What's the life expectancy of a current "smart watch"?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › What's the life expectancy of a current "smart watch"?

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tchart

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#1468577 12-Jan-2016 16:12

KrazyKid: Mine lasted until it went through the washing machine.
Grrr. Still regret not checking the pockets.

Bah hah hah at least my pebble is waterproof.

I'd agree with other speculators and say 2 years. I've had my pebble for over a year now. It's fantastic and they are good value. I do however want the round one but I'll hold of till next Christmas which will make my current one 2 years old.

jonathan18

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#1468582 12-Jan-2016 16:24

wasabi2k: Do you have a use-case or do you just want a cool toy?

A bit of both, to be honest; I think the latter currently out-weighs the former, hence my reticence!

wasabi2k:
I really like fitness tacking using the Activite which is not a "smart" watch but has tracking.

Yeah, I have seriously thought about an Activite, as I feel its tracking stuff (in particular exercise tracking) would be useful, and the lack of needing to charge it nightly is a huge benefit; it's also a damn fine looking watch (not the Pop -that's too plastic-looking for me; the Steel is attractive and an ok price, but I doubt I'd be able to justify the top-line model unless I needed to replace my current EcoDrive).

But I also would love to play with the "smart" features of such a smart watch; thus far only the Gear S2 Classic's got me interested (from a practical and aesthetic point of view; though I'd prefer it not to be in black, and I read they've released a 'titanium' version), but with that there's also the issue of how long Tizen will be supported (and how many new apps will continue to be developed).

I'm wondering whether the best thing is to wait six-12 months and see how the market develops?

chevrolux

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#1468764 12-Jan-2016 21:51

I got the Stainless Steel Huawei watch for Christmas and can see me wearing that for a number of years. People don't even know it's a smart watch until they see a notification come up on it. Looks seriously good and I personally think it is a lot more comfortable than the square screened alternatives. Gear 2 just doesn't look as good either IMO.

One thing I would say is I am finding it really does need a daily charge during the working week. Over the christmas break when my phone wasn't as busy it was fine for 2-3 days but now that things are busy again there are a hell of a lot of notifications coming through and it really won't last two full days.

MadEngineer

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#1468767 12-Jan-2016 21:56

Don't think i'll be getting one ever.

... yeah ok maybe when they make one that has a 10 year battery life, like my g-shock haha

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

alasta

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#1468790 12-Jan-2016 22:14

That is why I decided not to buy an Apple watch. $700 is just too much to pay for something that I don't really need, and which will probably only last a couple of years. I would be comfortable spending the same amount of money on a Casio, Seiko, Citizen, etc. but I don't believe that Apple are willing or able to make a product with the same longevity.

The other reason I didn't buy the Apple watch is that it lacks an integrated GPS which is essential for me because I am a running enthusiast and I need to track my distances without needing my phone on me. So, it made sense to just spend $200 on a TomTom Spark which does exactly what I need and if that only lasts a couple of years then it's fine given the price.

MadEngineer

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#1468806 12-Jan-2016 22:54

This however ...

Users can display measurement data and apps in color (320 x 300 pixels), or they can extend the device's life to more than one month by selecting to a Timepiece Mode that displays only watch data in monochrome.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

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dickytim

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#1468866 13-Jan-2016 06:57

I have the Apple watch and love it, I would expect the life to be the closer to an Ipad than an Iphone.

I expect to get 4-5 years out of it, and since the upgrade cycle is greater than 1 year.

I am travelling to Melbourne in May and at that time I will be getting my GF an Apple Watch Sport.

geekiegeek

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#1468885 13-Jan-2016 08:23

I have the apple watch and its great. I also have about 15 other watches that all cost a similar amount and now they all sit in a box and never get worn.

I'll upgrade like I do with my phone which is usually each year. The good thing with Apple is that their gear has a good resale value which I hope will flow through to the watch.

Why all this upgrading? I can afford it and I like shiny new toys along with a touch of FOMO :-)

jonb

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#1468889 13-Jan-2016 08:30

The new Haier Iron smartwatch looks good to see if you like the concept of them without spending too much. $45US at gearbest at the moment.

wasabi2k

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#1468905 13-Jan-2016 08:54

Coincidentally - LG G Watch R for sale - http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=77&topicid=190712

(not mine)

1eStar

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#1472240 15-Jan-2016 21:37

I'm wearing my Sony SW2. It still has 3-4 days battery life. It's two years old. I'm hoping to keep it going another year or two. It'll be either a hardware fault or software obsolescence that will finish it off. I'm actually on my third, the first one the touch screen went faulty, the second one the vibration motor is stuck, the third one is going OK. Touch wood. I'm tempted to pick up another as a spare, as I'm quite attached to it now. Better than Android Wear IMHO. They still fetch around $120 secondhand.

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