Smart Watch / Fitness Tracker Dilemma

[arncap]

I just had my second Fitbit Versa 2 break down on me in the past 4-5 years. I like the watch, its features and its functionality. That said, I am quite frustrated having to for over a couple hundred dollars every 2 or 2.5 years for a new one. So this time around I am posting here to get suggestions. Fitbit offered me a 35% discount on my next one if I buy it at the Google Store. I suppose I have three options: (1) Buy a new Fitbit at the discount (it will still end up costing me $200 or more depending on which model I choose, (2) buy a different more expensive brand such as Garmin or Samsung Galaxy with the hope that it will have a much longer life and I will not need to replace it in the next couple of years, or (3) buy a lower-priced watch as there are many options on Amazon that are priced between $50-$100 that have the same or similar functions as the Fitbit Versa.

Can anyone suggest what I should do?

 

[B. Diddy]

It's hard for me to make a definitive recommendation, but I can tell you about my recent experience. My wife was using my old Pixel Watch 1st gen, which she liked, both for fitness tracking and for smart features like notifications -- however, it unceremoniously died about a month ago. Prior to that, it was draining battery erratically, so I suspect it may have been a complete battery failure. Fortunately, I had bought it from Best Buy, and I'm a My Best Buy Total member ($179/year, which provides up to 2 years of insurance for any device purchased under the account). It was still covered, so I brought it to the Geek Squad desk, and they told me that they wouldn't repair it -- instead, they would give store credit for the full original retail price (about $330). I thought about another Pixel Watch, but I thought that one of the potential reasons why it died fairly young was the fact that you have to charge it every 1-2 days, and since all batteries have a certain charge cycle lifespan, that made me think that another Pixel Watch might also be at risk of dying within 2 years or so.

So I did some research, and based on my wife's needs and preferences, I used that credit to get a Garmin Vivoactive 5 (which was on sale for $268, not too shabby). It's about the same size and weight as the Pixel Watch, has a nice display, is supposed to have excellent fitness sensors (so far, my wife agrees with this), and best of all, is supposed to have a battery life of about 8-10 days between charges. I figure that since you don't have to charge it as often, the battery will hopefully last longer.

Another nice Garmin perk is that all of the fitness readings are free -- there's no premium paywall like with Fitbit Premium.

Food for thought. Hope it helps!

 

[gomezz]

I am waiting for Casio to produce a G-Shock hybrid with the style of a Garmin or for Garmin to produce a hybrid with the toughness of a G-Shock. Until then I will stick with a G-Shock for telling the time and a Fitbit protected by a toweling wrist band for tracking my heart rate etc.