SoyaCincau’s Smartwatch Buyer’s Guide

Over the past year, we have been bombarded with a bevy of smartwatches, from small to big to even bigger. It seems that we’re spoilt for choice because there is a smartwatch for almost all your needs.

Want a fancy schmancy one to take to a cocktail party? Or perhaps a bling-a-ding-dong watch for you to go clubbing with? No, perhaps you’re more down to earth and you want a simple black-and-white timepiece instead.

The only problem with having so many options is that when it comes to choosing the right one for you, factoring in price and availability in Malaysia, things can get very confusing very quickly. To help you with your smartwatch purchasing, we at SoyaCincau.com have compiled a list of some of the best smartwatches that you can (and eventually will) be able to purchase in Malaysia.

[nextpage title=”Apple Watch”]

We begin of course with one of the most anticipated devices ever to have hit our shores — the Apple Watch. Announced in 2014 and officially released in April 2015, the Apple Watch sure took its sweet time hitting our shores. We had to sit and watch in agony as our neighbours like Thailand and Singapore got it but for some reason, the device eluded our shores. Not any longer though as Apple have made their smartwatch available in Malaysia — almost one year after it was initially released.

The Apple Watch comes in 2 sizes: 38mm and 42mm. Depending on your preference and budget, the Apple Watch can be yours in 3 versions: Apple Watch Sports, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition. Prices start at RM1,599 and go all the way up to a whopping RM80,000. For more info on purchasing and pricing, head on over to our announcement post or our full review.

Where to buy:

Online: Apple Store
Stores: Machines (15/01/16), Switch (22/01/16), Macstudio (15/01/16)

[nextpage title=”Huawei Watch”]

One of the best-looking watches of 2015, Huawei came out swinging into the premium smartwatch market with the Huawei Watch. Looking mighty fine in its premium build, Huawei’s smartwatch takes on a more classic timepiece look with a rugged leather or stainless link bracelet strap.

It is a massive watch though, especially in thickness, but wear this to a party and you’ll surely turn some heads. Prices for the Huawei Watch start at RM1,799 — the same for both leather and stainless link bracelet. If you want a black smartwatch though, you will have to pony up RM200 more.

Huawei have also released a smartwatch for women that is even bigger with 68 Swarovski crystals, though it isn’t currently available locally.

Where to buy:

Online: Vmall.my

[nextpage title=”Pebble”]

Not into all that fancy stuff? Pebble has the solution for you. With designs ranging from simple to quite elegant, the quirky little smartwatches across Pebble’s range use an e-Paper display that is always on but uses very little power. The result is: Battery for days. Literally. Even the uber thin Time Round can last 2 days.

If the classic black and white display is not your thing, the Pebble Time, Time Steel, and Time Round have colour e-paper displays that have great visibility even under sunlight. Despite having colour, the display still consumes minimal power. For more information on that head on over to our unboxing of the Pebble Steel.

Although you can’t purchase this from a store near you, Pebble does have free shipping globally if you purchase from their website and you can get 10% off your first smartwatch. The only thing you will have to factor in is the currency exchange rate. Here is the entire Pebble lineup:

Pebble Classic – USD99.99 (around RM416)
Pebble Steel – USD149.99 (around RM620)
Pebble Time – USD149.99 (around RM620)
Pebble Time Round – USD199.99 (around RM828)
Pebble Time Steel – USD249.99 (around RM1,041)

Where to buy:

Online: Pebble store

[nextpage title=”Samsung Gear S2″]

Samsung’s Gear S2 is undoubtedly their best-looking smartwatch if you can forgive the Swatch-ish looks. Nevertheless, it is still a pretty solid all-rounder and it now comes in more colours — 18K Rose Gold and Platinum — plus a more premium build but they will cost a little more.

We did an unboxing of the device awhile back, so feel free to check out what our first impressions of the smartwatch are. Pricing for the device are as follows:

Gear S2 standard – RM1,399
Gear S2 Classic – RM1,599
Gear S2 Classic 18K Rose Gold – RM1,899
Gear S2 Classic Platinum – RM1,899

Where to buy:

Store: All authorised Samsung retailers

[nextpage title=”ASUS VivoWatch”]

ASUS recently launched the VivoWatch, a budget smartwatch that can supposedly get you up to 10 days on a single charge. The smartwatch does only display in black and white, but that may not be such a bad thing since Fitbit and Pebble have had wildly successful watches that don’t display colour. Plus, if you take the VivoWatch’s pricing into consideration, it is a pretty good deal. More information on the device can be found here while you can pick one up yourself from DirectD at a currently discounted RM699 (down RM100 from RM799).

