The biggest smartwatch fails and flops of 2023

Because the yr attracts to an in depth, it’s a good time to take inventory of the pivotal occasions and gadgets that formed the final 12 months. 2023 has largely seen some sizeable positives for the smartwatch business, with the Apple Watch shifting ahead, the Pixel Watch 2 shocking us with its refinement, and Fitbit proving that it’s not useless below Google’s management. However not every little thing was price remembering; there have been some notable failures, too. To this finish, here’s a record of the largest smartwatch fails and flops of 2023.

Apple had a reasonably good yr by all accounts and almost averted inclusion on this record. However that every one modified within the ultimate few weeks of December.

As a result of a patent dispute, Apple was pressured to halt gross sales and import of the Sequence 9 and Watch Extremely 2 in its house market. The dispute pertains to these two gadgets’ blood oxygen monitoring know-how, which, in line with the US Worldwide Commerce Fee, has infringed on patents filed by medical tech agency Masimo. The information broke abruptly, leaving potential Apple Watch patrons simply days to get their fingers on one in all these new wearables.

It may not be all doom and gloom for Apple but. The corporate is now awaiting a Presidential Overview, which might enable the corporate to avoid the ban. Nonetheless, past the minor inexperienced tint points we detailed earlier within the yr, that is by far the largest smartwatch fail of 2023.

The Fitbit Cost collection is arguably the corporate’s bread and butter. Its inexpensive, easy, and dependable gadgets revolutionized the health monitoring business. The Cost 5 was not one of the best entry, however it at the very least ticked the final field.

In July, Fitbit rolled out a long-awaited replace to the health tracker. The changelog was promising, bringing new clock faces, a extra intensive record of workouts, and smarter textual content notifications to the wearable. However when it arrived, customers quickly discovered obtrusive points. The patch, numbered v194.61, as a substitute introduced excessive battery drain, unresponsive wearables, and, in some instances, it bricked many Cost 5 models throughout the globe. So as to add insult to damage, Google and Fitbit acknowledged these points however nonetheless haven’t pushed a brand new replace as of December 2023.

The Cost 5 points weren’t Fitbit’s solely fail in 2023. Below Google’s wing, the corporate launched a redesigned Fitbit app for Pixel Watch and legacy Fitbit customers. Out with the acquainted interface and in with the Google Match-like aesthetic. Many customers hated (and nonetheless hate) the modifications made.

Whereas the app appears to be like nice, and I fairly just like the discount to 3 most important tabs, it hides information fields that had been as soon as simply accessible behind extra faucets and menus. The quantity of data displayed on the house display screen and subsequent sections is hindered. The change was primarily for aesthetics quite than performance, which by no means appears to go down properly with customers.

Worst of all? You’re pressured to undertake the redesign, because the previous app is now not purposeful or accessible. This, together with Google stripping a number of neighborhood options and Challenges from Fitbit, had been among the many extra notable smartwatch fails of 2023.

I preferred what Samsung did with the Galaxy Watch 6 collection. Not solely did the corporate develop the system in all needed areas, however it additionally reintroduced the Basic mannequin with its bodily bezel. It was additionally the primary collection to function Put on OS 4 — even forward of Google’s Pixel Watch 2. Nonetheless, the pair launched one obvious flaw that the pre-release section seemingly didn’t uncover.

The Galaxy Watch 6 collection makes use of a brand new band fastening system that ditches the push pin in favor of a one-click button. This makes switching out watch bands far more handy (and requires shorter nails). It additionally made the watch extra more likely to fall off customers’ arms, whereas some customers discovered which you could launch the watch by making use of strain by way of your wrist bone. You’ll be able to perceive why this is able to be an issue whereas figuring out.

This isn’t a game-breaking flaw on Galaxy Watch 6, and customers can simply change to an older push-pin band with out fuss. Nonetheless, it’s ridiculous that nobody at Samsung seen this challenge earlier than launching the brand new band design.

Citizen’s second-generation CZ Smartwatch debuted with loads of promise. It packed {hardware} much like the Fossil Gen 6 and included an alertness monitoring function developed by IBM and NASA. Nonetheless, a couple of weeks after its launch in Might, the product was unceremoniously pulled from shops after reviewers highlighted efficiency and battery life points with their gadgets. This was simply the tip of the iceberg. Some customers, like The Verge‘s Victoria Track, obtained a unit that struggled to report workouts, with wonky information logging and a GPS that struggled to attach.

Granted, Citizen dealt with this properly, however launching a tool on this state is inexcusable. The CZ Smartwatch stays unavailable on Citizen’s official retailer, however the CZ Sensible Hybrid is plugging the hole to some extent.

The Pixel Watch 2 impressed me and my colleagues with its sweeping enhancements over its predecessor. It’s now competing with the Put on OS elite from Samsung and extra established gamers from Garmin and Apple. However, if there’s one factor Google failed to deal with with this iteration: its restore coverage.

The watch’s dome design makes it inclined to wreck, however Google has no official or self-repair program. When you harm your watch, that’s it. Contact Google Assist for alternative choices or purchase one other one. In 2023, when many corporations concentrate on decreasing e-waste, it is a remarkably short-sighted transfer from Google.

Notably, the Proper to Restore legislation adopted by a number of US states could change Google’s stance on this sooner or later, however for now, the easiest way to maintain your Pixel Watch 2 secure is with a case.

What do you assume was 2023’s largest smartwatch failure? Make sure you tell us within the remark part under.