Qualcomm Toq vs Samsung Galaxy Gear vs Sony SmartWatch 2 — which will you buy? [Poll]

So most of the big gun smart watches have finally been officially introduced. Sony’s SmartWatch 2 has had quite the head start when it comes to offerings from major OEMs, but a couple of viable options have sprouted since then. I’m talking about Samsung’s Galaxy Gear and the Qualcomm Toq, two smart watches which were actually announced on the same day last week.

We’ve been able to get our hands on both of these wrist dwellers, and while a full opinion can’t yet be given on either of them, we know just about enough to decide which one will be getting our money once they’re all finally available. Read Edgar’s perspective on the exciting unveiling of the Qualcomm Toq smart watch here, and be sure to watch Rob’s hands-on of the Galaxy Gear.

Let’s take a quick look at all of these — and more viable options — right here! Later, we’ll want to hear what you’ve decided to put your money on, so be sure to visit us at the bottom for the poll and a healthy discussion in the comments section.

Qualcomm Toq

Qualcomm wasn’t who we expected to come to market with one of the more interesting smart watches of the year. The chipset maker introduced the Qualcomm Toq, a Mirasol-equipped smart watch that is promising 3 days of battery life. With battery life being one of the most frustrating things about today’s smart watches, the promise of having one that last for three days is seen as a bit of a game changer.

The Mirasol display provides a low-powered, touch-enabled experience that displays color and can be seen in low light. Its low-powered nature means the display can stay on at all times, circumventing the need to press a button to turn it on.

Beyond all that, the smart watch will obviously connect to your smartphone and enable you to get information about calls and messages without having to take your phone out of your pocket. To top it all off, it’ll come packaged with wireless headphones and a wireless charging pad for easy battery charging. It’s a bit on pricey side with the price tag expected to be around $300 to $350, but for all you’re getting it definitely seems like a decent value.

Samsung Galaxy Gear

Samsung’s big Galaxy Note 3 day was capped off by the unveiling of the smart watch that will be accompanying it to retail. It’s called the Samsung Galaxy Gear, a device which doesn’t do much in the way of design but is promised to be every bit as functional as anything else out there.

Just take a look at these specs to see what we’re talking about:

Of course, Samsung’s promising the heaviest of functionality with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at first, and you can bet the Galaxy S4, Note 2 and others will get software upgrades to enjoy similar functionality down the line. Samsung is only promising up to 17 hours of battery life here, though that’s still a great deal more than the 10 or so hours we are used to for this form factor.

And the inclusion of a camera? That’s pretty wild, and will allow folks to get their James Bond on whenever they need to snap a quick photo and ship it back off to MI-6.  All of it should be coming to us for $300, with Samsung saying to expect the device to launch September 25th.

Sony SmartWatch 2

Sony’s SmartWatch 2 is a pretty decent upgrade over the original, though it’s still one of the more straightforward watches out of the bunch. Sony’s implemented NFC and is making the most of Bluetooth 4.0, but the company is especially proud of the sleek, stylish design they’ve put together.

 

The ability to change between standard-sized 24mm wrist straps means you can style it up however you please. And unlike Samsung, Sony is allowing any and everyone to get full functionality with their smartphones, no matter which company makes them.

Others

We’ve got Pebbles, Agent Ms, and i’m Watches abound! All of the Kickstarter and IndieGoGo sensations are all in play, as well. Pebble is the most established, obviously, with a system based completely on e-Ink. The Agent is not yet a reality, though its Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded with 10x more funds than the creators initially asked for.

And don’t forget we’ve got rumored projects from the likes of LG, Google, and even “that-which-we-do-not-discuss” (aka, Apple). There are a lot of options already, and even more are coming down the line.

Vote!

We want to know which smart watch will have your heart (and, most importantly, money) in the weeks and/or months to come. There’s a nice big poll down below to participate in, and we’d be sad if you didn’t join us in the comments section for some healthy discussion about it all. Go, go, go!

[polldaddy poll=7383304]

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