Wearables and fitness technology to expect at CES 2023

The countdown to the biggest tech show on earth is on. Held annually in Las Vegas, CES is the place to be if you are interested in next-generation innovations.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

They say “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”- but not in this case. CES, which stands for the Consumer Electronics Show, first took place in 1967. In the 50+ years since, thousands of products have been announced, including many that have transformed the lives of people around the world.

In 2023 the show will run between January 5th and 8th, with press conferences set to start a day or two earlier. Over 100,000 people are expected to descend on the city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment and nightlife.

The 2.75 million-square-foot convention will host some 2,400 exhibiting companies, including manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware and content. This will be accompanied by a conference program featuring more than 1,000 speakers.

The 2022 event was not of the same scale, but it was still a biggie. Around 2,100 exhibitors attended, so about half of the pre-COVID years. To remind, in 2021 there was no in-person event. Instead the organizers opted for a virtual gathering. Luckily, things are pretty much back to normal now. The 2023 event will be the largest since the pandemic began.

Expect to see everything from self-driving technology and wireless to drones, to sleep technology, artificial intelligence and robotics. If you can imagine it, there is a good probability someone exhibiting at CES 2023 is already working on it. Most big wearable tech companies will be there.

Here’s is a selection of some of the tech that may see the light of day in early January.

Fitbit

Fitbit never fails to make a showing at CES. It will be interesting to see whether it makes any major announcements this time. We are not expecting much as the company has recently released Sense 2, Versa 4 and Inspire 3. Its owner Google has also released the Pixel Watch in October so not much expected on that front, either.

One device that could make a showing is Luxe 2. No leaks so far but the device is nearly two years old now and CES 2023 would be a good launch platform for that one. If we don’t see it in January, expect for it to land in the Spring.

It is also possible we may not get a hardware announcement. To remind, the company had no big announcements at the gathering last year. There’s also the possiblity Fitbit could use the event to reveal news on the software front.

Garmin

Garmin is another wearable tech giant that is a regular at the gathering. Last year, it used the opportunity to announce Venu 2 Plus. Interestingly, only a few weeks after the CES 2022 doors closed – it made even bigger revealions. That is when Epix 2 and Fenix 7 were launched.

The company has had a very busy 202. A plethora of devices were released including the Forerunner 255, Forerunner 955, Instinct Crossover, Bounce (the first Garmin LTE smartwatch for kids) and more.

One watch we are expecting and that already has received the go-ahead from the FCC and the Singapore regulator is Garmin Vivomove Trend. A continuation in the hybrid series, not many specifics are known about it. The naming convention implies this will be something stylish, perhaps solely dedicated for women.

Another possiblity is a device called Garmin Austin. That one is a bit of a mystery and classified as an outdoors watch in the leak we reported on about 9 months ago.

Fossil

Fossil has had a relatively quiet 2022 as far as new smartwatches. A couple of Gen 6 devices landed and that is pretty much it. This included Diesel Grifted and Wellness Edition.

This was a bit of a dissapointment as we had hopped to see the first Gen 7 watches by now. With only a few weeks to go before the end of the year – that’s obviously not going to happen in 2022.

But a launch in January remains a distinct possibility. Unfortunatley, we have not seen any new Fossil watches go through the FCC. Such devices would need to be approved by the US regulator ahead of launch.

Our best guess is that we will see the first Fossil Gen 7 watches during the summer of 2023. Or perhaps in late spring. But don’t be surprised if a new Gen 6 watch or two land at CES 2023.

Withings

Withings is another regular at the event. And it always had something new to show in Las Vegas.

Last year this came in the form of the Body Scan smart scale. Its abilities go way beyond simple weight measurements.

At the top of the scale is a retractable handle with electrodes built in. Hold on to the handle with your hands as you stand on the scale with has a couple of more electrodes, four weight sensors and 14 ITP electrodes. The tech combines to spit out a daily assessment of nerve activity from sweat glands. This can potentially flag up certain conditions such as diabetes. Other functionality includes the ability to detect Afib and segmental body composition analysis. So lots of vitals stats there to play around with.

The scale is only now being made available for purchase in the EU. However, the date of the US launch has not been revealed yet. It is obviously taking a bit longer to secure the necessary regulatory approval by the FCC. Perhaps we will get some sort of announcement on that front at CES.

Another possibility is to do with a patent we spotted a while back. It is for a Withings urine analysis device. A smart toilet would certainly be of interest as it will add health tracking abilities that were not widely available before.

Huami (Zepp Health)

We also expect Huami to make a showing. No teasers or statements so far, but we did spot an FCC filing for a new watch. Our best guess is that this could be the Amazfit T-Rex 2 Pro.

Another possibility could be the Amazfit GTR 4 Pro. Other devices in the GT 4 range were released earlier this year. This includes GTS 4, GTR 4 and GTS 4 Mini. The first two on this list were announced in late August ahead of IFA in Berlin, the last one a bit earlier.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi will be there although we have no insight at the moment on any wearables it might reveals. Watch S2 is expected to launch in December and it is still too early to be hopefuly of a Mi Band 8. Devices in that series typically land in late-Spring.

We have come a long way since counting steps was the goal. With the number of fitness trackers and smartwatches in use forecast to double in the next few years, the market will continue to evolve and innovate.

CES never disappoints so look forward to a surprise or two. Announcements over the next month will set the tone on what wearable tech we can expect for the entire 2023.. We will be covering all the news that matters as and when it happens.

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