Smartwatches

[thecolonel]

If you're not the Techie type then look away now!!

Bearing in mind there have been many hundreds of posts about smartphones, isn't it about time we had a thread for smartwatches(or is there one already)?

They seem to be the future and not just some wacky idea from Thunderbirds 50 years ago!

I'm in the market for a smartwatch but I just don't quite really know what to buy??

Before anyone says just use Google and YouTube, well .... I have, for a good month or so now. And my brain has been overloaded with technical information and.... I still don't know what to buy!

My parameters....

If it's square or rectangular it ain't going on my wrist, even if it's free. Circular only, non negotiable!
I don't really have a budget as I don't particularly want the most expensive one. I'm definitely not flash but don't want the cheapest either
I don't like anything Apple never have never will! I'm an Android boy
I'm not a runner or a big workout guy but I cycle and swim.
My passion is playing golf and would like to bring in some golf gps apps (but somewhat oddly I don't especially want to buy a dedicated Garmin golf watch).
I don't think I need to make/receive calls on it(LTE). I see that as a step too far at the moment (am I wrong?)
I'm unsure about Play store support. Concerned I might regret if I didn't have access to that

I'm sure there are other factors to consider

I was wondering whether anyone else has been through the same painful process as I'm going through and made a happy decision?!

I would welcome any feedback

thanks in advance

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[VincentD]

I have my Amazfit BIP, still going strong after quite a few years. Been surprised by newer models, but if you want round be prepared to fork out more than 5,000 baht. The phone app works well with Android, I'm happy with this brand.
Second brand I would be looking at would be the Mi watch S1, 4,000 plus baht. Has gps. Bought this brand for my wife, different model. She's happy with it and uses it to track her exercise.
Avoid Huawei and the sister brands, I found the app difficult to use, couldn't change from imperial to metric measurements and would tend to default to the Thai language if you forgot to charge it.
Samsung is overpriced and it's easier to buy a replacement than repair, my son is on his second one.
Elder son uses a Garmin as he's really into fitness but I don't think it's worth the price for snob appeal.

[thecolonel]

I'm like you, I don't like paying over the odds for a massive brand name especially when they are not the best kit (one of the reasons I've never like Apple).

Yes the Mi S1 is on my radar but no Play store support

Im trying to avoid the Galaxy 5 and find a cheeky alternative

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[VincentD]

Use the Mi Fit app, it is available at the playstore, and I have downloaded it for my wife. The one for the Amazfit has now been changed to the Zepp app, which I still use.

[STEVE G]

I use a Suunto, it's a Swedish brand but I use it almost purely for the navigation features. When I'm in Europe I do a lot of hiking around the Ardennes forest and I can plan routes on a computer or mobile, load them and then follow them on the watch, it works very well.
I've been thinking of replacing it with a Garmin Fenix with full mapping functions but it's not cheap!

[thecolonel]

I use a Suunto, it's a Swedish brand but I use it almost purely for the navigation features. When I'm in Europe I do a lot of hiking around the Ardennes forest and I can plan routes on a computer or mobile, load them and then follow them on the watch, it works very well.
I've been thinking of replacing it with a Garmin Fenix with full mapping functions but it's not cheap!

Hi Steve

Suunto are from Finland actually but I agree they look good and happy to hear yours performs well

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[thecolonel]

Use the Mi Fit app, it is available at the playstore, and I have downloaded it for my wife. The one for the Amazfit has now been changed to the Zepp app, which I still use.

Hi Vincent

The S1 does not have Google play store so I was a bit confused by your post.

Surely the Mi fitness app is within the OS of the watch when paired with phone. But there's only 3 apps available so I'm told

Other than that I'm sure it's great but I'm leaning towards having full Google Play Store support for my choice of smart watch. Which narrows it down a bit

Thanks

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[hhinner]

Use the Mi Fit app, it is available at the playstore, and I have downloaded it for my wife. The one for the Amazfit has now been changed to the Zepp app, which I still use.

Hi Vincent

The S1 does not have Google play store so I was a bit confused by your post.

Surely the Mi fitness app is within the OS of the watch when paired with phone. But there's only 3 apps available so I'm told

Other than that I'm sure it's great but I'm leaning towards having full Google Play Store support for my choice of smart watch. Which narrows it down a bit

Thanks

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The Mi S1 and the Amazfit watch mentioned earlier are not standalone smart watches like the apples and Samsungs. They need to be paired with an app on a smartphone. As such they don't need a full-fledged operating system and don't need an app store.

I have had an Amazfit GTS for nearly 3 years and find it perfectly adequate for my needs. I use it mainly for sleep monitoring, heart rate and exercise (cycling). And telling the time.

The advantage of these types of 'smart' watch is that they tend to have much longer battery life between charges. 3 years ago I got about 13 days use (for my way of using it) between charges, although now it's more like only 10 days. I don't think you'll get anywhere near this charge interval with a fully fledged smart watch running a proper OS.

[thecolonel]

Use the Mi Fit app, it is available at the playstore, and I have downloaded it for my wife. The one for the Amazfit has now been changed to the Zepp app, which I still use.

