{"id":15102,"date":"2023-03-14T09:10:38","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T09:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/?p=15102"},"modified":"2025-02-17T14:21:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T14:21:21","slug":"why-buy-a-smartwatch-the-pros-and-cons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2023\/03\/14\/why-buy-a-smartwatch-the-pros-and-cons\/","title":{"rendered":"Why buy a smartwatch? The pros and cons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Smartwatches are definitely a tempting piece of technology, but do you really need one? If you\u2019re debating purchasing a smartwatch, you\u2019ll probably want to know of some smartwatch features and smartwatch benefits.<\/p>\n<p>For those wondering \u2018do I need a smartwatch\u2019 and \u2018are smartwatches worth it\u2019, here are all the pros and cons of owning a smartwatch to help you make that all-important decision!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>In this blog:<\/h2>\n<p>Smartwatches offer a range of benefits, including keeping you connected with calls and texts, accessing apps, finding your phone, tracking health and fitness, and having better battery life than phones. However, they can be expensive, not all models have the same features, they might not suit everyone&#8217;s style, and they are not essential if you are satisfied with your phone&#8217;s capabilities.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"The-pros\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The pros of a smartwatch<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pros.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15105 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pros.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pros.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pros-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pros-768x480.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"keep-connected\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They keep you connected<\/h3>\n<p>Smartwatches have the capability to receive and make calls and texts, essentially acting as a second phone that you wear on your wrist!<\/p>\n<p>Some smartwatches even have their own cellular connectivity, which means they don\u2019t need your existing phone to be connected to send and receive texts and calls. Cellular smartwatches will have their own phone number, so they really are like a second phone!<\/p>\n<p>Even smartwatches that don\u2019t offer cellular connectivity can still keep you connected. GSP smartwatches will need to be connected to your iPhone and within a certain distance, but they\u2019ll also be able to make and take calls as well as send and receive texts.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"apps\" style=\"text-align: center;\">You can use apps<\/h3>\n<p>Another of the many smartwatch features is that you have access to apps on your watch. While not every app you have on your phone will work on your watch, there are still plenty that work.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the make and model of your smartwatch, you should be able to access apps that track your health and fitness, timers and clock apps, weather apps, YouTube and even some games apps made just for smartwatch playing!<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"find-phone\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They help you find your phone<\/h3>\n<p>Most smartwatches have a \u2018Find Phone\u2019 feature that you can use when you\u2019ve misplaced your phone.<\/p>\n<p>To use your smartwatch, you\u2019ll most likely have to connect the watch to your current phone, so when or if you ever misplace your phone, you can simply use the \u2018Find Phone\u2019 feature to ring your phone through your watch to locate it!<\/p>\n<p>The same goes for if you\u2019ve misplaced your watch or any other devices connected to your watch. If you\u2019ve lost your watch, you\u2019ll be able to use the same feature on your phone to ping your watch even if it\u2019s on silent.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"fitness\" style=\"text-align: center;\">You can track your health and fitness<\/h3>\n<p>What does a smartwatch do, we hear you ask? For health and fitness, it can count steps, distance, calories, heart rate, pulse rate, sleep and some even go beyond this. So when it comes to smartwatch benefits, this is a big one!<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s true that you can somewhat track your health and fitness on your phone, nothing compares to the accuracy of a smartwatch. Along with the improved accuracy, they also have much more features that can help you track your health and fitness.<\/p>\n<p>Most smartwatches are water resistant too, meaning you can use them to count laps in the pool or keep track of the sweatiest of workouts without fear of damage.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"battery-better\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The battery life is better than a phone<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re still sitting here thinking that all these features are doable with your smartphone, you\u2019re technically right. But the one thing that your phone can\u2019t beat a smartwatch on is battery life.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the make and model of your watch, the battery life will vary, but generally they can last up to 10 days between charges with standard use. We can\u2019t say the same for any smartphone, however.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"The-cons\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The cons of a smartwatch<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cons.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15104 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cons.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cons.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cons-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cons-768x480.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"expensive\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They can be expensive<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s no secret that smartwatches can be expensive. The newest Apple Watch starts at \u00a3419, while the latest Samsung Watch starts at \u00a3269.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you can\u2019t afford to spend \u00a3400+ on a watch, there are some other options you can take into consideration. Older models are often cheaper than the latest releases, so if you can find an older model that has all the features you want, you should be able to snap one up for less.<\/p>\n<p>Another option is to consider buying a refurbished smartwatch. You can buy both older and newer refurbished models, so this is a great option if you want to knock even more money off an older model or if you still want to buy the newest model but don\u2019t want to pay out full retail price.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"make-model\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Not every make and model has the same features<\/h3>\n<p>Before splashing out on a new smartwatch, you\u2019ll want to double-check that the make and model you want comes equipped with all the features you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<p>As there are so many different makes and models, you can\u2019t assume that they all offer the same smartwatch features. For example, there are some smartwatches that focus on fitness and health, such as Fitbits, while watches like the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch tend to focus on phone-like features.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"style\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They\u2019re not to everyone\u2019s style<\/h3>\n<p>While it does depend on the watch you buy, smartwatches can be a bit unsightly if you\u2019re used to traditional watches.<\/p>\n<p>The Apple Watch is rectangular in shape, which goes against the traditional round clock face. Most smartwatches have rubber straps, which can be off-putting for some. Luckily, there are lots of straps available, including different colours and materials, so the strap shouldn\u2019t be too much of an issue.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re after something that looks traditional and has a metal strap, however, you might struggle to find a style to suit your needs.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"not-necessary\" style=\"text-align: center;\">If you\u2019re happy with your phone, they\u2019re not necessary<\/h3>\n<p>We hate to say it, but a smartwatch isn\u2019t a necessity. For the most part, your smartphone should be able to do most of the things a smartwatch can do (although, maybe not as efficiently).<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure whether you want to pay for a smartwatch, take a look at the pros and see which of those you\u2019d be happy to continue doing on your phone. It might be that you decide a smartwatch is worth it, but if you use your phone to do everything you would on a smartwatch, is it worth buying another piece of tech?<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Think a smartwatch is worth it? Save money when you go refurbished with musicMagpie! We have plenty of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/wearables\/apple\/\">refurbished Apple Watch<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/wearables\/samsung\/\">refurbished Samsung Galaxy Watch<\/a> models available at great prices. You can also shop other Apple devices, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/mobile-phones\/apple\/\">refurbished iPhone<\/a> models and we even sell a huge range of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/mobile-phones\/\">refurbished phones<\/a>. Make your upgrade even cheaper by trading in your unwanted phone too &#8211; take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/sell-mobile-phones\/\">sell mobile phone<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/sell-mobile-phones\/sell-my-iphone\/\">iPhone trade in<\/a> pages for more info!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Smartwatches are definitely a tempting piece of technology, but do you really need one? If you\u2019re debating purchasing a smartwatch, you\u2019ll probably want to know of some smartwatch features and smartwatch benefits. For those wondering \u2018do I need a smartwatch\u2019 and \u2018are smartwatches worth it\u2019, here are all the pros &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":15103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2244,2154,4],"tags":[1953,2325,1556],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15102"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15102"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18017,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15102\/revisions\/18017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}