Andy Walker / Android Authority
I have no idea where my smartwatch is. OK, that isn’t entirely true. I know that it’s vaguely located within the walls of my home office, but beyond that, I’ve not missed its presence enough to seek it out, charge it, and strap it to my wrist. In effect, it may as well be missing.
I was once a fervent smartwatch truther and felt naked going anywhere without that little screen on my arm. But a few weeks ago, my Galaxy Watch 4’s battery dropped to 0%, and so did my patience. Primarily due to my laziness and partially as an experiment, I decided to go one week without wearing the smartwatch. To my surprise, it has been close to a month now, and I’m struggling to find a reason to switch it on again.
Do you wear a smartwatch? 141 votes Yes, I do wear a smartwatch and probably always will. 42 % Yes, but I'm questioning if I still want to. 21 % No, I used to wear a smartwatch but no longer do. 16 % No, I never owned a smartwatch and don't want to wear one. 21 %
No more charging anxiety
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
While some people have fitness goal anxiety, health metric anxiety, and notification anxiety, my smartwatch gave me charging anxiety.
I’m well aware that I’m in the minority, but I don’t believe that current smartwatch battery life adequately suits my needs. I need a wearable that I can charge once in a blue moon, and the Galaxy Watch 4 barely lasts 20 hours. While some users have the process of waking, charging, showering, and wearing on lock, my smartwatch charges far too slowly (or perhaps my showers are far too quick) to make a dent in its battery life using this system. As I wanted to keep my smartwatch on my wrist to maximize the accuracy of the data it sampled, I struggled to find a viable portion of my day to charge it and create a routine from this.
My smartwatch gave me charging anxiety.
This problem wouldn’t be solved with a newer watch, either. The Galaxy Watch 8, for instance, takes around two hours to charge fully, and once it’s at 100%, the battery lasts slightly more than a full day based on our review usage. Significantly, this battery life problem grows as your smartwatch ages. My Galaxy Watch 4, now entering its fifth year of service, demanded its charger so regularly that wearing it became a part-time gig.
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