Smart Watch Advice

Neames

Hi,

I hope this isn't blasphemy where I ask for advice on a nice looking smart watch. I'm keen on the health monitoring features of a smart watch like step count, blood pressure monitor etc. But I don't like the very basic look of the fitbit or the price of the apple watch.

My budget is around 300.

fat bloke

Don't think any of them will do your blood pressure, but Garmin should have something for your taste and budget.

Dev1234

Might be worth starting a similar thread on either the Athletics or Fitness forums as folks there would use their fitness trackers on a regular basis and I'm sure they would have guidance on the pros and cons of the different manufacturers (Garmin, Polar etc.)

Wolftown

Check out Withings, they offer the best looking smart watches IMO. Battery life is also very good.

freiteg

None of them will check blood pressure for you. But usually the health apps for iphone or android or 3rd parties like garmin will let you enter those numbers.

Garmin's range will give you the best battery life of any smart watch but would be more health / fitness focused and have less "lifestyle" features compared to Apple of Android. Garmin this week released new models of a number of ranges so you could find deals on older versions at the moment.

DellyBelly

I can recommend the Garmin Enduro 2 Smartwatch. Very nice but as others says doesn't read blood pressure

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365162/smart-watch-advice

None of them do blood pressure, but for step counter and heart rate and sleep tracking, for a watch that does the basics that doesnt look like you have the bridge of the USS Enterprise on your arm, I recommend the Fossil Hybrid range.

bennyx_o

The new Samsung smart watches will measure blood pressure once it's been calibrated but are outside your budget. You also need a Samsung phone for it to work IIRC. You may need to forgo the blood pressure measurement

freiteg

oh I missed that release. Interesting

Rows Grower

As Lambshankredemtion said the Fossil Hybrid range are worth a look. They have loads of different styles that look just like a regular watch and you just sync it up with your phone. Plenty of choices of different leather or stainless steel straps to change the look of the watch too. I have one years and they are very reliable and durable.

Coach6932

Not out yet but it’s rumoured the whoop 5.0 will have a blood pressure monitoring feature. Worth keeping an eye out for it if you don’t get sorted in the meantime.

Added benefit, you can wear the whoop without it looking like you’re wearing two watches if you fancy keeping a classic watch on the wrist!

ondafly

Samsung galaxy watch 4 should come under budget. It measures blood pressure and has been fairly accurate in my experience.

LambshankRedemption

Google have just released the Pixel Watch. At 399 it is a bit above your original budget:

https://store.google.com/ie/product/pixel_watch_3?hl=en-GB&pli=1

corkie

Hope people don't mind me resurfacing this thread?

It is my Birthday coming up at the end of the month and friend keeps asking me what I want for it?

Came across this store in DC and Blackpool Cork. 'HUGMIE' they have these cheap smartwatches brand in store: -

Watch - Hoco Y22 Smart Watch Amoled - Bluetooth Calls - Black (IP67 Waterproof) + Black Strap

Are these just a gimmick brand? Don't want to waste my friend's money on it? I am not into sports/fitness so don't need them features in a watch.

So basic calls/texts/notifications would suit me fine. I have a samsung galaxy A05s phone and don't want something that would cost more than the phone itself.

Box opening and review below, change subtitles to English!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QktgSazA4KQ

CiboC

Check the range from Amazfit.

They do one thing that all the others don't seem to get, battery life.

I had a few galaxy watches but it used to drive me nuts that you had to charge it every day. If you forgot you didn't have enough battery life left for the next day. It means any sleep tracking functions are useless because you choose to use them and have no battery in the morning or charge the thing overnight so you could use it the next day and thereby not make use of the sleep tracking. The pixel watches are the same.

The Amazfit I have on my wrist right now is at 59% battery and was charged 4 days ago. It will genuinely get 8 to 10 days from a charge. It does everything that any of the other watches can do.

The software may not be quite as slick looking as some of the others, but that's a price I'm gladly willing to pay for the functionality of having a watch you can use all the time.

Neames

Thanks very much,

This one looks great. Nice slick look and gets great review. Excellent price as well.

https://amzn.eu/d/ej8mUll

Deep Thought

i have a Garmin.. they go for days but n ok BP.

That's why I went for it. Had Apple Watch and tbh was getting paranoid with heart and and O2..

H_Lime

Get two wks from my Instinct 2s, swim, dive, bashing it, can't kill it.

CiboC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123569286#Comment_123569286

You can get that cheaper directly from Amazfit, pick one of the EU countries for euro prices.

corkie

Watch - Hoco Y22 Smart Watch Amoled - Bluetooth Calls - Black (IP67 Waterproof) + Black Strap

Just a follow up, got the above watch today.

