Because batteries take up space and touchscreens need to be large enough to tap and swipe, the majority of successful smartwatches are larger and best suited to men.
Fossil Group, and particularly Michael Kors, has been the best this year at overcoming these technical limitations for a timepiece that combines the fashionable appearance that its female customers demand with all the functionality that Android Wear 2.0 brings.
The great achievement with the £349 Sophie (named after the fashion house’s most popular tote handbags) is that it delivers exactly what its target market of young, fashionable ladies wants.
It is light and stylish with just enough bling thanks to its crystal encrusted bezel.
The screen is sharp and readable, even in bright daylight. And the watch has enough processing power and storage to run the messaging, social media, calendar and music apps girls will want and it connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone or to wireless earphones.
It even has Google Assistant on board, so everything can be activated by voice commands.
This provides a considerable opportunity for app developers, which are bringing more and more apps to market to the Android Wear platform.
