As smartwatch features keep evolving, many still see them as just a 'cool' accessory. But they also offer practical uses like fitness tracking, notifications, and payments. How much do you find them useful in daily life? Or do they just end up as another gadget with a constantly draining battery?
How necessary are smartwatches really for everyday use?
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I've always found that fitness tracking and notifications work for me, so I charge it overnight and use it again in the morning.
I also hesitated for months before getting a "showstopper" smartwatch, until I noticed a friend constantly wearing their fitness-focused model. I bought one to track my running pace and check messages without looking at my phone—so far, it's become one of my favorite gadgets.
The biggest *game changer* was the data I got from workouts using its heart rate sensor. I could instantly see my calorie-burning progress just by glancing at my wrist, without digging my phone out of my pocket. In meetings or classes, I could filter out "meaningless" notifications without pulling out my phone, keeping my focus intact. Plus, it only needs charging once a week, and its battery life still blows my mind.
Sure, in the first few weeks, I’d think, *"Why did I bother?"* while charging it. But after getting used to it, things like scrolling through news headlines first thing in the morning or checking my heart rate during dinner became second nature. Now, it’s not an "extra burden"—it’s almost like an invisible assistant that makes so many daily tasks easier without even needing to look at it.
Well, that question was exactly what was going through my mind when I saw that my Apple Watch battery lasted less than a day after updating to watchOS 10. Do we really need more features if we then have to charge it every night like it's some primitive phone?
I use it for sports and urgent notifications, but when I think about the times I've forgotten to charge it and missed today's run on Strava or didn't know about my boss's message at 3 PM... then it's not "cool" anymore, it's a daily productivity problem.
And the watch payments thing doesn't really convince me either. I've got the phone in my pocket with the same NFC chip—why take the watch out every time I want to pay for a coffee? Sure, if you're wearing pants without pockets or it's winter and you've got three layers of clothes on, then yeah, it wins. But in everyday life, how many times a day do we do that? Three? Five? And how many times is the phone more accessible? I'd bet it's 9 out of 10 times.
I also think, if you're not interested in fitness tracking, is there really a need to get one? After all, my phone already has notifications. So, what do you guys think? Is the payment feature really useful, or is it just not that practical?