---
title: "Smartwatches"
url: https://perrotta.dev/2025/07/smartwatches/
last_updated: 2025-09-20
---


Kev Quirk, [I Don't See the Point of
Smartwatches](https://kevquirk.com/blog/i-don-t-see-the-point-of-smartwatches):

> Whether it's Apple, Samsung, Google, Garmin, or any other _smartwatch_
> brand—they're all utterly pointless as watches, in my opinion. Let's call them
> what they are: not _smart watches_, but _wrist phones_.
>
> [...]
>
> **What are they good for?**
>
> Activity tracking. That's it.

I second this.

Having used various smartwatches throughout the years[^1], eventually I "downgraded"
to a "dumb" / vanilla / plain watch.

It [does one thing, and does it
well](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy): it is a reliable
timekeeper!

There's no need to charge it. It just works. Technology™.

Why are smartwatches inconvenient (not so great, if you will)? Because they
create more problems than they solve:

- They need to be **constantly charged**. The upscale ones (e.g. Apple Watch) need
  to be charged _every single day_. Fitness tracker models need to be juiced
  _every week_, but that's still quite frequent. The situation will change if
  there's ever a smartwatch that needs charging _every month_, comparable to
  e-book readers (e.g. the Kindle Paperwhite). It's just much more practical not
  to have to worry about charging.

- **Notifications**. They are supposedly a feature, but we're already so
  bombarded with notifications on our phones and laptops all the time. Do we
  really need yet another device to bring hourly anxiety to our lives, which are
  already too busy and digital? There's a way to partially address this, other
  than simply disabling all notifications on the watch: get a fitness tracker
  instead. Our attention span is already not so great nowadays; let's not make
  it even worse.

- **Durability**. I assure you: regardless of whatever model you get today, in
  two or three years from now you'll feel
  [FOMO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_missing_out) when a newer version
  gets released. Back when I owned them, don't think I've ever kept a smartwatch
  for more than 1-2 years. Sure, you can sell them, instead of simply disposing
    of them; nonetheless, they will still lose a lot of their MSRP value, and
    their maximum battery capacity will be reduced. They are not meant to
    [last](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification).

- **Security**: If you have a dumb watch, you can travel pretty much anywhere
  without worrying much about it getting stolen. It will likely not attract a
  lot of attention in the first place; but, even if it gets stolen, it could be
  easily replaced. Whereas a smartwatch tends to be flashier and more expensive
  to replace. I used to intentionally leave my smartwatch at home when
  travelling to more dangerous places (relatively speaking) – but then, what's
  the point of having one, right?

Earlier this year I was quite excited about the new
[Pebble](https://store.repebble.com/) watches. They were supposed to address
most of the aforementioned issues:

> For those unfamiliar with Pebble, it's an e-paper smartwatch with simple
> functionality, long battery life and a fun, quirky design. It first launched
> on Kickstarter in 2012. The company was sold in 2016 to Fitbit. In January
> 2025, Google graciously open sourced PebbleOS, enabling anyone to build upon
> the amazing Pebble software foundation.

Then, once their feature list got announced, my enthusiasm vanished. It doesn't
feel that special anymore, especially not for the price point they're asking.
Back in 2015-2016 I got a used Pebble Time for about $60. Now they're trying to
sell a new model for $149. It simply doesn't seem worth it.

In the meantime, I'll keep wearing my good ol' plain watch.

[^1]: Pebble Time, Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit Charge 2 (or 3?), Apple Watch SE, Fitbit
    Inspire 2, Garmin.