Whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is gadmowera whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is hacked whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is crashing whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is in another language whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger is my home whatsapp kik viber or retxt which third party messenger home whatsapp/kik/line

WhatsApp, Kik, Viber or ReTXT: Which third-party messenger is right for you?

WhatsApp, Kik, Viber or ReTXT: Which third-party messenger is right for you?

James Martin/CNET

There is no shortage of third-party messaging apps in either the iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store and it's pretty easy to see why. While every smartphone has a default messaging app, none have many extras.

Sure, you can send photos and videos, and probably emoticons, but beyond that the default chat apps are pretty bare. To its credit, Apple has made strides with iOS' Messages app with features such as being able to send your location and voice memos, while Android will let you send contacts and other business-related tasks, but there's not much fun in that.

Fortunately, third-party messaging apps are mostly free, offer fun extras, and some even have added features like encryption to keep your messages secure. All use data, so any texting limits you have with your carrier don't apply and the ones that make calls are free for people who have the app.

Feature comparison

Obviously, a text messaging app has to let you send text messages, and adding photos and videos is more or less the standard with these type of apps. But it's the extras like locations, contacts, and even doodles that set some of these apps apart. On the other hand, you may be someone who is uninterested in stickers and gifs, so this chart will let you zero in on the things you need and the things you don't.

	WhatsApp Messenger	Kik	Viber	ReTXT
Text messages	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Phone calls	Yes	No	Yes	No
Photos	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Videos	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audio clips/voice memos	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Video calls	No	No	Yes	No
Sketching/drawing	No	Yes	Yes	No
Locations	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Share contacts	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Special Graphics/Stickers	No	Yes	Yes	No
Emoticons	default keyboard	Yes	Yes	default keyboard
Subscription	Yes ($0.99/year)	No	No	Yes ($0.99/year)
Encryption	No	No	No	Yes
Read receipts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
In-app purchases	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

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James Martin/CNET

WhatsApp Messenger

WhatsApp has been in the third-party text messenger business for a long time, and even if you're not using it, chances are a lot of your friends are. The app has an extremely easy setup because you don't have to add buddies or invite people; WhatsApp Messenger scans your contacts for other users of the app and lets you start a conversation on your own.

WhatsApp shows your chats in little text bubbles, gives you a time stamp for messages, notifies you when a text has been viewed by your recipient and lets you include photos, audio notes and videos within your conversations. You can also change your background and send your GPS location to an interactive map. You can use premade away notes such as "I'm busy," "Available" or even "My battery is about to die," and you can block specific contacts from within the app. You also can easily send a friend's contact information to another user without leaving the app. So, while the app is not leaps and bounds ahead of other messaging apps, there are some nice extra features here.

It's important to note that WhatsApp is free for the first year of use, but then you'll need to sign up for subscription at 99 cents per year. But even though free is always better, I think a dollar a year (at the current exchange rate, that's about £0.65 or AU$1.25) is easily worth it for what you get.

Where it excels

• A lot of people already use it so you don't have to convince as many people to download it.
• Location maps look natural inline and let you tap to get more info.
• You can make free calls to others who have the app.
• You can customize the look by changing backgrounds.

Where it falls flat

• You can't make video calls.
• It has no special graphics other than emoticons.
• It doesn't have strong encryption.

Best for: People who know that their friends already use the app. Also, it's great for sending texts and making international calls to others who have the app.

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James Martin/CNET

Kik

Free; iOS, Android, Windows Phone

Kik is a messaging app that's much more about fun than it is about productivity. Yes, it has the regular messaging features and you can easily add photos and videos like most apps, but the extras here are more for a younger audience and not what you get with the other apps in this collection.

I noticed right away that Kik didn't have the ability to send your location or contacts. Instead, it's set up for having fun with things like stickers, the ability to sketch, add the latest viral videos and memes, and more. One really useful feature is the ability to perform an image search from within the app. It also has an assortment of original emoticons, but the ones you can use for free are not much different from what you get on your default keyboard.

And that's the other thing about Kik. It has its own currency called Kik Points (KP) that you use to buy sticker packs and special emoticons you can't find anywhere else. You don't buy Kik points with cash, though. You earn them by completing surveys, visiting specific websites, or signing up for services from one of Kik's partners. In other words, it's a way for Kik to make money without billing the users of the app.

Where it excels

• It has a huge number of things you can add to your messages, like stickers, icons, doodles, memes and more.
• You can perform an image search from within the app to add images to the conversation easily.
• It has its own in-app browser to find other content.

Where it falls flat

• Lack of location-adding and contact features make it less useful for working folks.
• The requirement of using Kik Points to buy features means you'll need to jump through hoops to get that unique zombie emoticon.

