As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if a reader clicks on a link or an image of the product, we may receive a commission. There is no additional cost to you — it helps pay for hosting and server costs. And it does not affect the quality of the content, as we always recommend our readers the best sources.

The world you live in these days is loaded up with an assortment of innovations to assist you with achieving a satisfying way of life. And with regards to watches, presently, the choices are increasing, for example watches with cell phone connection capabilities.

In this post, we will discuss “what functions do smart watches have?” so that you will be able to make the best use of them.

Smartwatches: What are they?

These gadgets are wearable PCs as wristwatches giving more highlights other than letting you know about time. More often than not, they incorporate integration to the cell phone displaying your approaching phone calls & text messages, and a few applications with extra usefulness such as direction maps and weather alerts.

As you can see, this type of wearable device gives an extension to the cell phone, which hence displays a portion of the content you have the option to view on your phone yet without having to take the phone out to check. Something else it offers is various sensors for wellness monitoring. Heart rating tracking and step counting are a couple of the highlights and attributes delivered by a smart wrist wearable. 

What functions do smart watches have?

The intelligent internet of things(IoT) smartwatch concept

They have a considerable number of capabilities. A few models boast more applications & functions while others offer less; that is why it is not the slightest bit that every product unit comes with specific highlights. 

1. Timekeeping

Informing you about time

Informing you about time – that is undeniable; all things considered, they are watches. It is safe to state that checking the date and time on watches is significantly more helpful and comfy in comparison with cell phones. 

Stopwatch

Numerous smart wrist watches come with the Stopwatch. It is comparable to many cell phone stopwatches yet to get leveraged without the cell phone. We get it sort of relies upon the circumstance whether we would lean toward utilizing the phone’s stopwatch or the one on our wrist. In case we are busy or active all the time, we tend to lean toward the stopwatch of our smartwatch.

Alarm clock

The product unit from Apple and a few other models feature alarms by themselves instead of being in connection with your phone. Thus, you can opt for setting the alarm on your wrist wearable device rather than the phone; that is not all; its integrated vibration & speakers will awaken you. 

Please bear in mind that as some smartwatches do not come with integrated speakers, vibration is the sole thing you depend on. Honestly, on the one hand, the vibration is not sufficiently able to awaken us; on the other hand, it is convenient in case we desire to use the alarm to help us remember that we need to head to someplace. 

2. Smart functions

Displaying approaching phone calls

Many models are capable of displaying approaching phone calls when getting connected with your cell phone. 

Notifications

You have the chance to, from time to time, look upon notifications on your wrists such as Facebook ones or calendar reminders and now and again wholly read them on your watch screen. Typically, you will receive notifying messages from your cell phone’s entire applications by default; yet, you likewise have the option to block applications. Personally, we prefer leaving what we truly need to become informed about – for instance, Whatsapp & our schedule.

Contactless payment

A customer making wireless or contactless payment using smartwatch.
A customer making wireless or contactless payment using smartwatch.

This payment method by means of Fitbit Pay, Android Pay, Apple Pay, etc., should allow you to use the smartwatch to pay the bill. 

Such a mobile paying mechanism functions with contactless paying readers. That hence lets you pay for buys without a phone or card. Fundamentally, it works at any place providing contactless payment.

Find My Phone

It is an extraordinary attribute that lets you hit a handy button on the watch, making your cell phone deliver an alarm regardless of whether it is on quiet mode and enabling you to find the phone without any problem. 

Directions & Navigation

Leverage this feature because it is conceivable! Rather than the arrows & traditional map guiding you in the direction, some smartwatches likewise give you a wiser navigation approach – say, referring you with vibrating in various ways to advise you whether you had better turn right or left. As a traveling enthusiast, we figure that would be useful as we would not appear as though a vacationer gazing at a map; above all, it would enable us to glance around and appreciate the moment.

Reminders

Reminder settings should be possible by utilizing the intelligent assistant Siri on the smartwatch from Apple. Reminders will smoothly synchronize over gadgets. 

3. Wellbeing-related highlights & advantages

Smartwatches tend to have coordinated all the usefulness you had on your fitness monitors. Some wellbeing-associated advantages are monitoring your sleep quality, pulse, activity as well as general degree of wellness.

Step counter

It is a standard practical element for smart wearable & wellness monitors to quantify your step count as well as advise you once you arrive at your everyday step objective. 

Calories

As you may know, consumed calories assessment is pretty typical on these watches; it is determined depending on your activities – for example, steps and running.

Sports highlights

Numerous models let you set activity monitoring for your swimming, runs, biking, to name a few. Garmin is very notable for its multisport smart wrist watches, and the brand boasts exceptionally accurate assessments of sports activities.

