First off, let’s be real: the Apple Watch Ultra is pricey. Like, “maybe I should just eat ramen for a month” pricey. So it’s no surprise there’s a whole ecosystem of… *inspired* designs out there. And some are just straight-up clones, let’s not kid ourselves.
I saw this thing about the Pebble Cosmos Engage, which, LOL, what a name! Talk about trying too hard. Apparently, it’s trying to be an Ultra clone, while they also have a “Frost” which is trying to be an Apple Watch Series 8. It’s just, uh, confusing. Like, pick a lane, Pebble!
Then there’s the whole “Xiaomi Mi Watch sorta-looks-like-an-Apple-Watch-but-lasts-longer” thing. See, this is where it gets interesting. Okay, maybe the design is “inspired,” but if the battery life is actually better… well, suddenly that dupe isn’t just a cheap knockoff, right? It becomes a legit alternative for some people. I can see that! Battery life, for me, is a HUGE deal.
And then you get into the straight-up cheap clones. We’re talking 34 euros. Thirty-four! That’s, like, what I spend on coffee in a week. I saw someone tested an “Apple Watch Ultra clone” that cost around R$100 (Brazilian Real, I think?)… you KNOW that’s gonna be janky. Like, I’m picturing a screen that’s barely visible and a battery that dies if you look at it wrong. But hey, for 34 euros (or R$100) what do you *really* expect?
Oh, and the bands! Don’t even get me started on the band dupes. I saw something about a “Michele Apple Watch Band Dupe” and I’m thinking, “okay, that’s getting specific.” Apparently, this person liked it, though! Which, again, proves my point: sometimes these dupes are actually… decent.
But, and this is a big BUT, there’s a reason the real Apple Watch Ultra costs what it does. The materials, the sensors, the software… it’s all integrated. You’re not gonna get that with a 34 euro clone. Let’s be realistic. Plus, the *feel* of things matters, right? I saw someone on Reddit talking about how they couldn’t stand the knockoff sport bands, and I get it! I’ve bought cheap stuff before, and you can just *tell* it’s cheap. The texture is wrong, it doesn’t fit right… Ugh.
