A smartwatch is a health device first
Notifications are the least interesting thing a watch does now.
MusabDev
Phonfy editorial
The pitch for smartwatches used to be notifications on your wrist. That was never worth the charging. What is worth it is the sensor package.
Sleep data changes behaviour
The most useful number a watch produces is not steps, it is time asleep. Seeing an accurate figure for a fortnight is usually enough to change when people go to bed, which is a bigger health intervention than any workout ring.
Irregular rhythm notifications are genuinely medical
Atrial fibrillation is often asymptomatic and often intermittent, which makes it hard to catch in a clinic. A watch checking passively for weeks catches what a ten-minute ECG cannot. This feature has a real evidence base behind it.
Blood oxygen is more useful at night
Spot readings tell you little. Overnight trends flag disturbed breathing patterns, which is why the sleep apnea notifications on newer watches matter more than the SpO2 number on the face.
Battery decides whether you get any of it
A watch you take off at night collects no sleep data. If health tracking is the reason you are buying, battery life is the specification to optimise — three days beats eighteen hours every time.
