Yes, the Wareable Tech Awards are back for the third year, an excuse for us to show some love for the standout wearables that launched in 2018.
We have ten Awards to hand out honouring the best wearable tech devices, collections, platforms, projects and startups of the year.
We'll be revealing the winners once we've had a few nice long chats about the nominees at Wareable HQ and spoken to our group of guest judges:
- Lucy Hedges, Metro's technology editor
- Jeremy White, Wired UK's Gear editor
- Scott Stein, senior editor at CNET
- Rhiannon Williams, the i paper's technology correspondent
- Sam Loveridge, associate editor at GamesRadar
- Kieran Alger, fitness tech expert and Man v Miles blogger
- Tom Emrich, partner at Super Ventures
- Muchaneta Kapfunde, founder & editor of FashNerd
Scroll down for the shortlists for nine categories below. The 10th award will of course go to the big one - Wearable of the Year. But we are going to keep the devices considered for that particular category a secret for now. So let's get into those shortlists and check back to find out when the winners will be announced.
Smartwatch of the Year
Last year the Watch Series 3 picked up this coveted award. But with 2018 seeing major launches from Fitbit, Samsung and the Fossil Group along with a new Apple Watch, it was tough getting this category down to just eight watches.
- Fitbit Versa
- Withings Steel HR Sport
- Apple Watch Series 4
- Michael Kors Access Runway
- Samsung Galaxy Watch
- Amazfit Bip
- Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music
- Huawei Watch GT
Fitness Tracker of the Year
Can Fitbit reign again? While smartwatches have largely been on the agenda for the big wearable tech players in 2018, there have been a few surprise hits that will liven up this category. Not least two very impressive smart rings and a couple of kids trackers.
Sports Watch of the Year
Whether you're a runner, cyclist, swimmer or a paddle boarder, there's been a whole host of new all-sports tracking watches we've tested this year. Here are the six sports watches that impressed us the most.
Fashion Tech of the Year
Our fashion-forward shortlist for 2018 includes smart and stylish glasses, rings, watches and jewellery from watchmakers, startups and tech names. You won't be embarrassed to leave the house in any of this.
Speciality Sports Wearable of the Year
Whether it's upping your golf game or analysing your performance out on the football pitch, these wearables are built for niche sports. These are the standout devices we've tested this year.
Platform of the Year
They crunch your fitness data, give you advice on getting a better night's sleep and can even whisk you away into a virtual training world. These are the contenders for Platform of the Year.
Health Tech of the Year
Health tech only gets bigger and bigger with the likes of Apple and Fitbit pushing things forward on bestselling devices and intriguing startups going for wearable tech holy grails.
Breakout of the Year
It's not all about the established players. We spend a lot of time talking to the startups working on the next big things, and this year has seen AR glasses, safety devices and fat-burning headsets - among other things - grabbing our attention. Here are the most noteworthy newcomers.
VR & AR Innovation of the Year
AR goggles became reality and VR got more hardware and more Mario this year. Here's the headsets, glasses and experiences pushing things forward.
What do you think should win each category? What are you sad that we culled from the lists? Make your feelings known in the comments below.
How we test
By Michael Sawh
Michael Sawh has been covering the wearable tech industry since the very first Fitbit landed back in 2011. Previously the resident wearable tech expert at Trusted Reviews, he also marshaled the features section of T3.com.
He also regularly contributed to T3 magazine when they needed someone to talk about fitness trackers, running watches, headphones, tablets, and phones.
Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech.
Michael is a lover of all things sports and fitness-tech related, clocking up over 15 marathons and has put in serious hours in the pool all in the name of testing every fitness wearable going. Expect to see him with a minimum of two wearables at any given time.