Should I buy it today? (Moto 360 1st gen)

[Jaymi Gibbs]

I found a great deal for a Moto 360 1st gen today and was wondering if it was still worth buying today. I know the processor is slower and the the lugs are non-existent. But at $90, it is cheaper than all current ones with a heart rate sensor. The Zenwatch 1 is ugly to me compared to the Moto 360 imo. I was looking at the Sony Smartwatch 3 and the Asus Zenwatch 2 but they, again, don't have a heart rate sensor which is important to me. Thank you in advance.

 

[SpookDroid]

I'm still using it since day one and I can't complain. It's still snappy enough for a smartwatch, display is very decent (just don't expect the high pixel density found in more current ones), and battery life just keeps getting better with every update.

Right now, if I leave it on Airplane mode, I can squeeze out a little over 3 days with it. With normal use, I can go for nearly 2 days without needing a charger (OK, closer to 1.75 days).

 

[blaze53]

I'm still using it since day one and I can't complain. It's still snappy enough for a smartwatch, display is very decent (just don't expect the high pixel density found in more current ones), and battery life just keeps getting better with every update.

Right now, if I leave it on Airplane mode, I can squeeze out a little over 3 days with it. With normal use, I can go for nearly 2 days without needing a charger (OK, closer to 1.75 days).

How would you define "normal" use? I posted the battery life thread earlier and want to get some sort of consensus.

 

[jojoe42]

I go from 7:30a-2:30a with about 20-30% remaining - this is with priority notifications on for about 3 hours total during the day, paired to my phone at all times, frequent Messenger notifications, emails set to push (not all of them), brightness on auto and ambient disabled (but tilt enabled), replying to several texts via Coffee and using Okay Google for maybe a couple of queries - anything else you wanna know? I'm loving this watch, although I'd be concerned about buying one now due to the AW 2.0 update and the old processor in the Moto 360 2014

 

[Jaymi Gibbs]

I did a google aupport chat and they said that it is compatible. I do not know how smoothly it will urn though. Edit- I guess not

 

[blaze53]

I go from 7:30a-2:30a with about 20-30% remaining - this is with priority notifications on for about 3 hours total during the day, paired to my phone at all times, frequent Messenger notifications, emails set to push (not all of them), brightness on auto and ambient disabled (but tilt enabled), replying to several texts via Coffee and using Okay Google for maybe a couple of queries - anything else you wanna know? I'm loving this watch, although I'd be concerned about buying one now due to the AW 2.0 update and the old processor in the Moto 360 2014

So, you're basically saying that the massive drop in battery life whenever I actually use the watch (usually like 3% for 30 seconds of use) or whenever my phone vibrates is uncommon... if I actually use the phone for anything I don't get a day out of it.

 

[jojoe42]

So, you're basically saying that the massive drop in battery life whenever I actually use the watch (usually like 3% for 30 seconds of use) or whenever my phone vibrates is uncommon... if I actually use the phone for anything I don't get a day out of it.

Sounds pretty unusual, if it's new I'd still give it a week or two before bringing it up - most kinks are fixed up in the first few weeks of using something new.

 

[blaze53]

Sounds pretty unusual, if it's new I'd still give it a week or two before bringing it up - most kinks are fixed up in the first few weeks of using something new.

Oh, no, this was bought used. It was bought new two years ago and allegedly hasn't been used much since. I've already ordered a replacement battery just in case since I figured a seldom-used battery would be stagnant, but I wanted to be sure.

 

[jojoe42]

Oh, no, this was bought used. It was bought new two years ago and allegedly hasn't been used much since. I've already ordered a replacement battery just in case since I figured a seldom-used battery would be stagnant, but I wanted to be sure.

Disassembling the watch is difficult without voiding the weather resistance apparently, so keep that in mind. The reason why I say give everything new a week or two to straighten out is because in the first couple of weeks a few things are happening:

It's a new shiny toy, so you use it heaps and fiddle with the settings more than you otherwise would

The OS typically runs one-time background optimisation for the following days after setup

Low-level things like battery estimates and history are erased from the previous owner and thus the system has to "re-learn" when 5% is actually 5% or when to throttle up the CPU, etc. resulting in occasional stuttering and battery drops.

 

[blaze53]

Disassembling the watch is difficult without voiding the weather resistance apparently, so keep that in mind. The reason why I say give everything new a week or two to straighten out is because in the first couple of weeks a few things are happening:

It's a new shiny toy, so you use it heaps and fiddle with the settings more than you otherwise would

The OS typically runs one-time background optimisation for the following days after setup

Low-level things like battery estimates and history are erased from the previous owner and thus the system has to "re-learn" when 5% is actually 5% or when to throttle up the CPU, etc. resulting in occasional stuttering and battery drops.

I'll keep that in mind. I just find it strange that I barely do anything, but my battery life suffers tremendously. Watch vibrates for notification, goodbye 5%. Use the stopwatch? Goodbye 5%.

I'm inclined to believe that the "relearning" point sounds like a myth, though, but I'll keep an eye on things. Also, the weather resistance/IP67 is achieved with a little rubber band, essentially.

 

[SpookDroid]

Yeah, that sounds like abnormal drain to me... If I use the watch for a lot of notifications (with their respective vibrations), about 30 or 40 voice replies, a handful of queries, a couple calls initiated from the watch, and usually two or three timers a day (pretty useful when cooking!), mine lasts from 7am to 10pm with only 50 to 55 percent drain.

Whenever I've had issues with battery drain is when the OS updates or the Android Wear app updates. But usually a watch reset fixes that.