I love the Apple Watch, but I wish it wasn’t so smart. If I could design my ideal smartwatch, it would look super “dumb” but elegant and have all the sensors that the Apple Watch has.
I used to love it, but now I hate being there all the time
Sometimes I don’t want to know if I’ve received a text or an email
I grew up in a digital age where everyone is always available. I’ve always been available too. In almost every job I’ve worked, I’ve had some sort of work contact on my phone, and throughout the day, even when I’m not on the clock, I’m in touch with bosses or co-workers about work-related stuff – that’s the culture.
In early 2025 I stopped wearing my Apple Watch at homeand it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Then in 2025, I deleted “work” apps like Slack and Asana from my phone. Both of these decisions completely changed my life. Why? Because I’m finally back in control of who can contact me and when.
The problem is, I started exercising for the first time in years towards the end of 2025, which meant I was wearing my Apple Watch a lot more again. Sure, I still didn’t have those work apps on my phone, but I’m back to being “always on” in other ways, and I hate it.
I use my Apple Watch for fitness tracking more than anything else
I started wearing my Apple Watch again, but only for fitness tracking
Even though I’ve started wearing the Apple Watch again for fitness purposes, wearing the Apple Watch still comes with the same baggage—notifications, sounds, taps, and the feeling that you have to respond the moment your wrist vibrates.
Even though I know in my head that I don’t have to, the compulsion is still there. I know I can turn off all notifications on the Apple Watch, and I have turned most of them off, but I keep things like texts on because then I can see if my wife texts me.
If I wasn’t going for daily walks and tracking my steps, I wouldn’t wear my Apple Watch anymore, even when I left the house. Unfortunately, when I got into the Apple Watch years ago, I left my traditional watches in the dust. I still have them, somewhere, but I don’t wear them and I won’t go back to wearing them.
The Apple Watch’s fitness tracking capabilities are too good not to use, and that’s the problem. There’s really nothing out there that integrates as deeply as the Apple Watch on the fitness side, but with a traditional design I want.
My ideal smartwatch existed years ago but was never upgraded
The Withings ScanWatch 2 ticks almost all my boxes
Withings has been making a normal-looking smartwatch with a lot of health-tracking capabilities for a long time, but it’s still a bit too techy for my liking. I go with a non-Apple Watch. The ScanWatch it’s a great piece of technology with a bit of retro flair thanks to its mechanical dial face.
The problem is that it still has a lot of technology in it. There’s still a screen, which means notifications will still be a problem. I’m an all or nothing person when it comes to tech. If the technology is there to use, I will use it.
So my ideal smartwatch is something like the Withings ScanWatch 2, but without a digital display. It fossilized Grant Qit’s basically what I’m looking for, but the software has never been that great.
I want Apple to address this, but I doubt they ever will. A smart watch with a sleek traditional face, no screen, but all the sensor technology the Apple Watch has to offer is exactly what I want, but I’m afraid I’ll never be able to get.
More companies should focus on watch experience
There was a time when companies focused more on the experience you get with the product than making you dependent on the product. Facebook and Twitter (now X) once had timelines by default instead of hiding them behind menu layers. Those timelines let you do what sites were created for: keep up with your friends.
Years ago, I used to check my Twitter feed first thing in the morning using a third-party app I was on a team with. The app will remember where you were last in the timeline and then let you jump to the present. So I would scroll through the people I followed, interact with them, and then go about my day.
Now, algorithms are designed to keep you connected for hours, and smartwatches are just part of that formula. A smartwatch is more about how it can bring you back to your phone than just telling time and tracking fitness metrics, and I really hope that changes one day.
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- Heart rate monitor
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Yes
- Color Screen
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Yes
The Apple Watch Series 11 offers the ability to sense high blood pressure and sleep, similar to many of its health app competitors.
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- Brand
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Withings
- Heart rate monitor
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Yes
The Withings ScanWatch is a hybrid smartwatch with a number of features that connect to a smartphone.
