Iwatch too expensive, what do you think is a good alternative?

[cuzo]

I honestly just sold off all my android stuff and moved onto Iphone and I got the base 11 model for a good price with visible wireless.

Well, I sold the galaxy S3 frontier for 120 since that was the going price, sold the galaxy buds for 100 and sold the phone for 570 Note 10.

So i got the iphone and need a watch and low and behold the watch 5 is like 450 bucks lol

So that's about 300 bucks outta my price range... I was looking at maybe a fitbit or a fossil watch series 4 for 150...

What do you guys think? I like a manly watch was gonna save up to get a garmin or something like that. Or I was just gonna get a non smartwatch since I don't do much fitness like that.

 

[casperes1996]

There is no iWatch. And there is especially no Iwatch. Pedantics aside, the Apple Watch in my opinion is actually extremely cheap for what you get, and I'd way rather recommend a series 3 than any other smart watch for a cheaper experience. So I'd say if the Apple Watch is out of the price range, honestly, don't get a smart watch. But that's opinion.

 

[nickdalzell1]

You don't need the Watch 5. The Watch 3 is decent and other than two watch faces and the ECG you're getting the whole rest of the package.

I'd wait on the 5. My 5 has been half-baked since I got it. Takes three to five tries before Siri on it can control a Homekit anything, and the stand detection/workout detection is wonky--doesn't register most of the time unless i do a little dance or shake the heck out of it. None of these issues were present in my Series 3.

The Series 4 is discontinued ala iPod nano. You won't have much luck finding any today. Best Buy here stopped carrying them and sent remaining stock to Apple.

 

[casperes1996]

I'd wait on the 5. My 5 has been half-baked since I got it. Takes three to five tries before Siri on it can control a Homekit anything, and the stand detection/workout detection is wonky--doesn't register most of the time unless i do a little dance or shake the heck out of it. None of these issues were present in my Series 3.

The Series 4 is discontinued ala iPod nano. You won't have much luck finding any today. Best Buy here stopped carrying them and sent remaining stock to Apple.

Interesting you have those issues with the 5. My 4 works excellently in every single aspect.

 

[cuzo]

I'll look into the 3 but I like big faces but the price isn't bad.

I like to keep my watches for years, my s3 frontier almost lasted 2 years and I never upgraded it.

 

[nickdalzell1]

I don't really know what differs between the 4 and 5 myself, I can't even buy a 4. I got the 5 because i wanted the Infographic face (which sadly is missing on the 3 even though it's perfectly capable of doing it). But compared to my 3, there's a lot broken about my Series 5. It's a nice watch but when it can't detect workouts or register standing properly, and the ECG is broken (it keeps saying inconclusive unless i use it right after I wake up or take a sleeping pill first) but the faces work great. Battery is fine. It just got 6.1.1 update last night and so far the workout problem appears fixed. Siri is still broken on Homekit though. It's fine if you use 'hey siri' but it wakes all my devices nearby up and causes issues. Raise to wake works fine on my Series 3.

 

[casperes1996]

I don't really know what differs between the 4 and 5 myself, I can't even buy a 4. I got the 5 because i wanted the Infographic face (which sadly is missing on the 3 even though it's perfectly capable of doing it). But compared to my 3, there's a lot broken about my Series 5. It's a nice watch but when it can't detect workouts or register standing properly, and the ECG is broken (it keeps saying inconclusive unless i use it right after I wake up or take a sleeping pill first) but the faces work great. Battery is fine. It just got 6.1.1 update last night and so far the workout problem appears fixed. Siri is still broken on Homekit though. It's fine if you use 'hey siri' but it wakes all my devices nearby up and causes issues. Raise to wake works fine on my Series 3.

Basically the only real difference between 4 and 5 is the 5 having always-on display and compass.

I wouldn't dismiss the ECG results like that. If you're doing the test right, your heart rhythm may be irregular once you get going in the day.

 

[nickdalzell1]

I've always had what I call a 'hamster' heart rate. It's always in the 90s or 100s. If I take a supressant like a sleep aid it drops to like 50-65 and works fine. Just can't handle high heart rates. when it works though it shows a normal sinus rhythm.

Seems a tad touchy. I've had them done in hospitals before and never once did it fail to read.

 

[casperes1996]

I've always had what I call a 'hamster' heart rate. It's always in the 90s or 100s. If I take a supressant like a sleep aid it drops to like 50-65 and works fine. Just can't handle high heart rates. when it works though it shows a normal sinus rhythm.

Seems a tad touchy. I've had them done in hospitals before and never once did it fail to read.

Fair enough. Just wanted to ensure you’re not having untreated, unnoticed issues.

I will say though that my Series 4 can do an ECG just fine whether my heart rate is low (60s) or higher, after having moved about (90-100s). Though ECGs should be done in rest.

 

[nickdalzell1]

I only noticed if it's showing a consistent BPM around 101-115 it will always come out 'inconclusive'. I just delete and retry. I've gotten into the pattern of doing it before sleeping or just after waking. Only time my heart rate is good enough for the darned thing.

Haven't tested it since the 6.1.1 update. I was having workout detection issues before the update that seem fixed now.

 

[valinda]

You can get used Apple watches on Swappa.

 

[Apple_Robert]

The series 3 42mm is a great watch and only $200 new from Apple.

