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Forget titanium and expensive materials, I can't wait to see more plastic smartwatches in 2025

Save those premium metals for those heirloom devices, OK?
By

Published on4 hours ago

A Garmin Instinct 2S on a user's wrist displays the device's built-in compass.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

The recent trend of smartwatch makers pushing premium materials, like titanium, as a marketing slant to entice buyers doesn’t work for me. I’m a practical human. I’d much sooner froth at the idea of pioneering smartwatch internals and new capabilities rather than their construction materials. There’s no doubt that metal is a wonderful, malleable material, but I’d argue there’s a far more sensible alternative for smartwatches.

Do you prefer metal or plastic smartwatches?

33 votes

Plastic is fantastic

A Fitbit Inspire 3 displays a users watch face.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

I wouldn’t object to companies spending less of their development budgets on bodies and facades while increasing their spending on specs, features, and software. Opting for plastic rather than titanium would allow this.

Plastic is substantially cheaper to produce and work with than metal. Unlike analog timepieces, smartwatches have far fewer moving parts, making wear and tear and longevity less of an issue. Thanks to smart manufacturing processes, plastic can be made particularly robust, too. Garmin’s fiber-reinforced polymer, used on its core device lines, is a great example. No one would dare say these mostly plastic watches are flimsy, would they?

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is particularly vulnerable to scratches, leading many users to slap a plastic case on them. I love the irony.

It’s also worth noting titanium’s tendency to scratch. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is particularly vulnerable to this, leading many users to slap a plastic case on their wearable. I love the irony.

The Garmin Forerunner 165 features accurate sensors for monitoring daily and overnight stats.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

There’s also something to be said about plastic’s aesthetic qualities. There’s potential for myriad colors, like the iPhone 5C or Swatch’s technicolor range of watches. Metal devices are available in mundane shiny, less shiny, and matte variants, with no hint of personality. Sure, metal will wear a charming patina over time, but many smartwatch users prefer their devices to remain pristine rather than show signs of wear.

I dream of smartwatches with iPhone 5C color options, or the cheerful shades of Swatch.
There’s also the benefits of plastic’s weight over metal. The former is a far lighter material, making it less intrusive during activity and through daily wear. On a personal note, I particularly hate metal’s cold touch in winter and the tendency to cook my arm in summer. I find plastic devices more temperate, softer on the skin, and far more forgiving to wear.

Yes, plastic has its problems

A smartwatch users holds a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

It would be an understatement to say plastic isn’t in vogue right now. The material has perception issues. It’s ubiquitous in the worst way, posing a risk to humans and the natural world. It also has a negative connotation when mentioned alongside smartphones and smartwatches, but we shouldn’t readily dismiss it as a viable material for smart devices.

Boutique analog watch companies craft watches from plastic waste harvested from the oceans. Big firms could do the same.

As I mentioned in the previous section, plastic is often used as an umbrella term to include several other materials, like polymer and polycarbonate, both already found on a host of devices. However, the biggest strike against plastic is recycling and repairability. Unlike metal, which retains its nature, the material loses quality each time it undergoes such a process. This makes plastic smartwatches far less enticing to larger firms concerned with their environmental image and more likely to contribute to the global plastic plague.

That said, recycling plastic is far more efficient than producing new plastic. Some smaller, boutique analog watch companies craft watches from plastic waste harvested from the oceans. If minor companies can achieve this, there’s little doubt that larger firms could easily spin up similar industries.

Want plastic smartwatches, too? Count on Apple

A user adjusts the fit of their Apple Watch SE 2 band.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Smartwatches aren’t heirloom devices. I’m far less likely to pass down my titanium Galaxy Watch Ultra to my son ten years from now than a legacy Swiss timepiece. The abundance of metal used on the smartwatch doesn’t change this. Smartwatches are smartphone extensions; the core focus should be their functionality, not their exteriors.

I’m aware that smartwatches require many materials to function efficiently. There will inevitably be some glass, metals, glues, and resins, but this combination isn’t my issue. Smartwatch makers should strive to use these materials only where necessary and employ suitable materials (read: plastic) everywhere else.

It’s worth mentioning that plastic isn’t the only alternative here. Plenty of non-metal materials exist, from basalt and ceramic used by HUAWEI to novel substances like bioceramics used by Swatch. However, these materials remain too expensive to be viable in the mass market. Of course, there’s also aluminum, which forms the backbone of many devices. It’s cheaper, lighter, and more abundant than titanium. However, with premium companies like TAG Heuer offering more plastic devices and Apple considering launching its own plastic smartwatch in 2025, we could see far more of these cheerful devices on wrists in the future.

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