LG Watch Sport band splitting after 1 year and 7 months – Lesson is beware of buying devices without easily replaceable bands and batteries
I bought this watch in July 2017 at quite a cost as it had to be shipped out from the USA with the extra VAT and duty payable on arrival in South Africa. So 19 months later the band is seen splitting. The band contains the Wifi, Bluetooth and LTE antennas and there are not even easy to obtain replacements without the antennas. One place in Korea sells them at $70 each. The lesson is don't buy devices that do not have easily replaceable bands or batteries!
The warranty is usually a year (or a major struggle to get something replaced and this would be chalked up to "wear and tear").
But I've learnt from early Fitbit purchases too that the first big thing to look at is standard type strap/band replacements. Fitbit bands seem to last just on 13 months and then start splitting (I bought the newer Charge 2 since with easy to replace bands) and this LG is especially bad with its antennas in the band. I took it to a watchmaker and he just laughed and said I should buy a "proper" watch if I want it to last – he could put another strap on but the watch would have a gaping hole with its antenna connectors all open. A proper watch though does not have my grocery list on! So I've ordered the Ticwatch Pro now which has standard 22mm bands, and ordered an extra leather band with it.
On batteries my lesson was nearly learnt with my Nexus 6P phone. Fantastic phone with a dead battery after 1 year. I bought all the tools to replace it including a heat gun to melt the case off, and the replacement battery also dies after a few months. Easy to replace batteries are also just a blessing.
So remember that replaceable straps, batteries and microSD card slots (yes OK also headphone plugs for many) are to be valued when it comes to comparative specifications when choosing new devices.
Photo at https://photos.gadgeteer.co.za/picture.php?/12563/category/35
 |
LG Watch Sport band splitting after 1 year and 7 months | Danie’s Photo Site I bought this watch in July 2017 at quite a cost as it had to be shipped out from the USA with the extra VAT and duty payable on arrival in South Africa. So 19 months later the band is seen splitting. The band contains the Wifi, Bluetooth and LTE antennas and there are not even easy to obtain replacements without the antennas. One place in Korea sells them at $70 each. The lesson is don’t buy devices that do not have easily replaceable bands or … |