In this wearables shootout, we look at activity and wellness trackers able to provide Heart Rate Monitoring (HRM) without the need for a chest strap.
In this wearables shootout, we look at activity and wellness trackers able to provide Heart Rate Monitoring (HRM) without the need for a chest strap.
FITBIT BLAZE
Out of our small selection, the Fitbit Blaze is easily the most attractive looking fitness tracker available. The strap is made from flexible elastomer found in sport watches with options for genuine leather or stainless steel. Its Buckle and frame is made from surgical-grade stainless steel with traces of nickel.
Fitbit Blaze’s setup is simple to do and its proprietary app is even simpler to understand. Out of all the proprietary apps that came with their trackers in this shootout, it was the most interactive – giving us the breakdown of all the statistics we wanted to read, be it passive step tracking or active sports. The app interface is detailed yet simple to understand, though it doesn’t provide any tips on how to maximize your lifestyle.
Some may argue that the Blaze is a smartwatch because of its appearance, but our experience with the Blaze tells us that it works more as a full-fledged fitness tracker, since the Blaze does not run on Android Wear and it only provides smartphone notification pushing to the user. The Fitbit Blaze has a commendable fitness functionality amongst the other trackers here that support Heart Rate Monitoring, since it provides both active and passive HR tracking, and multi-sport tracking (except swimming).
Its 1.7-inch, touch-sensitive color LCD screen also makes it easy to read the display at night. The colors helped differentiate the different numbers and logos – which can be handy after a strenuous exercise. It’s not the most accurate step tracker, but its HRM tracking is on par with the Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse, with the extra benefit having your HR tracked during exercise. The Fitbit Blaze becomes slightly difficult to use with sweaty fingers after a run though, given its glass display.
Between the TomTom Spark Cardio + Music and this, the Fitbit Blaze provides a more intuitive interface for a fitness tracker. It is suitable for someone with an active lifestyle. It also helps that the device doesn’t look out of place if you wear it anywhere outside of exercising; something we can’t say for the TomTom wearable’s appearance. If you require a passive tracker at a lower price point, look towards the Jawbone UP3 or Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse instead.
+Attractive and functional.
-Difficult to use touchscreen after sweating it out.
JAWBONE UP3
The Jawbone UP3 is physically appealing, with its strap made from hypoallergenic TPU rubber, and a sensor fashioned from anodized aluminum. However, form does not follow function – the wearable can be challenging to wear. The clasp is tricky to operate with just one hand. Even though it is adjustable, we never really got a comfortable fit. Worse of all, the clasp seems to loosen with wear, and after just a couple of days, it wears much looser than we would have liked.
Previously, we’ve tried the UP3 on its down and felt it was one of the better wellness trackers you can get. It turns out that the UP3 is not as accurate as we expected it to be, after comparing it to Xiaomi’s Mi Band Pulse and the iPhone 6s Plus built-in trackers (see our Benchmark section for more details). However, it does still have the best proprietary app because data recorded is presented in a useful and understandable manner. Other apps simply tell us the numbers we’ve accumulated, but the Jawbone’s tracking app has little snippets of fun facts about exercise and sleep, and it Upon approval Please sign: Name and Date: integrates your day’s result to make sense of your numbers.
The passive Heart Rate functionality was helpful at large, even though it made us feel helpless in the moment. The Jawbone UP3 is largely automatic and decides when to take a sample of your heart rate. There are pros and cons to this of course. On the downside, there is virtually no way to pick up a snapshot of your heart rate on demand – unlike the Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse, which gives you that without any hassle. However, the Jawbone UP3’s HR recording is quiet and automatic, so you’ll get a better average reading at the end of the day.
Even if you’re not a stickler for pinpoint accuracy within a passive wellness tracker, it is hard to deny that at $309, the UP3 is quite pricey when there are more accurate alternatives at a far lower cost such as the Mi Band Pulse. Also, while appearances are indeed important, we’d like to argue that the Fitbit Blaze would be better value for money – you pay a similar amount, and you get far more than passive tracking with the Blaze.
+Amazing app interface that coaches the user.
-Spotty accuracy, even for a wellness tracker.
TOMTOM SPARK CARDIO + MUSIC
+Detailed app and filled with features for adrenaline junkies.
