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An Apple Watch isn't just an accessory or an excuse for a second screen. After more than a year of testing Apple Watches, I've found them to be helpful sleep trackers, convenient timers in the kitchen, phone-free communication tools, as well as exercise motivators and mid-workout monitors.

Also: Why the Apple Watch's 20-minute calibration test is worth your time - especially if you're data curious

The Apple Watch started out as a fitness tracker and evolved into an essential companion for iPhone users. Apple's smartwatches have an arsenal of convenient capabilities, like housing your boarding pass for a flight, identifying songs, opening your garage door, and providing weather alerts. These watches are also expansive health monitoring systems with FDA-cleared features that can check your heart rate, notify you of hypertension, or detect sleep apnea.