Need help picking a new Wear OS watch

[smccloud]

I've been using a Fitbit Versa since Christmas Even of 2018 and while I've been mostly happy I've had a couple of issues. Really three. Two of them are the same, the screen has come loose from the case on two of them (the one I bought and just now the first replacement, second replacement is on the way). The other might be the Note 8 I'm using, but it doesn't stay connected to the phone and at best I have to restart it daily to keep it syncing & notifications coming across. I made the decision that this is my last Fitbit and I want to go back to Wear OS. I'm looking for a reasonably priced watch that is also fairly durable (I'm a klutz and I think my current Fitbit started its screen demise when I smacked my wrist on a door frame). I wear it almost constantly, only taking it off to charge and shower so good battery life would be nice but I can survive with having to charge nightly.

 

[SpookDroid]

I'd suggest either the Fossil Sport or the Gen 5. IF you must go to Wear OS, these two are probably the top choices (the Gen 5 more so, albeit a bit bulkier). If you would consider anything else (if you have an iPhone, there's no denying the Apple Watch reigns supreme), I'd go with Samsung's Active Watch 2 if you care about fitness tracking more than available apps.

 

[kramer5150]

The tic watch S2 and pro seem to have a pretty good track record for physical durability. Wear OS has been hot and cold with me overall so I hesitate to recommend it openly.

Any reason you are not considering a Samsung watch?

 

[smccloud]

The tic watch S2 and pro seem to have a pretty good track record for physical durability. Wear OS has been hot and cold with me overall so I hesitate to recommend it openly.

Any reason you are not considering a Samsung watch?

Honestly, I've had one experience with them (though T-Mobile) and it was not a positive one. Watch worked great, but it didn't get a data connection like it should have. I have thought about the Casio watches, but they are to expensive.

 

[11B1P]

Honestly, I've had one experience with them (though T-Mobile) and it was not a positive one. Watch worked great, but it didn't get a data connection like it should have. I have thought about the Casio watches, but they are to expensive.

Don't base your perception of them because of T-Mobile. I have the BT version gear S3 and it works perfectly. Wear OS is not going to be as nice as Tizen OS

 

[smccloud]

Don't base your perception of them because of T-Mobile. I have the BT version gear S3 and it works perfectly. Wear OS is not going to be as nice as Tizen OS

True.

 

[kramer5150]

Hmm, so you have had 2 completely different watch brands, with closed eco system (non-google) software... both are suffering connectivity issues. I am thinking theres something either with your phone setup or an app thats blocking connection and/or notifications. Based on my experiences with connectivity issues, if I am having problems maintaining a connection, WearOS will not be the solution. If anything it will unfold/reveal additional problems, while still struggling to some degree with the original problem.

Furthermore if I have encountered the same or similar connection problem with different eco-systems... its root cause thus far has always been is either my phone, an app or a setting. Just 2 days ago I stopped getting txt notifications on all my watches. I had to toggle off-on notification settings on the phone, clear cache and reboot my phone and they all came back... except for my WearOS watches. So I still have some tinkering, and maybe some updates to do with the fossil.

My experiences are limited however to the following: Amazfit stratos, Fossil gen4 explorist + moto360 gen2 on WearOS, two different DZ09 smart watches.

Good Luck though... Hope you can find a solution, but in all honesty I would not expect WearOS to present one upfront, without some deeper understanding and setup for the OS. Of all my watches and connected devices WearOS has been the least self-sustaining. It consistently requires some kind of manual intervention and deep setup editing on my part to keep the OS running.

 

[smccloud]

Hmm, so you have had 2 completely different watch brands, with closed eco system (non-google) software... both are suffering connectivity issues. I am thinking theres something either with your phone setup or an app thats blocking connection and/or notifications. Based on my experiences with connectivity issues, if I am having problems maintaining a connection, WearOS will not be the solution. If anything it will unfold/reveal additional problems, while still struggling to some degree with the original problem.

Furthermore if I have encountered the same or similar connection problem with different eco-systems... its root cause thus far has always been is either my phone, an app or a setting. Just 2 days ago I stopped getting txt notifications on all my watches. I had to toggle off-on notification settings on the phone, clear cache and reboot my phone and they all came back... except for my WearOS watches. So I still have some tinkering, and maybe some updates to do with the fossil.

My experiences are limited however to the following: Amazfit stratos, Fossil gen4 explorist + moto360 gen2 on WearOS, two different DZ09 smart watches.

Good Luck though... Hope you can find a solution, but in all honesty I would not expect WearOS to present one upfront, without some deeper understanding and setup for the OS. Of all my watches and connected devices WearOS has been the least self-sustaining. It consistently requires some kind of manual intervention and deep setup editing on my part to keep the OS running.

Actually, the Samsung connectivity was over LTE, not with bluetooth to the phone. My main issue with the Fitbit is that they keep falling apart.