To Smart Watch or Not?

[Masbroughlad]

I've got a decent phone - Samsung 24+

I am toying with the idea of getting a smart watch. I'm not a luddite and can use technology, but hesitating over this.

Don't want to spend a fortune and want a watch that tells the time (!), usual watch features of date, alarm etc. One that is OK to read messages, track walks/runs, maybe have a payment app.

I'd actually be happy with watch functions and exercise tracking too.

Are such watches all or nothing? Am I better off sticking to my phone and just buying a non-smart watch?

Any thoughts, advice, recommendations gratefully received!

 

[D1511]

I've got a S24 Ultra, and have both normal watches, that I wear 90% of the time, and an ageing Galaxy watch 4.
The newest Galaxy watch is a lot of money to spend, to subsequently find it's not for you. I'd suggest a browse on eBay or in your local Cash Generator/CEX for a 2nd hand Galaxy Watch 3 or 4 and just give it a try for a bit. If you don't like it it will be a 50 quid failure instead of a 500 quid one.
I've downloaded a sort of luminous divers watch face, to make it quite distinctive, and I can view my locus maps and track my walks on it. It's got all the usual Samsung health and wellbeing bloatware, but it'll track your steps and monitor your sleep and all that. Latest generation ones will more or less cook your dinner, they have so much functionality, but I just occasionally like a watch that does a few more things beyond what my conventional wristwatches do, so I've no real interest in upgrading any time soon.

 

[GusB]

Don't want to spend a fortune and want a watch that tells the time (!),.usual watch features of date, alarm etc. One that is OK to read messages, track walks/runs, maybe have a payment app.

I bought a Fitbit Versa 4 a couple of years ago and it does everything that you've listed. I mainly use it for the watch features (timers, alarms etc) and counting steps, but it can be used for tracking walks, runs. I tend to use my phone for payments, buti have successfully used the payment function on the Fitbit; the main drawback is that it can be a bit fiddly to input a PIN on such a small screen.

An older gentleman in the pub though I was using some kind of witchcraft when I paid for my beer by tapping my wrist on the card reader!

 

[JamesT]

I've got a decent phone - Samsung 24+

I am toying with the idea of getting a smart watch. I'm not a luddite and can use technology, but hesitating over this.

Don't want to spend a fortune and want a watch that tells the time (!), usual watch features of date, alarm etc. One that is OK to read messages, track walks/runs, maybe have a payment app.

I'd actually be happy with watch functions and exercise tracking too.

Are such watches all or nothing? Am I better off sticking to my phone and just buying a non-smart watch?

Any thoughts, advice, recommendations gratefully received!

I've been a satisfied Garmin user for a little while. Started off with a Venu Sq which was in a sale and have moved on to a Venu 3S (which isn't in the cheap range you're after).

They can do all the basic smartwatch things you're looking for. One of the big plus points for me is the battery life, it can easily do over a week without recharge, whereas some of the others seem to need near daily charging. I'd say the tracking of steps and routes etc. is much better than the phone managed by itself. I've not done any payment things with it, although Garmin do have an app, none of my banks work with it.

Their cheapest model currently is the Forerunner 55 which can be found for under £120 new, or as @D1511 mentioned there's the second-hand route.

 

[DarloRich]

I don't even own a watch let alone a smart watch. I don't understand why anyone would need one! I don't NEED or want any of the information they seem to provide

• Why do I care what my heartbeat is THIS SECOND? (if it is beating then all good. If it stops = bad)
• Why do I care how quickly I walk to the station everyday? ( as long as I make my train then all good)
• Why do I need a watch to tell me how I slept? ( if i wake up cream crackered then I guess badly!)
• Am I too lazy to take my phone out of my pocket to look at a text/email ? ( sometimes i might want to ignore them)
• I don't answer calls now so don't need another device attracting my attention
• I don't need to look like Dick Tracy muttering into my wrist
• I don't want to tap my wrist on the reader like something out of star trek to pay for things. My phone does that just as well. ( and for the smart watch to work it needs to be in range of the phone so why not just use the phone?)

They seem designed to steal your time and keep you tethered to communication and work AND make you waste more money on things you dont need but the media have conned you into wanting!

