Best smartwatches and wearables of CES 2017: What to expect

The annual Consumer Electronics Show will likely be all about virtual reality and augmented reality and of course cars this year, but there will likely be a few surprises in store specifically for your wrist or some other part of your body.

That’s right. We’re talking about smartwatches and wearables. Now, keep in mind that Apple and Google — two of tech’s biggest players — don’t normally attend the show. There will be hundreds of Apple Watch apps and accessories on the floor, but no new Apple Watches. As for Google, it is planning to launch flagship Android Wear watches in 2017, but they’ll be branded by whatever company is manufacturing them.

While we don’t expect to see Google unveil watches in January, it has said other Android Wear partners will debut new devices running Android Wear 2.0 at CES 2017. But you should know there is a lot of criticism going around about existing smartwatches and fitness trackers. Some studies show they’re stuck in a rut. Because of that, don’t expect a lot in January in terms of new hardware.

In fact, we’ll probably see more advancements in the form of smart clothing or smart glasses. Companies are being quiet at the moment about what they have planned, so little is known about what we can expect from them in Vegas. 

• Best smartwatches and wearables of CES 2016

Fitbit

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Fitbit is number one in the US in terms of wearable sales. The company has refreshed almost its entire portfolio over the course of the year, so we aren’t expecting much, but we could still see an update to the Fitbit Surge GPS smartwatch, which first released over two years ago. 

Fossil Group

Fossil

Fossil Group has confirmed that its brands, including Diesel, Fossil, Misfit, Michael Kors, Skagen and Emporio Armani will all unveil new wearables at CES 2017. Fossil also said there’ll be announcements from a brand that’s not currently in the wearables market.

Garmin

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Garmin makes niche sports watches, and we could see a new one these devices appear in January. Garmin has announced new watches at CES in the past, such as the Fenix 3 multisport watch in 2015, followed by the Fenix 3 HR in 2016. Maybe we will see a Fenix 4 in 2017.

Samsung

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Samsung will present at CES 2017, but don’t expect any new wearables. The company will likely focus on televisions, appliances, and the smart home instead, though it may also promote existing wearable products, such as the Gear Fit 2 and Gear S3.

LeEco

LeEco

LeEco recently launched in the US, and shortly after, CEO Jia Yueting took to Chinese social media site Weibo to confirm the company will be at CES 2017. Yueting’s post featured a number of LeEco products, but it was removed soon after. LeEco hasn’t said why.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi

Xiaomi has confirmed it will be at CES for the first time ever. Considering the broad range of products Xiaomi makes, there’s a strong possibility that a smartwatch or wearable of some type could be announced. However, it did just launch the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 this past summer.

Want to know more?

Check out Pocket-lint’s guide to learn more about CES, including what it is and when it is and what else you can expect to be announced.