CNET Tests Every Smartwatch. AI Is The Differentiator. Battery Life Finally Catches Up. Barely.
CNET tested smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, Google, and Garmin, evaluating them on health sensors, AI-driven coaching, and battery life. The OnePlus Watch 3 uses a dual CPU architecture to achieve multiday wear, which CNET highlights as a meaningful hardware improvement. The wearable category is also expanding to include smart rings and earbuds with built-in health sensors that compete with smartwatch functionality.
The mechanism here is ambient intelligence. The device disappears but the data stream persists. AI turns passive measurement into personalized coaching, which is the actual value proposition. Readers should understand that the watch is not the product. The inferred insight is the product. The hardware is just the collection vessel.
CNET's testing covers Apple, Samsung, Google, Garmin, and OnePlus. The review highlights OnePlus Watch 3's dual CPU architecture as a battery life breakthrough. Smart rings and sensor-equipped earbuds are also identified as emerging competitors in the wearable space.
- Open the health app on your current smartphone, whether Apple Health or Google Fit. Expected outcome: You will see whatever health data your phone already passively collects, which is likely more than you realize.
- Review one week of your data, looking specifically at trends in step count, sleep, or heart rate. Expected outcome: You will see patterns that an AI coach would use to generate recommendations.
- Search your app store for 'AI health coach' or 'AI fitness' to find a free or freemium app that analyzes your existing data. Expected outcome: You will experience the core idea from this story, which is AI making sense of sensor data you already have.