Smart watches - looking for opinions

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Perhaps I missed the boat in 2018, but I don’t have a smartwatch.  Everything I need to do, I do directly on my phone.  

 

For those who have them, what do you find your smartwatch does for you that you just can’t live without?  And what brand or OS do you feel is best?

[TBoneTX 43,058]

Thread is moved from Current Events to Off Topic.

[Ban Hammer 12,839]

10 hours ago, Satisfied said:

Perhaps I missed the boat in 2018, but I don’t have a smartwatch. 

you have a wife, don't you?

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,315]

10 hours ago, Satisfied said:

Perhaps I missed the boat in 2018, but I don’t have a smartwatch.  Everything I need to do, I do directly on my phone.  

 

For those who have them, what do you find your smartwatch does for you that you just can’t live without?  And what brand or OS do you feel is best?

Been on a new health kick. Walking 4 miles every morning. I purchased the Fitbit Ionic and really like it.  I can run 3+ days with no charge. Fit bit app talks to my fitness pal.

wish I had given the Samsung a longer look. The Fit Bit does not work with samsung health which is a minus 

[yuna628 9,530]

14 hours ago, Satisfied said:

Perhaps I missed the boat in 2018, but I don’t have a smartwatch.  Everything I need to do, I do directly on my phone.  

 

For those who have them, what do you find your smartwatch does for you that you just can’t live without?  And what brand or OS do you feel is best?

I did a little research on this last year, as I was thinking about buying one for my husband for Christmas. However, I had some concerns in the cons department that ultimately made me choose to get him something else. Mainly he's very busy at work and the screens can be very fragile and I was afraid it would get broken quickly. They are items that you won't be having for the long term without needing to replace something, so don't go for uber expensive Apple watches even though Apple pretty much has got all the bells and whistles you could want. My last concern was the biggest and that is the potential health impacts and risks of wearing a device like that close to the skin for long periods of time. Most people don't think about it, and the manufacturers claim it's safe, but there's plenty of claims to the contrary and a few studies that gave me pause enough that I felt it just wasn't worth it, especially since husband is reluctant to move over to android.

 

Probably a Fitbit would be among the best if you're looking for an all around solid watch that is compatible with most phone OS bar Samsung Health tracking (so if you're Samsung focused look into the Samsung watches). Be careful about the type however, as some complain that newer models may be more buggy than older ones. If you're looking for something where you're very active with hiking and traveling and sports a Garmin might be good. If you want something to look more like a traditional watch Fossil has got a nice line too. Amazon makes a Bip, which actually isn't too bad for a cheaper model watch that does the basics and has excellent battery life. And... if you're odd and have a windows phone, you're going to struggle, unless you get a fitbit blaze.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Thanks for all the input my friends.  If I decide to get one, it would most likely be a Samsung, since I have the Note 9 phone.  Just not sure if I would actually use it much.  I’m afraid the dial is too small to read much for my tired eyes (supposed to wear glasses, but rarely do).

 

Apple? **shudder**

[dentsflogged 352]

I really liked my Fitbit Charge HR - managed to lose it a few months back, though. Could go 5-6 days without charging and it was accurate as heck. I love that it auto sensed activity and sleep. 

 

I got an Apple Watch because I was told it was an "upgrade" though TBH I don't find it so. Battery life is terrible (it needs charging every day), you need to download a third party app to track sleep (which drains the battery even more) and honestly I don't find it as accurate as the Fitbit - it always over-estimates distance and calories.   There's no way that I burned 900 calories in a 90 minute hike, but that's what it says I did.  The times I did the exact same hike with my Fitbit would say more like 450-500 which is much more likely. 

 

I've been told the Jawbone and the Samsung Gear are both quite good. 

Personally I rarely wear my smart watch now because of the issues above. One day I want to get another Fitbit Charge HR but for the time being I'm spending money on getting our new house sorted out.