen for now. We can bet our bottom dollar Samsung will refresh its Galaxy Watch in 2024 however, likely towards the end of the summer alongside the Galaxy Z devices.
Details are currently few and far between but we're hopeful the Watch 6 Classic's rotating bezel is either here to stay for the 2024 successor, or it's swapped in for a Watch 7 Pro. With the flagship Watch 7, we expect the premium quality build these smartwatches offer, and we'd love even longer battery life to compete with the likes of Garmin. 48 hours please!
The Galaxy Watch 7 models are also fully expected to run Wear OS whilst delivering a range of health features, including the Watch 6's blood pressure monitoring through pulse wave analysis, and full body composition to replace a smart scale. Compatibility with iPhone would be a nice addition, though we must say we aren't holding out.
Apple Watch SE 3
It's a big year for Apple Watch in 2024, with a decade having passed since the original Apple Watch was announced. We are very much expecting the Apple Watch X to be revealed in 2024 as the 10-year anniversary model, but let's not forget about the humble Watch SE.
This model typically sees a bi-annual release, and with no Watch SE announced in 2023, it is on the docket for an update in 2024.
Our wishlist for the third generation model includes an Always-On Display – this has been on the Apple Watch Series since the Series 5 so it's not new technology anymore, but it's never materialized on the SE range. An electrocardiogram and blood oxygen monitoring feature (once its legal troubles with Masimo are sorted out) wouldn't go amiss either.
It will no doubt continue to have a smaller feature set than the Watch X, but the Watch SE 3 – or Watch SE (2024) as it will likely be known as – is expected to be an excellent option for most people, and hopefully, it remains a decent price too. The only bad news with this one is that we don't expect to see it appear until September 2024 with the new iPhone models.
OnePlus Watch 2
When OnePlus launched its first smartwatch in 2021, it was initially met with plenty of enthusiasm. Then the reviews arrived and it was clear that you'd be settling (see what we did there) by choosing it over the Pixel Watch or Samsung's Galaxy Watch models.
The company appears to have learned a thing or two from its first attempt however, with whispers suggesting the OnePlus Watch 2 will launch in 2024 and bring a number of improvements.
It's said to come with a larger AMOLED display and run on Wear OS 4 – the same operating system as the Pixel Watch 2 – which would be a huge advantage over the custom-built software the OnePlus Watch runs on.
Google's operating system offers more flexibility in terms of apps, alongside a simpler user experience. As for when the next OnePlus Watch might launch, our money would be around Mobile World Congress at the end of February 2024 but there's nothing concrete yet.
Garmin Forerunner 65
Garmin has so many devices, you'd be forgiven for not being able to keep up. There has been an update to the Lily smartwatch mooted and, as ever, we wait patiently for the Garmin Fenix 8, but we also have our eyes peeled for an update to the budget Forerunner in 2024, too.
The Forerunner 55 arrived in June 2021 so it's due a refresh despite not having a regular release pattern. It was excellent for offering many of Garmin's brilliant software features but for a more budget-conscious runner that was happy enough with a less premium build quality compared to the company's more expensive devices, like the Fenix range.
Word is thin on the ground at the moment, but a refresh to the Forerunner 55 in what would presumably be the Forerunner 65 is one we are expecting (or hoping for) in 2024.