Hi Vincent

The S1 does not have Google play store so I was a bit confused by your post.

Surely the Mi fitness app is within the OS of the watch when paired with phone. But there's only 3 apps available so I'm told

Other than that I'm sure it's great but I'm leaning towards having full Google Play Store support for my choice of smart watch. Which narrows it down a bit

Thanks

Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk

The Mi S1 and the Amazfit watch mentioned earlier are not standalone smart watches like the apples and Samsungs. They need to be paired with an app on a smartphone. As such they don't need a full-fledged operating system and don't need an app store.

I have had an Amazfit GTS for nearly 3 years and find it perfectly adequate for my needs. I use it mainly for sleep monitoring, heart rate and exercise (cycling). And telling the time.

The advantage of these types of 'smart' watch is that they tend to have much longer battery life between charges. 3 years ago I got about 13 days use (for my way of using it) between charges, although now it's more like only 10 days. I don't think you'll get anywhere near this charge interval with a fully fledged smart watch running a proper OS.

If my understanding is correct as I'm learning day by day....

Well yes, they don't need an App store to do all what they can do. And yes as a result the battery life is better.

But that still restricts their overall capability as a multi functioning device.

Everyone has their own agenda and needs in these situations. For me I forsee wanting to put things on the watch from the Play store including, amongst other things, golf GPS apps.

Some golfers would have a fitness tracker watch like an S1 and a separate dedicated GPS golf watch(now 6500 baht ish for entry level Garmin). But I don't like the idea of having two watches. Plus you can get a smartwatch that does both for not much more than that, albeit with an added subscription.

If I didn't want that Play store capability (and importantly all the support it will offer going forward) then I would've been very happy to purchase the S1 Active or the Amazfit GTR 4. They look great!

As stated above, I stress I still don't know what I'm talking about!








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[VincentD]

Ah, okay. So what you probably are looking for is a LTE connected watch with capability to use a golf app. Sorry, I'm only familiar with those you pair with a phone, with an app on the phone able to process data collected from sensors on the phone.
The way I see it, you can't really have both, and the dedicated watches with built-in golfing data have very limited battery life.
Good luck with finding one that suits your preferences.
Off topic: Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned way of fumbling around a course when none of these gizmos were available? Except for the caddies, of course. But then again, I haven't touched a golf club in more than twenty years, so am definitely not qualified to make broad statements like this one..

[thecolonel]

Ah, okay. So what you probably are looking for is a LTE connected watch with capability to use a golf app. Sorry, I'm only familiar with those you pair with a phone, with an app on the phone able to process data collected from sensors on the phone.
The way I see it, you can't really have both, and the dedicated watches with built-in golfing data have very limited battery life.
Good luck with finding one that suits your preferences.
Off topic: Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned way of fumbling around a course when none of these gizmos were available? Except for the caddies, of course. But then again, I haven't touched a golf club in more than twenty years, so am definitely not qualified to make broad statements like this one..

Actually no, don't need LTE. Just full access to play store now, and support going forward. Some devices allow make/receive calls without full LTE as I understand it(via Bluetooth with phone nearby)

Re golf you're absolutely right. I prefer the old fashioned way. I trust my eyes/instinct over a digital number (which could be wrong anyway) every day of the week. But truth is I quite like 'Tech' and it's useful on the course sometimes. But my eyes/golf brain get the final say. If DMDs(distance measuring devices) were banned it wouldn't trouble my golf.

But when buying this watch I don't want to regret not having 'this or that' feature. Yes I admit I'm possibly overthinking it, just don't like making mistakes



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[Hahuahin]

Perhaps this gentleman can give you some tips for choosing a watch. IMO, his testing is thorough but at the same time entertaining https://www.dcrainmaker.com/

hahuahin

[Green Nomad]

Wow, what a coincidence...I went for my walk this morning and when I came back I mentioned to my wife I wish I had a watch that could count my steps. She said ''I will buy you one''.. I used to use an app on my mobile to count the steps but I do not always want to carry my phone, they rule our lives enough as it is. So to see this post this morning was ironic. I am the same as thecolonel in my wishes for the model, but it is interesting reading all the comments here, very helpful. In regards to the Amazfit watches I have seen a T-Rex Pro on a website for a local tech shop here in Saudi for around 7,000 baht, does that seem about right for the price compared to Thailand? can anyone recommend this watch? Does it need to be linked to my phone via bluetooth or the likes. Thanks.GN

[VincentD]

GN, first find one that you like the look of. The T-Rex is quite a big watch, so go look at it in the shops. The newer ones also have sensors for SpO2 (oxygen in the blood). My older Amazfit BIP has gps independent of the phone so you can go for your walk and later download the route you took, number of steps.. another interesting feature is that I can set a limit on the heart rate (I use this when cycling), and if it goes over the threshold it will start to vibrate.

[Green Nomad]

Great, thanks VincentD. I will look that model up now, although the size of the T-Rex is similar to a G Shock I am wearing for work, so no problem with that, just cost maybe. GN