Smart watches as a product category have been on the market for about a decade. The promise was clear: you don’t have to look at your phone’s display, because it sends the most important thing to the small display on the watch. You will thus regain some of your fragmented attention.
Soon after, tracking of steps, heart rate, sleep and other details was added. But there is a stumbling block in the basic idea of smart watches: the more they have to do for you, the more powerful the battery they need. And suddenly they no longer fit on your wrist, or you have to charge them every now and then.
The watch in our test
ManufacturerWatchApprox priceAmazfit/ZeppBalance Sunset Gray6200 CZKAppleWatch Series 9 41 mm11 500 CZKGarminEpix Pro Gen 2 51 mm23 000 CZKSamsungGalaxy Watch 6 Classic 43 mm8900 CZKWithingsScanWatch Light 37mm6500 CZK
Over ten years, manufacturers have come up with several ideas to solve this paradox. We’ve picked five representatives—each representing a broader category— and see who they’re for and who they’re not. (Note: All watches for the test were lent by the official Czech distributors of the given brand.)
It takes a lot of time to set up and operate
You take the classic watch out of the box, put it on your wrist, tighten the strap and you’re done. However, if you’re planning to buy a smartwatch for someone who isn’t exactly a fan of mobile toys, you’d better include a voucher for 45 minutes of your time. This is approximately how long it will take to pair your watch.
Photo: Pavel Kasík, Seznam Zpravy
During the first setup, the Apple Watch had a clear advantage, because its manufacturer allows it to be paired only with iPhones, and thus does not have to deal with compatibility with a hundred different phones. But even the Withings and Samsung watches were pretty easy to set up and control as well. With Samsung Watch, this is due to the fact that they use WearOS, and Withings, on the other hand, have a much easier job, since they do not offer any additional applications beyond the functions of the manufacturer.
The Amazfit and Garmin watches were somewhere on the borderline: setup was fast, but a few days after installation one gradually discovers new hidden functions in the settings or in various menus. Garmin watches in particular have so many functions that I recommend users to really sit down with the manual and learn how to create their own menus, folders, etc.
All the tested watches offered some handy control element. Apple, Withings and Amazfit have a rotating crown that you can press at the same time to confirm the selection. The Samsung Watch 6 Classic has a rotating bezel, so you can control it by turning the entire edge around the face, which is by far my favorite control. Garmin, in turn, has five buttons, and the entire control is designed so that each function can be selected only using these buttons. You will appreciate this, for example, in the swimming pool or in the shower, where touchscreens tend to have problems. But it also means a certain limitation in how easy it is to select items.
Weight and durability (do not) go hand in hand
One of the most important parameters of a watch is undoubtedly its weight. No one wants to walk crookedly with their wrist pulled to the ground. And although you can get used to almost anything over time, few people want watches over 100 grams. The watches in our test weigh from less than 30 grams (Withings ScanWatch Light) to more than twice the weight of the Garmin Epix device.
It is interesting, however, that precisely these opposites came together (with a slight distance) in the first two places when we measure the length of endurance. But each time machine has different strategies to extend the life on a single charge. While Garmins promise the possibility of using a large, bright color display throughout the month, Withings - the lightest watch in the test - offer the display more as an accessory. They save energy by only having a monochrome display, and a tiny one at that, about a fifth of the size of the entire dial. This makes the watch elegant, even if at first glance it doesn’t look like a smart watch at all. But they manage to show notifications on the display, even if you have to wait a while for the full text.
Applications and notifications
The Withings watch display is too small to show any advanced stats. You can view them on your phone instead. For some, such a solution is unacceptable, while others will be happy with this compromise.
Anyway, the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch look ridiculously far behind on the endurance chart. This is due to the fact that these are actually full-fledged smartphones reduced to a minimum. Their users can use them to dictate messages, install applications, remotely activate the camera shutter on their phone, etc. They also have their own assistants: Apple’s Siri and Samsung’s Bixby, some functions can even be handled without a connection to the phone.
However, you will pay for such functionality in the low durability. You can get up to a day and a half if you turn off all the advanced features, but then you’ll need to charge the watch. Many users solve this by simply charging the watch overnight, along with the phone. But then they cannot use sleep monitoring or wake-up through the watch.
Smart watches and privacy
If you like to be in full control of your data, most smartwatches will be a nightmare for you. As part of health and fitness monitoring, it really knows about you first and last: your location (using GPS), steps, heart rate, sleep data, exercise… For this you usually have to enter your age or date of birth, weight and height. All together, this is quite a package of data to make you wonder who will do what with it.
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Speaking of notifications: all the watches in the test somehow try to make it easier for the user to initially set up notifications, but you’ll still have to change it during use. If you actively use more than ten applications on your mobile, you will vibrate your wrist so often that the notifications themselves are meaningless and you will start to ignore them. Therefore, I advise you to let your watch only receive those notifications that have priority: messages, phone calls, important e-mails. Be prepared that it won’t be easy to set up. Fortunately, all watches have a “Do Not Disturb” mode, but again, you’ll have to choose exactly what that mode means for you in the settings.
Who are smartwatches for?
As you saw in the video, I ended up throwing a sixth watch into the testing arena, unplanned. My old faithful Casio Waveceptor Edifice that I’ve had for 15 years now. During that time, I didn’t have to charge them once (they have solar charging) or adjust them (time synchronization in Europe works via radio).
This is not to say that you should go buy this watch. But I want to remind you that smart watches simply cannot compete with classics in some respects. So I recommend you consider and try what benefits a smart watch will really bring you. Which of the mentioned features appeals to you and will improve your day?
Which watch for whom?
An overview article cannot replace a full-fledged review of individual devices. Instead, I wanted to show representatives of different approaches to what a smartwatch should actually be able to do.
- Apple Watch and Samsung Watch are classic smart watches that are basically a second display for a mobile phone. They have advanced and convenient functions and you can expect from them small but otherwise full-fledged touch applications. But you pay a tax for it in the form of daily charging.
- The Garmin Epix Pro 2 are like an all-purpose Swiss army knife. When you put them on, you know that it is a serious piece of technology that will not leave you in the mood even in the middle of the forest. Garmin knows its traditional audience: athletes, athletes, outdoor enthusiasts. Those who actually use all of their features are probably somewhere training for the next Olympics.
- Withings ScanWatch Light, on the other hand, created a new category of watches. They have kept most of the smart features, only some of them run only in recording mode. For those who are mainly interested in recording data for later, this can be a good solution. At first glance, the watch does not deviate at all, in appearance or size, which will be important for many people.
- The Amazfit Balance watch already has information in its name that it tries to balance the functions of a smart watch with advanced endurance. They did this surprisingly well. Sharing personal data with the Chinese parent company will be problematic for some. After a bit of setup, they had one of the best controls in the test.
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I want to remind you that smart watches are simply not for everyone. That’s why this test has no winners or losers. We all need different watches, which is why it’s great that there is finally something to choose from.
If you are looking for a last minute gift, I would definitely not buy a smartwatch without consulting the recipient. Also consider whether you are willing to help them set up and pair the watch. Of the tested pieces, I would probably only recommend Withings as a gift to a person who is not a fan of technological toys. In other words, the watch that best disguises being smart.
All other smart watches have a touch screen, a huge number of functions, practically any appearance that you can set and polish. They can measure your sports, health, sleep. They can inform you about everything that rustles on your mobile, or on the contrary cut you off from your mobile. It is up to you to judge what role the watch should actually play. And accordingly, they selected the ones that best fit into your (dream and real) life.
2023-12-18 13:40:34
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