But that is just me - if you want one go for it! I am tight and don't like spending on things I don't need or don't offer me something new/different.

 

[sor]

I don't even own a watch let alone a smart watch. I don't understand why anyone would need one! I don't NEED or want any of the information they seem to provide

• Why do I care what my heartbeat is THIS SECOND? (if it is beating then all good. If it stops = bad)
• Why do I care how quickly I walk to the station everyday? ( as long as I make my train then all good)
• Why do I need a watch to tell me how I slept? ( if i wake up cream crackered then I guess badly!)

The idea is that they can detect more than that. Yes your heart is beating, but is it beating correctly? Is the blood oxygen level out of range? These are things that could prompt a visit to the doctor

For people of a certain age or with certain medical conditions, the fall detection and GPS tracking could also be very useful. Similarly some parents give hand-me-down smartwatches to their younger kids as they don't have the safety/security issues that a smartphone has, but (if it has built in cellular capability) still lets them stay in contact.

• I don't want to tap my wrist on the reader like something out of star trek to pay for things. My phone does that just as well. ( and for the smart watch to work it needs to be in range of the phone so why not just use the phone?)

This isn't correct, certainly not for the Apple Watch and I would assume the major Android competitors. The watch has its own virtual debit card and doesn't need its own network connection to make a payment this way.

 

[DarloRich]

The idea is that they can detect more than that. Yes your heart is beating, but is it beating correctly? Is the blood oxygen level out of range? These are things that could prompt a visit to the doctor

I have got to close to 50 (sigh) without knowing my blood oxygen level so I doubt it is of great import on a daily basis! I hope I would notice if my heart was beating incorrectly and call the drs without needing a watch to tell me.

Look, I get that "data" is a big thing these days but these watches are just another marketing success selling something that isn't needed or helpful but convincing people it is life changing/affirming.

The question to be asked with data is: what value is that data giving me? How is that improving my daily existence AND is that improvement worth the investment?

For people of a certain age or with certain medical conditions, the fall detection and GPS tracking could also be very useful.

that's a good feature - but my gran 25 years ago had a pendant round her neck to press in such circumstances - again what is new?

 

[Djgr]

The idea is that they can detect more than that. Yes your heart is beating, but is it beating correctly? Is the blood oxygen level out of range? These are things that could prompt a visit to the doctor

For people of a certain age or with certain medical conditions, the fall detection and GPS tracking could also be very useful. Similarly some parents give hand-me-down smartwatches to their younger kids as they don't have the safety/security issues that a smartphone has, but (if it has built in cellular capability) still lets them stay in contact.

This isn't correct, certainly not for the Apple Watch and I would assume the major Android competitors. The watch has its own virtual debit card and doesn't need its own network connection to make a payment this way.

I would imagine EVERYONE who wears such a watch also carries a phone with them. The additional functional benefits therefore feel limited. It feels more of a GenZ status led moneysucker to me.

 

[Masbroughlad]

I don't even own a watch let alone a smart watch. I don't understand why anyone would need one! I don't NEED or want any of the information they seem to provide

• Why do I care what my heartbeat is THIS SECOND? (if it is beating then all good. If it stops = bad)
• Why do I care how quickly I walk to the station everyday? ( as long as I make my train then all good)
• Why do I need a watch to tell me how I slept? ( if i wake up cream crackered then I guess badly!)
• Am I too lazy to take my phone out of my pocket to look at a text/email ? ( sometimes i might want to ignore them)
• I don't answer calls now so don't need another device attracting my attention
• I don't need to look like Dick Tracy muttering into my wrist
• I don't want to tap my wrist on the reader like something out of star trek to pay for things. My phone does that just as well. ( and for the smart watch to work it needs to be in range of the phone so why not just use the phone?)

They seem designed to steal your time and keep you tethered to communication and work AND make you waste more money on things you dont need but the media have conned you into wanting!

But that is just me - if you want one go for it! I am tight and don't like spending on things I don't need or don't offer me something new/different.

Each to their own.

