Are there any Android Wear or Galaxy Watches that compete with the Apple Watch?

[omelet1978]

Hi,

Last year I tried a Samsung watch and after a few months I gave up and switched back to Apple since the Apple Watch is far superior. I was wondering if there were any better alternatives since I like to use both Android and Apple.

I’m not interested in things like an EKG or fitness tracking, just the basics. Here are the things I noticed:

1. The non Apple Watches don’t seem to unlock when you unlock your phone.

2. You can’t swipe away a message after reading it. It’s mark as read and it does not even have that on a lot of the apps.

3. Switching bands is extremely finicky compared to the Apple Watch. Small pins that are pain.

4. The non Apple Watches look like they need to go on a diet and.

If there is a watch out there that is not like this I’d like to try it. First world problems I know, I just like trying different things when it comes to technology. I don’t think there is and will most likely sticking with Apple for a while.

 

[Chris Laarman]

I think that opinions differ, depending on the intended use of the smartwatch. If you are at home in the Apple ecosystem, then an Apple Watch is likely to be the better choice. If you are outside that Apple ecosystem, then your better choice might well be a WearOS smartwatch. (Disclaimer: I haven't kept track of the WearOS compatibility of smartwatches by Samsung and others.)

Me, I have two iPhones and two Android smartphones, each paired with a matching smartwatch - but I haven't felt a need to wear a watch for over a year now. (I'm not a fitness type.) The Apple Watches have their role in the Apple ecosystem, being useful with apps like OmniFocus. The WearOS watches (identical ones by Polar) don't have an ecosystem to play a role in, but they can be tweaked as devices.

I have the app WatchMaker for both WatchOS and WearOS. On my Wear OS watches, I have a WatchMaker watchface selected that crams more info on the screen than I can read without my glasses on. On my Apple Watches, such faces are even impossible. (Disclaimer: my info may have become outdated.)
I would use a WearOS smartwatch (and therefore an Android smartphone) if I were sailing or equivalent: glancing at my wrist (or feel haptics) for relevant data, not bundled for me by an app. You wouldn't want to reach for a smartphone when at the helm of a sailing boat, not even a "bathtub with a sail". Nor at the wheel of a motor boat on most waters.

If you should just want to know the time, then any watch might do. Or you could carry your smartphone in an easy spot (me: in a belt pouch).

 

[akash.nu]

Short answer - Apple Watch doesn’t have any competition at this point. It’s the same situation as tablets.

 

[Chris Laarman]

Short answer - Apple Watch doesn’t have any competition at this point. It’s the same situation as tablets.

There is a difference between "not knowing that ..." and "knowing that not ...".