Users Abandon Smartwatches for Traditional Watches, Citing 5 Drawbacks

1 articles · Updated · Boy Genius Report · May 17

Online users and reviewers are increasingly swapping smartwatches for traditional watches, saying constant wrist alerts, fitness goals and health tracking make them feel more tethered to their phones, not less.
Five complaints drive the shift: notification overload, pressure from always-on data, device replacement and e-waste, skin irritation from near-constant wear, and a preference for classic watch design.
Battery aging and annual hardware upgrades make smartwatches feel disposable compared with regular watches that can last for years, while older devices often end up unused on shelves.
Phones now cover more of the same functions, reducing the need for a watch; the report notes iPhone workout tracking and AirPods heart-rate features can handle runs without an Apple Watch.
The broader appeal of traditional watches is less about losing utility than escaping always-on connectivity and treating a watch as a durable accessory rather than another screen.

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