As wearable technology grows up, the market is as fragmented as ever outside of Apple Watch—the undisputed king of smartwatches. The best of Android Wear, the beautiful Moto 360, has been discontinued due to lack of demand for the product. The platform, which promised to provide a standard to compete with the Apple Watch, only runs 18 percent of smartwatches. But there have been some notable smartwatch releases in 2017, and we’ve highlighted our favorites. Here are the five best smartwatches of 2017:
5. Huawei Watch 2
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Huawei finally unveiled the successor to its first smartwatch, the 2015 Huawei Watch, earlier this year in Barcelona. The new version, aptly named Huawei Watch 2, is thicker, chunkier, sportier and more capable. It now comes with LTE, NFC and built-in GPS, meaning it can accomplish more while separated from your smartphone, but does so at the cost of what made the original so enticing: you actually wanted it on your wrist. Depending on what camp you fall in, the Watch 2 is either a semi-handsome watch with a clear fitness tilt, or an ugly, bulky monstrosity that looks like a chore to have on all day. The new installment loses its versatility thanks to a bulkier case which, even in the Classic variant that styles up the watch significantly, will work best for those with larger wrists. If you love large watches, the Huawei Watch 2 is right down your lane. The Huawei Watch 2 Is packed with features but loses sight of what made the original great. —Eric Walters
4. LG Watch Sport
LG has, rather quietly, been building up momentum in the Android world, taking advantage of Samsung’s recent woes to steam ahead with not just an impressive line of new phones, but their own special takes on Android-based smartwatches. They are the first manufacturer out of the gate to release a watch natively running Android Wear 2.0, so reviewing a product like the LG Watch Sport is a two-fold affair. Ruggedly built, with smooth lines and a comfortably weight, the LG Watch Sport is definitely a watch that says something. It has all the features you need for daily wear and working out, but comes up short in battery life. Even with that caveat, the Sport is close to being my favorite Android Wear watch, but definitely isn’t the choice for traveling or really long days.—Jason D’Aprile
3. Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 Smartwatch
Tag Heuer’s first generation premium—and also expensive—Android Wear smartwatch was such a successful product that the company was back earlier this year with a second generation launch. Like its predecessor, the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 maintains its position as Android Wear’s most premium tech adornment for your wrist. This year, though, you’re getting some natural upgrades that comes with Google’s update to the Android Wear 2.0 operating system, and the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 adds hardware that takes full advantage of the OS’s new software features, including GPS tracking for workouts, NFC for mobile payments and even further customization and personalization options. The last feature actually makes the Modular 45 feels more like a piece of jewelry—or digital haute horology—rather than a piece of digital technology that serves as a tool for notifications and activity tracking. Combining luxury with technology keeps the Modular 45 true to Tag’s avant garde heritage, melding its history of timekeeping with the digital future. With the Modular 45, you’ll get true Swiss craftsmanship and luxury materials, elements that few smartwatches can match. And priced starting at $1,550, you’ll really need to have an appreciation for the finer things in life or be a true watch aficionado to appreciate Tag’s take on the digital watch. And if you really want to splurge, there’s a packaged $17,000 option as well. —Chuong Nguyen
2. Misfit Vapor
We’ve always loved the Misfit Shine, a simple little wearable for fitness tracking. Now, Misfit is finally fully diving into the smartwatch game with the Misfit Vapor. Like its previous products, the Misfit Shine focuses on minimalism with its 1.39-inch AMOLED display and simple design. It’s got its own unique interface that is a riff on what Samsung has done with the Gear S smartwatches. On top of that, Misfit is promising two days of battery life on a single charge, as well as being waterproof. With Pebble phasing itself out, the Misfit Vapor is looking like it could be the next big independent smartwatch manufacturer heading into 2017. —Luke Larsen
1. Apple Watch Series 3
Apple released its third generation watch, the Series 3, in September. It’s the first to include LTE-compatibility and can function completely independently from cell phones. The newly swimproof Series 3 features a dual-processor that not only makes the watch faster than its predecessors, but it also allows Siri to actually speak, as well as a W2 chip that enhances Bluetooth and wireless connectivities. Along with the improved specs, Apple added major updates to the heart rate and music apps on the watch, also noting the new blush gold color and different band options. Pricing for the Series 3 with cellular starts at $399, and the watch without cellular starts at $329. —Lisa Nguyen (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)