There has never been a better time NOT to buy a smartwatch

The Google Pixel Watch 5 is here, joining the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 last month.

Surely then, it’s a great time to buy a high-end smartwatch? No. It’s the worst time, but it has little to do with the quality or ability of the most recently announced devices.

Instead, it's that other wearables are better than ever, and fit into our lives better too.

Related

I tracked walks with Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, Fitbit Air, and Oura Ring 5. The best one is clear

Which one is the best walking companion?

Posts 1
By  Andy Boxall

What’s wrong with the latest smartwatches?

Nothing at all

I’ve recently finished reviewing the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and while it’s a fine smartwatch, it hasn’t exactly pushed the game forward.

I don’t want to say Samsung feels it has to have an adventure smartwatch because Apple has an adventure smartwatch, but it does feel a bit like that. The original Galaxy Watch Ultra ticked that box, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 proves Samsung doesn’t have much of a roadmap for its future.

It means you can likely stick with your Galaxy Watch Ultra and not upgrade without missing out on much. Samsung made a big step forward with the Galaxy Watch 8 in 2025. The lightweight, slim, 70s-inspired design suits smartwatches so well, and while it’s fantastic to see it return for the Galaxy Watch 9, there are almost no reasons to upgrade to it from your Galaxy Watch 8.

Google hasn’t changed the design of the Pixel Watch for some time, and the Pixel Watch 5 is as ordinary and unassuming as ever. There’s a sensible array of health and fitness advancements, but as I’ll come to next, these aren’t reasons to buy the Pixel Watch 5 specifically.

If you already own one of the previous versions of these smartwatches, I wonder if you’re looking enviously at any of the latest versions? Outside the innate need for us as tech fans to have the latest-and-greatest, perhaps not.

Google’s making it hard to want the Pixel Watch 5

Because the Fitbit Air exists

The Pixel Watch 5 brings with it some very interesting new health features. The Health Guardian monitors for loss of pulse and, in the event of spotting it, will call emergency services, while the Breathing Emergency mode does the same but for blood oxygen levels.

However, top of the new health feature list are blood pressure and insulin trend data. These features don’t require calibration and are wellness-based, and generate reports to alert you of any issues related to blood pressure or insulin resistance.

For many, these two features alone may be reasons to buy the Pixel Watch 5. Not so fast, because the two features will also come to the Fitbit Air. The Pixel Watch 5 will also get the Health Coach AI, with all its workout building expertise, which is already available on the Fitbit Air.

A host of features make a smartwatch a great health and fitness partner, but unless you either don’t own a relatively modern smartwatch, or really need a screen on your wrist, the $100 Fitbit Air may be the shrewd purchase in 2026. Not just instead of the Pixel Watch 5, but Samsung’s most recent smartwatches, too.

Smart rings are now a true alternative

Hardware has caught up with the tech

Smart rings are a possible alternative to a smartwatch for people more interested in health and fitness tracking than notifications or navigation. The technology is already there, and in 2026, the hardware caught up.

The Oura Ring 5 is the most refined, most wearable, and most desirable smart ring I’ve worn yet. In a pair of back-to-back tests with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Fitbit Air, its ability to effectively track sleep and basic workouts matched the wrist-worn devices with ease.

While the Oura Ring 5 is an expensive product and has a subscription attached, the RingConn Gen 3 does not, and it has a similar, slim, lightweight design with a range of features including vascular health and sleep apnea monitoring. The Samsung Galaxy Ring, although a little old, is also a good alternative.

Smartwatches are not the only choice

Which is a very good thing for us

Smartwatches are in stasis. Designs aren’t really changing. We’ve reached the point where the introduction of niche features like trail run tracking is considered headline-worthy, plus there’s a growing movement towards not being interrupted by notifications and a screen all the time.

There’s also evidence that more people are turning to non-smartwatches, with fashion brands like Swatch capturing attention with funky special editions, Casio masterfully using color and materials to create affordable, desirable watches for everyone, and luxury brands from Rolex to Richard Mille dominating social media.

This is where trackers like the Fitbit Air, the Whoop, and Garmin’s new Cirqa, along with the Oura Ring 5 and RingConn Gen 3, come in. They don’t have a screen, don’t bother you with notifications, and don’t take up valuable wrist space for those with no interest in double-wristing.

The thing is, you’re no longer missing out by choosing one of these over a smartwatch anymore. If anything, you’re gaining some freedom.

Yes, the newest smartwatches are very good indeed, but the resurgence in interest in screen-less trackers and the considerable improvements in smart ring design shows, there has never been a better time not to buy one.