That's why I am trying to decide between a good old fashioned digital watch and a smart one. I've been without anything for a few months now and find the constant having to get my phone to check the time isn't always practical. I need to know the time often in the work I do.

I'm no health fanatic, but have recently started running again and distance/time would be really useful.

 

[DarloRich]

Each to their own.

That's why I am trying to decide between a good old fashioned digital watch and a smart one. I've been without anything for a few months now and find the constant having to get my phone to check the time isn't always practical. I need to know the time often in the work I do.

I'm no health fanatic, but have recently started running again and distance/time would be really useful.

exactly - my brother does have a Garmin smart watch he is very happy with. He does a lot of cycling so finds it useful for routes, times and distances.

 

[ainsworth74]

I hope I would notice if my heart was beating incorrectly and call the drs without needing a watch to tell me.

You say that but there was a brief period of time a few years ago where there was a concern that something might be up with my heart (thankfully not, just really bad heartburn which was eventually cured with weight loss, though that will also have had heart benefits ironically ) and the doctor did inquire if I had a Smart Watch which tracked my heart activity as they would like to review the information if I had it. As it happens I don't have a Smart Watch but I thought it interesting.

Obviously it won't be as a good as a proper ECG machine with probes all over you (always felt anti-climatic, they spent more time sticking probes on you and then taking them off again than the actual reading!) but clearly the doctor treating me placed some weight on it's data.

But at the end of the day if you don't want one, no-one's forcing you!

 

[WelshBluebird]

I don't even own a watch let alone a smart watch. I don't understand why anyone would need one! I don't NEED or want any of the information they seem to provide

Its not for you - that is fine! That doesn't mean other people don't find it useful.

Why do I care what my heartbeat is THIS SECOND? (if it is beating then all good. If it stops = bad)

Can be useful to see the impact of exercise etc. And the more modern ones are starting to be able to detect health related things (it isn't quite as simple as you say, e.g. high heartbeats when not exercising can be dangerous, as can low heartbeats etc).

Why do I care how quickly I walk to the station everyday? ( as long as I make my train then all good)

Maybe not your walk, but my wife certainly wants to know how quickly she did her run each day.

Why do I need a watch to tell me how I slept? ( if i wake up cream crackered then I guess badly!)

It can be useful to detect patterns. Especially if you suspect things like sleep apnea and the like.

Am I too lazy to take my phone out of my pocket to look at a text/email ? ( sometimes i might want to ignore them)

You may be in another room. Or maybe you've gone for a run so wanted to leave your phone at home.
And guess what, you can still ignore it (or put your watch on silent etc).

I don't answer calls now so don't need another device attracting my attention

If anything calls are the least useful thing. Though even then it can be useful, especially say in the scenario I said above about leaving the house without your phone.

I don't need to look like Dick Tracy muttering into my wrist

You don't need to be. My earbuds connect direct to my watch so its no different to if I was taking a call via my phone using the earbuds too.

I don't want to tap my wrist on the reader like something out of star trek to pay for things. My phone does that just as well. ( and for the smart watch to work it needs to be in range of the phone so why not just use the phone?)

Again you may not have your phone with you. Or it may be in a bag etc. And no it doesn't need to be in range of the phone.

I would imagine EVERYONE who wears such a watch also carries a phone with them. The additional functional benefits therefore feel limited. It feels more of a GenZ status led moneysucker to me.

Most of the time maybe.
But some of the time, as I've said above, either your phone isn't accessible (if its in a bag or whatever) or elsewhere (e.g. I've left it in the living room when I have gone upstairs).
Or again, as I've said above, it can be useful to be able to go out without your phone. E.g. if you want to go for a run or something where a phone may be a bit bulky etc.

 

[DarloRich]

@WelshBluebird : my question remains - why is any of that important. I get people DO value this sort of stuff but I don't get why! Honestly, I just don't get it.

I would imagine EVERYONE who wears such a watch also carries a phone with them. The additional functional benefits therefore feel limited. It feels more of a GenZ status led moneysucker to me.

as with much in modern life!

 

[Bantamzen]

I've got a decent phone - Samsung 24+

I am toying with the idea of getting a smart watch. I'm not a luddite and can use technology, but hesitating over this.

