Are they really that useless?

I prefer dumbwatches, Seikos are cool

they are my notification/alarm vibrator
I turned off most of the sensors on mine so I get 2 weeks of battery life
a smart buttplug that does the same thing would be cooler tho

no they are great
no need to take out phone for every notification
no need to take out phone for paying
measures heart rate and other shit and notifies of trend changes

I was thinking of getting a galaxy watch ultra (not the 2025 one ofc) to upgrade my redmi watch 4. how big is it?

I have a band with a custom large face, it's all I need. Smartwatches are overkill.

>>106115945
>no need to take out phone for every notification
Why?
Just turn all that shit off

>>106117608
what do you think of galaxy fit 3? I'm thinking of getting this

>>106113822 (OP)
They're useful in identifying the mentally deficient people who choose to wear them.

>>106113822 (OP)
Well, you can decide for yourself after researching what they offer. They aren't very useful for weightlifting, but they are awesome if you do cardio multiple times a week and like to track and optimize your stats in real time conveniently (99.99% of this board is known for doing neither). I run and swim multiple times a week, so at least in my personal case they are very useful, besides other conveniences already mentioned in this thread.
Garmin and Apple watches are obscenely overpriced, but if you are from US, you probably don't have anywhere else to go. But if you are from any country where you can buy chink watches, I recommend Huawei because they have the best sensors among cheap chinkware (to the point they compete against higher end stuff from Apple and ends but being several times better value)
>https://www.reddit.com/r/HuaweiWatchGT/comments/1g67ctc/the_huawei_watch_guide_v2/
>Ctrl F HUAWEI WATCH GT
GT5 Pro 46mm is the one I currently own.

>>106113822 (OP)
no they're good if you actually go outside and run sometimes. so yes they are useless for everyone on this board except me.
a bunch of garmins go on sale this time of year.

>>106113822 (OP)
I had my samsung gen1 for 5 years, then the battery started dying just as the gen8 came out. So i bought that one. It's alright but, to be honest, straight up overkill. Tracking physical activity, checking notifications/calls on the watch, sleep patterns and all kinds of shit is cool but it's like a multitool with 50 functions of which i use 3 or 4.

>>106113822 (OP)
I have a fitbit that I wear while running and sleeping but at work/home/going out I just wear a normal watch.

>>106113822 (OP)
They're spy devices for cattle

>>106113822 (OP)
These watches give me the aliexpress/amazon ick. Tech has turned into useless aliexpress word salad shit that stops working and explodes randomly. And it's not even cheap anymore so what's the point.
>>106115945
>measures heart rate
This is the only use it has. I used it when I began my cardio program.
>>106117751
This. Notifications are like ads, they give you brain rot.

Garmin watches are useful if you do a lot of backpacking or remote travel. I don't do enough to justify one but it would be nice to have.
As a phone accessory they're useless.

>>106113822 (OP)
I want to buy esp32 based one to program them to do what I want.
but the ones from the shelf are useless indeed.

>>106113822 (OP)
yes, they're a gimmick, most people don't need them, they're bloat.

>>106113822 (OP)
i have the watch 7

and almost every time i want to use it, it's dead.. not being charged properly. however!! it is really nice to be able to use the "find my phone" feature, and have my cellphone ring even when on silent. also setting reminders with it, and setting the background to recent pictures.

>>106119033
t-rex 3 is cheaper and better

>>106121326
The battery life on these are shit. They're much better at being mini dashboards for smart home shit when they're plugged in 24/7.

>>106113822 (OP)
>Are they really that useless?

Yes. Every "smart"watch I've seen depends on a constant connection to your phone to do the simplest fucking things, including literally just showing the correct time. If you need to carry your phone with you anyway, what the fuck you even need this shit for? They need to develop a watch that's actually smart, as in it can REPLACE your phone, not just act as an add-on for it.

>>106121527
The battery life on all smartwatches is shit. This is a well-known issue that will never be resolved.
>>106122457
Apple Watch does what you want

>>106123387
>The battery life on all smartwatches is shit
Garmins can last weeks. Those esp32 watches don't even last a whole day. There's something about the bluetooth clock syncing with the cpu clock so it never drops to low energy mode. At least with all the common esp32 manufacturers it's the same.

>>106113822 (OP)
I think they could be good for teens instead of smartphones or even dumbphones, assuming you could get full independent connectivity. Could be good for anyone wanting the essentials without extra distractions too, again assuming it can be used independently.

>>106123387
>All
Only the ones built for Google's Wear OS or Apple's watchOS that barely last at most 48 hours
Garmins, Fitbits, Amazfit, Xiaomi, Huawei, Pebble, etc. have 7-21 day battery lives even with all sensors and AOD on
t. Amazfit GTR 3 with 13-14 days of battery life

Any decent alternative to the Garmin Instinct 3?

What I like about it:
>buttons instead of touchscreen
>really long battery life
>simple smartwatch features such as notifications and media control but no overdose of pointless gadgety features
>bulky plastic case and inset screen to avoid damaging anything too important

What I don’t like:
>anything by Garmin is incredibly closed off and opaque, very limited compatibility with third party systems
>I absolutely don’t trust Garmin to not datamine the hell out of me and sell it to ad/AI companies or others
>that stupid proprietary charging port
>Garmin's new Connect+, which I expect will eventually lead to having to pay a monthly subscription for previously free features on top of having already purchased a pricy smartwatch from them