Best for: Students or groups of friends who like to keep the conversation going continuously with lots of fun stuff to add

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James Martin/CNET

Viber

Free; iOS, Android, Windows Phone

I recently reviewed Viber and found it to have the most useful features I've seen so far in a messaging app. It's excellent for messaging and calling your friends for free around the globe and you can even make video calls.

Sending a message is just like other apps, with balloons for each of the people chatting, and you can set up group texts for up to 100 participants. You can create an audio clip by touching the microphone, then touching and holding a big button in the bottom center to record. You also can send photos and videos, and you can send your location.

For some fun, there is a doodle feature, which lets you pick a brush size and color, then draw on the screen to send little doodles to your friends. You also get a good assortment of stickers for free, but can buy themed sticker packs if you're interested.

But what sets Viber apart from most third party messaging apps is the ability to make both audio and video calls and you can do it on a 3G connection or better. The app uses your regular phone number, and you can call anyone around the globe for free provided they also have the app. In my testing, call quality was excellent and even sounded better than regular calls on my iPhone.

You'll have to pay (through in-app purchase) if you want to call landlines or people who don't have the app, but it has a guide which shows how much it will cost you depending on the country.

Where it excels

• You can make free calls to other people who have the app (like WhatsApp) and you can make free video calls.
• Both audio and video calls are high quality even without a Wi-Fi connection.
• It has its own assortment of high-quality, original emoticons.
• It has plenty of stickers included for just about any situation, and you can buy more if you want themed sets.

Where it falls flat

• The Public Chat features let you browse subjects and enter a conversation, but you can't participate (coming in a later update).
• Not a lot of people use it.

Best for: People who want to message, or make audio or video calls internationally for free.

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James Martin/CNET

ReTXT

Free; iOS and Android

ReTXT is the newcomer to the collection having only been out for a few weeks, but in my review, I really liked the unique features you can't find in the other apps of this collection.

It does all the usual things such as letting you send photos and video, and you can add audio clips and send your location. But while it's not big on special graphics, stickers or anything like those, it has something even better to offer: the ability to correct or delete a message you already sent. Everyone has been a victim of their smartphone's autocorrect at one time or another, but with ReTXT, you can just tap the sent message and edit whatever you want. It then corrects the message for both you and your recipient.

Another unique feature is the capability to ask for clarification. When someone sends you a message that doesn't make sense, you can tap a button that sends them a question mark that appears right next to their own message balloon. This indicates that they should clarify their meaning without you having to ask questions or engage in a lengthy back-and-forth conversation.

Finally, ReTXT has strong security features which ensure you and your recipient are the only people to view your message content. It doesn't store your conversations on any server, and it has end-to-end encryption. The other apps can't boast this level of security, so if security is your number one concern, this is the app for you.

It's important to note that -- like WhatsApp -- you'll need to pay a 99 cents a year subscription (about £0.65 or AU$1.25), but if these features are important to you it's easy to part with a dollar per year.

Where it excels

• ReTXT lets you edit sent messages to fix any errors, whether it was an autocorrect mistake or maybe even something you shouldn't have said in the heat of the moment.
• You can ask for clarification by touching a button so you can avoid the back and forth texts.
• End-to-end encryption means you'll know only you and your recipient can see your messages.

Where it falls flat

• It doesn't have any customization or special graphics and emoticons besides what comes with your default keyboard.
• Almost nobody uses it because it's so new.

Best for: Those who find themselves making a lot of typos in their messages, or those who want an added level of security not found in other messaging apps.

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CNET recommends...

All of these are great chat apps, and really it comes down to a matter of your messaging style for which one you pick. But I think for most people, the fact that Viber covers so many bases puts it on top.

Not only does it have more practical features, like sending your location and contacts, it also has fun features which let you add audio clips and stickers to your conversations. And the fact that you can make both audio and video calls pushes it over the top.

There's still the problem of getting your friends to download the app, but with all these features, it shouldn't be too hard to convince them.

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Zepp e smartwatch hands on gorgeous hardware married by frustrating zepp e smartwatch hands on gorgeous hardware married by mail zepp e smartwatch hands on gorgeous hardware marred synonym zepp e smartwatch hands on gorgeous hardware marred skin zepp e smartwatch hands on gorgeous hardware marred face zepp e smartwatch handspeak zepp e smartwatch hands drawing zepp e smartwatch hands on zepp smartwatch app zepp ecg monitor zepp eight

Zepp E smartwatch hands-on: Gorgeous hardware marred by frustrating faults

Zepp E smartwatch hands-on: Gorgeous hardware marred by frustrating faults

Say hello to Zepp, a wearable-tech brand that in 2018 was acquired by Huami, which also owns Amazfit. Amazfit makes wearables as well, including one of my personal favorites, the $80 Bip S. The new Zepp E is the posh ying to that affordable yang, a $250 smartwatch with a gorgeous display and plenty of health and activity features. However, built-in GPS isn't one of them and various software issues mar the experience of using this watch. In its current state it's hard for me to recommend.