-Least attractive and most expensive of the lot.
XIAOMI MI BAND PULSE
+Accurate wellnesstracking despite its weight.
-Light on features because of its price.
Steps
(Closer to 100% – better)
We tested a day’s worth of steps tracking by wearing one wearable on each wrist. Since we can only wear two trackers on one individual wrist at any time for the most accurate result possible, we tested different wearables on different days, using the iPhone 6s Plus built-in Health app as the control factor. We did not feed the data from the wearables to the Health app, and each number came from their respective proprietary tracking apps.
We determine if the tracker is relatively more accurate by comparing its score to the day’s average score - an average of the trackers used and the iPhone 6s Plus. The Xiaomi Mi Band Pulse came within 0.02 percent of the average score, beating the TomTom Spark Cardio + Music’s 0.04 percent difference.
Distance in kilometers
(Closer to 100% – better)
Like our steps, the distance indicates how far each wearable has travelled in one day. Since we can only wear two trackers on one individual wrist at any time for the most accurate result possible, we tested different wearables on different days, using the iPhone 6s Plus’ built-in Health app as the control factor. We did not feed the data from the wearables to the Health app, and each number came from their respective proprietary tracking apps.
We determine if the tracker is relatively more accurate by comparing its score to the day’s average score - an average of the trackers used and the iPhone 6s Plus. The TomTom Spark Cardio + Music tracker was only off the average score by 0.47 percent – the next closest is the Fitbit Blaze at 1.89 percent off the mark.
Passive Heart Rate in BPM
(Closer to average score – better)
All four trackers are capable of reading our passive heart rate. Since each reading takes only a few minutes to record, we were able to test the values on the same day, within the same hour. The sample was taken from a sedentary position – at our office desk, in the middle of the work day. Each value is an average of multiple attempts.BPM stands for Beats Per Minute. It indicates the number of times the heart would beat within the minute.
For reference, a typical battery-powered blood pressure monitor designed for home-use gave us a reading of 84 BPM. The average score of all four devices and the BP monitor is 80 BPM, with Fitbit Blaze being right on the money.
GETTING REWARDED FOR YOUR STEPS
Activity trackers have never been more in-demand as healthy living and fitness trends grow. However, unless you workout regularly, the novelty of looking at your daily step counter usually wears off after a few weeks when there’s no other motivation to keep tracking your progress.
Remember NikeFuel, Nike’s universal activity measurement system that earned you ‘Fuel’ points and achievements? it was fun while it laster, but again, nothing tangible came out of it.
So what do you do with all those step goals you’re meeting everyday? If you guessed “there’s bound to be an app for it”, you’d be partially correct. There’s actually a portal for it.
Active Ager Asia (activeager.asia) is a new startup that gamifies activity tracking with physical rewards. Signing up for a free account lets you sync your tracker to its dashboard and access select merchant privileges. Paid members with anannual subscription will also be able to participate in regular ‘challenges’, redeem their points for rewards such as groceryvouchers and take part in lucky draws.
According to the portal, it currently supports Fitbit and Jawbone devices, plus Google Fit and Moves mobile apps.
AND THE BEST FITNESS TRACKER IS
FITBIT BLAZE
True, the TomTom Spark Music + Cardio is the more detailed sports tracker, but the whole point of the wearables form factor is to allow the device to be seen in a social setting. The Fitbit Blaze does all the necessary tracking for strenuous activities with due accuracy, and without forgoing the fact that the information displayed must be easy to read and access. It is easy to use when you’re exhausted after a run.
The lower price tag makes it easy for us to say that the Blaze definitely performed well – as a active sports tracker and as a personal accessory.
XIAOMI MI BAND PULSE
Despite its diminutive size and cut-throat price tag, the Xiaomi Mi Pulse has the best value for money given that it’s insanely affordable and more accurate that some of its more expensive peers. It’s nothing flashy, and the stats provided are rather basic, but that makes it easier to convince a non-wearable user to adopt this device and start a new life.
The Jawbone UP3 is no doubt handy with the app’s built-in coaching and attractive color options, but the Xiaomi Mi Band actually did the “simple and passive” shtick to a better effect.
