The Withings Steel HR seems to fit the bill perfectly - it has a screen for phone notifications, a step tracker and basic fitness function, and I regularly get two weeks and more of battery life out of mine. Only problem might be that you find it’s small circular screen too small - but I think that’s a feature of its minimalist aesthetic, not a bug.
The quest for a simple smartwatch
21–30 of 232 posts
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#22I went on the same quest after the battery on my Fossil Sport died. Settled on slightly used Withings Steel HR which can be picked up on eBay quite cheaply compared to new. It has everything I need: notifications, great battery life and traditional watch looks.
I’ve been using a Steel HR for a few years now. I’m extremely satisfied.
Long battery life is an understatement! Even when the battery drops to near 0 the watch is still useable as a plain analog watch for at least a week giving me enough time to find where I left the damn charger (given that I don’t get to use it often at all).
What I don’t get is how this model (analog watch with just enough smarts) hasn’t gained more traction. It seems to me there’s a lot of opportunities in this space, not everything requires a high resolution display.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#23Looking for a simple SmartWatch and then going for a big Garmin?
I think there are other alternatives that are way simpler. The Withings watches for example.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#24Was talking to an older lady the other day. Very non-tech. Only uses an iPhone and an Apple watch. No laptop or tablet/iPad. Gets a surprisingly large quantity of things done via her phone. My phone is an Android. She shared 2 things her iPhone can do that I don't think my phone (OnePlus 7 pro) and watch (Amazfit T-Rex 2) combination can do: - she can always find out where she parked her car - her watch buzzes to war…
garmin watch will buzz you if it looses connection to phone.
have an app from car on android phone showing where car is located
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#25The Withings Steel HR seems to fit the bill perfectly - it has a screen for phone notifications, a step tracker and basic fitness function, and I regularly get two weeks and more of battery life out of mine. Only problem might be that you find it’s small circular screen too small - but I think that’s a feature of its minimalist aesthetic, not a bug. https://www.withings.com/us/en/steel-hr
I've owned a Steel HR for many years and I can highly recommend them. I wanted a basic smart watch with a classic analog look that isn't too flashy but offers notifications, basic fitness tracking with a battery that I don't have to think about very often (we have enough stuff to keep charged in our daily lives). The Steel HR fits the bill perfectly. I've gotten many compliments about it too, and people are surprised to learn it is a smart watch. Don't expect to read full emails on it. But then again, I never understood why people would want to.
As for size, I never thought it was too small. In fact, I would say it's a perfect size for my wrist.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#26The Withings Steel HR seems to fit the bill perfectly - it has a screen for phone notifications, a step tracker and basic fitness function, and I regularly get two weeks and more of battery life out of mine. Only problem might be that you find it’s small circular screen too small - but I think that’s a feature of its minimalist aesthetic, not a bug. https://www.withings.com/us/en/steel-hr
I’ve had my Steel for years (it’s nokia branded so pre 2018) and would buy another in a snap if it broke or i lost it. my battery life tends to be closer to a month or more (though recently that’s been creeping down)
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#27I think the problem is that everyone has their own “all I want - it’s so simple” set of features, but there are nearly limitless possibilities of feature combinations.
I wanted a long battery life (e-ink would work) minimal watch with health tracking only. In the end I just chose the Apple Watch SE, switched off all phone & message notifications and made recharging part of my daily routine. It’s easier to adapt than find the perfect device and I’ve found many useful features on the SE that I wouldn’t have chosen on my custom smart watch.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#28Was talking to an older lady the other day. Very non-tech. Only uses an iPhone and an Apple watch. No laptop or tablet/iPad. Gets a surprisingly large quantity of things done via her phone. My phone is an Android. She shared 2 things her iPhone can do that I don't think my phone (OnePlus 7 pro) and watch (Amazfit T-Rex 2) combination can do: - she can always find out where she parked her car - her watch buzzes to war…
On Garmin watches, Settings > Notifications & Alerts > System Alerts > Phone > Connection Alerts On. Yeah, it's a little buried :-)
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#29Was talking to an older lady the other day. Very non-tech. Only uses an iPhone and an Apple watch. No laptop or tablet/iPad. Gets a surprisingly large quantity of things done via her phone. My phone is an Android. She shared 2 things her iPhone can do that I don't think my phone (OnePlus 7 pro) and watch (Amazfit T-Rex 2) combination can do: - she can always find out where she parked her car - her watch buzzes to war…
I think Android can do parked car trick. I am guessing only but google maps apps on iOS shows where I have parked car. I am surprised that google does not offer something similar to airtag.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#30I'm using a Fossil Hybrid. A nice analog watch with an e-ink display for notifications. https://www.fossil.com/en-gb/products/neutra-gen-6-hybrid-sm...