That's too bad, because it's a beauty, with a screen to match. 

Read more: The best smartwatches of 2020

Hardware heaven

You know from the get-go the Zepp E is no budget watch: It comes in a long, hefty box reminiscent of Apple's and seems a bit opulent for a smartwatch. I tested the circular model, but there's also an Apple Watch-like square version that's not yet available in the US. 

Zepp built the E into a 42mm stainless steel case that measures just 9mm thick. Its bright, razor-sharp AMOLED display resides under curved glass, a striking design choice that, with some faces, makes it look like the screen goes edge-to-edge. There's some bezel, of course, but it's virtually invisible when looking at a face with a black background. I did notice, however, that the screen was harder to read under bright sun than my Apple Watch.

The Zepp is available in four colors, including Ice Blue, shown here.

Zepp

The Zepp's watch-face library is one of the best I've seen, with a generous mix of whimsical, stylish, traditional and health-minded options. Some of the faces support customization, meaning you can choose between various widgets in different spots. Cooler still, each face has its own unique "always-on" variant as well, which is one of the E's notable features.

Battery life is another one. Zepp promises up to seven days of "typical" usage or 15 days in basic watch mode (without heart-rate tracking and other frills). If you opt for always-on mode, that can easily drop to 2-3 days, which is still an improvement over most premium smartwatches out there like the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. Those last anywhere from 18 to 24 hours.

I was less impressed with the proprietary magnetic charger, which works in only one orientation. When you go to connect it there's no way to tell which end is "up," so there's a 50/50 chance it'll be positioned the wrong way. (If it is, the magnets will repel instead of attract.)

Healthy skepticism

In addition to heart-rate monitoring, the Zepp E can measure your blood-oxygen saturation, a capability that Apple touted in the new Apple Watch Series 6. It also promises to alert you if it detects high levels of stress, though it's not immediately clear what would trigger such an alert or what actionable steps you'd be advised to take. It also gives you a stress score, which is equally confusing. I reached a max stress score of 54, but I'm not sure if that's good or bad.  

I'm more enthusiastic about the watch's Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) tracking, because the app does a good job of explaining how that works and why it's useful. PAI is a combined, cumulative look at activity and heart rate: The more you elevate both, the higher your score. But I did start to question the accuracy of some of these metrics. 

Although the watch seemed to provide accurate resting heart rate numbers, it tended to be way off while I was exercising: either too low or too high, or just inconsistent. I believe the watch was placed properly on my wrist and making good contact with my skin, so I'm don't think it was wearer error. 

Another frustration: During a run, I pressed the side button to dismiss a notification and ended up back at the watch face, with no easy way get back to my run stats. I had to stop in my tracks and navigate back through the workouts menu to get there. After that happened, notifications stopped appearing on the watch (even though I could hear tones for them in my headphones). And to top it all off, a call came in while I was running, causing the E to reboot -- and lose all the current run data.

While some of these issues can be fixed with future firmware updates, the one thing it can't fix is its lack of onboard GPS. The Zepp E offers only connected GPS, meaning you'll have to bring your phone along with you during an outdoor run or bike ride if you want to track your route. Even the $80 Bip S has proper built-in GPS; to me it seems inexcusable that the Zepp didn't include it.

The Zepp app offers some gorgeous watch faces, but other aspects of it are inconsistent and not very intuitive.

Rick Broida/CNET

Zepp's the way the cookie crumbles

During daily wear, I encountered a few annoyances. For example, sometimes call alerts (in the form of "ring-ring" vibration) happened after my phone had stopped ringing. There's a setting that lets you delay call notifications, which I thought might explain this, but it wasn't enabled. I also found it frustrating that I couldn't increase the font size on the screen and that various message sources (such as Slack) were identified simply as "app" rather than their actual name.  

Speaking of notifications, you can't respond to them. There's no way to answer a text, for example, nor can you use the watch for any voice features (like calls or Alexa commands).

I'm also disappointed by the Zepp app, which is the same one used for various Amazfit products (including the Bip). It's divided into three main sections -- Home, Enjoy (huh?) and Profile -- all of which look completely different from one another. To change any Zepp E settings, you venture into the Profile section. It's fairly straightforward, but there are a lot of options to sift through.

It's easy enough to forgive a mediocre app when you're talking about an $80 smartwatch, but it gets harder to ignore when you're talking about a smartwatch that's three times the price. It needs a usability overhaul.