Sale
Polar Ignite - GPS Smartwatch - Fitness watch with Advanced Wrist-Based Optical Heart Rate Monitor,...
  • BECOME YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL: Polar Ignite, a sports smartwatch for women and men who want to push their limits the right way. Perfect for gym, group and team exercise, swimming, running, cycling, walking.
  • SLIM DESIGN OPTIMIZED FOR 24/7 WEAR: Your new-generation smart workout partner with a 1-button interface includes such essentials as a wrist-based OHR monitor, speed, distance and route tracking with integrated GPS, calorie counter, color touch display.
  • NIGHTLY RECHARGE: Nightly Recharge measures how well your body recovers from the day stress during the night.
  • FitSpark DAILY TRAINING GUIDE: Get your personalised and ready-made daily workout guidance based on your recovery and overall readiness.
  • SLEEP PLUS STAGES: Learn about your sleep quality, follow your sleep stages and get detailed sleep insights with the new Sleep Plus Stages feature.

Heart rate estimation 

What functions do smart watches have in this regard? These days, these gadgets tend to feature heart rate trackers with the ability to gauge your pulse from the wrist. There are numerous advantages related to estimating the heart rate. 

For instance, it enables you to minotaur the pulse during exercises, which lets you maintain a zone useful for expanding your wellness degree. What is more? The pulse estimation in connection with AI could precisely recognize explicit sorts of unusual heart rhythms.

Smartwatch with health app on the screen, gadget for fitness active lifestyle.
Smartwatch with health app on the screen, gadget for fitness active lifestyle.

Electrocardiogram

Its abbreviation is ECG, known as a notable attribute more and more popular on a few smartwatch models such as the Watch 4 from Apple. It provides you with a more precise heart rate assessment and delivers more information to recognize potential heart-connected issues with more ease. 

Blood pressure measurement

It is an altogether new attribute for smart wrist wearable devices. It initially became accessible on the HeartGuide unit from Omron two years ago. This oscillometric blood pressure estimation wearable gadget additionally got FDA cleared.

Sleep time & quality

Sleep estimation is conceivable with the Gyro, Accelerometer, & Heart Rate trackers on this wearable type. Various makers utilize various algorithms for monitoring your hours slept and sleep condition with multiple degrees of progress. 

As far as we know, the more fantastic ones are ready to figure when we have gone to sleep and got up. And one of our number one sleep estimation highlights is the Polar Nightly Recharge. It is capable of providing you with your night recharge’s rating as well as offering you training suggestions depending on it. 

Fall detection 

It is conceivable with the gyroscope & accelerometer on the watch. A few models, such as the one from Apple, are fit for distinguishing a fall; you may appreciate that they can set an emergency call and inform your emergency contacts in case you are inert. 

See here for fall detection smartwatches suggestions.

Emergency SOS 

This is an extra highlight accessible in the product units from Apple, etc., enabling you to call for help using your smart wristwatch. 

4. Sensors leveraged in the wellbeing tracking highlights 

Thermometer, compass, & barometric altimeter

Impressively, the barometric altimeter joined with the thermometer & compass is excellent for monitoring your elevation; that is why this attribute is decent for those on the trail & runners.

GPS positioning

While It is not exactly standard, GPS positioning doubtlessly will turn into so. As you know, a couple of years ago, not every cell phone got GPS on them; however, currently, they do. The same goes for smart wearables. 

GPS is fundamental for monitoring your open-air exercises such as biking, climbing, & running, providing you with correct readings of your speed and specifying your activities on the map.

Wrist-worn heart rate tracker

As its name implies, you clearly rely on this tracker for monitoring your heart rate.

Gyroscope

You may love counting on it for monitoring rotation, and it becomes an integral factor in identifying what sort of movement you are doing. Its role for monitoring your swimming, etc., is hardly doubtful. 

Accelerometer

It is for monitoring movements and helps execute – for instance, the step counter. Likewise, an accelerometer contributes to recognizing movement identified with sleep monitoring and so on. 

5. Calling making and receiving highlights

Two levels are available for doing so. 

  • Leverage the watch as the remote, and you will get back to your cell phone’s call or make a phone call by requesting Siri to create your cell phone’s call with ease. 
  • When it comes to the 2nd level, cellular smart wrist watches boast a network connection as well as a speaker & microphone to make a phone call without having to use your cell phone. 

As you can see, the popularity of LTE smartwatches has been increasing. Germin, Samsung, Apple, etc., have introduced LTE smart wearables; however, the battery life on these gadgets is not too long as being in connection with the cellular network tends to reduce the battery amount to some extent.

Check here for the list of best smartwatches with battery life.

6. Functions related to playing music

On the one hand, offline music playback functionalities have not been typical on this type of wearable. On the other hand, it is a tremendous advantage for those looking for music enjoying experience free of their phone while they are in the rec center or running. 

women listening to music from smartwatch

You have the option to control the music player on your cell phone and basically utilize your watch as the remote. Else, use the Bluetooth headset and the watch together and stream songs to the smartwatch’s headphones. That attribute is useful while you get involved in sports and do not desire to bring a cell phone with you. 

What is more? Storing your music on the gadget is fine. Even better, cell smart wrist wearables allow you to stream across the network.

Check here for the list of best smartwatches for music.

Smartwatches vs. Traditional watches

Now that you may have a better idea of smartwatch’s functions, but how are they different and outstanding from traditional wrist watches in this regard? Will they replace the traditional watches?

We should check out the following comparison table.

