Ever since Apple Inc. announced the first ever smartwatch back in 9th September 2014, the watch industry has moved to a whole new level.
Since then, smartwatches have become very common. Every company big or small has their unique version of the smartwatch.
With all the option at hand, it can get overwhelming to select a particular company’s smartwatch over the other.
Hence, I did some digging and tried to come up with the best possible solution for this growing confusion among people.
Smartwatches are watches with added functionality and to make sure you opt for the best one you will have kept certain in mind. Some Quick Tips to choose the right smartwatch, those being:
- Compatibility with your smartphone.
- Display of the watch.
- Interface being used.
- Styling.
- If it shows notifications or not.
- Apps which can be used.
- Heart rate and GPS monitor.
- Battery life.
- Price.
- Extra Features.
With keeping all the points in mind, I will go in-depth of all the listed points to discuss why looking for those functions are necessary.
Compatibility With Your Smartphone:
Imagine buying a smartwatch and realizing that the brand-new device that you just bought is unusable because your phone doesn’t recognize the device. Frustrating, right?
This is why checking compatibility is an absolute must when hunting for a smartwatch.
Companies that rule the mobile market is mostly manufacturing smartphones; companies like Apple and Samsung.
This is why the companies try to make sure they get you into the ecosystem that they have created using their devices.
Apple
Samsung on this matter is more flexible. Samsung allows its watches to pair with mobile other than their brand.
Even so, Samsung has a little trick up its sleeves as well. There are certain features in the watch that can only be unlocked when paired with the company’s respected mobile phone.
Thus, tricking you to believe that you can use the watch at
Google, however, makes all these complicating ecosystems go away. Technically Google doesn’t have any smartwatch. What it does have is the software that runs the smartwatches other companies make, Wear OS.
Android OS is owned by Google and is used by every other company except Apple. For this reason, companies cannot make smartwatches that are unique to their OS as they are using Googles OS.
Related Article:
Display of The Watch
The screen is going to be a key factor with two variants being offered in the market. Each option has its strengths and weakness.
You will have to choose between an AMOLED display or an LCD screen.
AMOLED displays will offer you a better viewing angle and excellent color visibility in the screen where black will indeed be black.
The catch here will be that AMOLED displays that are not as bright as LCD screens, and AMOLED displays tend to be more power
LCD screens possess what the AMOLED lacks and lacks what the AMOLED possess.
The Interface Being Used
Here you will have to pick from three given options. One being touch, other being buttons of some sort and the last one being the combination of touch and buttons.
The choice between having a touch screen or not in a smartwatch is undeniable. Yes! Go for the touchscreen.
The dilemma here though is the size of the display some maybe not comfortable with touching the screen to browse through notifications or other activities.
So, the choice comes between smartwatch which is only capable of touch and the other smartwatch that has both touch & button.
The advice here is to try using them both, see which one you feel the most comfortable with.
Styling
Obvious! Some people won’t even look at the specs and will buy the smartest looking watch available.
Watches have always displayed class in Men and Women so opting for an ugly looking watch is not even an option no matter how feature-packed it may be.
I am quite confident you are going to call in the same area. Just make sure the belts of the watch can be swapped with new ones later on.
And also ask the store manager if third-party watch belts can be installed easily onto the device.
Notification
This is one of the main reasons you are getting the smartwatch for. The ver
There are smartwatches in the market which will show you notifications from all social medias or any other app.
Usually, Smartwatches will alert you if you receive phone calls or messenger but won’t do the same if you are receiving a request in Messenger or WhatsApp.
Be sure to look for the watch which will alert you on every notification you will receive in your smartwatch.
Apps Which Can Be Used
What is the point of getting a smartwatch if all you do with it is look at the time? You are looking for more functionality in the device thus being the reason to leave your boring watch behind.
Apps are something that will make the watch using experience better in general. Imagine if you have to check your heart rate monitor and you have to pull your phone out to launch the app every time you want to do so.
That would be a real pain, won’t it? Check the built-in apps in the watch as those are the apps that you will be using the most.