The price is (not) right

For iPhone owners in particular, it's hard to recommend the Zepp E at $249 when you can get the Apple Watch Series 3 for as low as $199. (At this writing, in fact, it's still on sale for $169.) The latter is more tightly integrated with iOS, allowing you to reply to text messages directly and even have phone conversations.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Active 2 sells for $249 offers some distinct advantages over the Zepp E, like its touch bezel, LTE option and FDA-cleared electrocardiogram (ECG) feature, all for the same $249 price tag. 

The Zepp E deserves praise for its lovely design, solid battery life and gorgeous selection of watch faces, but I don't feel those are compelling enough to compensate for weak software, questionable health readings and lack of onboard GPS. There are better options available from the Amazfit brand that cost considerably less.

Zepp E specs

Shape	Round
Watch size	42mm
Materials/ Finishes	Stainless steel
Display size, resolution	AMOLED
Dimensions	42.2 x 42.2 x 9.1mm
Weight	32g
Colors	Onyx Black, Ice Blue, Polar Night Black, Moon Grey
Always On	Optional
Interchangable bands	Yes
GPS	Connected GPS
Automatic workout detection	No
Compass	No
Altimeter	No
Water resistance	Yes, up to 5 ATM
Calls	Alerts
Notifications	Yes, but no replies
Microphone	No
Voice assistant	No
Music	Playback control only
Mobile Payments	No
Sleep tracking	Yes
Special features	SpO2 tracking
Emergency features	No
Compatibility	Android and iOS
Power	Proprietary magnetic connector
Battery life	7-15 days
Price (USD)	$250

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Huawei mate 30 pro review huawei mate 30 pro amazon huawei mate 30 pro specs huawei mate 30 pro photography huawei mate 30 huawei mate 30 pro huawei mate 30 pro 5g

Huawei Mate 30 Pro review: Sublime camera, disastrous software

Huawei Mate 30 Pro review: Sublime camera, disastrous software

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Huawei started 2019 strong with the excellent P30 Pro phone, but things went downhill from there. Due to concerns that its equipment could be used to spy on the US and other companies, the Chinese tech giant has been banned from using technology from US companies. As a result, it can't license Google Mobile Services. The Mate 30 Pro, its latest flagship, has no Google Play Store, and no apps like Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube. 

It has the striking appearance of a futuristic slab of aluminum and glass, but I knew I was in for a rough ride just moments after booting up the Mate 30 Pro. Entering the AppGallery, Huawei's version of the Google Play Store, I was encouraged to download some of its most popular apps: Weibo, WeChat and the China Drama Channel. It quickly became clear that Huawei doesn't have much to offer its non-Chinese customers.

One question has enshrouded the Mate 30 Pro since Huawei's tech ban: Can Huawei, a huge, powerful company with deep resources, find a way to neutralize the loss of Google? 

The answer, unfortunately, is no.

The Mate 30 Pro is an exceptional piece of hardware. Its quad-camera setup shoots outstanding photos (sometimes better than the iPhone 11 Pro) a dazzling 6.53-inch waterfall display is the centerpiece of an inspired design, and its 4,500-mAh battery goes and goes and goes. But the fiasco that is Android without full Google support makes it impossible to recommend. 

Even more galling is the Mate 30 Pro's price. The phone starts at AU$1,599 in Australia, which converts to $1,100 or £830. (No availability has been announced for either the US or UK.) Yes, it's a premium phone and premium parts ain't cheap. But as a proposition to you, the buyer, that much money for a partially functioning phone is preposterous. 

Huawei tries Android without all of Google

Since Android 10 itself is open-source, the Mate 30 Pro still runs Google's most recent operating system fine. But since Google Mobile Services requires a license, Huawei has no access to the Google Play Store or any of Google's apps. 

Instead, you'll use Huawei's AppGallery, which the company says has over 45,000 apps. That sounds like a lot, but I could count the useful apps in the AppGallery on one hand.

There's no Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Netflix, Disney Plus or Reddit. You won't find Google apps, like Gmail, Maps or YouTube. (You can log into Gmail through Huawei's native email app, though.) Even if you do install Google apps by downloading their APKs -- the Android equivalent of Windows' .exe files -- they won't work without authentication from Google Mobile Services. Uber doesn't work either, since the ride-sharing app runs Google Maps. Losing Google's suite of apps is devastating; losing almost every useful app in the Google Play Store is debilitating. 

Huawei's AppGallery has over 45,000 apps. You'll find few of them useful.

Ian Knighton/CNET

Of all the apps I download onto every new phone, only one was available: Spotify. When I tried to find Spotify in the AppGallery a week later, however, it appeared to have been pulled. TikTok (which is owned by Chinese company Bytedance) was available at first, then disappeared and then appeared again. 

