Top 10 fitness trackers in 2016
An activity tracker or fitness tracker) is a device or
application for monitoring and tracking fitness-related metrics such as
distance walked or run, calorie consumption, and in some cases heartbeat and
quality of sleep. The term is now primarily used for smartwatches that are
synced, in many cases wirelessly, to a computer or smartphone for long-term
data tracking. There are also independent mobile and Facebook apps. Some
evidence has found that the use of these type of devices results in less weight
loss rather than more.
A fitness tracker is the perfect way to monitor your
activity easily and with unmatched accuracy. Think of it as an electronic
finger on the pulse, constantly measuring your vitals, quality of sleep and
step count.
Today's fitness band market is stuffed with compelling
devices, most of which can do a pretty good job at the basics of tracking. But
frankly, we're only concerned with the best, and you should be too.
Let’s take a look at Top 10 fitness trackers in 2016:
1.
Fitbit Charge HR
Display: 0.7-inch OLED | Weight: 22g
| Compatibility: Android, iOS, Windows Phone | Battery: 5 days | Connectivity:
Bluetooth 4.0
Excellent app Discreet and comfortable Weird cycle and run
tracking Pulse monitoring not reliable
Now able to auto-detect exercise such as cycling and running
- although you're still better off telling it what you're doing if you want
total accuracy - and with improved pulse tracking and the ability to set more
demanding weekly fitness goals, the Charge HR is now better than ever. With a
screen, an altimeter to tell you how many steps you've climbed, a pulse counter
for more accurate calorie counting during exercise, plus Fitbit's excellent app
and social ecosystem, this remains the best fitness band you can get.
The proper watch-style strap means it stays on and is
comfortable, while the design is deliberately neutral and discreet. Some of the
stats it pulls out are a bit odd at time, with a definite whiff of inaccuracy
about them. However, it is consistent in the ways it is inaccurate, so you can
still clearly see if you're getting better or worse at hitting fitness goals.
Now the Fitbit Charge 2 is out, this model should begin
dropping in price pretty rapidly - expect it to be something of a budget by for
the holidays this year.
2.
Samsung Gear Fit 2
Display: 0.7-inch OLED | Weight: 22g
| Compatibility: Android, iOS, Windows Phone | Battery: 5 days | Connectivity:
Bluetooth 4.0
After a two year break, we now have the Samsung Gear Fit 2.
And while it might look like not whole lot has changed, Samsung has clearly
learned from the last go-around. There are improvements at nearly every turn,
and it all comes together as even better value in the process.
To rattle off a few examples, it works on any Android phone,
as long as you have KitKat (4.4) or above. The previous version only tethered
to Samsung-branded phones.
Next, it includes built-in GPS-a must for folks who want to
leave their phones at home for a jog. The original Gear Fit offered little to
no functionality when your phone wasn't nearby.
All-in-all, the latest fitness tracker from Samsung is a
positive step above the Gear Fit, even if the streamlined design won't appeal
to everyone.
3.
Microsoft Band 2
Display: 320 x 128 AMOLED | Weight:
55g | Compatibility: Windows, Android, iOS | Battery: 2 days | Connectivity:
Bluetooth 4.0
Powerful, versatile fitness tracking looks much better than
the v1 Band It's not cheap Short battery life
With a better screen, greater comfort and a better look than
the first Microsoft Band, this packs 11 sensors (one new one: a barometer to
measure altitude and track stairs and hills climbed, plus an accurate optical
heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS, ambient light sensor,
skin temperature sensor, UV sensor, capacitive sensor, microphone and a
galvanic skin response sensor). There's full Cortana integration on Windows
Phone, while Android and iOS devices get calendar and message notifications.
It's as good for the gym, running, cycling, golf and other
sports as it is for counting steps and tracking sleep. The two-day battery life
(less if you hit the GPS hard) is not amazing, but it does charge fast, hitting
80% in 30 minutes and 100% in 90. Apart from the Fitbit Surge, it's more
powerful than everything else here put together.
4.
Jawbone UP3
Display: N/A | Weight: 29g |
Compatibility: Android, iOS | Battery: 7 days | Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0
The Jawbone UP3 is an activity tracker with a turbulent
past. It was scheduled to launch in 2014 until the company decided to delay its
release until 2015 for undisclosed reasons. Now it's here and claiming to be
Jawbone's most advanced tracker yet. On paper there's plenty to backup this
claim, with the device featuring a radically new look and the addition of heart
rate monitor to track even more aspects of your day.