Where to buy

Online: DirectD

[nextpage title=”Fitbit”]

Although technically not a smartwatch, Fitbit‘s Surge still provides core smartwatch functions to its users such as call and text notifications, so we’re giving it a pass. Plus it is one of the most popular wearables ever. Add that to the fact that the company have just announced their first colour-screen smartwatch/fitness tracker, the Blaze, and soon you will have a Fitbit for every situation. You can pick up the Fitbit Surge from Harvey Norman at RM1,080.

Where to buy:

Online & Store: Harvey Norman

[nextpage title=”Moto 360 2nd Gen”]

Yes, that flat tire is still on this Android Wear smartwatch but have you gotten over it yet? Well that aside, Motorola’s wearable is one of the most customisable around and it comes in two different sizes to suit smaller and larger wrist – 42mm and 46mm.

Onboard you’ll find a heart rate monitor, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity and an IP67 rating for water/dust resistance. You’ll have to fork out between RM 1,399 and RM 1,599 depending on the size and colour of the watch you purchase. The Moto 360 2nd Gen is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones.

Where to buy:

Online: Lazada Malaysia.

[nextpage title=”ASUS ZenWatch 2″]

If you’re into a square-flare that suits both sexes, the two different sizes of the Asus ZenWatch 2 might better your fancy. There’s the Sparrow for men that sizes in at 1.63-inch watch face and the Wren that has a 1.45-inch display.

There’s a wide array of straps to choose from that run from rubber all the way to a metal-gun strap with price increments every step up. Altogether there will 18 strap and watch face colour combos that you’ll be able to personalise making sure that it’ll be harder to find a friend or family member with the same colour combo.

These are the prices:

ZenWatch 2 with Rubber strap – RM649
ZenWatch 2 with Leather Strap – RM699
ZenWatch 2 with Metal-gun strap -RM899

Where to buy:

Coming soon.

[nextpage title=”TAG Heuer Connected”]

TAG Heuer is widely known as a mainstream-premium watch manufacturer, so imagine everyone’s surprise when they decided to make a smartwatch. Actually, it wasn’t that surprising since many have predicted that traditional watchmakers might make the move to a smartwatch — at least the mainstream ones. What TAG Heuer came up with is the Connected but what’s cooler about this premium smartwatch is that after 2 years (typically the lifespan of a mobile gadget) you can top-up and trade in your Connected for a special edition mechanical Carrera watch.

The best part? According to the TAG Heuer rep we spoke to on the phone, this trade-up deal will be available in Malaysia too, but you can’t buy the Connected. Not yet at least. This watch will only be arriving sometime in May, according to the rep, but pre-orders may begin as early as March or April. From the TAG Heuer Connected website, the watch looks to go on sale at a recommended retail price of RM6,100.

Keep in mind that this is a boutique limited device, so that means only the ones in The Gardens mall and Pavilion will carry these in their store.

Where to buy:

Coming soon.

[nextpage title=”Smartwatch Comparison”]

To help you get everything sorted, here’s a comparison of the devices we featured here:

Click to enlarge.

The first thing you should look for before you rush out to buy a smartwatch is whether or not your device is compatible. For example, if you’re an iPhone user, it probably wouldn’t be wise to purchase the incompatible Samsung Gear S2. That said, Samsung has said that they will bring iOS compatibility to their smartwatch soon. On the other hand, if you’re an Android user, your device is compatible with practically any smartwatch here, except the Apple Watch.

Another thing you should consider before buying a smartwatch is customisability. Some smartwatches, like the Fitbit Surge, only comes with an elastomer band and a choice of three colours. In contrast, if you pick up a device like the Pebble Time Round or the Huawei Watch — that use standard straps — your customisation possibilities are quite literally endless.

Finally, you should always make sure that the smartwatch is a good fit for your wrists. Consider the thickness, screen diameter, strap length and overall diameter before buying a watch. Ideally, trying one out before buying is always recommended but for those that are only available online, I guess you’ll just have to wing it. Good luck!