To get around the software obstructions I downloaded APKs from assorted websites. It was a dodgy process, and worked inconsistently. Some apps ran fine, others crashed after a few moments and others still didn't work at all.

It was a total mess.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro's camera credentials

If Huawei phones have been known for one thing, it's cameras. Huawei beat competitors to the punch with dual-lens cameras (P9), a dedicated Night Mode (P20 Pro) and 5x optical zoom (P30 Pro). Photography is undoubtedly the Mate 30 Pro's greatest strength.

The phone has a fantastic quad-camera setup. The main shooter has 40 megapixels. Then there's an 8-megapixel telephoto lens, which has a 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom; a 40-megapixel ultrawide-angle lens; and there's a 3D "time-of-flight" sensor that helps with depth perception.

The Mate 30 Pro has less zoom capability than Huawei's current flagship the P30 Pro, which has 5x optical and 50x digital. But it has a bigger, better ultrawide-angle sensor over the P30 Pro. This is a worthwhile trade, because I find ultrawide-angle capability much more useful than better zoom functionality. 

Some Portrait shots give the subject brushed, lightened skin.

Daniel Van Boom/CNET

Others work better.

Daniel Van Boom/CNET

The Mate 30 Pro's quad-camera setup generally captures crisp, vibrant shots. 

Daniel Van Boom/CNET

See that fountain all the way in the back? 

Daniel Van Boom/CNET

Here it is, shot with 30x zoom. 

Daniel Van Boom/CNET

Photography isn't perfect. Thanks to heavy software processing, skin can look artificially brushed in Portrait shots. This processing also makes Night Mode superfluous: Low-light shots capture an impressive amount of light, and toggling on Night Mode often results in overkill. I didn't have the option to shoot a dark photo even when I wanted to because the scene is brightened with software by default. 

But despite these issues, the Mate 30 Pro has one of the best camera setups on any Android phone. Photos generally look spectacular, with rich color and crisp detail. 

And Huawei packed in another innovative trick, but this time for the video camera. The Mate 30 Pro features stupefying slow-motion capabilities. There are four options: 4x, 8x, 32x, 64x and an astonishing 256x. That 256x option uses AI software to slow things down to 7,680 frames per second. 

Slow-motion cameras need more light, so you'll need a reasonably bright environment to take advantage of ultra-slow-mo. And since 256x slow motion makes 25 seconds out of one-tenth of a second, you'll need good timing to shoot the split second you want in slow-mo. But I found the feature super fun to play around with. It makes something as little as a water splash look spectacular. 

Good parts, bad phone

In regards to hardware, the Mate 30 Pro is luxurious in every aspect.

Its 6.53-inch, 2,400x1,176x-pixel screen is beautiful, bright and crisp. Its OLED screen is a waterfall display, meaning it wraps around the side of the phone all the way to the aluminum back. Videos and browsing were a joy, and the glass body felt more luxe to hold than aluminum. The downside is that there are no volume buttons, so I had to tap the side of the display to activate an on-screen volume slider instead. This generally works OK, but makes quick volume changes more cumbersome than they need be.

Powered by Huawei's own Kirin 990 processor and 8GB of RAM, the Android heavyweight felt silky smooth to use. But where the Mate 30 Pro really shines is battery life. Running it through CNET's battery test -- turning the phone on Airplane mode and looping an HD video -- it lasted 24 hours, 12 minutes. That's crazy. 

The best phone you shouldn't buy.

Ian Knighton/CNET

I wish I could say that the Kirin 990 CPU also scored well on Geekbench 5, a benchmark we run to test a processor's efficiency. Saying it performed well would be a safe bet but, after downloading the APK for Geekbench 5 from four different sites, the app never worked. I could try searching for more Geekbench APKs, but I think this anecdote is an apt encapsulation of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro.

It's a beautiful device with powerful parts and a sublime camera. But its software situation is a disaster. Don't buy this phone. 

