Buying a smartwatch can be quite challenging sometimes – you need to look for the one that checks all the boxes: looks, features, hardware, compatibility, and more. This is why you need to put in a bit of research and use your due diligence before mindlessly spending your hard-earned dollars on something that is either going to be obsolete in a few months’ time or not compatible with your current smartphone.
But, lucky you – we’ve done all the heavy lifting by reviewing some of the top smartwatches in the wearable industry so that you can choose your right smartwatch without going through the boring stuff. From our experience of reviewing a bunch of smartwatches, the following are the most important things you need to consider before buying a smartwatch.
7 Important Things To Consider Before Buying a Smartwatch
1. Compatibility
The first thing you need to check is whether the said smartwatch is compatible with your handset or not because you definitely don’t want a watch that collects all the insights about your day but wouldn’t send it to your device. For instance, Apple’s Watch Series 5 is one of the best smartwatches available in the market today, but it is only compatible with an iPhone and won’t work if you have an Android phone like a Pixel. What a bummer, right?
2. Brand
It’s probably a good idea to stick with a popular smartwatch brand like Apple Watch Series or Samsung Galaxy Watch and avoid the no-name ones for obvious reasons. There are a plethora of rip-offs out there that either won’t work after a while or put you through a lot of troubles like display issues, connectivity issues, etc. So, you might not want to settle for the cheap ones in the market. Instead, you could maybe save up a little more and get a better alternative.
3. Budget
We understand that you don’t want to spend a good portion of your savings on a watch. Also, we wouldn’t really recommend you to go for the costliest smartwatch out there even if you’re well off. It’s important that you make a list of features you’d want in the device and look for the affordable options that have all the said features. This way, you can save quite a bit of money while at the same time not compromising on the necessary features.
4. Features
Like I mentioned earlier, you should make a list of required features that you would want in your smartwatch prior to making a purchase. Picking a right smartwatch is a lot easier if you already have a clear idea of what you are in the market for. Some key features you should be looking for in a smartwatch include apps compatibility, cellular connectivity, heart rate monitoring, sleep monitoring, and dust and water resistance.
5. Design
Looks are subjective, so it’s really up to you to decide whether you need a round smartwatch or a square-shaped one. Most brands offer smartwatches in different colour variants too. Some of the best choices if you are into square smartwatches include Apple Watch Series 5, Fitbit Versa, and Amazfit Bip. Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2, Ticwatch Pro LTE, Huawei Watch 2 are some of the best options if you’re looking for a round smartwatch.
6. Battery Life
I don’t know about you, but battery life is one of the first things I look for when making a purchase – regardless of whether I’m getting a smartwatch, a smartphone, or pretty much any other gadget. You certainly don’t want a smartwatch that dies before you have even made it to home from work. Although most smartwatches are notorious for their bad battery life, you’d find ones that last over a week if you dig a little deeper. Smartwatches from renowned brand Garmin are your best bet if you’re anything like me and prioritizes battery life over anything else.
7. Warranty
Smartwatch repairs can get quite expensive, especially if you have one from a no-name brand as it’d be difficult to get hold of spare parts. It could cost you anywhere around $45-$60 for single repair service. This is yet another reason why you should not be getting a knockoff product as you’d end up spending a lot more in repairs than you would if you were to buy a branded smartwatch. Most branded smartwatches come with at least a year of repair and replacement warranty.
