Do you really need an Apple Watch?
Let’s be honest for a minute okay? When I first thought about writing this article I was wondering why most reviews are only focusing on the Apple “Brand” part of it. There is a problem when reviewing something Apple. The Brand value is so high that almost all of their products are desirable and one would never say no to an Apple product if they can afford it. So to make this simpler, we are going to see this watch as just another smart watch and see where that takes us. I personally like the Apple watch Series 4 out of all the ones including the Series 5. You’ll know why soon.
The Screen
2019 is all about OLED screens. Why? Because people like deep blacks. Everything black except on people I guess. The first smart watch that I used was the LG G Watch that came out in 2014. It had a decent LCD display. 1.65-inch LCD IPS (280X280). But the problem with LCD displays are the blacks. For a smartwatch with limited screen real estate, the users expect a uniform colour on the display. I’ll show you an example. This is the LG G watch with the screen ON
Notice the not so deep blacks? Even worse, the screen looks grey when it’s off totally making this look like a Chinese knock off as per today’s standards. But G watch is what made me love the smartwatch ecosystem. Android wear was actually super polished and usable at that time, believe it or not! Then the fossil smartwatches came and ruined everything. I also owned the Moto 360 first generation. That’s the Android wear I have used the longest since I’m mostly into the round design.
The Apple watch Series 4 is the first Apple watch with a 44mm option. I still don’t know why some people prefer the smaller watch, for me the larger the screen- the better with the only exception being the Pebble Time. Oh how much I miss the Pebble team! So when it comes to the screen, there is a new contender on the block. The Amazfit GTS.
Amazfit GTS is a serious Apple watch contender. Like I said earlier this is not a brand vs brand article. This is for you to decided if going for the Apple watch is worth it or not. The primary way we interact with any technology is via the display. It’s the most important part of anything “Smart”. Samsung realized this long back and is now a monopoly in manufacturing OLED’s. Good move Samsung. Coming back, the GTS does almost everything the Apple watch does and even has a good collection of AMOLED watch faces some of which really looks good. GTS is poor when it comes to sleep tracking (which apple doesn’t have at the time of this writing). But if you are looking for a smart watch that looks good and you see the screen as something important for you and your budget is limited, GTS is for you.
Comparing directly against the Apple Watch what you can expect:
- Better build quality than GTS
- More Band options than GTS
- Superior sensors and WatchOS than GTS
- GTS does the rest of whatever Apple watch does except the ECG/EKG
- Questionable sleep tracking on the GTS (Better than nothing I guess)
- Apps on the Apple Watch
- On par display on the GTS
- Excellent battery life on the GTS (5–6 days)
- Always on Screen on the GTS / Not available on the series 4 which is fully capable of one I guess?
- Inbuilt calculator on the Apple watch (comes handy)
Build
We buy products we expect them to last. 60% of the time we discard products because of the lack of software updates/weak battery and the rest is when it’s no longer working. I don’t know a single smartwatch that has got updates post the 1 year mark. Well the battery doesn’t last too. So either one of these will force you to upgrade. On this logic, Apple is excellent at App updates. I still see people using their Series 0 Apple Watch which is always reassuring.
Even the Apple Watch s5 is prone to damages. The front and back are made of glass and silicon respectively. They break if you drop. We can’t do anything about this. Glass breaks. Metals scratch. Period.
Apple still can’t seem to get rid of the periodic usage damage like grains around the back and around the crown and the multitasking button. It’s looks really bad when you get it. Take a look. It loses the premium look instantly.
GPS or LTE?
I was adamant on getting the LTE version when the S4 came out. But little did I know I would never use it for an actual use than showing off people that my watch can make calls when the phone is off. Trust me, it’s a life saver if you’re on an older iPhone with a dying battery. It can help you at the time you least expect. But that’s once in a blue moon. If you want to spent the additional 10K for this feature I suggest you not to do that. The GPS version does everything that you need. I don’t need the phone features on my watch. They are not practical. You need the AirPods on if you need to actually take a call and longer the call, the faster the battery discharges. On the GPS, you can still leave you phone around and take calls on the watch as it connects to WiFi in your house no matter where the phone is. Trust me that’s the maximum you’ll use the watch for. I hardly took a call once a week on the LTE when I had one. I have switched to a GPS version and it’s just as good.
Activity Tracking
Whether is a pool swim or a casual run, watchOS has you covered. Workouts are super accurate and extremely easy to access and monitor. The health app on the iPhone gives you a well set of detailed body vitals from your watch. This includes ECG/EKG, Heart Rate.
If you are serious about your health and want to track every data possible, then just blindly go for the Apple Watch S4. S4 refurbished ones are available for as low as 25k^ (GPS).
So the question!
Do you really need the Apple Watch?
Yes. It’s not just a fashion statement anymore. It’s actually useful in multiple scenarios.
What about the cheaper alternatives? They work too right?
If you’re on Android, you have no choice. You’ll have to go with something other than an Apple Watch. The best alternatives are Fitbit Versa 2 / Amazfit GTS. Fitbit application is really clean and intuitive as the Health app. It has the most accurate sleep tracking I have seen on a watch. GTS is good at the display. If you want a budget friendly smartwatch and you just want to see what the hype is about then it’s for you. If you’re on iOS, you can go for either of these watches. Apple Watch is just a step ahead of every other smartwatches. There is no other watch that can take an ECG. Now you know why it’s the best selling watch ever!
Thanks for reading