Originally published Dec. 17.
Update, Dec. 28: Adds video review, comparison to iPhone 11 Pro camera.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro

	Huawei Mate 30 Pro	Google Pixel 4 XL	Samsung Galaxy Note 10	OnePlus 7T	iPhone 11 Pro
Display size, resolution	6.53-inch OLED	6.3-inch OLED	6.3-inch AMOLED; 2,280x1,080 pixels	6.55-inch AMOLED; 2,400x1,080-pixels	5.8-inch OLED Super Retina XDR; 2,436x1,125 pixels
Pixel density	409ppi	537ppi	401ppi	402ppi	458ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	6.22 x 2.88 x 0.35 in	2.9x6.3x0.3 in	5.94x2.83x0.31 in	6.34x2.93x0.32 in	5.67x2.81x0.32 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)	158.1x73.1x8.8 mm	75.1x160.4x8.2 mm	151x71.8x7.9 mm	160.94x74.44x8.13 mm	144x71.4x8.1 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	6.98 oz; 198g	6.8 oz; 193g	5.93 oz; 168g	6.70 oz; 190g	6.63 oz; 188g
Mobile software	Android 10 with EMUI	Android 10	Android 9 Pie	Android 10 with OxygenOS	iOS 13
Camera	40 megapixel (standard), 8 megapixel (telephoto), 40 megapixel (ultrawide-angle), 3D ToF sensor	12.2-megapixel (standard), 16-megapixel (telephoto)	12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra-wide angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto)	48-megapixel (standard), 12-megapixel (telephoto), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle)	12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing camera	32 megapixel, 3D ToF sensor	8-megapixel	10-megapixel	16-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Kirin 990	2.84GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, or Samsung Exynos 9825	2.96GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+	Apple A13 Bionic
Storage	128GB, 256GB	64GB, 128GB	256GB	128GB	64GB, 256GB, 512GB
RAM	8GB	6GB	8GB	8GB	Not disclosed
Expandable storage	Up to 256GB	No	No	No	No
Battery	4,500-mAh	3,700-mAh	3,500-mAh	3,800-mAh	Not disclosed, but Apple claims it will last 4 hours longer than iPhone XS
Fingerprint sensor	In-screen	No	In-screen	In-screen	No
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	Lightning
Headphone jack	No	No	No	No	No
Special features	Up to 256x slow motion; wireless charging; reverse charging; IP68 resistance; dual-SIM; waterfall display	Soli motion sensing and touchless gestures; 90Hz display; water resistant (IP68); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging	S Pen stylus; Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68)	90Hz display; dual-SIM; Warp Charge 30T	Water resistant (IP68); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging
Price off-contract (USD)	Converted: About $1,100	$899 (64GB), $999 (128GB)	$949	$599	$999 (64GB), $1,149 (256GB), $1,349 (512GB)
Price (GBP)	Converted: About £830	£829 (64GB), £929 (128GB)	£899	Converted: About £485	£1,049 (64GB), £1,199 (256GB), £1,399 (512GB)
Price (AUD)	AU$1,599	AU$1,279 (64GB), AU$1,429 (128GB)	AU$1,499	Converted: About AU$890	AU$1,749 (64GB), AU$1,999 (256GB), AU$2,349 (512GB)

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Apple Watch: It's been 5 years since my original review, and it holds up

Apple Watch: It's been 5 years since my original review, and it holds up

I'd love to say that when I first put on the Apple Watch, I'd never seen anything like it before. But of course, that's not true. By late 2014 I'd been surrounded by smartwatches for a few years. So when Apple announced it was making its own watch, my thought (as so often with Apple) was: finally.

The first smartwatch I reviewed at CNET was the Martian Passport, an analog watch that could make phone calls. It sounds so primitive now, but it was cool in early 2013. The Pebble Watch followed, and the Steel version became my favorite: It was like a Casio watch turned into a useful little pager-assistant. It was simple and had long battery life, and it was great.

There were others, too: Samsung's first smartwatches were ambitious (a camera?). Google's first Android Wear watches arrived in 2014. Meanwhile, there were Fitbits and Jawbone trackers galore.

I say this to lay the groundwork for the Apple Watch and what its impact was. Like the iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, the Apple Watch wasn't the first smartwatch... but it made the biggest footprint. It was another step validating that a world of wearables was here to stay. 

I was able to wear the Apple Watch a month before it went on sale. I spent a ton of time with it, getting used to both how it handled phone calls, and the activity tracking rings. I looked at my heart rate measurements. I accidentally ordered an Xbox One with an early Amazon app.

The Watch was, much like the first iPhone, sometimes feature-limited. But it also had some features that already stood out.

My original review was updated a year later, which you can read here. Some parts have changed, clearly, and Apple has updated the OS. But I'll comment on what I wrote then, and how I felt, and how that's evolved. Quotes from the original review are in italics.

The gold Apple Watch, way back when.

James Martin/CNET

An excellent design, with luxury overtones

Apple wants you to think of the Apple Watch as fine jewelry. Maybe that's a stretch, but in terms of craftsmanship, there isn't a more elegantly made piece of wearable tech. Look at the Apple Watch from a distance, and it might appear unremarkable in its rectangular simplicity compared with bolder, circular Android Wear watches. It's clearly a revamped sort of iPod Nano. But get closer, and you can see the seamless, excellent construction.

