A smartwatch may seem like a solution looking for a problem, but it’s easy to forget that people have a similar attitude toward iPads, smartphones, and almost every new device that’s quickly becoming inevitable. So is the smartwatch worth it?
For most users, the answer has been “no” for most, but the latest generation of smartwatches has changed that. Let’s see if modern smartwatches are good enough to justify their price.
Are smartwatches mature enough?
The first smartwatches were full of compromises. Poor hardware and a small install base also resulted in reduced third-party app support. One of the biggest issues was the lack of an always-on display. The old chip design and LCD technology were too powerful for the watch to always show something on the screen. This made smartwatches too bad to be real watches!
Modern watches from companies like Apple and Samsung have solved these problems to a great extent. Newer models use OLED technology and can slow the screen refresh rate down to a single-digit Hertz number. So you can have both an always-on watch face and a day or two of battery power. Now there is a lot of support from third-party app developers as well. That’s why we have no reservations about smartwatches
As a health and medical device
One of the most compelling reasons a smartwatch is worth it is 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 to buy one. Apple and Samsung, arguably the biggest smartwatch makers, have developed excellent health software suitable for their watches.
Smartwatches help effectively combat common modern problems such as being inactive for too long or not watching what we eat. They provide a convenient and intuitive way to keep track of your food intake and how active you are.
Thanks to better sensors and better algorithms, smartwatches now have more accurate estimates of step count and calories burned.
There is much more on the horizon. For example, the Galaxy Active 2 has a built-in ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor. Samsung is awaiting regulatory approval to enable it. Combined with a smart fall sensor, this function can really save the lives of frail or chronically ill users.
It can also act as an early warning system for irregular heartbeats, which can potentially lead to more serious health problems. In short, today and certainly in the future, smartwatches are valuable health devices and well worth it from that standpoint alone.
Very easy to check messages and make calls
While it may seem like a small thing, pulling your phone out of your pocket every time a notification comes in can be both tedious and time-consuming. Most new smartwatches integrate notifications and messaging apps, syncing them with your phone.
That means you can quickly view incoming messages with the flick of your wrist and decide if putting your phone out there is worth the effort. You can also reply to simple text messages or leave voice notes in apps like WhatsApp or Evernote.
We’ve also found that answering calls on the clock is often the fastest and most convenient way to do so. Because the watch is always on your wrist, it’s essentially the easiest place to answer calls. Plus, as a bonus, you’ll feel like Dick Tracy is talking to your wrist!
Most smartwatches are also Bluetooth compatible, so they allow you to make calls using a Bluetooth headset.
Controlling other devices with Smart Watch
As smartwatches have matured, it’s become clear that one of the best uses for the device you always wear on your wrist is a remote control of other technology.
For example, you can download an app that acts like a universal TV remote for smart TVs. If you’re a Spotify subscriber, you can use the smartwatch Spotify app to control the Spotify app on another device. How to use your smart watch as a remote trigger for your phone camera? These are all possibilities and developers are thinking more and more every day.
Using a service like IFTTT or Zapier, many smartwatch devices can be connected to other services with custom recipes. So you can integrate your smart watch into your smart home system. For example, if your smart security camera detects motion, you can receive a notification on your watch.
Modular watch faces are really useful
Most smartwatches have screens that display some sort of virtual watch face. You can usually replace them with others made by a first-party company or third-party creators. Sometimes you can get them for free, and sometimes some watch faces cost some money.
Being able to change the watch face of your smartwatch is probably one of the most underrated features. It is not just about the looks, but there is also a big reason to love them. After all, you can change the look of your watch face to match your current outfit or mood!
But from a more practical point of view, it can be very helpful to switch to different watch faces depending on the information you need.
For example, a watch face with live weather data such as wind speed is useful when flying a drone. If you’re running, you might want to see your heart rate front and center.
When traveling, you probably want to see a certain number of time zones displayed at the same time. With a smartwatch, you can use the watch face that contains the most useful information for your current needs, and when you’re done you can go back to something more normal for everyday use.
Smartwatches are worth it, but they still have problems
While we think smartwatches are now both value-for-money and reasonably useful gadgets, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Battery life is probably the biggest problem. We’ve used it for a few hours over the years, and some can take up to a week with limited features. High-end models like the Galaxy Active 2 will give you a maximum of one to two days.
There is still considerable fragmentation when it comes to smartwatch operating systems. Android Wear, Apple’s watchOS and Samsung’s Tizen are just the three biggest names. If there are many different smartwatch operating systems, it becomes difficult for developers to cover them all.
Smart watches also need to be more independent. Currently still a smartphone accessory. Although there are models that can independently connect to the mobile Internet. For now, a smartwatch isn’t all that useful when it’s no longer connected to a phone.
However, better hardware in future watches could push them to the point where they could become the primary smart devices for use cases such as navigation.
So, to answer the question whether smartwatches are worth it, we can say that they are objectively worth the money, given their maturity and functionality. Whether they are worth it to you will of course depend on whether these functions are important or useful.
Either way, you don’t have to worry about early adopter headaches. These nifty gadgets are way out of that stage of their development.