1. Comparison table

Touchscreen
smartwatches
Analog
smartwatches
Standard quartz watches
(radio watches, watches synchronized with GPS satellites, and so forth)
Time accuracycan get synchronized with the time on your cell phonecan get synchronized with the time on your cell phonesome models get time data from radio towers & GPS satellites to show an exact time
Simple conversion for time zonemost product units can be set utilizing the connected cell phonemost product units can be set utilizing the connected cell phoneDiffers
Time is changed utilizing the model's buttons or something; however, some items enable intuitive operation simply through pulling out & pivoting the crown
Charging & Battery lifeNot too long. Some units' battery drains daily or following seven days, and some require a charging cable.Differs
some units' battery drains daily or following seven days. Some are battery-controlled and ask for battery substitution once every half a year to a year, and a few models are solar-powered and needn't bother with a charging cable.
Decent
Needn't bother with a charging cable; battery-powered sorts require battery substitution simply every a few years, and sunlight-based controlled kinds needn't bother with battery substitution
Display / DialLCD display possibly adjusted in an assortment of ways for fitting your moodDisplay with a wonderful, three-dimensional appearance attributable to the hands & dialDisplay with a wonderful, three-dimensional appearance attributable to the hands & dial

(Please keep in mind that a couple of models need battery substitution relying upon their battery life.)

2. The bottom line: Functions, perks & notes on these sorts of wrist watches

Diving into the distinctions of analog & touchscreen smart wearables with traditional ones mentioned above, you can jump to the summary right below. 

Touchscreen smartwatches: Perks & functions

Perks

No compelling reason to reach your cell phone out of your pocket various times each day! 

In case your cell phone’s applications get installed on the watch, you can, without much of a stretch, look into Twitter notifications, email, and all that (albeit the display is, to some degree, restricted). For instance, when you wear jeans that do not have pockets, reaching your phone from the place you keep it may not be very pleasant. Thanks to such a capability, but be that as it may, you can significantly decrease the occasions you need to take out your cell phone.

People that this watch type is generally appropriate for:

The individuals who desire to take pride in their inventive watch instead of owning a conventional wearable with the customary construction.

The individuals in need of honing a wearable gadget’s utilization by adjusting its different capabilities’ arrangement.

Notes
  • You should be aware of the charge that remained
  • A specific degree of information is needed to hone the entirety of their capabilities

Analog smartwatches: Perks & functions

Perks

Their points of interest may be classic, incredible watch construction, and their profoundly advantageous notification capabilities. You will get told of emails, text messages, phone calls, as well as other messages on your social media accounts via a vibration or whatnot from the smartwatch or by the hands’ movement. The product should manage to alert you regardless of whether the cell phone is in your sack; that way, you can check any significant notification without fail.

People that this watch type is generally appropriate for
  • The individuals who are not sure that they could totally rock cutting-edge capabilities and simply need select capabilities, for example, getting message notifications
  • The individuals in need of putting on a gadget that actually resembles a wrist watch yet additionally wishing to ace helpful capabilities that function with the cell phone 
Notes

Similar to touchscreen smartwatches, being aware of your model’s battery or charging necessities is significant.

Traditional watch: Perks & functions

People that this watch type is generally appropriate for:
  • People in need of getting informed about the time and making a fashion statement.
  • The individuals who are not keen on sophisticated capabilities and simply desire to put on a watch.
  • The individuals who are fond of conventional watch construction.

Smartwatches vs. Smartphones

As you know, cell phones are capable of doing a significant number of the stuff that you can do on the smart wearable. However, advanced wrist watches are more qualified for certain things relying upon the cases. 

When you are riding a bicycle, etc., it is considerably more comfy to look at notifications via the smartwatch when compared to attempting to take the phone out from your bag. It is great to figure – for instance, the name of the approaching phone caller prior to picking up the phone through the Bluetooth headset. 

On the one hand, cell phones boast integrated GPS. On the other hand, you may find it is more advantageous to not carry the phone with you while running and utilize the smart wearable device’s integrated GPS to monitor your run’s speed & length.

That is not all; a smartwatch can include extra things that your cell phone simply fails to come with – for instance, pulse checking. We truly appreciate the heart rate measurement usefulness while we are into sports – not to mention the fact that there is no need to put on chest traps like a few years prior. It is worth noting that the smartwatch’s heart rate measuring function has become genuinely exact. 

We also love that it works to monitor our activity during the day; plus, rather than the lift, we have the option to challenge ourselves to have more walking and utilize the stairs. Above all, the pulse following and movement monitoring make it conceivable to automatically obtain data about hours you sleep and your sleep condition automatically, hence being gainful and enabling you to ensure you have sufficient rest and head to sleep punctually.

Final words

We have utilized smartwatches for a very long time, and we chose to do some homework to perfect our own perspective on the brilliant functions of these gadgets. So what are they? 

The smart wearable devices deliver simple access to a portion of the cell phone applications and give sensor information such as pulse observing and sleep monitoring that is not accessible on your cell phone. Be sure you read through the post above for the broad rundown and specifics of smartwatch usefulness.