Smartwatch vs. Fitness Tracker: What’s the Difference?

It will not be wrong to say that we live in an era of technology. Technology has entered into every aspect of our being. Our devices have just gotten smarter by the day, be it our phones, televisions and now even our watches which have evolved to be the smartwatches we know and use today. But smartwatches are not the only wearable's present in the market. There are other options like fitness trackers, smart helmets, jackets etc. which enable us to lead a better- connected lifestyle.

Having said that, there is a continuing competition between smartwatches and fitness trackers as they are both wrist wearable's with some overlapping features. So read on to know how the two are different!

Fitness trackers are more health-centric, smartwatches are packed with many more features and functions than what a fitness tracker can offer. They not only track your fitness goals, but also provide many functionalities like text messaging, making calls etc. Hence, it is safe to say that if your only purpose is to track your fitness/health-related activities, you can go for a fitness tracker. But if you are someone looking for smarter features, a smartwatch should be your obvious choice.

The Pros and Cons of smartwatches

Like everything else in the tech-world, even though smartwatches have a wide variety of features to offer, they have their own set of pros and cons. Below listed are some pointers you would want to consider before making a smartwatch purchase.

Pros

One of the major pros of owning a smartwatch is the accessibility and convenience it offers. You can receive and check all kinds of notifications such as calls, texts, emails, calendar alerts, etc. without checking your phone. Over time, smartwatches have also become a fashion statement. They look stylish and can be worn with any outfit, on any occasion. Nowadays how a device looks is also as important as its features.

Smartwatches nowadays also work as fitness trackers like Apple watches, One plus watches, Samsung watches etc have all the features of a regular fitness tracker which enables you to track your fitness goals and helps you lead a healthier lifestyle. Over and above these advantages, smartwatches also allow you to watch movies, listen to music, navigation through GPS, etc.

Cons

The major disadvantage is how they are priced. Smartwatches which provide all the functionalities and are very useful turn out to be expensive. There are cheaper smartwatches also available in the market for lesser features. Also the more features you use in your smartphone in a day, the lesser your battery life. Typically smartwatches last for 1-2 days when fully charged.

If your smartwatch does not have an e-sim inserted, then it is imperative that your phone is connected and nearby. Everything appears cluttered in a smartwatch because of its small screen size. But nowadays watches like Apple watches series 7, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 have comparatively bigger screens.

The Pros and Cons of Fitness Trackers

Fitness trackers offer a lot more than what we can think of. It is a health centric device that lets you keep a close check on your fitness and other goals. However, there are few factors that need to be kept in mind before getting a fitness tracker.

Pros

Fitness trackers help us set fitness goals, and also track them by tracking our daily activities. They motivate us to achieve our fitness goals, as it not only updates our activities in the apps, it also compares them with that of our friends. These are generally cheaper than smartwatches and hence are affordable.

Cons

As with most wearable devices, fitness trackers are not always accurate. They also do not provide all the functionalities as a smartwatch and are more inclined towards being health-centric. Again, the battery life is not very long and it will drain faster the more it is used.

Best smartwatches and fitness trackers

While both fitness trackers and smartwatches are wearable's one can wear on the wrist, it all boils down to the features provided by them or the purpose of use. Even though the market is flooded with options for smartwatches and fitness trackers there are a few that should be preferred over others.

Smartwatches

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
• Apple Watch series 7
• Apple watch series 6
• Garmin Fenix

Fitness Trackers

• Garmin Fenix 7S/7/7X
• Apple Watch SE
• Apple sport watch
• Fit bit smartwatch

Best place to buy smartwatches and fitness trackers

Now that you have made up your mind, the next question is where to buy Smartwatches online from. Look no further! Pocket a great deal through BuyMobile New Zealand. We not only have a wide variety of options at amazing prices, but you can also compare between products. You can browse through various types and categories before you find the right piece for your wrist.

 FAQs - 

The answer is a definite yes. One can use a micro or a nano sim in a smartwatch. This will enable it to function as an independent smart device having functionalities such as making or receiving calls or accessing the internet among many more. Using a sim card is preferable if it is a standalone watch or if one does not wish to use cellular data or WiFi.

It is not possible to pair a smartwatch with two devices at once. It can however be connected to different devices, just not at the same time. In most cases, the smartwatch allows one to choose to connect from a list of most recent devices connected. To pair with an entirely new device, one will have to go to the Settings.

Yes, a Samsung watch can make calls without a phone if it has a sim inserted or over WiFi. All the latest Samsung smartwatches like Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, etc have this feature. One only needs to check if the smartwatch supports LTE network, and the e-sim has an active data connection or availability of WiFi.