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Smartwatches have become the new trend amid lockdowns to get involved in some sort of physical activity.

Smartwatches are getting popular day by day with each brand coming up with its smartwatch with unique features.

Amid the lockdown and the pandemic, people are staying at homes which is disrupting the physical activity. All the fitness freaks out there need something to remind them to work out and drink water daily or to even measure their BMI.

If you are also one of them or if you have tended to become lazy while staying at home, smartwatches can be your best friends.

Having said that, buying a smartwatch is a bit of a tricky process and there are several aspects to look for before you go ahead and hand over your cash.

Phone compatibility and the OS

The first thing you need to check when you click on a smartwatch you want to buy is whether it is compatible with your existing smartphone or not.

If you have an android phone and are thinking to buy an Apple smartwatch, it’s a big NO. The Apple smartwatch only works with Apple phones.

Samsung Galaxy smartwatches run on Tizen OS. Google’s Wear OS can be found in Fossil, LG and other smartwatches. Fitbit smartwatches are also compatible with android phones.

Choose the right display

Users these days have more options to choose from with Realme and Oppo also rolling out their smartwatches. Display plays a crucial role in a smartwatch.

OLED displays are found in Apple and Samsung smartwatcheS. Realme watch has an LCD display while Oppo has an AMOLED screen. Choosing the right display also has something to do with the budget. If your budget is high you can definitely go for LED or OLED displays.

More health-related features

A smartwatch is a handy device that keeps a daily track of your fitness and health and that’s why these features must be your high priority while buying a smartwatch.

Buy a watch that offers heart rate monitoring and especially because its the COVID time, choose a smartwatch that has an oximeter and temperature reader. Though the results are not accurate, the results are somewhat approximate.

A GPS is also a must for tracking your daily activities like cycling, hiking, walking and others. Some Fitbit models have female cycling tracking as well.

Sleep tracking is another feature that most of the users are interested in.

Battery life

When compared to fitness bands, the batteries of smartwatches do not last long. An Apple smartwatch can give you 18 hours of performance on a single charge. Samsung Galaxy watches may give you around 10 hours of battery life. Look for the one that gives more than at least 10 hours of battery life and the one that charges quickly.

Price

As with most of the products, budget and pricing are prominent factors in purchasing smartwatches too. The Realme smartwatch is a good entry level one for just Rs. 4000. If your budget can cross this, you can opt for Fossil or FitBit.

Samsung Galaxy smartwatches are also a good deal if you can invest more than your budget.

By Gayatri Yellayi