I have been using the Mi Band for years which I generally like, although it’s quite a simple device

  • I only use devices supported by gadgetbridge. This way I can track me without giving all the data to somebody else. Currently I use a Mi Band 7, but I’m thinking about getting a device with onboeard GPS.

  • Apple Watch.

    I had a couple of Garmins before and the difference is night and day. The Apple Watch isn’t perfect, but it’s clear that a lot of thought went into it.

    The Garmins on the other hand, were lowest of low effort.

    They blatantly didn’t talk to even a single cyclists while building their cycling app.

    Cyclists use average speed, not pace. Even the junkiest $3 cycle computer from Ali Baba gets this right, but not Garmin. They just copy-pasted the running screen.

  • I’m currently using a Mi Band 6 (with a nylon strap that’s real comfy), but I wish the Pebble still existed. The e-paper display, the nice UI and tactile buttons, with good battery life and the ability to make apps was great.

    Once my Mi Band breaks, I’m torn between Garmin (since they check almost all of the Pebble boxes, even if I don’t do fitness and they’re more fitness oriented) and a Galaxy Watch with the rotating bezel, since that was really cool to play with, plus the Android integration might be nicer.

  •  Chahk   ( @chahk@beehaw.org ) 
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    1 year ago

    Where’s the “none of the above” choice? Aside from keeping the time, all I want from a smartwatch is the ability to see its screen both in the dark and under direct sunlight, a week-long battery life, 5ATM water resistance rating, receiving notifications from my phone (with the ability to dismiss them), ability to have customizable watch faces, and finally the ability to accept standard size watch bands. The last watch I’ve owned that could do almost all of that (aside from standard bands or ) was Pebble Steel. I still miss it to this day.

    Everything else was an overpriced disappointment. I don’t need it to monitor my heart rate, or my blood oxygen level, or my blood alcohol level. I don’t want it to prod me or give me pep talks, or make phone calls, or play music, since my phone can do all of that better.

      • Double plus for the Garmin. I’m wearing an Instinct 2 right now. 21 day battery life! It replaced my Vivoactive 4S (6 day battery life) and was cheaper than the Venu 2 (11 day battery life).

        I’ve killed at least two smartwatches by forgetting I’m wearing them when I go in the ocean. The Vivoactive 4S was completely unaffected by the salt water, and I’ll test the Instinct 2 this week.

        My mom is all about her Apple watch, and has touted the features to me. “I can [insert feature] with this!” Have you used it for that? “No.”

        I’ve had three Pebbles, a couple Fitbits, a couple Garmins, a couple Android watches, two Amazfits… I just want something that sends me notifications and has good battery life. If I have to charge the watch every night, I’ll forget I’m wearing it.

        That being said, the Instinct 2 is actually worse at tracking my workouts than the Vivoactive 4 was. I do martial arts, so the GPS is actually a hindrance there, and I haven’t found a way to make it move “generic cardio” to the top of the workout list.

    • I have a Withings ScanWatch. Almost all of that (except for custom watchfaces, because it uses a physical watchface).

      It also does the heart tracking and ECG stuff, but that matters to me because I have a heart condition that it can help track.

  •  bbbhltz   ( @bbbhltz@beehaw.org ) 
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    121 year ago

    TL;DR The author determined the most accurate are the Garmin Epix Pro and the Fitbit Inspire 3

    I have a PineTime which I think is pretty good for what it is. In fact, I am very happy with it and recommend wholeheartedly the device.

    Still, my favourite is even more basic. I have a standalone pedometer. This one, which has a website tha belies the product’s quality. I find it very accurate. It does some basic calorie calculations for you, and distance. And the battery lasts…ages.

      • FWIW I have an Inspire 3 and it’s reasonable. It has a chime to find it, Bluetooth seems solid enough, and it’s definitely waterproof as I run it under the sink to wash it every day. Cheap, too, so I don’t really care if it breaks. Small, so not a big, clunky fashion statement or something.

        • I just wish it tacked my heart rate a little better while I’m working out. Mine loses track what seems like immediately once I start sweating a little. It can recover with a little jostle or sometimes moving the band up a notch if possible, but man it’s annoying.

  • I have a Garmin Instinct 2S. Works really well for me, it has all the smart watch functions I need and great battery life. It’s also quite rugged. The stats are a good motivation to get me out cycling more often.

    • I got the same watch last month, the non-s version though. I have always struggled to keep a watch on my wrist. With a phone I no longer needed to keep the time on my wrist. I did get a smart watch a few years ago but just couldn’t get on with it. It ended up in the draw to never be used again.

      Last month I started looking again and settled on the Instinct 2. Initially I wanted a colour screen but in reality I am actually very happy with the monochrome display. It’s always on and has a long battery life. I’m actually really impressed with how good it is at tracking your health etc. I tracks all activities I do. It’s quite granular too in that I can choose from road, mountain bike, gravel bike etc. It also records kayaking and standup paddle boarding.

      At £200 it was one of the more reasonably priced smart watches. Certainly compared to the Fenix which is another £400 extra.

  • Garmin Forerunner 55.
    It’s the most basic one in the running series, but it works well enough for what I need it to do.
    It’s the first real “closed ecosystem” device I own, as usually I go the open source route for everything, but Garmin has a good track record and the device has helped me train for a half marathon really well. I put a “casio”-style watch face on it, and I enjoy it a lot.