Forget the Apple Watch, Here's Why I Love Cheap Smartwatches

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If you never tried out a smartwatch because they're far too expensive, maybe it's time to check out one of the budget offerings. In fact, not only are they more affordable, but I firmly believe that cheap smartwatches can be superior to more expensive models. Here's why.

Cheaper Smartwatches Have Better Battery Life

The feature set and build quality of smartwatches only get better as you go up in price. Some smartwatches are so advanced that they let you answer calls, track all kinds of health data, and use NFC to pay for groceries. What's strange is that battery life seems to be inversely proportional—the cheaper the smartwatch, the better the battery life.

Of course, battery life highly depends on the exact model in question, but it seems that cheaper smartwatches tend to do a better job on that end. The hardware is more rudimentary, with less bright and sharp screens, slower onboard processors, limited apps, and fewer sensors, yet most smartwatches at any price point use similar battery sizes of about 300–500 mAh. I had a cheap fitness tracker, followed by a cheap smartwatch—the Amazfit GTR 2—and both devices had batteries that could last 10+ days of everyday use, even with sleep and heart rate monitoring.

Now compare that to the Apple Watch, which boasts a meager 18 hours of battery life. Apple thinks that an "all-day battery" is a thing to be proud of. While I must commend their excellent quality and best health and fitness tracking, their watches are not for me. WearOS smartwatches aren't much better, as they are more resource-heavy than proprietary operating systems from brands like Garmin, Huawei, and Amazfit.

I can't be bothered to charge my watch every evening. Also, I travel frequently and don't want to think about having to charge my watch away from home. I have been to Istanbul twice in the past couple of years, and I didn't bring my smartwatch charger with me. I still came back home after a week with battery life to spare both times.

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