Who needs the Apple Watch Ultra 4? I've been counting my steps and finding my phone with this cheap retro Casio digital watch, and I love it

Date:
Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Description:
This 'dumb watch' has Bluetooth, a step counter (complete with in-app graphs like an original Fitbit) and a Find My Phone feature.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter This year has been chock-full
of great smartwatch releases: We've had the latest crops of Samsung , Google
, Fitbit , and Amazfit watches. We had the Garmin Fenix 9 and Garmin Fenix 9 Pro at the high-end of the adventure watch category (and pricing range, some costing upwards of four-figure dollars or pounds), and soon the latest Apple Watches, with the Apple Watch Series 12 and (according to rumor) the Apple Watch Ultra 4.

However, I've had the most fun this year with a watch that costs just 55 (around $75 / AU$100). The Casio F-B100W is a digital quartz watch which connects to your phone via Casio's Mobile Link Bluetooth function, providing
a handful of techy features. So I guess you could say it's technically a smartwatch. Looks-wise, it's very similar to the classic, outrageously cheap F-91W, only a little bigger and packing a fourth button on the side rather than the F-91W's usual three. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

The F-91W is beloved among watch nerds as a reliable, cheap 'beater' watch
you can where anywhere. We've written about it in the past it was worn by a young Barack Obama, due to its reliable timekeeping and seven-year battery life it was even used as a bomb timer by Al-Qaeda, and its got serious counterculture appeal due to its low-tech defiance of modern trends and the analog revival. (Image credit: Future) I'm a great advocate of having a 'beater' watch to throw on and wear during gardening, DIY, construction work or any time you want a break from your smartwatch. However, I've always thought the F-91W looked like a child's toy on the average person's wrist, with a tiny size of just 38.2 35.2 8.5 mm. The F-B100W is slightly bigger
at 41.9 38.1 8.8 mm, a difference of less than 4mm, but it goes a long way towards feeling more like a watch. You may like Casio's latest retro smartwatch is the F-B100W, with step counting included 5 ways I use a cheap fitness tracker to supercharge my gym workout I love the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic so much I wore it to my wedding

It packs more features than the F-91W: as well as a timer, stopwatch, LED and alarm functionalities, it's got dual-time zone features and some very basic fitness tracker functionality thanks to its Bluetooth capabilities: notably,
a step counter.

Not only do your steps display on the watch's LCD screen, but it also feeds your steps into the Casio Watches app, where you can see historic graphs of your steps across weekly and monthly views. In this way it acts as a virtual pedometer, just like the original Fitbit did before things got complicated . It also, unbelievably, has a Find My Phone feature, activated by holding the bottom-right button down. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

And that's it. It's a stripped-down Bluetooth watch which looks like a
classic Casio, with the most basic of fitness tracking functionalities, a useful Find My Phone feature and a two-year battery life. Reader, I am in love. (Image credit: Future) It's an absolute belter of a watch for the
price. I enjoyed taking it for a five-mile hike and watching my step count tick up, and it's extremely light on the wrist at 26g. I've always liked the look of Casio watches, and as someone who perpetually misplaces almost everything I own, the Find My Phone feature is a near-essential tool. I like that it's got a step counter broken down by graphs, but I also like that this is the only fitness tracking functionality it has, apart from the timer and stopwatch which are in themselves ideal features for interval training, or timing rest periods in the gym.

In an era of all-singing, all-dancing smart technology that tracks
everything, and often requires a subscription to sell your own data back to you, it reminds me of a simpler time in wearable technology. It's not a great contributor to surveillance capitalism like lots of wearable tech these days (beyond having to make a Casio account): it's just a fun digital pedometer, and is good value enough to be a 'fun' purchase for many people, rather than
a serious investment.

It's accurate, as you can set the time of the watch with your phone and the digital quartz movement is notoriously reliable, and will cost you nothing more than 55 (around $75 / AU$100) and a cheap watch battery every two years a pack of 10 might run you about $5.99 / 4.99 / AU$8.99.

The F-B100W is sold out on Casio.com right now in the UK, and not yet available in the US, but keep your eyes peeled for restocks this archaic-looking, secretly-smart digital watch is the stripped-back digital pedometer you never knew you needed. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/who-needs-the-apple-watc h-ultra-4-ive-been-counting-my-steps-and-finding-my-phone-with-this-cheap-retr o-casio-digital-watch-and-i-love-it


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