Tech has taken over our lives. We have smartphones, smartwatches and smart TVs. There are even smart fridges, smart toilets and smart sex dolls. (Or, uh, so I hear.) And with the rise of AI, Big Tech is now jumping on the smartglasses bandwagon… again.
An analog rebellion is brewing. I recently went to a Barnes & Noble for the first time in well over a decade. I was surprised at how many young, hip people were there, scouring the print books and vinyl records. Then there’s the resurgence of digital cameras, film cameras and cassette tapes.
When smartwatches started popping up in the mid-2010s, they promised quick info at a glance without having to grab your phone. In theory, that meant freeing you up to engage with the world around you. But in practice? Well, over a decade later, not everyone finds that to be the case.
To be clear, nobody’s arguing that people are ditching smartwatches left and right. In fact, the market is steadily growing, not shrinking. But not everyone wants to keep marching in that direction.
“My smartwatch kept me attached to b******t I wanted it to get me away from,” born-again analog watch user RadioAdam posted. But not everyone needs to go back to the days of Casio and Timex. Minimal wearable tech products can track your fitness, just without feeling like you have a second phone on your wrist.
Notification overload
The persistent nag of the online world can feel even more intrusive when it’s on your wrist. It’s one thing to hear your phone chirp in a pocket or bag. It’s another to have a wearable device poking you every time something comes in.
“I don’t want my wrist to communicate with me at all” u/NeoMoose wrote in the Whoop subreddit. “My phone is already too much distraction.” Of course, you can silence notifications. But at that point, you (like these smartwatch expats) might question how much you need one in the first place.
Big Tech sold us the always-online lifestyle as a utopia. But the reality has too often resembled a dopamine-addiction hellscape. And if you’re looking to cut down on devices, smartwatches are an obvious candidate for the first item on your list.
Feature (and tracking) fatigue
Smartwatches can suffer from feature creep. While an Apple Watch has potentially lifesaving ones like fall detection and the ability to call emergency services from your wrist, it (and its competitors) also have… lots of other stuff.
For instance, Redditor u/Adventurous_Rice_731 briefly switched from a minimal Whoop to a Garmin smartwatch and quickly regretted the decision. “Went to my first [workout] and realized how many times I was actively checking the screen, looking to see if all my reps were recording,” they posted. “Overall, I just found myself glued to it even during TV time.” Simpler devices could keep you focused on not just the task or activity at hand, but also help you stay present in moments.
For some, health tracking can (ironically) increase stress. On top of that, when smartwatches and other fitness trackers measure things like sleep, stress and recovery, they’re merely estimates. Those things can’t be measured directly with a wrist-worn device, only approximated via advanced algorithms. Some people don’t see much point in using data that’s little more than an informed guess, as opposed to paying closer attention to their body.
In this economy?
Smartwatches, at least the most useful ones, can be expensive. For example, the Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399. Samsung’s and Google’s alternatives are in the same ballpark. And while the Apple Watch SE is a more affordable $249 and up, it lacks several key health features (ECG, blood oxygen and hypertension monitoring).
With inflation running rampant, it’s easy to cast a more critical eye on the value of a smartwatch. Sure, it’s nice not to have to whip out your phone to check messages or the forecast. But is it $400 nice? If all you want is health tracking, wearables like Google’s Fitbit Air and Nothing’s CMF Watch 3 Pro offer it for a small fraction of the price.
Road safety
Smartwatches may also make driving less safe. One study found that drivers were more distracted by smartwatch notifications than phone alerts. Glancing down at a watch seems more likely to take your eyes off the road than glancing at a phone, often mounted on a dashboard. (For the record, voice-based responses on either device were the least distracting.)
Arguably, this one is more about applying common sense and self-control than it is about the device itself. But it’s another factor to weigh when questioning whether you need a screen on your body.
Style and substance
Tech companies do their best to make smartwatches look good. I’m in the camp that doesn’t mind the aesthetic of the Apple Watch and some of its rivals. But if I were basing my decision on style alone, above all else? I’d go with a sleek analog watch without hesitation.
The advantage of screenless tracking bands is that they’re typically subtle enough to wear alongside more stylish watches. They could also be easier to dress up or wear to events where smartwatches are frowned upon. And if you’re looking for something that still tells the time and tracks your steps while looking like a classic timepiece, there are hybrid smartwatches from companies like Withings and Garmin that could meet those needs.
Opting for something simpler
If a smartwatch seems like a bit much, there are simpler and cheaper alternatives.
Screen-free fitness bands are having a moment with the recent launch of Google’s $100 Fitbit Air. The device, which impressed us in our review, is currently sold out everywhere. Whoop, the apparent inspiration for Google’s product, is another screenless contender with robust health tracking. However, it requires a subscription that ranges from $149 for the first year (then $199) to $359 annually, which can put some people off.
Then there are smart rings. Although they’re more expensive (the new Oura Ring 5 starts at $399), they excel at sleep tracking and recovery metrics. Of course, they also lack a screen and haptics, so it’s one less thing bugging you. There’s also the Samsung Galaxy Ring, a $400 competitor that’s often on sale for $300 at big-box retailers.
As a bonus, these free up space on your wrist for an analog watch. “I can wear a mechanical watch and be more in the moment,” u/Th3p4l4d1n posted. “The Whoop allows me to do that more since it has auto workout tracking.” Plus, you don’t need to worry about charging classic timepieces. And they won’t become obsolete in a few years.
There’s no shortage of variety (in style and price) in that space. For example, Casio has a plethora of options, starting at $30. Or, for that matter, head to any jewelry or department store and have at it. And while old-school timepieces don’t promise the moon, they also won’t lower your attention span or raise your blood pressure.
