I’ve been loyal for 8 years. Two models. Countless bands. Millions of steps. It’s been my workout coach, my messaging BFF, my emergency contact, and, honestly, my most committed relationship. 

We’ve closed rings together. We’ve made fitness fun. It even let me leave my phone at home because… cellular. (Iconic.)

And yet… Here I am. January 2026. “New year, new me” vibes in full swing. And suddenly, I’m side-eyeing other wrists. Like, a lot.

TL;DR

• I’ve worn the Apple Watch for 8 years straight.

• Still love the features. Still bored with the design.

• CES 2026 showed me: wearable tech is moving on. Should I?

• Eyeing new wrist candy (hi, Withings ScanWatch 2).

Apple Watch: The gold standard

Let’s be real. The Apple Watch has been the best smartwatch the world has ever seen. Yes Android users, the best. Period. 

1. Seamless integration with the iPhone and the rest of the Apple ecosystem. Unlocking my Mac with my Watch? Yes sir! Pinging my iPhone when I thought I’d lost it? Every. Single. Time.

2. Siri all the way - and please don’t start the “Siri is the worst assistant” argument. I know . I’ve heard it. But be honest, how eften do you ask you Google Assistant or Alexa to do more than play a timer or turn on a light?

3. iMessage on my wrist. Yes, us Apple sheep love our messaging app and the effortlessness we have for sending and receiving messages. No WhatsApp, no Telegram, no IG DMs. Just pure, beautiful blue-bubble glory.

4. Gamified fitness. Don’t even get me started. Closing my rings is one of the most satisfying micro-joys of my day. (On the days I actually move, of course.)

So yeah, I love this watch. And that’s exactly why this is hard.

New year, new me. 

Here’s the thing. The Apple Watch has been my only watch for 8 years now. It’s giving reliable relationship. Reliable but… Boring? I mean… It’s 2026 and the Apple Watch still looks like a rounded iPhone stapled on my wrist. Sometimes it feels like I’m wearing Crocs on my Saturday night out. No, no, let me rephrase this: Sometimes it feels like I’m wearing Crocs - period. 

So, this year I might want more. Or just different. I want something that fits my style, changes with my fashion needs (and I don’t mean the bands). I want something that makes me feel excited again and gives me exciting new health and lifestyle features, like temperature trends that help me make sense of my metabolism. And finally I just feel… wristricted (see what I did here?) having just this one (more than capable) accessory. 

I know, I know, CES 2026, just like every year, fueled my tech FOMO but it also reminded me that there’s plenty of wrists in the scene. And even though most of the new tech is just flashy features that don’t add any value, the reality is, I still feel that I need a little bit of excitement in my life. Or should I stick with boring and reliable? 

Scanning what’s out there

The thing is, I’ve been eyeing the Withings watches long before Nokia bought it and after Nokia sold it back to Withings for a huge loss. I even had one - one of the basic ones but it was in a funky blue color. 

Now, I’m flirting with a beautiful gold Scanwatch 2. It’s chic. It’s understated. It gives quiet luxury but still tracks health metrics (a lot more than the Apple watch) and has like a 15-day battery life. 

Sure, it doesn’t have Siri. You can’t text back or read full notifications. But… maybe that’s a good thing? Maybe what I need is less wrist-based interruption, not more. Less Slack. Less dopamine-chasing notifications. More peace. More style. More me. (And that’s why I got really excited about the Clicks Communicator - more on that in another article.) 

So, am I breaking up? 

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a phase. Maybe I'll come crawling back when I miss my texts mid-workout or feel empty without Siri’s support and iMessages and phone calls when I’m walking my dogs without my iPhone. Maybe. 

But for the first time in eight years, I am wondering what else is out there. And that, dear Tim [Cook], is how breakups begin.