Life with Entry level smartwatches
Smart watches have become one of the popular and must have gadget and accessory. While the famous and premium brands like Garmin, Apple Watch , Galaxy watch provides a lot of convenince, how is the experience with entry level or budget smart watches ( less than 5000 INR or $75). While it is imperative that they will not give the same experience as the premium brands, the question is, what do you miss out on?
This blog is based on my experience is using Noise fit (from 2021–2023) and Fireboltt (2023) . Please note that I have not used any premium smart watches. So, I am not comparing apples with oranges, but just elaborating on my experiences with them.
This post has been cross posted on my personal blog as well.
Location access
Most of the watches in this price range do not have in-built independent location access. While a few can give location when paired with a mobile phone, watches alone do not have it. This is relevant when planning to go for a long run or cycling, and you do not want to take your phone with you. While the distance will be measured and given, the actual geographical location might not be given.
Accuracy of values
In my experience the distance values given by the watchs are not same as the one given by my phone. For the same running, Strava measures a distance of 4 Kilometres, watches give a different value and they differ by a huge margin. Noise fit gave 4.8 Kilometers and Bolut give me 3.2 kilometres. Sleep duration is also not accurate and completely off.For workouts like Yoga, weight lifting etc the calorie values apper very less and same irrespective of the intensity of the workout. I would not bet on these watches to monitor my temperature or heart beat and alert or notify me.
Integration with third party apps
These watches do not offer integration with external fitness apps like Strava or Adidas training. I track my running and cycling in strava. I would have loved if these watches can share data with Strava. Due to this, I am not able to share my workout details with my trainer, fans and friends from a single consolidates location.
App Capabilities
App interface and experience are sufficient and satisfactory. A major complaint is that the apps of these devices consume/drain a lot of battey from the phone. Even if the watch is not paired and connected, the apps continue to run and drain the battery of the phone. The apps also miss the capability to compare various workout sessions.
Battery life
One thing that impresses me significantly is the battery life of the watches. It takes aroun 8 to 9 days to go from 100 to 15%, which I find is good.
Verdict
So, are the entry level smart watches worth it. For people who are not very heatlh conscious and who are not driven by fitness statisctics, these watches will suffice and offer a great value. They measure a lot of attributes. Even with a debatable accuracy %, they can be used to comapre the trend and consistency. If you are planning to use this to flaunt your workout and measure your progress in a objecive manner, investing a bit more on premium watches helps you to meet those objectives.