Sony has unveiled a duo of new wearables at IFA; the Sony SmartWatch 3 and Sony SmartBand Talk, going toe-to-toe with Samsung.
The two new wearable devices focus on Sony’s dual objectives of lifelogging and notifications, with the SmartWatch 3 acting as a companion to your smartphone and the new SmartBand Talk a classic activity tracker, with added talk functionality.
Sony SmartWatch 3
Sony has been a bit of a leaky ship in the week running up to IFA, and it seems all rumours of the SmartWatch 3 have turned out to be on the mark.
Essential reading: Samsung Gear S hands-on review
Android Wear powers its latest smart timepiece, chosen in favour of the custom Android OS used on its last effort, the SmartWatch 2.
We’re not going to reprint Android Wear’s features and functionality here, so why not head over to our comprehensive guide for everything you need to know.
Update: Take a look at our Sony SmartWatch 3 review
The SmartWatch 3 doesn’t quite compete with Samsung’s latest efforts, and instead features a 1.6-inch 320 x 320 TFT LCD display, rather than AMOLED, which is found on the Samsung Gear S and Asus’ ZenWatch.
However, it does charge via Micro USB, which means annoying proprietary connectors are banished.
Like the Samsung Gear S, the Sony SmartWatch 3 features built-in GPS, which makes it a good companion for runners, improving activity tracking accuracy. It also comes with 4GB of built-in storage, which means you can listen to tunes on your runs using a Bluetooth headset.
The black styling itself is rather bland, but it will come in a sporty green version, with the not-at-all sexist option for a pink strap for ladies.
Sony SmartBand Talk
The SmartBand Talk acts more as an activity tracker, and interestingly comes with a monochrome 1.4-inch e-paper display, which should boost battery life.
Update: Read our hands-on Sony SmartBand Talk review
The band gets its moniker thanks to the build-in voice control option, which means you can make calls by talking into the band, should you be away from your smartphone.
The band has a host of sensors built in, including an accelerometer and altimeter, which will track runs, walks and climbs. However, without GPS this will be more of a general guide than an advanced tracker for workouts.
The activity will be logged using Sony’s new Lifelog app available on Android.
Again, styling here borders on the bland with black and white available at launch, though Sony has confirmed that more vibrant colours will be available later in the year. What’s more, it’s done a collaboration deal with surf label Roxy, which should produce some female-friendly designs – for younger users at least.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.