Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Wearables Buying Guide: Everything You Need to Know”.
Smartwatch Fitness tracker or not sure what you really need. I’M Lexi your resident watch Enthusiast and I’m here to help you out with everything you need to know when it comes to buying a wearable. Okay. The first question I’m going to ask you is: are you team iPhone or team Android, and not because I want to pick a fight? I promise, but some Watchers only work with certain devices. The Apple watch only works with the iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy watch only works with Android, Fitbit and Garmin, for example, work across both ecosystems. So you have a bit more flexibility. If you change phones, often there are so many different types of wearables. So, let’s drill down a little bit to see which one might be right for you now. Your main choice is Smartwatch or Fitness tracker. Then it’s a matter of price and major features. Fitness trackers have smaller screens than smart watches, but the battery often lasts a lot longer now these are best if you want something slim unobtrusive and to do more simple tasks.
Just like tracking steps and getting notifications from your phone Fitbit is the name. You’Ve probably heard most here with options at different prices, but I also really like the me band as a budget option around fifty dollars, then you have General SmartWatches, usually in the region of around 300 to 500 US Dollars. Now, that’s anything from the Apple watch. Galaxy watch and pixel watch, while Brands like Fitbit and mobboy also have options that fall into this category. Budget.
Smart watches also exist under 250, but they won’t have as many bells and whistles. For example, the Apple watch SE doesn’t have an always-on display, but don’t let that put you off because maybe a simpler Smartwatch is all you need. You can even get lesser known Brands like Amaze fit watches for less than a hundred dollars. Now there are some trade-offs with sensor accuracy, but maybe you don’t really mind premium. Smart watches are in the region of 500 and up think the Apple watch Ultra the Galaxy watch 5 Pro the Garmin Phoenix and epics line, soon toe watches and so on.
Now these have a specialized focus on Fitness with longer lasting batteries and better durability. Plus extra software features that Target specific sports. Like say, scuba, diving, golf or running thought we were done. No, you can even look at a hybrid watch that blends the best of old and new, so think an analog watch face with a tiny screen for notifications.
This looks like a classic watch on the outside, but inside does pretty much the same as a fully fledged Smartwatch, usually with way better battery life and sliding in right at the end are smart Rings like the aura. Now they don’t have screens and are a more passive way to track your sleep and fitness generally they’re, also more pricey than fitness trackers too. But it’s worth considering. If you like, the idea of setting and forgetting something else to keep in mind, several Brands like Fitbit and Aura, also offer an optional monthly subscription service.
Yes, on top of the actual cost of the device to access more in-depth metrics for things like sleep tracking. So do factor that in to your final cost next are there any must-have features that you want pretty much all smart, watches and trackers. These days can get notifications from your phone. They can track a variety of workouts and even track your sleep, but things like an ECG or electrocardiogram and heart health features like irregular heart Rhythm notifications are slowly becoming standard too. Depending on how much you want to spend some of the core features, I would expect on any general Smartwatch in the region of 300 to 500. Are things like an always-on display, so you can see the time or your workout stats on your wrist, even when you’re not actively using the watch built-in GPS voice assistant support, so you can use it. Hands-Free, music, storage and mobile payments, blood, oxygen, ECG and sleep tracking features and an LTE option to stay connected.
Even when your phone isn’t with you now, some have extras that are more or less exclusive to the watch say: car crash detection on the Apple Watch series or stress tracking sensors on the Fitbit sense and body composition, sensors on the Galaxy watch and don’t forget about Third-Party apps, because some watches have bigger app stores than others. The Apple App Store and Google Play Store, have the biggest selection for their respective watches. Fitbit and Garmin have some of the main big players on there, like Spotify, for example, but they’re.
Nowhere near as extensive battery life can be a deal breaker, so I really want you to ask yourself: are you, okay, with charging a watch every single day, maybe at the same time as you charge your phone? If you don’t want to track sleep or are you a, I need a week’s worth of battery type of person like me, there’s no right or wrong answer here, but in my experience it is nice having a watch. You don’t constantly need to charge, especially if you want to track sleep overnight or you are traveling. The Apple watch and Galaxy watch both last about a day to a day and a half with regular usage, but they also have Ultra and pro models that can go. Several days between charges, models from Fitbit and Garmin can last multiple days to even a week, and sometimes even several weeks before running out of battery.
But the trade-off is usually you don’t get as nice of a screen. So what’s the best time to buy. That’S definitely around big buying holidays, like Black Friday and before Christmas, but the big factor. I always like to tell people who ask me: when, should I buy a new smartwatch Lexi check the release cycle? So that means, if you buy an Apple Watch in August. Well, it’s probably going to be superseded in September, because a new model is right around the corner, but this can work to your advantage. If you’re a bargain hunter, now I was able to get the 45 millimeter Apple Watch series 7 as a gift for an absolute steal in August 2022, and seeing that it wasn’t hugely different from the series 8 and it’s still getting the same software updates.
It actually worked out really well, because I care about you and your wallet here is a cheat sheet of when all the major brands usually release new models. The Apple watch is generally September or October. Samsung is generally Late July or August.
Fitbit is around the early fall. Google is in October, and Garmin is January February, April June and September pretty much all year round. As you can see, Garmin is a little bit of an outlier there, as they have so many models that one might take a little bit more research on your part, but I am always happy to help you.
So if you have a buying question about which watch to get chances, are I’ve probably worn and tested it myself? So drop me a comment down below. You can also find me on your favorite social media Network at Lexi civetis, and I will catch you later. .