Don't want to spend a fortune and want a watch that tells the time (!), usual watch features of date, alarm etc. One that is OK to read messages, track walks/runs, maybe have a payment app.

I'd actually be happy with watch functions and exercise tracking too.

Are such watches all or nothing? Am I better off sticking to my phone and just buying a non-smart watch?

Any thoughts, advice, recommendations gratefully received!

I have a fairly basic Android smartwatch, bought out of curiosity more than anything else and to see if I would want to spend more on a flashy all-singing and dancing variety. It can be useful if you want to track things like steps (I'm currently trying to work some sogginess off the waist), as well as pinging notifications from certain apps (I usually have my phone on 'Don't bother me' mode). Whether or not I'd spend hundreds on one I don't know, probably more a not at the moment. But as others have suggested, have a look for a cheap one or reconditioned branded one to give it a play. One can never have too much tech....

Edit: Make sure you read the T&C's of whatever device you buy, and the app it will almost certainly want you to install. Data is money after all, so some may require you to share to play.

 

[WelshBluebird]

@WelshBluebird : my question remains - why is any of that important. I get people DO value this sort of stuff but I don't get why! Honestly, I just don't get it.

Again it depends right?

The reason I'm jumping in here is my wife was talking to me recently about maybe getting one - and for her it makes perfect sense. She's goes for runs pretty regularly and wants to be able to track those runs, and she sometimes finds it useful to pop to the shop in the way back. But carrying her phone around when going for a run can be a bit cumbersome, so a smartwatch would let her leave her phone at home whilst being able to do all those things and still listen to music etc whilst she runs too. If you can't see why that may be useful to someone then I don't know what else to say!

And for me - I'm a bit of a tech nerd anyway, but in terms of my uses its largely as a combined watch / remote control for my phone - so muted notifications but being able to reply to things if needed when my phone is elsewhere, for media controls and for listening to music and podcasts and paying when I pop to the shops etc.

 

[Martin66]

Or the divers watch Delboy got Rodney in fools & horses: "It only tells me chucking out time in Peking & I am low on oxygen!"

 

[Djgr]

Again it depends right?

The reason I'm jumping in here is my wife was talking to me recently about maybe getting one - and for her it makes perfect sense. She's goes for runs pretty regularly and wants to be able to track those runs, and she sometimes finds it useful to pop to the shop in the way back. But carrying her phone around when going for a run can be a bit cumbersome, so a smartwatch would let her leave her phone at home whilst being able to do all those things and still listen to music etc whilst she runs too. If you can't see why that may be useful to someone then I don't know what else to say!

And for me - I'm a bit of a tech nerd anyway, but in terms of my uses its largely as a combined watch / remote control for my phone - so muted notifications but being able to reply to things if needed when my phone is elsewhere, for media controls and for listening to music and podcasts and paying when I pop to the shops etc.

Functionality perhaps worth spending, I don't know, 50 quid on?

 

[sor]

I would imagine EVERYONE who wears such a watch also carries a phone with them. The additional functional benefits therefore feel limited. It feels more of a GenZ status led moneysucker to me.

A genX colleague - literally yesterday - was happy to find out that his new phone plan gives him a free eSIM for his apple watch (which he had not used the cellular part of until now). He is happy that he can leave the phone home while taking the dog for a walk. With bluetooth earphones one can listen to music or take calls in a more socially acceptable manner.

that's a good feature - but my gran 25 years ago had a pendant round her neck to press in such circumstances - again what is new?

Those systems only work in and around the home and require an ongoing subscription to a telecare company. A cellular-enabled smart watch would work anywhere.

 

[Buzby]

Wouldn’t be without my Apple Watch, it got me out of a sticky situation - as an OAP it provides me with additional security and much better than a pendant which is very limited. It’s also my payment card, and travel card and I don’t make use of the ‘sports’ features!

 

[DarloRich]

Those systems only work in and around the home and require an ongoing subscription to a telecare company. A cellular-enabled smart watch would work anywhere.

