Watches that let you leave your phone in your handbag

They screen calls and even surf the net

LAST WEEK, a handful of British tech fanatics took delivery of the first highly soughtafter Apple watches. But it’s only one example of a new generation of watches designed to do far more than just tell the time.

And while these smartwatches might sound as if they’re just for tech- savvy geeks, whether you’re a fitness fanatic, want to track your sleep and calorie intake or simply like the idea of checking your emails on your wrist, there’s a watch that could make your life easier. Life & Style investigates . . .

BEST FOR BEGINNERS

Pebble watch, from £99, getpebble.com THE Pebble was one of the earliest smartwatches, and since it launched in 2013, more than a million have been sold.

It’s easy to see why. It keeps things basic — there are no buttons or whizzy features and you can’t make calls or browse the internet (you have a phone and computer for that).

Instead, once connected wirelessly to your phone, you can see who is calling, texting or emailing, without having to get your phone out — though you will need your phone to reply. The battery charge lasts longer than other smartwatches — up to seven days — partly because it uses a l ow- energy screen (similar to a Kindle) that is readable in daylight).

BEST FOR EASY READING Neptune Pine, £67.95, amazon.co.uk

IF YOU don’t want to squint to see the screen, this smartwatch is the one for you.

It has a mammoth 2.4 in face, making it about twice the size of most smartwatch screens and roughly half the size of an iPhone 4 screen.

This high-resolution option doesn’t j ust make reading messages easier, it also means you get a full keyboard, which makes typing easier, too. The device pops out of its strap so you can take advantage of the two cameras. There’s one on the back and, for video calls or selfies, there’s a front-facing camera. Both have a flash. With GPS, pedometer and compass, it can also track your activity and calories burned.

BEST FOR RETRO FANS

Withings Activité, £319.99, selfridges.com DESIGNED in Paris and made in Switzerland, this claims to combine cuttingedge te c hnology with t r aditional European styling.

With ticking hands protected by a scratch-proof glass and a French fine calf leather strap, it looks every inch an elegant, conventional timepiece.

But underneath, c l ever sensors t r ack your sl eep patterns and monitor every step you take, communicating wirelessly with your phone.

Wear it at night and it can act as the most discreet of alarm clocks via a silent vibration alert. Replaceable battery.

BEST FOR FITNESS FANATICS Basis Peak, £169, amazon.co.uk

MARKETED as the ‘ ultimate fitness and sleep tracker’, the Basis Peak incorpor ates what you’d expect of a fitness watch — water resistance, up to four days battery charge life and a movement sensor — but it has much more besides. It tracks your heart rate and has sensors for skin temperature and sweat levels.

It can log sleep duration and quality, and communicates wirelessly with your mobile so you can see a full breakdown of how many calories you’ve burned. It adjusts weekly goals based on your performance.

BEST PHONE-FREE SOLUTION

Samsung Gear S, £329, samsung.com (main picture) THIS is the watch that is so smart you can ditch your phone. It comes with a slot for a SIM card so it doesn’t need to piggy-back off another device and — like the Apple watch — has a choice of straps and a face that can be customised.

Bluetooth connectivity means you can hook it up to a wireless headset with a microphone and make a phone call without having to shout into your wrist.

You can listen to music — with 4GB of memory, there’s space for 1,000 songs. It also lets you browse maps and websites and the 2 in curved screen even has space for a tiny keyboard, though you can use voice commands instead.

BEST FOR FAMILIARITY

Kairos T-Band HD, £165, kairoswatches.com MANY of us have watches that are treasured family heirlooms or expensive gifts that we don’t want to jettison just because new technology has rendered them obsolete. This clever invention means you can have the best of both worlds.

Rather than being a smartwatch, it’s a smartstrap that can be ordered to fit almost any watch. It looks like a simple black band when it’s switched off, but when it’s activated, t he LED panels embedded in it light up to display notifications, s uch as heart r ate, al erts of incoming calls and messages.