10 Wearables From MWC You'll Actually Want

BARCELONA—In addition to new smartphones and tablets, just about every major company at Mobile World Congress had a wearable device to launch this year as well. LG had two new watches, HTC had a VR headset and an activity tracker, and Huawei's entire press conference basically centered around wearable technology. We gathered up everything we saw at the show and edited it down to our 10 favorite wearable devices you should look for in the year ahead.

Android Wear continues to be the dominant operating system among hot new smartwatches, powering both the Huawei Watch and the LG Watch Urbane. But Pebble managed to gather its fair share of the spotlight with the announcement of the Pebble Time Steel, just a week after introducing the Pebble Time. And I'm really excited about the LG Watch Urbane LTE, a cellular-connected watch that runs a nifty operating system that looks more than a little similar to webOS. I didn't get to spend much time with it, but it feels a heck of a lot more intuitive than Android Wear.

Thankfully, companies seem to placing a much bigger emphasis on the look of wearables. As the technology starts to attract a wider, more mainstream audience, it's important that wearables are just as attractive as any other accessory. And I'm happy to report that all of the smartwatches I saw this year are a good deal more attractive that what was on the market a year ago. There's still a long way to go, but in general, the latest crop of wearables definitely looks a lot more ready to wear.

And let's not forget, wearable technology isn't just limited to smartwatches. We saw lots of new VR headsets at the show, including notable additions from HTC and Samsung. Sony has an intriguing SmartEyeglass attachment, and Huawei's TalkBand B2 is part smartwatch, part activity tracker, and part Bluetooth headset (strange, I know, but cool).

With the Apple Watch on the horizon, the wearable activity space is only going to get even hotter. I won't be surprised if we have to increase the size of this list next year. Until then, check out our favorites from MWC 2015 in the slideshow.

1. LG Watch Urbane LTE

True to its name, the Watch Urbane LTE is LTE­-enabled, which helps explain why the thing is so incredibly large—LG had to fit an LTE modem in there somewhere. Although LG won't say the Urbane LTE is running webOS, it is running something that looks awfully similar, and even in this first iteration, it's far more intuitive than Android Wear has become in nearly a year.

2. LG Watch Urbane

Meanwhile, the non-LTE LG Watch Urbane takes the circular display of the G Watch R, and wraps it up with the trappings of a luxury timepiece. It comes with genuine leather bands in either black or brown. The stainless steel body of the watch comes in a polished silver or gold finish, which gives it a much classier feel than many other smartwatches on the market. It's powered by Android Wear, so on the software side, you pretty much know what you're going to get.

3. Huawei Watch

The Huawei Watch might just be the best-looking Android Wear device I've seen to date. The super-sharp display is protected by a layer of sapphire glass, which is something you'll find on many traditional wristwatches. Also sticking with tradition are elements such as the crown, lugs, and frame here, which are features you don't always associate with a smartwatch. Huawei is going for something really classic and elegant, and from the few models I saw, I really dig it.

4. HTC Grip

Unlike most activity trackers on the market, the HTC Grip features a built­-in GPS. That makes it especially attractive for runners or cyclists, who can wear the band on their workout, and later sync it with their phone to see where they traveled. HTC wanted to create something for the "pro end" of the athletic spectrum, and the HTC Grip is the first of two collaborations with Under Armour it plans to release this year.

5. Samsung Gear VR for Galaxy S6

The Samsung Gear VR for Galaxy S6 has a few changes from the Galaxy S5 model. It still straps over your entire head, and has a touchpad on the side. It doesn't have the plastic part that snaps over the back of the phone; you can see the Galaxy S6 when it's in the Gear VR. But it does still have the original VR's magic trick, which is the pair of magnifying lenses that let an image which only takes up a small part of the phone's screen, expand across your whole field of vision.

6. Sony SmartEyeglass Attach

This was announced ahead of CES, but I just got my first look at it now. The Sony SmartEyeglass Attach is a clip-on single-lens display module that can turn your regular glasses into smart glasses. It projects a heads-up display into your field of vision similar to Google Glass. At $840 it costs half the price, and pre-orders are currently open for a developer edition.

7. Huawei TalkBand B2

The TalkBand B2 is really just a refinement of the original TalkBand Huawei introduced last year. It's sort of a Franken­-device: part smartwatch, part activity tracker, and part Bluetooth headset. Most of the updates here appear to be aesthetic, like leather bands and gold and silver trackers/earpieces. The new TalkBand certainly looks nicer than its predecessor, although I'm not sure how keen I would be use the gold model as a Bluetooth headset.

8. Pebble Time Steel

Much like the Pebble Steel did for the original Pebble, the Pebble Steel Time is a design upgrade to the recently announced Pebble Time. Everything from the curved watch case, to the bezel and buttons is made from stainless steel. It's the same dimensions at the Pebble Time, just 1mm thicker, and the lens is made from Gorilla Glass. It comes with both a leather band and a stainless steel strap. It also has an increased battery life of up to 10 days, which is pretty great for a smartwatch. All Kickstarter backers for the Pebble Time can upgrade to the new Pebble Time Steel, while maintaining their spot in line.

9. HTC Vive

In addition to the HTC Grip, the company announced a new partnership with Valve for its VR ambitions. The HTC Vive looks pretty similar to the Oculus Rift or the Samsung Gear VR, based on an early version the company is showing. It will be laden with sensors, enabling features like hand tracking for a more immersive virtual reality experience. HTC also touted a 90Hz refresh rate and 360-degree head tracking. Considering Valve's involvement, it could become the next must-have accessory for gamers.

10. Ford MoDe:Pro

So it isn't exactly wearable, but you can sit on it. The Ford Mode:Pro is an electric bike prototype that has a number of smart features designed to work with the iPhone 6. For instance, sensors on the back of the bike can let you know if someone is coming up quickly from behind by vibrating to alert you, and flashing a light to alert the driver behind you. It can also provide directions based on haptic feedback in the handlebars, and you even get to horns to choose from.