Came home with it and plugged in to charge next to the TV, went out of that room, through the kitchen to the back porch, where I download the supported app for it. 'Da Fit', and was able to setup the app and watch by that proximity alone. (Hadn't pair bluetooth at that stage). Also download a watch face. All without actually seeing what the watch was actually like beforehand.

Also setup notifications settings on the app. Getting notifications from a range of apps, not just the custom ones eg Facebook, Whatsapp. As I said before I'm not into fitness/sport so don't need a watch with all these modes. My friend when buying it was suggested other watches with all the modes by the shop, because I requested the black version and the shop had only limited stock. (Despite having probably many empty display box in the window display).

For the price, I am very happy with it so far. Looks like a quality device. Not a gimmick one that I was afraid of in my earlier post on it. Here below is the watch in ambient mode and the watch face I downloaded. After a week or so of use I will give feedback on battery life, etc.

corkie

Oh! Just missed the edit window on the above post!

26 Hours after charging it yesterday, still had 51% battery life, that is with ambient mode and turn on display when turning the wrist active during awake times.

It gave me a good report on my sleep patterns last night. And I doubt I will will use them but has plenty of options for recording your choice of exercise.

Put it on charge now again. 20:25.

I think my brother in law, has an ugly big/thick black iOS smartwatch, and I was just thinking to myself how sleek and good looking my watch looked compared to his.

prime87

Quick question.

Let's say it told you your "sleep score / sleep pattern" was bad, what then?

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123603940#Comment_123603940

Then you say to your watch "Tough shizzle watch my old friend, because thats the way it is. Life and stresses get in the way of the "perfect sleep score" that was designed by a guy who lives in California, gets an Uber to work, and goes surfing at the weekend".

NIMAN

Well, you could make an appt with your GP if you think it is serious enough to discuss with them. But I think you might find an eye roll from your GP if you told them that you're there because your watch told you you aren't sleeping well enough.

Bear in mind those sleep scores are not very scientific. Studied have shown they can be very wide of the mark when compared to medical grade tech for recording sleep. I wore one once which didn't even register me getting out of bed in the middle of the night to use the toilet.

If you were sleeping badly you probably know it without a watch having to tell you so.

granturismo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123569286#Comment_123569286

Its €20 cheaper on Gomibo. I bought the Amazfit Balance from them with 4 days delivery from Netherlands. We've bought 3 phones from them so far and no issues.

https://www.gomibo.ie/accessory-detail/amazfit-balance-black

After 5 years my Amazfit GTR was scratched so I decided to buy the Balance. Battery life on the Balance is about 1 week or slightly more - the GTR was about 12 days. The Balance 2 is out now at almost €300.

corkie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123603940#Comment_123603940

That deserves a reply. I suppose if you looked at the report before getting up. You could ring your work and call in sick, then go back to sleep.

Below is the top of the report for that particular night.

I was more impressed by it reporting REM based on your heart rate alone. And I know it doesn't necessarily mean I was dreaming.

With my use pattern of the watch (Rise to Wake + ambient display on during daytime), I am averaging around 50% Battery in 24 Hours.

But have got about 40+ Hours out of, with charge still remaining on it. And the watch charges in an 1 Hour and half on slow charger, didn't want to risk frying the watch on a fast charger.

For the watch price and features it has, I find it to be well worth the €49.99. And at that price, if I break it, it wouldn't worry me.

Can even make and answer calls through it. Volume for calls is kind of low. But playing music through it is louder because you get more options for sound control using it.

corkie

My search for smart watches must have triggered Google to advertise to me. Just sharing what I got in case anyone is interested?

Couldn't find the google link, I was sent again but this is the same deal:-

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/amazon-slashes-price-impressive-smartwatch-31999256

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Touchscreen-Fitness-Pedometer-Waterproof-Smartwatch-Black/dp/B0F4DG1GWG?th=1

Not available on .ie

drunkmonkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123604452#Comment_123604452

I’m not sure how good the sleep technology is on that watch, does it do continuous blood oxygen monitoring? just based on the rem I’d suspect you may have sleep apnea. That little rem sleep and if it’s like that every night will eventually catch up on you.

There could be other factors at play but I’d keep an eye on it. A used Samsung pro or ultra is still a very good watch with good sensors.

corkie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123607965#Comment_123607965

You hardly think I take that sort of information from a cheap device any serious attention. You can scan Sp02 but don't think it is continuous. That was only one nights example. I have had longer REM but just didn't record/screenshot it.

Them functions in it or more a curiosity, mainly got it for notifications and some other features I liked.