It would. Not much use if you cant leave the house though

( the telecare company also offers the user increased peace of mind. We have just had these discussions with a family member and that was a big thing)

 

[JamesT]

It would. Not much use if you cant leave the house though

( the telecare company also offers the user increased peace of mind. We have just had these discussions with a family member and that was a big thing)

Hopefully they've now sorted out these devices to not rely on analogue phone lines. I recall various news stories complaining that BT moving to digital voice would break such things.

For me personally it's a couple of reasons. I find it easier to motivate myself if there's a target. Having something there saying I've done naff all exercise helps get me off the sofa. The other being the convenience of just looking at my wrist to see a notification, then decide if I want to take my phone out to deal with it or ignore it. Filtering out irrelevant things does help a lot with that.

But yes, it's entirely personal. If you don't want any of these things then a smartwatch will be entirely pointless for you.

 

[WelshBluebird]

It would. Not much use if you cant leave the house though

Lots of elderly people can leave the house but arguably shouldn't. Thinking about those with dementia etc. We absolutely had some panics when my Nan went on some wanders when we were looking after her.

Functionality perhaps worth spending, I don't know, 50 quid on?

Again upto the person surely?
If you run a lot and keep your watch for a while then you are basically paying pennies for that functionality per run.

 

[bspahh]

My absolute requirements for a watch are:

1. It should tell the time and date, and update automatically for months which don't have 31 days, and for daylight savings time.
2. I should be able to tell the time in a dark room.
3. The battery should last at least a couple of weeks before it needs charging.
4. It should have a leather strap.
5. The design should be unobtrusive.
6. It shouldn't be delicate, heavy or stupidly expensive.

Most analogue watches expect me to change the date if the previous month didn't have 31 days. I don't like the design of most digital watches. I have bought quite a few analogue watches with a digital display, but for those the backlight or luminescent display hasn't been great to see the time at night.

I once bought a fancy titanium analogue/digital watch which had been reduced in price a lot, but still cost ~£200. It did most of my requirements, but then I lost it.

I was given a Google Pixel 2 watch for free for a research project. The battery life on that was awful - less than a day. It had some features which would be nice like NFC, so you could use it to store train tickets, but the battery life is far too short for me.

I have been using Xiaomi Mi Bands for 10 years now. A year ago, I bought a Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro. They are now about £50. Then from eBay I spent £5 or £6 for a leather strap, and £3 for a spare USB charging lead.

It has a more watch-like shape than Mi Bands. The display is off most of the time, but switches on automatically if I tilt my wrist to look at it.

I had a heart attack, and its useful to be able to track my heart rate. I have been recommended to exercise with a heart rate between 85 and 105bpm, and the watch is fairly accurate for this (comparing against monitors on gym equipment and manual pulse counting). It tracks my heart rate every so often all of the time. There is a workout mode, which tracks it more frequently. If I am walking briskly to get a train, I like being able to make sure I don't go too fast.

I find the sleep monitoring useful for the odd occaisions when my sleep is interrupted, and I can find out by how much.

I have vibration alerts from my phone for texts and WhatsApp. I can reading some of the message on the screen.

It has a "torch" mode where the screen is turned on full brightness which can be useful

It has a useful "Find my phone" setting which makes the phone beep. The phone app can make the watch beep if I have put the watch down somewhere.

In theory its water resistant to 5 atmospheres, so I could wear it when swimming. I prefer to use a leather strap, and I don't think they like being soaked in water.

It doesn't have a GPS, but I always have my phone with me if I go out, and the watch gets my location from my phone, so that doesn't worry me.

It has simple controls when I'm listening to music or podcasts on my phone (play, pause, next, previous), but I would normally just do that from my ear buds, or the phone.

 

[3141]

My wife bought me a smart watch for Christmas 2023. It's called Souyie. It contains all kinds of functions, but the instructions aren't comprehensive so not only do I not know how to use some of them, I don't even understand what they are for. It exaggerates the number of steps I take each day, and it under-estimates my blood pressure. What it tells me about how I've slept is quite often clearly untrue. It has some quite attractive watch faces, and others that look clunky, but only one that's really useful to someone without normal colour vision. Like DarloRich, if I thought my heart wasn't beating properly, or my blood oxygen was low, I'd ring the doctor, or 999, rather than trust my life to a smartwatch. I don't need something to tell me that an event has taken place on my mobile, because we mostly use the landline for phone calls, and I'll look at the mobile three or four times a day to see if there's anything new. I wear it because it was a present, but for me it's an example of technology that may seem interesting but is basically unnecessary.

