Keep in mind that a smart watch needs to be associated with a smartphone to work properly and get its full potential. Most of the “wearables” are in fact linked to more powerful and larger devices, which allow them to handle many functions.
Without this connection, smartwatches would be deprived of most of their features and would not be able to perform a large number of useful functions. In general, these devices can be seen as an extension of smartphones and tablets , not only replicating some of their functions, but also improving them.
Of course, there are a wide variety of models on the market, which have differences in the number of functions that they can offer the user. Naturally, the price of smartwatches also varies considerably depending on the model.
Contents [ Hide ]
- 1 Features
- 2 What are the main functions of a smart watch?
- 3 screen
- 4 Connectivity
- 5 Battery
- 6 Design
- 7 Frequently Asked Questions
- 8 What is the correct price range for a smart watch?
- 9 What kind of material is better?
- 10 Is the brand important?
- 11 What is the difference between a smart watch and a smart band?
Functions
Although the first prototypes of digital smart watches date back to the 1970s, it was not until about 5 or 6 years ago that there was a real explosion in the market of various products that seek to make management and monitoring easier and easier. monitoring of daily activities.
Today you can wear these small monitoring centers on your wrist and take advantage of their functions and features that are more and more like mini-computers, since they not only improve their functions but also expand them from year to year.
What are the main functions of a smart watch?
The number of tasks that a smartwatch can perform is getting bigger and bigger. While receiving a call notification on your watch might have seemed like a dream a few years ago, now you can record every detail of your day on it.
Let’s see the main functions offered by the latest generation of smartwatches:
- Notifications:This is the most basic function of all, offered even by low-end products, it allows you to display a notification on the smart watch when phone calls, messages on various platforms (such as Telegram and Skype) or emails are received;
- Calendar and task list:This function allows you to keep track of all your commitments and receive alerts well in advance so you don’t miss any appointments or forget important occasions;
- Music:Thanks to the small screen of a smart watch, you can manage your favorite playlists and quickly select the song you want to play on Sporify or Deezer, for example;
- Voice controls:Today, most mid-range and high-end smart watches include the ability to give voice commands to the device, and with these commands the device can perform various operations without any gesture from the user;
- Notes:Again using voice recognition, some of the latest smartwatches offer the ability to store notes. Just select the appropriate app and speak, while the device transcribes your words, these notes will also be synced to your smartphone, tablet and computer;
- Maps:Using your smartphone connection or built-in GPS, you can see your current location or the location of a scheduled appointment on your calendar, allowing you to get quick and accurate directions;
- Smartband Activity Tracker:It is one of the most popular functions of all, it allows you to keep track of your physical activity throughout the day. It can provide you with information such as number of steps per day, heart rate, distance traveled during training sessions, calories burned and much more.
- Weather:Shows the weather forecast and temperatures in real time;
- Relax:In high-end models that also include a heart rate sensor, this feature offers guided deep breathing sessions, ideal for relaxing even for a couple of minutes at the most stressful times of the day.
Screen
Depending on the model and the price range of the product, there are different types of screens , which vary in shape, size and construction technology. On the other hand, the possibility of using a color touch screen does not usually depend on the cost of the product: even the cheapest models have a touch screen that allows easy navigation through the different options.
Regarding the shape, rectangular and round faces are available. The first ones are much more popular, since they are more associated with a modern and functional design , and in fact they can be much more practical if you have a touch screen.
As for the construction technology, most of the devices currently on the market use AMOLED, OLED or IPS screens. Let’s see the main characteristics of each one:
- IPS:This is the oldest of these three technologies, although it offers better definition than classic LEDs, requires a strong backlight and consumes more power than the latest construction standards. In addition to requiring more space, which inevitably translates into a more ostentatious design;
- OLED:With this technology, each individual pixel is made up of organic material that can light up independently of all the others when stimulated by an electrical impulse. The result is excellent definition and the possibility of adjusting the lighting of the screen with great precision;
- AMOLED:This technology is an advance of OLED and is among the most popular in mid- and high-end wearable devices, as it offers not only excellent brightness and definition, but also great versatility in terms of screen size. . Compared to OLED technology, it offers better color display.
connectivity
Like all smart devices, smartwatches require a good level of connectivity in order to be used effectively. Wireless connections are of course especially important, as they must be in place to ensure efficient synchronization and fast device response.
As a rule, all smart watches are equipped with Bluetooth technology, which is now a universal standard that guarantees an easy to establish and fairly stable connection (although especially cheap models may have some shortcomings in this regard).
It is also important to assess which version is supported and if it is compatible with the older or newer standards, depending on the smartphone model you have. Many also have the ability to connect directly to Wi-Fi networks , which is a very useful feature especially when you are in a home environment where there is a fixed network.
However, public hotspots may not be a very advantageous option, as even high-end smartwatches only support the single-band standard. Regarding the physical connections, it is necessary to distinguish again depending on the price range of the product.
While cheaper smartwatches still use classic USB cables, the latest generation of more expensive smartwatches are limited to proprietary cables used exclusively for battery charging.
Drums
The plethora of features it offers, the constantly on screen, and the constant connection to other devices require a lot of power , which can lead to the risk of draining the battery very quickly and finding yourself with a dead watch in the middle of the day.
The battery life does not necessarily depend on the price range: there are very expensive products that do not last more than 18 hours (assuming an average of intensive and continuous use), while others can last 3-4 days.
A very important factor to keep in mind is also that smartwatches of some brands can only be charged through the manufacturer’s own cables, while they could be damaged if alternative charging methods were tried.
Design
The big brands offer great flexibility and customization possibilities , as they not only pay special attention to the design of the watch case, but also offer a large number of straps in various materials, suitable for every occasion.
The weight and thickness of the smartwatch also have to be taken into account, as they have a significant impact on comfort during the many hours of daily use. Finally, as we have already said, you can choose different forms of customization according to your tastes.
Frequent questions
What is the correct price range for a smart watch?
The variation in costs between the different smartwatches is really impressive, considering that we went from an economic range of between 10 and 30 euros , to a medium range of about 250 euros , to a high range of up to 400 euros .
In general, there is a certain shortage of mid-range products, which often forces the user to choose between very basic devices and very technologically advanced products, which include dozens of different functions.
What kind of material is better?
As it is a wearable device that will probably have to withstand various bumps, scratches and splashes of water on a daily basis, it is preferable to opt for a smartwatch made of durable materials .
Of course, it is difficult to find cheap products that are made of robust materials, while the most expensive ones tend to have aluminum casings, be water resistant up to several meters deep and screens made of Gorilla Glass, an extremely resistant material.
It depends a lot on your needs and budget , but even if you opt for plastic, you must make sure that they are not too flimsy or not very resistant.
Is the brand important?
The big battle here is between Apple and Android devices: although both offer a certain level of compatibility with the competition, the synchronization systems designed to optimize productivity and increase ease of use are still very much tied to the operating system used by the device. .
However, when it comes to cheap smartwatches, it is possible to find alternatives with a good level of compatibility with both Apple and Android devices.
What is the difference between a smart watch and a smart band?
Until a few years ago the difference between the two devices was very clear, but lately the line that separated them is becoming more and more blurred . And this is because both offer similar functions such as heart monitoring, exercise plans or step monitoring.
In theory, smart bands are devices designed to control the person’s physical activity, keeping track of everything they do during the day, from exercises to the food they eat and the amount of calories they consume. So it’s hard to make a clear difference when both devices offer pretty much the same features today.