 

[Royksöpp]

I went for the Series 4 this year and I recommend the same. The difference between 4 and 5 are minor at best. I've found that having a watch at the gym takes away all distraction from my phone. I get through my workouts much quicker without my phone. I enjoy being able to control music, measure fitness, and read messages and emails. Can I live without it? Absolutely. Investment wise it's still a pretty good choice. If you ever decide to sell, you'll make something decent. Good luck reselling anything else! I understand that it's expensive but it will be well worth it. Save yourself the headache and go for the best model you can afford. Just try not to spend too much. 199-350 is a good price range for this product. Anything more is just overkill.

 

[anthonymoody]

Get a used Apple Watch 4 in aluminum. If they're not in your price range, wait until they are. Most of the cheap alternatives pretty much suck IMHO.

 

[nickdalzell1]

Why exactly was the 4 discontinued in the first place? It was there one week and GONE the next. It's like when they canceled the iPod Nano and stock disappeared by order of Apple. Was there a recall or something? Is there a concern for Series 4 owners regarding support in the future? The 4 wasn't out that long.

 

[casperes1996]

Why exactly was the 4 discontinued in the first place? It was there one week and GONE the next. It's like when they canceled the iPod Nano and stock disappeared by order of Apple. Was there a recall or something? Is there a concern for Series 4 owners regarding support in the future? The 4 wasn't out that long.

It's simply because it's too similar to the 5. If they reduced the price it'd either make the 5 look stupid, or make the 4 look stupid depending on how much or little they changed the price. And production costs for the 4 was not really that different from the 5 anyway, so reducing cost would cut margins. Stock was either sold really quickly, or taken in for parts and part-conversion to Series 5 probably

 

[nickdalzell1]

Oh that makes sense then. I was concerned that there was a defect and the 5 was the remedy. The 4 was only here in my area for a couple weeks and GONE.

 

[casperes1996]

Oh that makes sense then. I was concerned that there was a defect and the 5 was the remedy. The 4 was only here in my area for a couple weeks and GONE.

The 4 had a shelf life of a year. It is still very much supported, and likely will be about as long as the 5. There are no known, widespread faults with it.

 

[Otflyer]

You don't need the Watch 5. The Watch 3 is decent and other than two watch faces and the ECG you're getting the whole rest of the package.

I'd wait on the 5. My 5 has been half-baked since I got it. Takes three to five tries before Siri on it can control a Homekit anything, and the stand detection/workout detection is wonky--doesn't register most of the time unless i do a little dance or shake the heck out of it. None of these issues were present in my Series 3.

The Series 4 is discontinued ala iPod nano. You won't have much luck finding any today. Best Buy here stopped carrying them and sent remaining stock to Apple.

If your experiencing these issues with your S5 I would recommend you contact Apple support. Both my S5 watches work flawlessly regarding the features you site problems with. The main negative I see with the S3 is the smaller screen and slower speed. I agree the S3 is the best choice if price is most important.

 

[nickdalzell1]

My only gripe is the lack of Infograph face on the Series 3. I'm certain everything should work except perhaps the corner complications but it irks me that the 3 never got it.

I'm hoping my 5 is just buggy software. I'll wait to see if it's fixed in a few updates. There were 'bad' OS versions on previous watches before, so I'm hoping that is what it is. I wish I could've gotten the 4 while it was out.

 

[Elitegate]

I honestly just sold off all my android stuff and moved onto Iphone and I got the base 11 model for a good price with visible wireless.

Well, I sold the galaxy S3 frontier for 120 since that was the going price, sold the galaxy buds for 100 and sold the phone for 570 Note 10.

So i got the iphone and need a watch and low and behold the watch 5 is like 450 bucks lol

So that's about 300 bucks outta my price range... I was looking at maybe a fitbit or a fossil watch series 4 for 150...

What do you guys think? I like a manly watch was gonna save up to get a garmin or something like that. Or I was just gonna get a non smartwatch since I don't do much fitness like that.

Apple Watch Series 3 starts at 199$, which is a damn good price if you ask me. And the Series 3 is still superior to a Fitbit, Garmin or whatever else you may consider at 150$ IMO.

And the Space Gray Series 3 is pretty much a "Manly" Watch, don't worry.

 

[bluespark]

Why exactly was the 4 discontinued in the first place? It was there one week and GONE the next. It's like when they canceled the iPod Nano and stock disappeared by order of Apple. Was there a recall or something? Is there a concern for Series 4 owners regarding support in the future? The 4 wasn't out that long.

It was discontinued simply because Apple didn't want it dragging down sales of the 5 with a lower price point. It's a great watch and was an enormous upgrade over the 3. If OP can get a 4 in aluminum, that's definitely the way to get a lot of Apple Watch at a very low price.

 

[TGM85]

the Apple Watch in my opinion is actually extremely cheap for what you get, and I'd way rather recommend a series 3 than any other smart watch for a cheaper experience.

Agreed. When I got my Apple watch, I was a bit sceptical at first. Less than a year later, I feel like I couldn't do without it. The way it integrates with your other devices is almost magic.

If price really is an issue, consider looking around for a used Series 3.

 

[sjinsjca]

Basically the only real difference between 4 and 5 is the 5 having always-on display and compass.

You're overlooking emergency alerts and fall detection overseas for cellular models, even if the Watch is not activated on a cell plan. That's new with Series 5. For those of us who are road warriors, it's a very attractive feature. More info: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT206983 and https://www.apple.com/watchos/feature-availability/#branded-international-emergency

 

[casperes1996]

You're overlooking emergency alerts and fall detection overseas for cellular models, even if the Watch is not activated on a cell plan. That's new with Series 5. For those of us who are road warriors, it's a very attractive feature. More info: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT206983 and https://www.apple.com/watchos/feature-availability/#branded-international-emergency

Not so much overlooking, as genuinely thinking that was available on S4 as well . But thanks for the info-addition