You may also look if the watch supports third-party apps. This will increase the functionality of the app making the clock more valuable to you.
Heart Rate and GPS Monitor
Good Smartwatches are very good at keeping track of your heart rate. You might not be a gym freak or much attracted towards fitness in general but cheeping out on this feature is not an option.
Heart rate and GPS are some of the most useful features offered in a smartwatch.
Even if you are someone who is not an athlete or someone who goes to the gym every day, this is a handy feature to have.
The heart rate monitor can get a reading of your heart rate when you feel that your blood pressure is going up.
Seeing the results, you can go and see a doctor straight away.
GPS is another must-have feature in the smartwatch. It allows you to see your location in
Battery Life
Battery life is something
While buying a smartwatch, this factor also has to be taken into consideration, unlike your phone smartwatch batteries has yet to reach maturity.
The smartwatch technology is still relatively new for which battery life in most smartwatches may not be the best.
This is the reason you should double, or even triple confirm if your smartwatch will last the entire day and if not the whole day, how long will it last?
Then comes charging, if your smartwatch takes forever to load, you might be better off without the thing.
Just like our phone, smartwatches should be capable of fast charging to make up for short battery life.
Try to get the battery reading for the battery in the watch, if the reading is right, you should think about buying it.
Pricing
This is something that a lot of you will keep in mind the most. Pricing is something that is going to depend on the brand of the watch you
Usually, the older the smartwatch company, the more they will charge for their products as they have reached a height of maturity and their products are more reliable now.
Price will also depend on the features that the smartwatch is providing, for example, a normal smartwatch without sim card connectivity will cost you less money vice-versa.
I would suggest getting something which is not too high end nor too cheap.
Extra Features
Finally, keep extra features in mind as you are about to make your purchase. Who doesn’t want more for the money they are paying right?
Keep in mind, smartwatch companies will usually charge you more money for certain added features.
Be sure to check if the added features come free with the watch or you have to upgrade the watch plan for the added functionality.
Similar Read: 5 Reasons Why You Should Get Your Kid a Smartwatch
Smartwatch FAQs
Here are some queries by people who went through the process of buying a smartwatch but still had confusion.
What does smartwatches do?
Most smartwatches are designed in such a manner which makes your day to day life much less complicated. Smartwatches work in perfect harmony with your phone lessening your effort on taking out your phone every time you get a notification.
Smartwatches also have data connectivity (High end one) or if your phone is connected to the internet, that should work on your smartwatch as well.
What are the benefits of a smartwatch?
There are lots of advantages what a smartwatch owner will come to like. Some of those advantages are;
- Smart watches have a lot more functionality
- No need of taking out your phone every time
- Looks amazing
- It is the latest and the hottest technology in the market
- Everyone is going to ask about your smartwatch
- Replying to messages has never been easier
- Answering phone calls are made easier
- Can browse photos saved in your phone
This is some of the many advantages that a smartwatch owner is benefited by.
Does Smartwatch use data?
If you buy a smartwatch that supports a sim or an electronic sim then yes, it will consume data. If you are not getting the one with the sim or electronic sim accessibility, the smartwatch will get updates or other necessary downloads via connecting to wifi.
Can smartwatch work without a phone?
Smartwatches are designed in a manner which requires them to work with a phone. There are a few smartwatches that can work on their own, but most of them will need a phone.
Does smartwatch use WI-FI?
Yes, Wi-Fi is essential for a smartwatch when you are going to download its update or any other application designed for the watch.
Are waterproof smartwatches a thing?
Yes, waterproof smartwatches are a thing. There are plenty of watches in the market that is built with IP68 water resistance technology. Meaning you can swim with the watch on and not get the thing messed up.
Final Thoughts
Smartwatches are becoming more and more common nowadays than most people think. As the market for smartwatch increases so does the quality of the smartwatch made by the company.
With this growing market, you can expect the smartwatch to become more sophisticated and fictional.
Smartwatches are going to be one of your expensive purchase so make sure you buy one which you can be proud of.
Resources: Wikipedia, MacWorld, Business Insider