By Matt McMillen

The recent unveiling of the Apple Watch reminded us just how much hype a new Apple product can generate. Should you get excited about Apple’s first wearable device? It’s loaded with features, including a fitness tracker. Here’s how it compares to trackers already available.

The Verge’s Carl Franzen predicts that the Watch, due early next year, will be “one of the most comprehensive and complex fitness bands on the market,” if it packs all the bells and whistles that Apple promises. (Note: Apple did not announce every feature, and the company remained silent on its broader plans for its promised health-related tech.) Still, Franzen’s not completely sold on the “flashier, chunkier” Watch as a replacement for his “light, minimalistic wristband,” the Jawbone Up24.

Abby Phillip at The Washington Post notes that the Watch does more than track walking and running. Apple claims its Workout app can monitor and measure your bike rides. That’s certainly a point in its favor. The Watch also knows when you’ve been sitting down too long — an unhealthy habit — and its Moves app nudges you to stand up — also a novel feature.

Mashable’s Samantha Murphy Kelly, though, points out that the Watch won’t make an ideal sleep monitor — a common fitness tracker feature — if users find it too uncomfortable to wear to bed.

Cost also sets the Watch apart from other trackers. Expect to pay at least $ 349 for it. And if you don’t have an iPhone 5 or newer model of Apple’s smartphone (required to operate the Watch), add several hundred dollars to the total cost. By comparison, the Jawbone UP24 runs at about $ 120, while the Fitbit Flex will set you back 100 bucks.

If you’re in the market now for a fully featured smartwatch that can double as a fitness tracker, options exist, especially for the Android crowd (e.g., the $ 250 Motorola Moto 360 and the $ 299 Samsung Gear 2). And there are more on the horizon, including the Samsung Gear S and Sony’s SmartWatch 3. Both Android devices are due this fall. Prices are TBA.

It’s too soon to tell how well the Apple Watch will work. But, as Lance Whitney at CNET reminds us, tech products frequently need time to evolve before they fully live up to their pre-release promise.

So, are you an early adopter? Or will you wait for the Apple Watch 2 or 3? What’s your favorite high- or low-tech way to track your fitness efforts?