Watches are perhaps the most essential accessories for quite some time now. In the wake of digitisation, our watches have also taken a fair share, and we now see a new generation of smartwatches which are way more capable than we ever imagined watches could be.

But just how much of an impact a smartwatch can deliver? Is it worth the investment, considering smartwatches cost significantly more than their regular counterparts? There’s also a bunch of issues you can run into when using a smartwatch as the whole ecosystem gets way more complicated the second you put a computer on your wrist instead of a bunch of gears.

In this article, we discuss just how useful a smartwatch is and if it’s beneficial and worth buying or just another fad.

Also read: How to run Google Maps on Samsung Galaxy Watch or Gear Sport

Smartwatches in everyday life

I am a student and a part-time freelancer. My academic and work-based pursuits mean that I live a reasonably active life, aided by technology. I’ve always worn watches, ever since I was a kid. Before my most recent switch to a smartwatch, I was rocking a super reliable Casio F-100 for about five years.

Let’s take a minute here to talk about regular watches. I’ve been wearing my Casio for about five years. I never had to change the battery, never had to worry about damaging/scratching it, and barely took it off. I showered, swam, played, slept, did pretty much everything while wearing the watch. It had become a part of me so much, so I forgot I had an external contraption on my wrist.

So when I switched over to my Galaxy Gear Sport, a couple of things changed.

Is charging an inconvenience?

First and foremost, I had to now worry about charging the watch. Initially, I had figured it would be a problem considering how not used to I was to charging watches. Surprisingly though, it turned out to be way more convenient than I thought.

You see, we think of charging as something that’ll take long and that we must do it 0-100 in one go. That’s not how it has to work. My watch is barely at 100%, but it also is hardly less than 20%. The wireless charging dock makes this possible. I drop the watch onto the charger when I wake up in the morning and prepare for my day.

This gives the watch enough juice to last the whole day and the following night. I would charge the watch to 100% if I have a holiday or going through a particularly lazy day. I’ve not had an issue with charging or battery so far. It’s basically about getting used to the fact that you need to charge, that’s it.

Productivity

I’m almost always engaged in some work or academic assignment. Once you start getting your notifications on your wrist, you’ll realise the insane amount of noise we deal with on our phones, and how much of it we can filter out.

I can always be right there for all the relevant notifications. The less important stuff can be taken care of in my free time when I check my phone. Staying on top of notifications helps a lot.

My Gear Sport also adds a bunch of useful utilities on my wrist. Not that I didn’t have them before (they’re right there on my phone), but having them on the wrist makes them much more approachable.

My watch also helps me lead a less sedentary lifestyle. I’m a computer person and sitting in front of a laptop for hours is how I pay my bills. My watch helps make sure I’m not slouching around in a corner for too long.

All in all, a lot of power is now just there, on my wrist, waiting for me to exploit its full potential.

Fitness

I’m also a footballer, an athlete and an avid cyclist. While I could only track time runs with my previous watch, I get all stats for any workout I do, be it a walk to my college or a bike ride to CP. I now know my health and fitness better than ever and can manage it with ease.

If you stick with it, you really can improve your stats. Since the watch gives a number to everything you do, you suddenly have a metric to compare yourself and gauge your performance. My Gear Sport keeps track of my sleep, my water/caffeine intake, steps, workouts, screentime, calories, heartrate you name it.

The best part here is simplicity. You don’t always have to start a workout manually, the watch automatically detects what you’re doing and starts tracking it. Apps like Strava and MyFitnessPal make things even better.

Also read: Samsung Gear Sport vs Huawei Watch GT Sport

So does buying a smartwatch make sense?

One word answer, yes, it does. The way you tackle this situation is that you stop looking at a smartwatch as a watch but rather an investment into your lifestyle — just like getting a gym subscription or buying sports shoes. It’s a lifestyle accessory that can have an impact on how you go about your day.

That said, a smartwatch is a lifestyle accessory, so if you don’t have one, you’re not missing out on something grand. It’s not necessary to survive, and you can still do just fine with a regular watch. But getting one does impact the way you live and your overall lifestyle.

Personally speaking, if it can make sense to me in such an early phase of my life, it’s definitely going to help out a lot more people who are ahead.

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