The UP3 more expensive than the Jawbone UP2, which comes
without the heart rate support but is virtually identical in every other way.
We weren't exactly enamoured with the changes that Jawbone made with the UP2 in
comparison to the great UP24, and disappointingly it's more of the same with
the UP3.
From a distance the UP3 is everything you could want from a
tracker. It's slim, weighs just 29g and looks far more elegant than Fitbit's
trackers. Nowadays, only the Misfit Ray can give it competition for subtlety.
If you like you’re monitoring to be discreet, then the UP3 fits the bill.
Especially if you opt for the black model. It's a radical overhaul of the
design we saw with the UP24, where the more rigid rubber frame is replaced with
a skinnier, more flexible medical-grade rubber band that wraps around the wrist
in a natural, more accommodating way.
5.
UA Band
Compatibility: Android, iOS |
Display: 1.36" PMOLED | Battery: 5 days | Charging method: via proprietary
USB charger | Connectivity: Bluetooth LE
The Under Armour Band is the HTC Grip reborn. The US sports
giant's first wearable was delayed from launch in 2015. But now it's back with
a new look.
You can pick up the Band for $180, making it a more
expensive purchase than the Fitbit Charge HR and our current fitness tracker
fave, the Jawbone UP2. The Band will count steps, measure resting heart rate
and deliver notifications from your phone. So far, it doesn't sound all that
different from what you can already get your hands on.
What's special, for now, is that it also forms part of a new
UA HealthBox platform, which includes a heart rate monitor chest strap, a smart
scale and a pair of smart running shoes. The idea is that all the products will
play nice with each other and pull all of your data into the UA Record app,
delivering more detailed insights into your health.
Straight out of the box the Band has a simple, inoffensive
charm about it. It's the Grip evolved but there are some clear changes here. Some
good, some not so good. The clasp is now a simpler setup, as Under Armour and
HTC decided to ditch the Nike Fuelband-style charging connector and clasp in
one.
6.
Withings Go
Display: 1-inch e-ink | Weight: 9g |
Compatibility: Android, iOS | Battery: Eight months | Connectivity: Bluetooth
LE
These days, tech companies appear to be hell bent on
creating high-end, Swiss Army Knife devices that can do it all. This has been
particularly apparent in the world of fitness trackers. Over the past 12
months, we’ve seen an influx of smartwatch-come-trackers – such as the Fitbit
Blaze and Moto 360 Sport – hit the market.
This is great for those with oodles of cash who want the
ability to check incoming messages while out on a run. But it's left buyers on
a budget, or those after simply a tracking device for exercising, a little in
the lurch. So it’s refreshing to see Withings release the Go – an affordable
wearable that’s tailor-made for cash-strapped exercise newbies looking for
basic fitness and sleep-tracking services.
Unlike Withings’ more expensive trackers, the Go doesn’t
sport the look of a regular watch; it's unashamedly a fitness tracker first.
The central spherical base fits into either a rubberised strap or clothes clip,
and features an E Ink, rather than physical, watch face.
7.
Fitbit Charge
Display: 0.7-inch OLED | Weight: 22g
| Compatibility: Android, iOS, Windows Phone | Battery: 7-10 days |
Connectivity: Bluetooth
The Fitbit Charge is the wrist-worn activity tracker
successor to the Fitbit Flex and the Fitbit Force simply under a new name. That
means you get the built-in OLED display and smartwatch-like features without
the skin irritation issues that forced Fitbit to pull the Force from the
shelves in the US.
The Charge is slightly more expensive than its predecessor
and while the most of the new features are welcome ones, it’s a tracker that is
beginning to lag behind more cutting-edge alternatives.
If you’ve seen or owned the Fitbit Flex, then the Charge
will feel very familiar. Available in slate, black and plum shades, the first
thing you’ll notice is that the materials on show are largely the same, but the
band is wider and now packs a screen of course. It’s not a dramatic jump in
size, although it takes away some of the discreetness in comparison to the
Flex. Fitbit has scrapped the removable pod sensor, which now lives behind four
screws underneath the flexible plastic rubber strap and means you now have to
hook the sleeker charging cradle directly to the body.
8.
