Smartwatches may seem like a solution to a problem, but it’s easy to forget that people have treated iPads, smartphones, and virtually any new device that is quickly becoming indispensable in the same way. So is a smartwatch worth it?
For most of their history, the answer was no for most users, but the latest generation of smartwatches has changed that. Let’s see if smartwatches are modern enough to justify their price.
Are smart watches mature enough?
Early smartwatches were full of compromises. Support for third-party applications was also weak due to weak hardware and a small installation base. One of the biggest issues was the lack of always-on displays. The old chip design and LCD technology were too power-hungry for the clock to always display something on the screen. Because of what smartwatches could not be real watches!
Modern watches from companies like Apple and Samsung have largely solved these problems. The newer models use OLED technology and can bring the screen refresh rate down to single digits in hertz. So you can have an always-on watch face and run on battery power for a day or two. Third party app developers now enjoy great support as well. So we have no doubts about smartwatches
As a health and medical tool
One of the most compelling reasons why smartwatches are worth it to help improve and maintain your health Many smartwatches are marketed as advanced fitness trackers rather than smartwatches. This is probably one of the most important and practical reasons for buying it. Apple and Samsung, arguably the largest smartwatch manufacturers, have developed great health software that goes well with their watches.
Smartwatches effectively help fight common modern problems, such as too long a sedentary lifestyle or not understanding what we eat. They offer a convenient and intuitive way to keep track of your food intake and your activity level.
With improved sensors and smarter algorithms, smartwatches now have much more accurate estimates of steps and calories burned.
More on the horizon. For example, Galaxy Active 2 has a built-in ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor. Samsung is just awaiting regulatory approval to activate it. This feature, together with smart fall sensors, can truly save the lives of weakened or chronically ill users.
It can also serve as an early warning system for irregular heartbeats that can potentially lead to more serious health problems. In short, today, and certainly in the future, smartwatches are valuable health devices and are worth using from this perspective alone.
Checking messages and receiving calls is much easier
While this may seem like a small thing, pulling your phone out of your pocket every time a notification pops up can be tedious and time consuming. Most new smartwatches integrate notification and messaging apps by syncing them to your phone.
This means you can quickly check your incoming messages with a flick of your hand and decide whether or not to fish your phone. You can also reply to regular text messages or leave voice memos in apps like WhatsApp or EverNote.
We’ve also found that answering calls with a watch is often the fastest and most convenient way to do this. Since the watch is always on your wrist, this is by far the most convenient place to receive calls. Plus, as a bonus, you can feel Dick Tracy talking on your wrist!
Most smartwatches are also Bluetooth compatible, so they allow you to take calls using a Bluetooth headset.
Control other devices with a smart watch
As smartwatches evolved, it became apparent that one of the best uses for a device that you always wear on your wrist is for remote control of other technologies.
For example, you can download an app that acts as a universal remote control for smart TVs. If you have a Spotify subscription, you can use the Spotify smartwatch app to control the Spotify app on another device. How about using your smartwatch as a remote trigger for your phone camera? These are all possibilities, and the developers come up with more and more every day.
Using a service like IFTTT or Zapier, many smartwatch devices can be paired with other services using custom recipes. Thus, you can integrate your smartwatch into your smart home system. For example, if your smart cctv camera detects movement, you can receive a notification on your watch.
Really useful modular watch faces
Most smartwatches have displays that show some kind of virtual watch face. You can usually replace them with others created by your own company or third-party developers. Sometimes you can get them for free, while other times some of the watch faces will cost a little money.
The ability to change the watch face on a smartwatch is probably one of the most underrated features. It’s not just about looks, although it’s also a great reason to love them. After all, you can change the look and color of the watch face to suit your current outfit or mood!
From a more practical standpoint, however, switching to different watch faces based on the information you need can be of tremendous help.
For example, a watch face with real-time weather data such as wind speed is useful when flying a drone. If you are running, you may want to see your heart rate front and center.
When traveling, you may want certain time zones to be displayed at the same time. With a smartwatch, you can simply use the watch face that contains the most useful information for your current needs and return to something more general for everyday use when you’re done.
Smartwatches are worth it, but you still have problems
While we think smartwatches are now worth their money and truly useful gadgets, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Battery life is probably the biggest issue. We’ve used several hours over the years, and some with limited features can last up to a week. Top models such as the Galaxy Active 2 will last one to two days maximum.
There is still a bit of fragmentation when it comes to operating systems for smartwatches. Android Wear, Apple’s WatchOS, and Samsung Tizen are just three of the biggest names. If there are too many different operating systems for smartwatches, it will be difficult for developers to cover all of them.
Smartwatches should also become more independent. They are still smartphone accessories nowadays. Although there are models that can independently connect to the mobile Internet. At the moment, smartwatches are not that useful if they are no longer connected to the phone.
However, more advanced hardware in the watches of the future may lead them to become the primary smart device for things like navigation.
So, to answer the question of whether a smartwatch is worth it, we can say that it is objectively worth the money given its maturity and functionality. Whether they are worth it for you, of course, depends on whether you find these features important or useful.
Either way, you don’t need to worry about early adopters headaches. These nifty gadgets have emerged from this stage of their development.
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