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A smartwatch is a digital device that is worn on the wrist. It typically has many of the same features as a smartphone, such as the ability to make and receive calls, text messages, and email.
However, a smartwatch also has some unique features, such as tracking fitness data and monitoring heart rate. So, are smartwatches worth it?
Contents
What Is A Smartwatch, And How Does It Work?
Your grandfather’s wristwatch is the great-great-grandson of the smartwatch. Today’s smartwatch is more akin to a miniature wearable computer than the typical timepiece.
Smartwatch features have become increasingly complicated to suit today’s technologically advanced generation. A smartwatch can now do much more than telling the time.
According to statistics, sales of smartwatches have consistently increased as technology has progressed. Whereas just 5 million sales were registered in 2017, by the end of the year, 75 million sales were predicted.
What Is The Purpose Of A Smartwatch?
We’ve developed a list of the essential smartwatch features. However, these will differ by device.
1. Tells the time – This is a function that will never go out of style, and while it is the smartwatch’s most essential feature, it is far from its most intriguing.
2. It may be used as a GPS tracking gadget to tell you where you are, track your treks and runs, and even a GPS tracker can watch your child’s, pet’s, or elderly loved one’s movements. In the field of GPS tracking, smartwatches have made remarkable progress.
Big names like Apple and Sony compete to see who can make the best ‘wearable’ device, and they’re constantly introducing new features.
3. It will also assist you in translating foreign languages – nowadays, it is pretty simple to incorporate a translating system that allows the user to comprehend a foreign language. Consider this scenario: you’re in a Tokyo museum, and you enter the description of an exhibit and instantly grasp what it means.
4. Allows you to play games – With so many smartwatches now including touch screens, more and more of these gadgets include at least one or two games (with the opportunity to download additional) to keep the wearer occupied. This feature is handy when persuading a child to use a smartwatch.
5. A smartwatch can be used as a fitness tracker. You’ve probably heard of the FitBit, which allows users to count how many steps they do each day to fulfill their daily goals. A sports watch can be customized to track your workout progress, and some models can provide detailed data such as heart rate and calories burned.
6. Connects to other mobile devices – Today’s smartwatches include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in, allowing them to communicate with your phone and exchange data. On the other hand, a wristwatch can serve as a front for your smartphone, allowing you to access your apps even if you don’t have your phone with you.
This varies with every smartwatch, but some can only connect with phones that use the same operating system, while others have their operating system and can connect with any phone.
7. It serves as a media player – Many modern smartphones allow you to listen to music and view other media files such as videos and photographs. If you want to go for a run (hey, it can measure your activity!) while listening to music without carrying your phone, this is a terrific option.
8. You can capture images with your smartwatch – yes, a smartwatch can also be used as a digital camera. The vast majority of smartwatches only work in selfie mode,’ which means that the camera is on the same side of the device as the screen. Depending on the brand and quality, your watch can shoot some decent images.
9. A smartwatch can also function as an altimeter. This is fantastic news for everyone who enjoys hiking, skiing, or other outdoor mountain sports. A smartwatch can usually provide you with accurate information on how high you are right now.
10. It works well as a compass, and some of the more modern smartwatches even have one built-in. This is especially useful if you prefer outdoor activities like hiking in the woods.
11. An accelerometer can be built into a smart wristwatch. It can tell you how fast you’re moving, which is helpful in almost any sport. This feature is handy if you’re preparing for a sporting event or want to improve your athletic ability over time.
12. Your speaker on the go. Your very own DJ on the fly, thanks to your portable speaker. It’s not quite that, but it’s close enough. Some timepieces, particularly those from high-end manufacturers, come equipped with decent speakers. It’s perfect for playing music at a picnic and taking a phone call when you’re outside or away from your phone.
13. Use your smartwatch as a phone. Although this isn’t true for all of them, most smartwatches now include the ability to function as a phone. They even let you program in numbers, like your smartphone’s Contacts list.
14. Take your temperature wherever you are: As smartwatches become more intelligent, they are beginning to expand their capabilities beyond smartphone apps into areas like health. For example, the Blocks Modular Smartwatch can assess your temperature and even detect the level of oxygen in your blood and monitor your heart rate.
15. Indoor or outdoor barometer: Yes, certain timepieces can monitor your current air pressure. What is the significance of this? This can be useful if you’re sensitive to air pressure (as some people are), and it can also assist you in navigating when you’re camping or trekking.
The Advantages Of Wearing A Smartwatch
Take a look at our list of the best reasons to invest in a smartwatch:
Sorted for a Healthy Lifestyle
When you buy a smartwatch, you gain full access to a wide choice of fitness tracking apps that will help you achieve your objectives while also living a healthy lifestyle.
Each smartwatch has slightly different capabilities, but you can be sure that you’ll be able to track a variety of exercises and take advantage of built-in wellness functions.
The fitness features will also measure your steps and heart rate, so you’ll always know your heart’s health and when you’ve reached that crucial fat-burning zone.
