Comment by utopcell | Hacker News Reader

Comment by utopcell | Hacker News Reader

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Nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia, though we should be aware that a 14-day battery life is no longer a competitive advantage.

[Gemini 3 Pro Query] "Which smartwatches have at least 1 week of battery life?"

- Garmin Instinct 3: Provides up to 18 days (45mm) or even 40 days (50mm) of battery life. It features a robust design and a bright AMOLED display.

- Garmin fenix 8: A premium multisport watch that lasts up to 29 days in smartwatch mode, featuring advanced mapping and a built-in LED flashlight.

- Amazfit T-Rex 3: A rugged, budget-friendly alternative with an impressive 27-day battery life and military-grade durability.

- Garmin Forerunner 165: Offers 11 days of battery life with a focus on running metrics and accurate GPS tracking.

- Garmin Venu 3S: A stylish lifestyle watch with a vibrant display that lasts up to 10 days.

- Amazfit Bip 6: A highly affordable option that delivers a solid 14 days of typical use.

The Pebble offers multiple weeks of battery life with an always-on display. There are very few other watches that offer this. Looking at the above stats, I would guess that almost all of them are quoting battery life when AOD is disabled.

Unless you're going on a back country camping trip, I don't really see what difference it makes if the battery life is 3 days or 30. I have a Garmin Vivoactive 4. It's a generation or 2 old. The battery lasts 2 to 4 days, depending on the features I'm using. I take it off and charge it each day while I shower.

I go on 3-4 day trips all the time and don't want to have to worry about bringing another charger. I rarely go on trips that last more than 2 weeks, so I would never have to bring a charger for the PR2. This is even more true for the PT2, which is supposed to last 4 weeks.

The main advantage of Pebble watches was their battery life. If 3 days works for you then there are more sophisticated solutions out there, including the "Garmin Vivoactive 4" which looks great. I'm personally happy with the 3 days I'm getting out of my Pixel Watch 4. For folks that consider 14 days to be a plus, I'm simply mentioning that, 10 years later, it's no longer a differentiator.

The other big differentiator is the fact that you can do anything on the watch with just buttons. Some Garmins let you easily control music without using the touchscreen, but I think it's just the 5-button ones.

This is great for when you want to give the watch input signals without looking at the screen and hitting specific tap targets, or when your hands are wet/gloved/etc.

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