So I want te find the most feature rich smartwatch that doesn’t send data to the manufacure. I have tried the Pinetime watch, but it died after 6 months.
Infinitytime (OS) was not realy that feature rish, so I want to secrufise an Open Source watch OS. But I still want to connect it with Open Source software, like gadged bridge.
What is my best option under €200? Maybe the Xioami Mi band 7 (€50) that is supported by gadgedbrigde?
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Personally this has been the most feature rich/open source one I could find, and it’s what I ended up going for, there’s an opensource app store, direct integration with gadgetbridge, a decent always on display much like the amazfit bip S, which also means a long battery life.
This is pretty amazing, I was not expecting it to be such a reasonable price considering the specs. What’s the battery life like?
It can get up to 4 weeks, though my experience is closer to 4 days to a couple of weeks, I think it depends heavily on what apps you’re using, how much you’re moving about and how much stuff you’re installing
On the website, it says the battery life’s 4 weeks.
anything that’s compatible with Gadgetbridge should be okay. it keeps everything on your phone and doesn’t even request a network permission, so the device can’t phone home.
incidentally, I’ve got the Mi Band 7 (connected via Gadgetbridge] and I quite like it.
This. I’ve been using the Fossil Collider HR with Gadgetbridge for over a year. I love it, and I love that it’s keeping my data safe
Pebble is peak smartwatch. Fight me on it, I wont change my mind. Its just smart enough, without being too smart. Battery lasts for days, its waterproof, and side buttons instead if some impossible to use tiny-ass touchscreen. Perfection.
Pebble is a discontinued smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology Corporation.
😶
Who got eaten up by Fitbit, who got eaten up by Google. 😭
Garmin does that too if you want to buy something from a company that still exists.
Fossil offers a hybrid smartwatch now to full those shoes. I really liked mine when I had one, but it didn’t fit my hands free needs well enough.
I would say amazefit is the better option, check the compatibility with gardggetbride before buying.
I bought an Amazefit bip 3 years ago and am using Master for Amazefit, sadly the developer stopped updating the app. The watch/band supports only step counter, heart rate measure, sleep tracking. So, whatever options the app provides work fine for me.
I need to look for other app options when I upgrade.
Sleep tracking? I’m ootl with smart watches in general so forgive this ignorant comment, but I assume for this to work…you have to sleep with the watch on?
Yes. Have to wear the watch while sleeping.
Cool, thanks for the clarification. Did it take some getting used to and/or are you a pretty heavy sleeper? Interested in the sleep tracker aspect but unsure if it would be useful if it ended up disturbing sleeping more.
I’m waiting for the next batch of Watchy’s so i can’t say if it is any good, but I have high hopes. They have a handy spec comparison chart between Watchy, Pine time, Bangle.js, and the beloved Pebble.
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Smartwatches do have features an analog watch doesn’t have. I’m pretty sure OP already knows about the existence of analog watches.
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Controlling music without taking out your phone, health stuff like heart rate sesnor or sleep recording or whatever that’s called, being able to switch clock designs when you get bored of it
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For me it’s easily paying subway fare, seeing notifications, leaving my phone home for a quick errand (but could make a call if absolutely necessary). I have a small child, so having hands free abilities is great. If I could degoogle it and run only open source linux/android, I would. But nfc payments will never work with such a thing even if the software existed.
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throwing it away in 3 years is the best feature
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Been pretty happy with my Garmin Instinct. It has a cloud connection of course but seems pretty decent privacy wise.
Their support is top-notch as well. My Instinct started having serious battery life issues a few months out of warranty. They still replaced it no questions asked when I reached out to their support and asked if they offer a battery replacement service. That said, the Instinct at least isn’t a true smart watch. It doesn’t run apps, isn’t touchscreen, don’t have NFC, etc.
Pinetime by pine64
I got two Xiaomi bands, I think it was band 4, but neither work after like two years
Also sleep tracking sucks with gadget bridge, it was better with notify, so at that point it’s crap hardware with closed software
I know you mentioned infinitime, but the PineTime is seriously great and can be flashed with custom firmware to improve functionality. I have had mine for a while and flashed wasp os and then back to infinitime without it ever breaking. Worst case, you are out 30 bucks.