If you’re trying to better shape, a smartwatch is always a good option.
On Your Wrist: Notifications
Many individuals value being connected to the outside world; whether it’s waiting for that essential email, receiving news updates, or knowing when to get up and move, we all want to be informed.
One of the best features of smartwatches is that they can be customized to notify you in the way and at the time that you desire.
You don’t have to accept all alerts and may choose which ones to take app by app, so you know when a notice arrives that it is essential.
Some smartwatches also allow you to customize how you are notified, choosing from vibration, on-screen notification, or both.
This is ideal if you want to keep your alerts completely private, especially if you don’t want them to bother others.
Keep in contact with the Outside World
While smartwatches will never be able to replace phones completely, we can already anticipate them to assist us with calls and text messages.
Incoming calls and texts will be alerted on all smartphones, ensuring that you don’t miss that important call.
Modern smartwatches will also allow you to answer calls and respond to texts, eliminating the need to look for your phone every time it rings.
This is an especially great choice if you want to go for a run but have forgotten your phone or hidden it in an arm strap.
You can even answer and transfer your call on your phone if it turns out to be longer than intended.
These standalone smartwatches are ideal for folks who dislike the added heft that smartphones have become.
Central to Entertainment
The preinstalled entertainment features are next on our list of reasons to acquire a smartwatch.
You may easily connect your headphones and listen to your favorite music. You are also not bound to a single music provider because each wristwatch comes with apps ready to download, allowing you to explore your alternatives until you discover the one that best suits your needs.
Not only can you listen to music streaming services on your wristwatch, but you can also listen to the radio, fitness workouts, and podcasts, allowing you to customize your entertainment options.
In Style
It may appear superficial, but being on trend is quite important to most of us, and we all want to fit in with the latest trends, even if we don’t admit it.
Having a smartwatch gives you access to the unique world of wearables, and you may take your time selecting the best timepiece for you.
You can easily find the appropriate smartwatch because there are so many manufacturers and options.
If you genuinely want to be on-trend, look at what your favorite celebrities are wearing on their wrists on social media and then purchase the same or similar smartwatch. You’ll be the envy of your pals before you know it.
Waterproof – For the most part
When you own a smartwatch, you can jump in the shower, swim, or run in the rain.
Most modern smartwatches are water-resistant, so you won’t have to worry about the weather ruining your watch.
If you’re asking yourself, “Is a smartwatch worth it?” The fact that you can swim with it may also influence your decision.
You can either take it to the pool and keep track of your lengths and strokes or relax in the sea and bobble around till your heart is satisfied.
Make careful to check the watch’s resistance depth, as not all timepieces can withstand the same amount of pressure.
There’s also a distinction between ‘waterproof’ and ‘water-resistant.’ Manufacturers frequently avoid the phrase ‘waterproof’. If you participate in watersports or swim, simply being “water-resistant” will not be enough.
Most smartwatches, including the new Apple watches, are designed to withstand being submerged in water.
Pay Your Dues
One of the most valuable features of a smartwatch is paying with it.
This feature is available from all smartwatch providers, and it makes life a lot easier in the drive-thru or when you want to grab a coffee without having to hunt around for your cash.
Smartwatches require you to be signed into the screen, and all you have to do to complete your transaction is hold the watch up to the payment scanner.
Assistance in an Emergent Situation
Many of us like taking a walk or jogging to clear our brains, but we often overlook the risks of doing it alone.
You may expect the latest smartwatches to recognize when you’ve fallen and alert emergency authorities if you’re unresponsive.
This feature allows you to share information about your position so that you may seek aid as quickly as possible, making your next jog safer.
Suppose you’re wondering what the advantages of smartwatches are. In that case, you should know that most models come with an emergency call feature, which allows you to inform emergency personnel if you find yourself in a dangerous scenario.
This feature has proven to be extremely popular with parents of teenagers and a valuable tool for women who are out alone.
The Cons Of Wearing A Smartwatch
Every positive has an equal and opposite bad, and while smartwatches are extremely popular, they also have some severe drawbacks.
Here are some smartwatch disadvantages to think about:
Cost
When you consider the price tag, smartwatches are an excellent accessory, but you must consider whether they are worth it and how you will afford to get one.
The most popular ones sell for a lot of money, and if you want all of the features, you’ll have to be willing to spend a lot of money.
In addition, if you want a smartwatch with a built-in SIM card for making and receiving calls, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee.
Many people believe the price is both prohibitive and excessive. Luxury watches have a reputation for being exorbitantly priced, but when you compare the elegance of a Rolex to the functionality of a modern smartwatch, the latter can seem insignificant.
Life of the Batteries
When it comes to smartwatches, being able to wear one for more than a day is merely aspirational. Many claim to have little wear but fail to mention that this is only true if you aren’t using all the available intelligent functions.
Most smartwatches will get you through the day, and some will even get you through the night, but they will need to be recharged within 24 hours.
Although Apple and Samsung have made significant progress with gesture and voice commands, these technologies are still in their infancy and will not be wholly matured for several years.
