Using a feature phone instead of a smart phone for a daily driver is a different decision than having a second device with less distractions that is used sometimes instead of carrying a smartphone.
These have setups for call forwarding and the Apple Watch has SMS forwarding. They are designed to be a second device.
Their second generation device that this article is talking about is advertised as being independent. In which case a cheap feature phone is a valid comparison.
These have setups for call forwarding and the Apple Watch has SMS forwarding. They are designed to be a second device.