The 10 Hottest Wearable Tech Devices Of 2019

From hearables like Apple's Powerbeats Pro to ThirdEye's X2 augmented reality glasses, this year's hottest wearables represent a wide range of applications and approaches to how technology can augment the human body.

Hearables Soak Up The Market

It’s been a banner year for wearables, with shipments reaching a new record in the third quarter of 2019, growing a relentless 94.6 percent to 84.5 million units worldwide, according to IDC.

This explosion in the wearables market is largely due to the emerging popularity of hearables like Apple AirPods, which seem to be everywhere you look. This new category of wearable technology accounts for nearly half of the overall market in the third quarter, IDC's latest report said, while wrist bands and smartwatches trailed behind in second and third place.

"Hearables have become the new go-to product for the wearables market," Ramon T. Llamas, research director for IDC's Wearables Team, said in a statement. "This began with multiple vendors removing the headphone jack from their smartphones, driving the move toward wireless headphones. It continued with hearables incorporating additional features that either augment or expand the audio experience."

What follows is a look at 10 of the hottest wearable tech devices of 2019, ranging from Apple's Powerbeats Pro to ThirdEye's X2 augmented reality glasses.

Apple Powerbeats Pro

Made by the Apple-owned Beats brand, the Powerbeats Pro is a high-end pair of earbuds that provide powerful, balance audio and a proper fit for people on the go. On the voice assistant side, the earbuds come with seamless integration with Apple's Siri, allowing users to say "Hey Siri" to activate the assistance without the need for touching the iPhone. The earbuds automatically detect when they are removed from an ear and pause the music until they're put back on. They retail for $249.95.

Apple Watch Series 5

The Apple Watch Series 5 is the latest smartwatch from the iPhone maker, and it has brought a number of improvements over previous generations, including the introduction of an always-on Retina that doesn't drain battery. Other new upgrades include a compass for improved navigation, an international SOS trigger for emergencies and premium finishes in titanium and ceramic. It's available for $399.

Elvie Pump

Now available in the United States, the Elvie Pump is "the world's first silent wearable breast pump," giving users the ability to pump breast milk on the go, with no tubes or wires. The Elvie Pump fits inside a standard nursing bra and only consists of five parts, making assembly and cleaning easy. The devices come with a companion app that tracks milk volume in real time as well as pumping history. A single Elvie Pump retails for $279.

Form Swim Goggles

The Form Swim Goggles come with an augmented reality display that provides a variety of metrics for swimmers, including split time, interval time, distance per stroke and calories burned. Most recently, Form, the company behind the goggles, announced new heart rate monitoring capabilities thanks to a partnership with Polar that will see its OH1 and OH1+ monitors attached to the device's strap. The goggles, which come with 16 hours of battery life and Bluetooth connectivity, costs $199.

Fitbit Inspire HR

Fitbit's Inspire HR is a fitness tracker that comes with around-the-clock heart rate monitoring, giving users the ability to maximize exercise sessions, identify sleep stages and track the burning of calories. The waterproof device can also track several other types of activity, including swimming, walking, running and cycling. It can also log meals and calories. The device costs $100.

Matrix PowerWatch 2

The Matrix PoweWatch 2 is a new smartwatch from Matrix Industries that uses solar cells and a person's body heat to charge up the watch, removing the need to ever plug it on. The device improves on the previous generation with a new color display, GPS connectivity and heart-rate monitoring capabilities. The PowerWatch 2 is available for $499.

Nubia Alpha

Nubia Alpha is a slick-looking smartwatch that features a 4-inch foldable and flexible OLED display that wraps around the wrist. Thanks to its gesture control capabilities, users can wave their hands to navigate the watch's operating system in addition to using touch controls. The device comes with fitness and health monitoring, Bluetooth calling and real-time message reminders. It's available for $299.

Soma Innofit

Intimates retailer Soma wants to create a better bra-fitting experience with its Innofit wearable, which helps bra shoppers find the right fit and size. The wearable bra fit technology takes accurate breast measurements in a matter of seconds and then sends the results to the Soma Innofit app, which provides recommendations for the best-fitting bras in Soma's online catalog. It costs $25.

Stryd

Stryd is a wearable that aims to help runners optimize their exertion levels thanks to the device's multiple sensors for motion, temperature and humidity. The wearable, which straps to the runner's shoe, can detect headwinds and tailwinds during a run and provide feedback to the runner. It can also track speed, running form, fatigue and slope level as well as sync with several smartwatch models. The wearable is available for $219.

ThirdEye X2 Smart Glasses

ThirdEye calls X2 the "world's smallest mixed reality glasses," thanks to its small and lightweight form factor as well as its thin display. Designed for consumer and enterprise applications, the ruggedized smart glasses feature a 42-degree field of view and 1280-by-720 HD display, which is powered by an integrated CPU/GPU with 3 GB of memory and 32 GB of storage. Applications are available through the ThirdEye Workspace Platform, which includes things like 3D model scanning and instruction overlay, and the ThirdEye App Store, which is home to more than 500 software development partners. The smart glasses are available now for $1,950.