The first Apple Watch came in aluminum, steel and ramped all the way up to a gold model costing more than $10,000. Compared to other smartwatches, it screamed luxury.

Certain touches felt luxurious, too: the fine-feeling Digital Crown, which spun ever so smoothly like a real watch part, for instance. The OLED display, which was a first for an Apple product, looked crisp and bright.

The most amazing part, maybe, were the watch bands. Apple created a really nice series of specially designed straps, from a steel link to a clever magnetic Milanese mesh that were extremely expensive and impressively engineered. 

Its watch face designs were great, too, and they integrated some information from the iPhone that aimed to add at-a-glance ease of use. There was a Mickey Mouse watch face that danced! The Solar face showing sunrise and sunset, and the astronomy face that showed planetary alignments and moon phases, felt like magic. I wanted more, but Apple's assortment of watch faces was limited, and it didn't allow for third-party watch face design. That's still the case now.

A lot of the Apple Watch reminded me of the strides Apple began with the iPod Nano, which also had watch mode... and a Mickey Mouse watch face.

Sarah Tew

New technologies at first: fantastic haptics, a force-sensitive display

All Apple Watches have a new S1 processor made by Apple, that "taptic" haptic engine and a force-sensitive and very bright OLED display, which is differently sized on the 38mm and 42mm models. The watch has its own accelerometer, gyrometer and heart-rate monitor, but no onboard GPS. It uses Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz Wi-Fi to connect to your phone or your home network. There's a built-in speaker and microphone, but no headphone jack.

As I wore the watch on the first day, I felt a rippling buzz and a metallic ping: one of my credit card payments showed up as a message. Apple's "Taptic Engine" and a built-in speaker convey both a range of advanced taps and vibrations, plus sounds. Unlike the buzz in a phone or most wearables, these haptics feel sharper: a single tap, or a ripple of them, or thumps.

Sometimes the feelings are too subtle: I don't know if I felt them or imagined them. My wrists might be numbed from too many smart devices. I set my alerts to "prominent" and got sharper nudges on my wrist.

The first watch introduced some ideas that eventually made their way to other iPhones. A "taptic engine" delivered on some amazingly refined vibration effects, ranging from a purr to a ping to a gentle tap. These were way ahead of what anybody else was doing -- and they weren't just a gimmick. The notification types associated with unique vibrations felt distinct. Sometimes, the vibrating taps on the first Watch weren't as powerful as I wanted. But with later updates, the haptics made parts of the interface seem real: virtual wheels, clicking as if moving with invisible gears.

The more advanced haptics made their way to the iPhone next, making us used to them now. Other phones, game consoles like the Nintendo Switch, and VR accessories, have evolved haptics since, but the Apple Watch was the first mainstream device that upped the haptics game.

Force Touch was another wild idea: Apple made its watch display force-sensitive, meaning a deeper press could work like pushing a button. Though this idea was refined further into 3D Touch on the iPhone 6S, 3D Touch was a technology that never became as necessary as expected, and current iPhone models have dropped the pressure-sensitive display tech completely.

The Apple Watch still has Force Touch, though, and I think it always will.

Digital Touch: I never used it much after that.

Sarah Tew

Lots of features. Too many features?

As you can see, this is a lot of stuff. Did I have fun using the watch? Yes, mostly, but there are so many features that I felt a little lost at times. There are so many ways to interact: swiping, touching, pressing harder into the display, a button and a clickable digital crown-wheel. Plus, there's Siri. Do I swipe, or click, or force touch or speak? Sometimes I didn't know where an app menu was. Or, I'd find getting back to an app I just had open would require an annoying series of crown clicks, swiping through apps, then opening the app again.

There's a reason I used the word "complicated" to describe my feelings using that first Apple Watch. Setting up bits of information, called complications, was slow and not always intuitive. Apps took a while to load, and were sometimes so slow that it was easier to check my phone instead. Quick glances and notifications, and phone calls, were fine. Apple Pay on the watch was clever, but would I use it? I wished the watch had more battery life.

I didn't like the overcomplicated feel. The design of the OS, and the card-like swappable mini-view apps that used to be on the Watch like a dock, changed over time. It's gotten better since.

Storing music on the watch, while it took a while to sync, was easier than attempts on Samsung Gear or Android Wear. Of course, I had to hunt for a good pair of Bluetooth headphones to connect with the watch.

Today I still forget to dive into and make the most of the apps on the watch. I just dusted off Walkie Talkie: it's cool. There's noise monitoring. One app lets me remote control my iPhone camera, which has been a huge help for my stay-at-home self-shot videos. The Remote app helps me when I lose the Apple TV remote every other day. 

