Exciting new wearables — whether they go on your wrist, face, or finger — were in abundance at CES 2022. New smartwatches from Garmin and Fossil rubbed shoulders with smart rings, smart glasses, and even smart masks, showing that wearable tech continues to be one of the most interesting and innovative sections of the mobile industry at the moment.
There was enough news that you may have missed some of the announcements, so we’re here to help you catch up with the best wearable tech from CES 2022.
Garmin Vivomove Sport
Let’s kick things off with a subtle, goes-with-anything hybrid smartwatch with a minimalist dial, real hands, and a screen that you’d never know was there until it’s active. The $179 Garmin Vivomove Sport comes in a choice of colors if the regular black model isn’t flashy enough, has a five-day battery life, and offers extensive fitness- and health-tracking features. It’s available to buy now from Garmin.
Garmin Venu 2 Plus
Garmin’s second new smartwatch for CES 2022 is the touchscreen Venu 2 Plus, which is more in line with what we expect from the brand in that it’s a high-spec sports watch with a similarly high price. At $450, the 43mm Venu 2 Plus boasts an AMOLED screen to make the most of the tons of fitness and health data it presents, from workouts to personal coaching. It also takes calls and connects with a virtual assistant. It’s available now from Garmin.
Fossil X Razer Gen 6
Only 1,337 limited edition Razer X Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches are being made, so if you want one, don’t wait around for too long. Embracing the well-known gaming brand’s iconic bright green color, the smartwatch has a choice of straps in either that color or a more sensible black, plus there are multiple custom Razer watch faces, including one with an RGB lighting look. It costs $329 and will be available in January 2022.
Skagen Falster Gen 6
The Falster Gen 6 is the first Skagen smartwatch built around Fossil’s Gen 6 platform, It features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100+ processor, 1GB of RAM, and a host of other improvements. It’s wrapped up inside a typically stylish case, and of course, is available with the brand’s beautiful stainless steel mesh bracelet. It’s priced at $295 and will be out in January.
TCL NXTWEAR Air
TCL’s NXTWEAR Air is best described as a wearable display rather than a pair of smart glasses, as they put the equivalent of a 140-inch screen in front of your eyes, but connect to your phone or laptop with a USB Type-C cable rather than Bluetooth. This new model is lighter and more stylish than its predecessor. It does not have a price or release date yet.
Vuzix Sheild
Designed for business use rather than at home, Vuzix’s Sheild smart glasses are still very interesting. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR1 platform and equipped with microLED displays, they work like a heads-up display, while the stereo cameras enable augmented reality, making them ideal for remote viewing or even live task guidance.
Razer Zephyr Pro
The Pro version of Razer’s Zephyr mask comes with an internal microphone and external speakers to amplify your voice. They work together so your voice comes through loud and clear when you’re wearing it. The mask has dual filters (it’s important to note that Razer has now pulled references to N95 to it), an internal fan, and RGB lighting. It’s expected to launch this year and will cost $149 — or $199 if you want another set of filters included.
Circular ring
The Circular is a smart ring that weighs just 4 grams, has interchangeable outer rings, a resin body, and an unusual set of sensors to monitor your body and health. Expect it to inform about heart rate, blood oxygen, body temperature, and movement, plus monitor your sleep. Unusually, the ring has an actual button that can be customized to perform particular actions. It’s not available to pre-order until the end of February, with prices starting at around $300.
Movano ring
Movano has designed its fantastic-looking smart ring for women, and it will come in several different styles and a choice of black, copper, gold, or silver finishes. While its basic functionality is similar to other models — it tracks health and fitness, as well as sleep, and connects to an app on your phone — the company is working toward certification from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which will set it apart from competing models. It’s in development at the moment, and we should hear more during the second half of the year. this is definitely one to watch.
HTC Vive Wrist Tracker
An accessory for HTC’s Vive Focus 3 VR headset, the Wrist Tracker helps track real-world movement and objects for use in VR environments. Worn primarily, as the name suggests, on your wrist, what makes the tracker unusual is it can also be attached to objects so it can be used for training purposes, or to enhance gameplay. It’s still a work in progress, though, with support only for the Vive Focus 3 and no final launch date available yet.
Shiftall MeganeX
Shiftall worked with Panasonic on this unusual new VR headset designed for metaverse use It’s light at 250 grams, relatively unobtrusive in size and style, and even folds up for easy storage. The MeganeX uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform as Vuzix’s Shield smart glasses, and has a 1.3-inch micro display to show 5.2K resolution images at 120Hz. The final launch date has not been announced, but the price when it does is expected to be less than $900.
That’s it for wearables from the show, but if you want to learn more about what was unveiled at CES 2022, then take at our overall top picks.