Garmin Vivofit 2
Display: 25.5 mm x 10 mm | Weight:
25.5g | Compatibility: Android, iOS | Battery life: more than a year |
Connectivity: Bluetooth
The Vivofit 2 is a wrist-based activity tracker that can
measure steps taken throughout the day, distance traveled, calories burned and
your sleep at night. This new model features a slight redesign over the
original Vivofit, and adds a stopwatch function, audible alerts (the tracker
will remind you when you have been inactive for an extended period of time) and
a backlight.
The always-on display is a favorite feature of mine. It's
easy to see in direct sunlight and removes the need to take out your smartphone
to see how many steps you've taken. It's also great for quickly checking the
time without needing to press a button or lift your wrist. Having a display
does have its downsides, though. The Vivofit is considerably bulkier than the
Jawbone Up2, an activity tracker with no display that falls into the sub-$100
category.
Navigating the device can be a bit confusing at first.
Tapping on the single button located on the strap will scroll through the time,
date and your activity data. You can customize the data that appears on the
band through the Garmin Connect mobile app. If you press and hold the button
you enable the backlight, while a long hold scrolls through other functions:
stopwatch, mobile app syncing, and smartphone-pairing settings.
My biggest complaint is the lack of vibration. Most good
trackers like the Jawbone Up2 and Fitbit Charge include a silent alarm feature
that will gently wake you up in the morning with a light vibration. I've found
this to be much more soothing than the blaring alarm of my smartphone. The
first Garmin Vivofit lacked vibration, and so does this sequel.
9.
Withings Activite Pop
Display: analogue watch face plus
analogue step-count dial | Weight: 37g | Compatibility: iOS, Android |
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Wearables are finally edging into the mainstream. With this
broadening appeal comes new demands, and fashion-conscious individuals have
been leading the charge for more design-led offerings. Fortunately French firm
Withings has had its finger on the pulse, following up the high-end Withings
Activité activity-tracking watch with this, the more affordable but equally
stylish Withings Activité Pop.
More Swatch watch alternative than Rolex replica, the Pop
has done away with some of its big brother’s unnecessary luxuries while
maintaining the same level of tracking. The result, a watch that’s one of the
most well-rounded and visually appealing wearables on the market.
Elegant refinement is the best way to describe the Activité
Pop’s design. Built around classic watch styling, this is a device that merges
traditional looks with modern abilities. Like its sibling, it has a small
additional dial sitting within the watch face. This shows your progression on a
0 to 100% pre-set goal such as step count.
Although the Pop has dropped some of the Activité’s original
visual highlights – there’s no calf-leather strap, stainless-steel body or
sapphire crystal here – it still looks the part. The machine-milled metal body
and rubber straps give the watch a more everyman, everyday look and feel.
10. Fitbit
Blaze
Display: 1.2-inch, detachable 240 x180-pixel | Weight: 33g | Compatibility: iOS,
Android | Connectivity: Bluetooth
The Fitbit Blaze is being marketed as the ultimate “smart
fitness watch”. What that means in layman's terms is that this is Fitbit’s
attempt to create an all-in-one wearable that can offer robust fitness
tracking, as well as basic smartwatch functionality. It's a move that's been
embraced by many wearable manufacturers. Samsung's Gear Fit2 is another device
that walks a similar line.
At first glance, the Blaze looks like a not-so-attractive
cross between the Apple Watch and Fitbit Surge. However, following a few weeks
of having it wrapped around my wrist, I found plenty to like about the Blaze,
and I can see that it could be a solid – albeit pricey – option for casual
runners and those just getting into exercising.
The Blaze looks more like a smartwatch than a fitness
tracker. It has a 1.2-inch, detachable 240 x 180-pixel colour screen, metal
frame and rubber textured strap. The strap in particular will be familiar to
owners of previous Fitbit devices.
As watches go, the Blaze isn’t the prettiest on the market.
It doesn’t have the top-end feel of the Huawei Watch or the Moto 360 2, nor can
it keep up with the likes of the round-screened Moto 360 Sport or the beautiful
Withings Activité Steel.
However, it isn't the ugliest and easily looks nicer than
some other sports watches – the Razer Nabu Watch, for example.
Like the Apple Watch and Pebble Time Steel, the 1.2-inch
size of the Blaze means that it’s small enough to sit unassumingly on its
user's wrist, while being large enough to use without having to squint at
on-screen text.