Third-party apps, and the grid of options? It turns out I don't use them much at all. I don't dig down deep into the layers of functions. I prefer what's on the surface: watch faces, and their readouts. But I've come to appreciate the watch's surprising number of options and settings. It's better than not having them at all.

The rings were the beginning.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Fitness: The ring idea was just the beginning

The Apple Watch doesn't work any fitness miracles that the rest of the wearable world hasn't already invented, and it doesn't ship with any new magical sensors that change the game. But the Apple-made integrated fitness apps, Activity and Workout, are far and away the best fitness apps on any existing smartwatch that isn't a dedicated "fitness watch" (Samsung Gear, Android Wear, Pebble and the like). A clever three-ring method of tracking daily activity, which simultaneously measures and rewards daily calorie burn, active exercise and standing up, feels like a fusion of rewards and metrics seen on the Nike FuelBand, Jawbone Up, Fitbit and others. 

I appreciated Apple's complete-the-ring motivational activity tracker, which felt inspired by wearables like the Nike FuelBand (not surprising, since Apple's head of fitness, Jay Blahnik, arrived from Nike). For the red ring's daily goals, it's great. It felt too easy to complete the blue Stand ring, and it still does.

There are tons of fitness advancements Apple has made on the Watch in the last five years: GPS, resting heart rate, workout controls, social sharing, third-party app integration, swimming, modes for accessibility, activity trends -- and I haven't even discussed Apple's massive health aspirations like adding ECG, checking for falls, monitoring elevated or irregular heart rate or women's health tracking. There is some form of coaching and motivation, too. But I'd still love to see more of that. I hit a wall when trying to be fit, and there's only so much watches seem to help.

The first Apple Watch was more of a Fitbit. Now, it's more of a health companion. Those two worlds still feel like they need to dovetail and grow. There are missing features, too, like sleep tracking, which feels like the inevitable next step.

You still need an iPhone, just like in 2015.

Sarah Tew

It was, and still is, an iPhone accessory

Much like most other smartwatches, the Apple Watch isn't a standalone device -- it's a phone accessory. Android Wear, Samsung Gear, Pebble and others work the same way. But here, you must own an iPhone 5 or later to use the Watch. A few Apple Watch functions work away from the phone, but the watch primarily works alongside the phone as an extension, a second screen and basically another part of your iOS experience. It's a symbiote.

One thing I noted back then was that you needed an iPhone to use the Apple Watch. Unlike other wearables that can pair with Android or iOS, or even sync with a computer, the Apple Watch was always designed to live symbiotically with the iPhone.

That's still the case now. Even with independent cellular options, and an on-watch App Store, you can't use the Watch without pairing to an iPhone. And it still won't work with Android. It's a shame, because a fully standalone watch could be a really helpful tool for many people who don't have iPhones, and it could even be a phone alternative (for kids, maybe).

Apple's AirPods created a gadget trinity where the Watch, the iPhone and AirPods can all work seamlessly together. But that trinity is an expensive one. The entry price of the Apple Watch has dropped, at least. But it feels like an extension of the iPhone more than its own device, even now.

The Apple Watch Series 5: much better, with a few similarities.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Today: the best watch in a war of attrition

You don't need an Apple Watch. In many ways, it's a toy: an amazing little do-it-all, a clever invention, a possibly time-saving companion, a wrist-worn assistant. It's also mostly a phone accessory for now. In the months and years to come, that may change: with Apple's assortment of iPads, Macs, Apple TV and who knows what else to come, the watch could end up being a remote and accessory to many things. Maybe it'll be the key to unlock a world of smart appliances, cars and connected places. In that type of world, a smartwatch could end up feeling utterly essential.

I think back to what the Apple Watch was competing against back then: Jawbone, Pebble, Fitbit, Google's Android Wear, Samsung's watches, the Microsoft Band. A lot of competitors are gone now. Fitbit was acquired by Google. Samsung still has watches. Garmin makes lots of dedicated fitness watches. There are still plenty of more affordable relative newcomers, too.

The original Apple Watch, with the Pebble Steel, Moto 360 and the original iPod Nano with wristband (clockwise from top left).

Sarah Tew

In a field of fewer alternatives, the Apple Watch's consistent addition of new features and ongoing performance improvements has made it the best option. It's Apple's commitment to gradual improvements that has made it a stand-out watch now, especially compared to the struggles of Google's Wear OS.

The Apple Watch is still an iPhone accessory. And it's still not an essential product. But it's become a really fluid and useful device, one with lots of key upgrades that work, and one that's a lot easier to use.

What's the best smartwatch now? The Apple Watch. That doesn't mean I don't want to see improvements: battery life, sleep tracking, a watch face store and most importantly, Android support and true standalone function. If the last five years are any indication, Apple will tackle these problems on its own... time.

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