I suppose this is just the (for the time being) trade-off you have to make when purchasing a smartwatch. They’re great at some things but severely limited in others. We wouldn’t be addressing this if the clean UI hadn’t spoiled us on modern smartphones, but it’s a fact, and it’s probably my biggest pet peeve with smartwatches.
Updated Frequently
It’s also worth considering if a smartwatch is worthwhile if you find yourself out of date a week after purchasing one.
The unfortunate reality is that technology advances at such a breakneck pace that new products are released near-daily.
As a result, you may anticipate installing a lot of updates regularly and then find yourself wishing for the newest device available.
Before you go out and get yourself a flashy new smartwatch, think about whether the model is exactly what you want and how you’ll cope if an enhanced version hits the shelves next week.
One way to get around this is to look into all newly announced technology; you might find that your ideal smartwatch is a month away from release, and it’s better to wait for it than settle for second best and regret it.
We all want to access all of the fantastic insights that come with sleep tracking, step counting, and fitness mapping, so this necessity can be a challenging route to navigate.
When you take your smartwatch off, you can’t track anything until you put it back on, wondering when the optimum time is to charge it and get it ready to go.
Check out our hybrid watch guide if you’re looking for a smartwatch with long battery life.
Interface
In my opinion, the user interface is one of the smartwatches’ most significant flaws. With today’s technology, creating an entirely smooth interface that doesn’t grate on your nerves at some point seems unachievable.
Although Apple and Samsung have made significant progress with gesture and voice commands, these technologies are still in their infancy and will not entirely mature for several years.
I suppose this is just the (for the time being) trade-off you have to make when purchasing a smartwatch. They’re great at some things but severely limited in others. We wouldn’t be addressing this if the clean UI hadn’t spoiled us on modern smartphones, but it’s a fact, and it’s probably my biggest pet peeve with smartwatches.
Updated Frequently
It’s also worth considering if a smartwatch is worthwhile if you find yourself out of date a week after purchasing one.
The unfortunate reality is that technology advances at such a breakneck pace that new products are released near-daily.
As a result, you may anticipate installing a lot of updates regularly and then find yourself wishing for the newest device available.
Before you go out and get yourself a flashy new smartwatch, think about whether the model is exactly what you want and how you’ll cope if an enhanced version hits the shelves next week.
One way to get around this is to look into all newly announced technology; you might find that your ideal smartwatch is a month away from release, and it’s better to wait for it than settle for second best and regret it.
Is It True That A Smartwatch Is Better Than A Smartphone?
Many people wonder if it wouldn’t be better to have a watch instead of a smartphone because a smart wristwatch can perform many things that a smartphone can.
As with anything, there are arguments for and against using a smartwatch instead of a smartphone.
Smartwatches are superior to smartphones in the following ways:
- They are less cumbersome to transport. With a phone, you need something to carry it in (even if it’s just a pocket), and you need to keep track of it, so you don’t lose it all the time. On the other hand, a watch is securely attached to your wrist, and you may go about your business without a concern in the world. Statistics reveal that wearables have been rapidly increasing in popularity in recent years.
- Your smartwatch is also easier to use. Instead of reaching into your bag or pocket to unlock your phone, you now have fast access to all your apps and data, thanks to the device strapped to your arm.
- A smartwatch can be used as a fitness tracker and is significantly more accurate than a phone.
- A smartwatch can help you stay connected without wasting time if you’re an active person. For example, if you’re running and hear a message in your headphones, you should stop and check what the notification says. You can quickly glance down at your wrist with a smartwatch without having to stop what you’re doing.
However, when compared to smartphones, smartwatches have some drawbacks:
- The first is the size of your screen, which is the most noticeable. Companies have been battling to make smartwatch screens bigger and better suited to display information. However, you can only obtain a small screen size with a smartwatch. Can you imagine yourself jogging about with a watch the size of a phone fastened to your wrist?
- Another difficulty with smartwatches is that they have a reduced power source due to their smaller size. Most smartwatch customers (even those who buy from big manufacturers like Apple or Samsung) complain about the device’s short battery life.
- A decent quality smartwatch could suffice depending on how much you use your gadget, but if you use it frequently throughout the day, a phone might be a better fit because it has more modern hardware.
And, regrettably, most smartwatches on the market now aren’t self-contained, are they? As previously said, they may link to a mobile device and gain access to many applications that help you chat, play games, listen to music, and so on. However, individuals can only do so by using an existing mobile device.
While future smartwatches may be able to solve this issue, it is still a significant drawback.
So, depending on what you want from a smartwatch, this small wrist device may or may not be worth it. As we’ve seen, there are positive and negative aspects to both sides.
Conclusion
On the one hand, smartwatches can be a cost-effective way to get notifications without carrying a smartphone or wearing a different watch. On the other hand, smartwatches are still primarily in their infancy and might not be a good fit for everyone.
If you’re interested in smartwatches, check out HereOfamily helpful buying guide.
