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Do Smartwatches Need to Get in Shape to Be Smart in 2018?

The gadget world has an array of smartwatches planned for release this year. Swatch announced its Swiss OS based Tissot watch last year. It is due to launch sometime after the third quarter of 2018. The all new Samsung Galaxy range comes in with a twist for 2018.

The smartphone craze is over. 2018 is the year smartwatches take over the hype. The question is, which brands will sink and which ones will rise?

The Apple Watch is the yardstick to judge every new wearable device. However, the Samsung Galaxy range of smartwatches is a possible game changer. With a longer battery life and the rotating navigation bezel, the new models are likely to find more takers.

Every smartwatch has its USP. Swatch has its secure ‘Swiss vault’ for data security. The Samsung Galaxy has a new round dial. So far Samsung has mostly produced square and rectangular smartwatches but it is time to play the field.

Take a brief look at the sales of the top brands in wearable gadgets. Apple tops the chart with over 47% of smartwatches being Apple Watches. That is only the beginning of 2018 and the brand is still on a steady uphill climb.

Google is not far behind with its Wear OS. It accounts for about 30% of smartwatches sold so far, this year. Samsung is slowly making its mark, approaching 10% of the market sales in numbers.

Apple has always been in the lead even with its simplest designs. Apple’s no-nonsense rectangular design and conventional styling is still miles ahead of every other brand. But people are easily bored. So is changing the shape of the wearable a good way to bring a fresh change?

Will the Tissot watch be square or round? Will it have a tiny smart battery like the one in the Pebble Time Round from 2015? Will it live up to the expectations of the consumer base? What are the expectations anyway?

Long battery life, easier user interface, waterproof and scratchproof properties, these are the common demands of a smartwatch enthusiast. People who own a smartwatch are looking for something practical and convenient to wear. The Apple Watch again takes the cake with its lightweight models.

The point to note is round watches defeat the point of a larger battery and a smaller dial. To fit every important chip in the right place with a round perimeter, the inner circle has to be large.

Square and rectangular dials will always be the first choice of people with slender wrists. The smartwatch business is expected to sell over 140 million units this year alone. This is a steep rise from the 70 million units sold in 2017. Slender people and bulky people, men and women, every demographic is important in this huge market. No company will want to lose out on any demographic on grounds of shape.

The wise thing for any brand to do regarding the size and shape of its wearable device is to keep every option open. The Samsung Galaxy A5 is the new round dial smooth edged smartwatch in town. But most other Galaxy smartwatch variants are square. Google too has a good mix of square and round smartwatches. Customers are free to choose.

With the individual operating systems molding to fit the shape, round smartwatches can soon become abundant. The catch is, will people want it anymore once it is common? People who still love the classic round watches are more into traditional wrist watches. The round smartwatch might well be just a passing fad.

Some brands might be looking into smooth edged triangular and oval smartwatches. However, brands with vision realize that performance, weight, and convenience of use still remain the focus of a good smartwatch.

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