Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearables are usually a big part of CES, and CES 2022 is no exception. There’s plenty on display in the category, with models that help you keep track of everything from your physical fitness to your mental wellness, daily calendars, workouts, heart rate, sleep, and more.
Some of the biggest brands in the business like Fitbit and Apple aren’t announcing anything new at the show, usually focusing on private events later in the year to launch new products. But Apple continues to make waves with its Apple Watch Series 7 and Fitbit with new models like the Fitbit Charge 5.
When it comes to CES 2022, however, here’s what’s worth taking a look at that will be available this year.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus
Less than a year after Garmin introduced the Venu 2, it has revealed the Venu 2 Plus, an upgraded model that adds voice control via a speaker and microphone. This means you can make and receive calls right from your wrist without having to pull out your smartphone. You can also queue up songs and other commands via voice. It works over Bluetooth when connected to your phone with any voice assistant, including Apple Siri and Google Assistant. You’ll get a solid nine days of battery life per charge when in smartwatch mode or up to eight hours when you’re using both GPS and music. Recharge for 1- minutes to get an extra day (or extra hour with GPS and music). Track everything from blood oxygen levels to stress, women’s health, hydration, respiration, sleep, heart rate, workouts and sports (following along with animated on-screen workouts if desired), and more, including body battery for recovery time and fitness age. With an always-on colour touchscreen display, it’s a sleek watch that can be used for both productivity at work and fitness.
Garmin Vivomove Sport
A second watch Garmin revealed at the show is the Vivomove Sport, which will serve as its entry-level wearable offering that blends both fashion and function. With a hidden touchscreen on the bottom half of the display, it comes with a silicone strap and requires your phone for connected GPS versus having it built-in. But it still tracks all the essentials you’d expect from a more premium smartwatch, including blood oxygen level, sleep, and exercises. It also has Garmin’s Body Battery feature that looks at your recovery time and lets you know when it’s best to exercise. Additionally, it detects abnormal heart rate and sends alerts and women’s health. If there’s an emergency, you can also send a message to emergency contacts with your location so they can send help.
Nowatch
The cute name of this wearable really does have a meaning: this watch from the Dutch health tech company is dubbed an “Awareable” in that it’s a wearable sort-of smart watch without a screen. Instead, it has an attractive circular faceless front while it secretly tracks cortisol levels to help predict your cognitive zone and instances of stress. The idea is to help you recognize when you are experiencing these changes and adjust behavior accordingly. It measures stress, temperature, heart rate, movement, and sleep, but the blank face help eliminate distractions.
Circular Ring
Some people don’t want to wear something on their wrist to track data, particularly if they prefer to keep a designer wristwatch on instead and don’t want to have two bands on one arm, or a band on both. This is where smart tracking rings come in as a wearable alternative, and one new one on display at CES 2022 is the Circular Ring. It analyzes your activity, bio-signals while you sleep, and lets you know if it detects anything out of the ordinary. Data it measures include blood oxygen level (Sp02), heart rate variability, temperature, heart rate, energy, sleep, and movement, all from your finger. It will not only report the information in the companion app but also provide useful recommendations through a personal assistant called Kira.
Neutonica Band
This handy device got a lot of attention and was even mentioned by CTA’s Steve Keonig during his Tech Trends to Watch media session at CES 2022, because it was actually invented by a young boy. Franco Canseco from Mexico came up with the concept in 2016, and it was featured on the TV show Shark Tank Mexico. What is it? A high-tech spin on the traditional face mask, this wearable is designed to help you get sleep, rest, and relaxation. The best part is that you don’t need an account, app, or anything else to use it. Place it over your eyes where the fabric band sits comfortably, close your eyes, and listen to one of six tracks that were composed exclusively for the device by musicians and scientists to help you fall asleep, and improve your breathing. The magnetic field of the band is said to be identical to the alpha frequency of your brain while you relax, thus helping you reach that state. In addition to wearing it while sleeping or napping, you can also use it to for a quick 10-minute de-stress session while working, giving your eyes a break from the screen. It’s also ideal for meditation.
Nuheara IQbuds2 Max
While they aren’t brand-new, having launched in 2020, the Nuheara IQbuds2 are on display at CES 2022 as they continue to serve their intended purpose: to function as assistive devices for the hearing impaired. The hearables, an audio-centric take of wearables, have seven settings for the wearer to customize sound and levels to your liking and environment, amping it up when in a crowded environment or turning it down when you’re one-on-one with someone in a quiet space. Control levels of noise cancelling, EQ, and even directional focus as well so you never miss a beat in a conversation. Everything is easily controllable from the iQbuds app. For someone who has been having issues with their hearing, the buds can be life-changing.
Razer X Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch
This limited-edition smartwatch, the product of a collaboration between Razer and Fossil, is the first smartwatch powered by the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform, which offers upgrades in speed and performance, as well as more efficient power consumption, say the companies. Running Wear OS by Google, the wearable comes loaded with a variety of wellness features, including Razer’s Champions Start From Within wellness initiative for gamers. In addition to tracking activity and sports, and keeping up with notifications, it can also track sleep, Sp02, and can report your cardio fitness level and VO2 Max via your heart rate and biometrics. Get notifications right on the screen, tethered calls, and use the built-in mic to stay connected. It’s swimproof up to 3ATM and includes a 1.28-inch 326 ppi touchscreen and interchangeable straps and bracelets. There will only be just over 1,300 of these wearable devices made, but it’s an interesting collaboration, nonetheless, with a cool design that will especially appeal to gamers.
Aktiia 24/7 optical blood pressure monitor
When you think of blood pressure monitors, you probably think of straps that you wear around your arm. They squeeze and you get the data on a screen or mobile app letting you know the reading. Aktiia’s innovative wearables product works much differently. Instead, it is worn around the wrist to monitor your blood pressure continuously throughout the day, reporting the data to the smartphone app. Aktiia Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring (OBPM) works through algorithms that leverage optical sensors on the wrist the provide blood pressure values using photoplethysmography (PPG). In simple terms, this analyzes the diameter of the arteries at each heartbeat to see how they change. Wearers aren’t even aware that it’s happening and thus don’t have to be interrupted for data to be captured. The device automatically triggers 150 readings per week while you are in multiple body positions, from lying down while sleeping to walking about during the day. It takes this data and reports your “time in range,” or the percentage of time that your blood pressure is in the healthy range.
Wearables at CES
While smartwatches and fitness trackers are what first come to mind when we think about wearables, they aren’t alone in the category. Wearables include everything from devices to strap around your arm or even slide onto your finger to track vital data, or even ones that go over your eyes or around your head. The category continues to expand and there will no doubt be much more to see through the year and beyond.
Check out lots of wearables at Best Buy online.
