10 Reasons Not to Buy a Smartwatch
 To smartwatch or not to smartwatch. That is the question!Â
I am compiling the reasons not to buy a smartwatch after going through a smartwatch detox myself. Now, what happened is that it was my 3rd smartwatch in the span of 7 years that broke down. It was not getting charged, hence it died a not-so-painful death (pun intended!).
So, I started surfing to get ideas of what smartwatch to buy and which company is totally up on the smartwatch game nowadays.
Meanwhile, I was exercising and completing my 10,000 steps target daily. Honestly, in the beginning, I used to miss my smartwatch, and from time to time; I used to stare at my bare wrist.
But, around day 14 of living a smartwatch-free life, I was SURE that I do not need it anymore. And that is EXACTLY what I am going to tell you: The reasons not to buy a smartwatch!
1. You still need a smartphone-one of the top reasons not to buy a smartwatch
One cannot solely operate smartwatches. You need a smartphone anyway. So, why not just invest in a good phone instead?
2. Smartwatches and their regular charging issues
I told you earlier that my last smartwatch issue was that it was not retaining the battery or getting charged AT ALL. In the beginning, it used to get discharged as fast as you say BAZINGA! But then a time came when it stopped charging altogether.
One of the top reasons not to get a smartwatch is that this is the issue with most smartwatches. No matter how much the companies claim of longer retaining battery life, you will get a heartbreak (a dead smartwatch) in the middle of a strenuous cardio workout, where you have to keep a track of the calories you burnt during that particular session.
3. Extra burden of a device to charge
One of the reasons not to buy a smartwatch is that you would have to worry about charging a new device every night other than your laptop and mobile phone(s) (some people have two or more!)
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No matter how much you try saving up your smartphone’s battery, with the number of notifications that will pop up, the battery will eventually get depleted.
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As a result, you would have to run your smartwatch more or less in airplane mode, which will ultimately defeat the purpose of a smartwatch.
4. Heavy On The Pocket
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Smartwatches are really expensive nowadays. Now, I can see a few eye rolls here from the people who are pro-low-budget smartwatches. You will also agree with me that the cheaper versions of smartwatches do not have many features and they are not trustworthy even. For outstanding features, you always have to go towards Fitbit, Samsung, or Apple smartwatches. And in that amount, you can get your hands on a new smartphone instead.
5. It’s complicated
Just setting up and synching the smartwatch with your smartphone takes time. It is one of the reasons not to buy a smartwatch. Whenever the battery dies, you have to set up the time once again. I assure you that it used to irritate me like anything.
6. Health tracking is not always totally accurate
One of the downsides of buying a smartwatch is that we start relying totally on the health stats displayed by the smartwatch. But low-priced smartwatches do not always give totally accurate pieces of information. Do not play with your health by blindly trusting smartwatch stats.Â
7. Smartwatch-An eyesight killer
Now, as we were discussing health, smartwatches do otherwise for our eye health. Such a small screen puts a strain on our eyes and may result in our eyesight getting worsened.
8. The daily step count can be deceptive
9. Obsolescence-one of the reasons not to buy a smartwatch
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Every electronic gizmo gets obsolete in three years. Now, isn’t it so?
- Its battery will drain fast
- It will start looking dull,non-cool, and dilapidated
- With time, other systems won’t support it.
10. Uncomfortable in sharing your basic information
If you are one of those people who aren’t comfortable sharing your biometrics and basic habits with the brand of wearable you choose, then it is one of the top reasons not to buy a smartwatch.
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But then you already give up WAY more information through your smartphone. Start living in a cave, maybe…!
Bonus reason for tackling your mental health
Direct access to notifications increases your anxiety-one of the top reasons not to buy a smartwatch
When smartwatches first came to the market, everyone (including me!) was awestruck by the feature of getting all the notifications on my wrist. It was really cool to be able to checkout emails, and social media notifications on the go.
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On the contrary, the constant notifications were increasing the stress and anxiety levels of people and were playing with their mental health and well-being.
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Imagine you are on a vacation, excitedly sightseeing, and all of a sudden you get bombarded with a number of emails. All your happy vacationer mood will poof off..!!
Bottom Line
Wrapping it up for you about the reasons not to buy a smartwatch. A smartwatch is a cool tech device, and it is a multi-tasker for sure. Nevertheless, after a few years, it ends up in the dustbin or a drawer (if you are a necrotech like me!) But eventually; it is of no use.
It seems that we have reached the same point with smartwatches that we once were with the MP3 player before iPod’s release.
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Not a single smartwatch manufacturer has yet come up with such an interesting feature that makes one ask how they could live without it.
Better invest in a good smartphone instead. After all, a smartwatch is incomplete without a smartphone. If you have the question in mind, should I buy a smartwatch or a normal watch? Then we must ask you to go for a normal watch that can be handed down through the generations to come.