Garmin watches aren’t the only ones with the power of lighting.
Gather curious passers-by and gaze at my wrist orb! See the notifications that annoy me, the almost incessant reminders, and DoorDash delivery updates. I gasp when I use it to ask Google things I should already know, like if it’s possible that the milk I left on the counter last night is still good. Don’t accuse me of witchcraft when you see me making phone calls in public while using both hands to eat my lunch.
But what is this mockery I hear when I activate the flashlight? Are my ears deceiving me, or did you snort derisively in my direction when I turned on that bright beacon? Oh, I understand. You think smartwatch flashlights are stupid. You’re assuming that a small white screen set to maximum brightness isn’t going to be enough to help me find the pill I just dropped on the floor. But you are wrong. I just found the pill even though it was buried deep in the shag carpet under my nightstand, and I did it all without digging through the kitchen junk drawer for a real flashlight.
Yes, it’s time you realized how useful your smart watch flashlight can be. Whether you own an Apple Watch, Google Pixel Watch, or Samsung Galaxy Watch, they all have similar flashlight features. The temptation to put “flashlight” in quotation marks makes sense. After all, this feature does nothing other than turn the watch screen white and turn the brightness up to eleven. Additionally, your watch is a companion device to your phone, which incorporates a much better flashlight in the form of a camera flash. But answer this: Is your phone strapped to your wrist?
In the brightest day, in the darkest night, a smart watch projects perfectly adequate light!
Max Miller for Woozad
Is this a group of Garmin users I hear raving about the LED flashlights built into their smartwatches? We understand, you’re going out. This post is for the rest of us, the unwashed masses with big brand smartwatches. We’ve been denigrating the flashlight functionality of our little wrist computers for too long. But a line needs to be drawn here. So far, no further!
Look at the photo above. I mean, don’t look too closely. Stop judging my bathroom and instead notice how the light from my little Galaxy Watch illuminates the space. No, it’s not the power of the sun in the palm of my hand, but it’s okay! This is a completely sufficient amount of light! If I looked for something in there, I would find it.
Ah, but the elephant stubbornly remains in the room. Why not use a phone flashlight? Well, if you’re like me, your phone isn’t glued to you. One of the reasons you probably bought a smartwatch was so you could put your phone aside without missing important calls and texts. So when your phone is charging in another room and you need a quick light source, who are you going to call? You already know the answer.
In addition, your phone is a relatively heavy object that takes up at least one hand and its shape is bulky. If you need light when using both hands, you can either awkwardly lean your phone against something or take the honorable route and activate the flashlight on your smartwatch. You can even strap the watch to your palm and use it in what I’m officially calling “Iron Man mode.”
Max Miller for Woozad