 

[styles]

I have a Garmin Fenix.

The reasons I bought it are twofold:

1. I do a lot of hiking, cycling, kayaking, etc and I like to record my adventures, as I can go back later and look at nav errors, update my qualification logbooks etc. I post them to Strava (private account) so can share stories and photos with friends.
2. I really like data. I have built a machine learning app which warns me when I'm about to become sick. It can do this because for say a common cold, my heart rate will go up about 4bpm per day for 3 days before symptoms appear. It doesn't really change much about what I do, I just like data, but occasionally I'll do something like refrain going into the office for a couple of days if my heart rate is climbing, as it suggests I might have an illness, which might be contagious.

The other features I do use:

• Gradual vibrating alarm
• Maps on hikes sometimes, though it's a bit fiddly
• Altitude measurements
• Notifications

I'm really not bothered about things like step counts, floors climbed, etc, but I do use the data because... interest.

 

[75A]

I don't even own a watch let alone a smart watch. I don't understand why anyone would need one! I don't NEED or want any of the information they seem to provide

• Why do I care what my heartbeat is THIS SECOND? (if it is beating then all good. If it stops = bad)
• Why do I care how quickly I walk to the station everyday? ( as long as I make my train then all good)
• Why do I need a watch to tell me how I slept? ( if i wake up cream crackered then I guess badly!)
• Am I too lazy to take my phone out of my pocket to look at a text/email ? ( sometimes i might want to ignore them)
• I don't answer calls now so don't need another device attracting my attention
• I don't need to look like Dick Tracy muttering into my wrist
• I don't want to tap my wrist on the reader like something out of star trek to pay for things. My phone does that just as well. ( and for the smart watch to work it needs to be in range of the phone so why not just use the phone?)

They seem designed to steal your time and keep you tethered to communication and work AND make you waste more money on things you dont need but the media have conned you into wanting!

But that is just me - if you want one go for it! I am tight and don't like spending on things I don't need or don't offer me something new/different.

Very well said, this matches my thoughts exactly.
I've reached 66 years of age without ever having a watch of any sort on my wrist and am certainly not going to start now.
For some of my working life I wasn't allowed any thing on my wrist or fingers and it's a habit I'm happy with.

 

[AlterEgo]

A smart watch is pretty good at tracking things like steps and offering a very convenient way to pay on contactless. Also, if you have an accident, or a heavy fall, don't necessarily assume you'll be in a fit state to call the emergency services (!). But by far the best use I have for it is wearing it at night and using the vibrate setting to set an unobtrusive alarm so my wife doesn't kill me when I need to wake up at 5am.

 

[_toommm_]

I've got an S24 Ultra, and have a Galaxy Watch Ultra too. It works for me as I run and hike and the battery life on my previous one (Galaxy Watch 6 Classic) didn't muster for 20+ miles hikes, and the GPS was a bit ropey in built-up London. Obviously that isn't your scenario, so a Watch 6 Classic would work great for you. Has a rotating bezel to interact with it alongside the touchscreen and the integration of Samsung and Samsung works well. It'll last you two days on battery, and I used to charge it whilst I was in the shower/bath.

FitBit also do good ones. If you're not 100% set, I'd look at second-hand ones at CEX, or if you are set, somewhere like John Lewis as they're normally good with warranty claims.

 

[najaB]

Any thoughts, advice, recommendations gratefully received!

I bought the Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 5 (the Eduro and Atlas are basically the same watch in a different case). It's a solid performer, decent battery life (I get two and a bit days between charges, you can easily get four or five days in Essential mode), not very expensive (can be under £150 when on sale), and as a Google WearOS watch it supports a wide range of apps.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I’ve got a Garmin Instinct 2 and I love it

It’s perfect for someone who walks a lot, runs (injury permitting), cycles, swims and has chronic OCD that manifests itself mostly in obsessing with and recording data.