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The 10 Coolest Wearables at MWC 2016

Alex Colon
 & Alex Colon Executive Editor, Reviews

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The 10 Coolest Wearables at MWC 2016
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There's more to MWC than just phones. Check out the coolest wearable tech we saw.

BARCELONA—The world of wearable tech is more diverse than ever, if this year's Mobile World Congress is any indication. We saw everything from new fitness trackers and smartwatches to smart clothing and accessories. And let's not forget about VR headsets, which practically stole the show.

MWC Bug ArtOne of the biggest (and best) trends I noticed this year is that wearable tech is really starting to look more attractive. I think I say that every year, but it just goes to show that the category has had a very long way to go on the fashion front. From smart jewelry that actually looks like jewelry, to sneakers that real, live humans would want to wear, it's nice to see that device makers are starting to place as much of an emphasis on design as they are on features and functionality.

Speaking of trends, I'd be remiss not to address VR at a bit more at length here. The truth is, if I included all of the new VR devices announced at the show this year, I could easily double the length of this list. VR was everywhere you looked, from Samsung's virtual roller coaster to LG's plug-in 360 accessory for the new G5. And of course, HTC finally announced the long-awaited Consumer Edition of its Vive headset. And that's to speak nothing of the myriad VR booths that dotted the show floor, from simple standing demos to a submarine simulation that actually took place on a prop submarine.

Given VR's dominance, the sheer breadth of different product types to make this list is especially impressive. But no matter how you look at it, there's no question that we'll be wearing a lot more of our tech in the year ahead, rather than simply sticking it in our pockets or bags.

For more, check out our roundups of the Best Phones and Tablets, Smart Home Gadgets, Business Tech, and Best Products overall from MWC 2016.

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HTC Vive Consumer Edition

We first saw the HTC Vive at MWC last year, but this time around it's been given a price (a whopping $799) and a pre-order date (February 29, mark your calendars). Though it has already been available to developers, the Consumer Edition will include the head-mounted display, a Vive Link Box, two base stations, two wireless controllers, and earbuds. The Vive is scheduled to ship in April, at which point we'll have a full review.

Garmin Vivoactive HR

Garmin showed off its new Vivofit 3 and Vivoactive HR fitness trackers at the show, and of the two, I'm more intrigued but the Vivoactive HR. Its predecessor, the Vivoactive, remains one of our favorite fitness trackers, and the Vivoactive HR adds a heart rate monitor and a barometric altimeter, so it can track even more of your workouts and daily activity. That said, I'm not in love with the new look, so let's hope the gain in functionality is worth it.

Jacob Jensen Halo

One trend we're finally starting to see in the world of wearables is a focus on design, which is important, given that you're meant to wear these devices. The Halo is a smart bracelet designed by Scandinavian firm Jacob Jensen, which looks like something women might actually want to wear. It connects to your phone and uses gesture recognition for actions like taking a call or sending a text.

Victorinox INOX Cybertool

Made in collaboration with Acer, the INOX Cybertool is essentially a clip-on smartwatch. It's a large plastic ring that fits on watches in Victorinox's INOX line. Once clipped on, it displays call and message notifications, tracks your activity, and, of course, tells you the time. It may not be quite as multi-faceted as a Swiss Army knife, but it's an interesting addition to the wearables canon.

Iofit Smart Shoes

The Iofit Smart Shoes are by far the best looking fitness kicks I've encountered. The shoe pictured here has a bit of a Nike Flyknit vibe, though Iofit had a number of other attractive options on display as well. No matter the styling, the shoes use a number of sensors to evaluate your form and deliver real-time data on your phone or tablet screen, with coaching and analysis software to help you improve your form.

LG 360 VR

The LG 360 VR connects to the LG G5 to play back both 360-degree VR content as well as standard 2D video. It's a relatively small and light headset, especially compared with the Samsung Gear VR and the HTC Vive. It isn't nearly as advanced as the HTC Vive, but as far as smartphone accessories go, it's a good one.

MasterCard and WiseKey Payment Wearables

MasterCard and WiseKey announced a partnership that will enable contactless payments using a number of different fashion accessories. Right now the accessories are mainly from luxury brands, like Bulgari and Hubolt. This will allow you to use any accessory embedded with the technology, like a pair of gloves or sunglasses, to make a payment simply by tapping it against a compatible pay terminal. And hey, if you're wearing Bulgari, you clearly like spending money, so why not wear something that makes it even easier to do so?

Epson Moverio BT-300

Epson isn't giving up on smart glasses. The BT-300 is the company's update to the BT-200, with a new display that's able to product truer black tones, a new processor and Android 5.1 software, a lighter weight design, and a 5-megapixel camera (upgraded from the VGA sensor on the BT-200). The image they project is much easier to see than the one from Google Glass ever was, though whether the general public is ready to embrace smart glasses remains to be seen.

FlexEnable Flexible Wrist Display

FlexEnable has created a flexible display that can wrap around your wrist. The device we saw at the show is only a prototype, and there really isn't much you can do with it as it is. But the possibilities are intriguing, from a very advanced fitness tracker to a wrist-worn smartphone. I'm not sure if either of those ideas will benefit from this flexible form factor, but I'm curious to see where it will ultimately wind up.

Sony Xperia Ear

The Xperia Ear looks like a Bluetooth headset, and to some extent it is, but it's also more than that. Through voice control, the Ear can make calls, send texts, and provide you with driving or walking directions. You can also use it for calendar events, notifications, and weather information. Think of it as a Bluetooth headset with a dash of Google Now sprinkled on top.

About Our Expert

Alex Colon

Alex Colon

Executive Editor, Reviews

My Experience

I’m PCMag’s executive editor of reviews, steering our coverage to make sure we're testing the products you're interested in buying and telling you whether they're worth it. I've been here for more than 10 years. I previously managed the consumer electronics reviews team, and before that, I covered mobile, smart home, and wearable technology for PCMag and Gigaom. 

My Areas of Expertise

  • I’ve written hundreds of reviews of cell phones, fitness trackers, robot vacuums, smartwatches, and various other products.
  • I’ve also edited thousands of reviews and articles on consumer electronics technologies and products. 

The Technology I Use

I’m writing this bio on my 24-inch blue iMac, which I initially bought for personal use, but quickly decided to use for work instead of my tiny, company-issued ThinkPad (sorry, IT team). The screen is big, bright, and sharp, and the speakers are surprisingly good considering how thin the machine is.

The other big screen in my life is a 65-inch LG C9 OLED TV. If you’re wondering whether OLED is worth the premium over LCD, I’m here to tell you that it is.

I’d be doing my beloved LG C9 a disservice if I didn’t have it hooked up to a capable sound system, so I have a Sonos Beam sitting on a media console underneath the TV, and two Sonos Ones set up as rear channels for surround sound. If you’re a Sonos user, I highly recommend adding the Sonos Sub to your setup. It’s definitely a little more expensive than it should be, but it's truly money well spent.

Of course, as an editor, I also do plenty of reading that isn’t related to work, and I love to sit down with a good, old-fashioned, paper-and-ink book. But when carrying a book isn’t convenient, I break out my first-generation Kindle Paperwhite, which is still working just fine nearly 10 years in.

With 15 years of experience in tech, Alex guides PCMag's product testing to help you decide what's worth buying and how to get the most out of it.

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