At the IFA 2014 event which was held in Berlin, all the big name brands including Samsung, Motorola, Sony, LG and Asus have announced their smartwatches. HTC was the only known brand who did not have a smartwatch to show off during the event. Here is a technical specification comparison of Samsung Gear S, Motorola Moto 360, Sony Smartwatch 3, LG G Watch R and Asus ZenWatch which were announced last week.
Display & Appearance
Except the Smartwatch 3 which has a washed out display, all the other smartwatches have screens with satisfying performance. The Samsung Gear S has the best display overall, thanks to its Super AMOLED panel but I do admit that circular display is a thing now, especially after Motorola Moto 360 was unveiled. In that sense, LG is the only one to offer a completely circular display which is also the sharpest of the bunch. Sony and Motorola are the only ones who are using LCD displays in their smartwatches.
Moto 360, G Watch R and ZenWatch also have standard straps which can be changes according to your choice. Although it is a subjective matter, I can definitely say that the Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R one of the best looking smartwatches.
Internal Hardware
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor seems to be the popular choice here which is being used in Sony Smartwatch 3, LG G Watch R and Asus ZenWatch, though Samsung is using their own dual-core processor. Out of nowhere, Motorola has decided to use the TI OMAP 3 processor. Almost all of these smartwatches are water and dust resistant.
Samsung's Gear S is the best equipped smartwatch, especially when it comes to connectivity and sensors but we should not forget that it is also the priciest. It has inbuilt SIM card slot for Internet connectivity and voice calling as well as GPS for navigation purpose without a need to rely on a smartphone.
Software
As opposed to Motorola, Sony, LG and Asus who are using Android Wear, Samsung is using Tizen in their smartwatch. Samsung has tied up with Nokia and Nike to provide navigation (with HERE Maps) and fitness related apps (Nike+ Running) respectively. Even though Tizen has more features but the application support for Android Wear is bound to increase. Google has also confirmed that they will add support for customisable watch faces, GPS and Bluetooth headsets.
I personally liked the LG G Watch R and the Motorola Moto 360 but that's just a personal preference. Which smartwatch did you like? Drop in your comments below along with the reasons to support your choice.
