If you are a health enthusiast trying hard toward having a fit body but still cannot get in shape, you lack a Fitness Tracker.
It’s an excellent device that helps you track your steps, measure your pulse, monitor your heart rate, count your calories, examine your sleep pattern, and many more. As Fitness Tracker is very light, you can wear it every day without getting bothered by its weight.
Keep reading the article to find out almost everything about the Fitness Tracker. Once you complete, I’m sure you are going to fall in love with the device.
What Is Fitness Tracker?
Fitness Tracker, also known as an Activity Tracker, is an electronic device, or simply an application for monitoring human activities, which includes walking steps, running, sleeping patterns, calories consumption, swimming laps, heart rate detection as well as other indicators.
Moreover, Activity Tracker syncs wirelessly via Bluetooth with an app to your mobile or computer and downloads the wearer’s activities data. This device will change the way of monitoring human health activities.
This is amazing, isn’t this?
Smartwatch vs. Fitness Tracker
Smartwatch is simply a wrist wand; however, its ability to sync with and control the function on your smartphone is what makes it smart.
Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker are two best wearable technological accessories for a better fitness routine. Both of these devices detect the combination of steps, heart rates, etc., but still, they are not the same.
How are they different then?
On the one hand, Fitness Tracker monitors your health, and SmartWatch, on the other hand, is an extension of your phone, where communication is the highlight. Now, let’s see the difference in each of their features.
Smart Watch Main Features:
- We can send messages directly from the device.
- We can make contactless payments.
- We can store our favorite music and listen to our headphones. We just have to connect via Bluetooth.
- We get to browse the internet.
Fitness Tracker Main Features:
- Tracks your steps
- Measures the distance, whether you are running, cycling, or just walking
- Monitors our sleeping pattern for quality sleep
- Displays your messages, calls, or any other notifications
SmartWatch provides you entertainment through different apps, but Fitness Tracker doesn’t allow as many entertainment apps as SmartWatch provides; reason? SmartBand is a focused device for fitness programs.
However, they still have some common features such as step counters, heart rate monitors, GPS mapping, voice coaching, and many others. So, there is no debate on which one is better.
Which Should You Buy? Smartwatch Or Fitness Tracker?
Fitness Tracker keeps track of your fitness. SmartWatch does it too, but it keeps on conveying you all the notifications time and again.
So, this completely depends on what type of user you are. If you want to minimize the device you own and wear at the same time, then SmartWatch is better. It can replace the Fitness Tracker, as it can provide similar features.
If you are fashion conscious and want an attractive watch with smart as well as fitness features, then I would suggest Smart Watch.
In contrast, if you want to focus on your health goals, then you can purchase Fitness Tracker. They have smaller screens, not so convenient for replying to any messages. Thus, you won’t distract easily.
Usually, people choose Smart Watch to stay connected to their texts, emails, calls, and other social media updates.
How Fitness Tracker Works?
Foremost, the user must input his/her physiological details such as height, weight, and gender so that the tracker makes a better sense of the data it collects.
Besides, Fitness Tracker takes advantage of technologies and many algorithms to estimate the wide variety of fitness measures, along with the calories you burn while exercising.
Today’s Fitness Tracker uses the 3-axis accelerometer as a primary sensor to measure acceleration based upon the start of motion, end of the motion, and intensity. Also, some Fitness Tracker comes with a gyroscope to measure the orientation and rotation.
The Fitness Tracker collects the data, and an internal computer chip processes them. Then, various algorithms convert those data into statistics, i.e., convert into steps and activities and from that, into calories, heartbeat, and sleep quality.
Of course! Some guesswork involves throughout the way.
Moreover, what kind of Fitness Tracker you have is also important. For instance, an altimeter measures the altitude to keep track of the number of stairs you climbed. Similarly, an optical sensor can measure your pulse by shining light on your skin.
Sensors can also measure the movement of your wrist to let you know if you had the quality of sleep. However, the device may not be perfect, but still will help you exercise more and lose weight.
Features Of Activity Tracker
With days passing, people are leading themselves to a healthier lifestyle. And, with that, the popularity of the Fitness Tracker has increased with outstanding features to help you get in shape with ease.
Must-Have Features in Fitness Tracker
Here are some features that a Fitness Tracker must-have. Otherwise, there is no worth of having it.
Step Count
Any Fitness Tracker must be able to count your steps or track the distance you covered to keep the record. Some premium Fitness Tracker is also able to measure the distance covered over a longer period for better fitness progression.
GPS Tracking
A regular Fitness Tracker helps you track steps, but buying Fitness Tracker with a GPS feature adds another point of view towards whatever you are tracking. If you have GPS in your device, you will be able to map your routes and detect your pace statistics.
If you are a runner or a cyclist, this feature must be in your Fitness Tracker.
Sleep Tracking Feature
Everybody out there wants a wearable device that keeps them moving. But, a night of proper sleep is very important to improve your general well-being.
A device with a sleep tracking feature has a sensor that detects the movement of your wrist and provides a clear view of your sleep pattern. This helps you sleep better.
Further, the lack of accurate sleep will affect your body in various ways. Thus, the sleep tracking feature will measure the length and quality of your sleep. Some Fitness Tracker also has a silent wake-up alarm and many other features for quality sleep.
Workout and Exercise Track
Various Fitness Bands are using the Workout and Exercise Tracking feature to help you achieve your goals by recording metrics, workouts, and calories logging and burning, and also providing coaching. If you are a new user, this feature will allow you to learn workouts and exercises to stay fit.
Personalized Track
When it comes to tracking your activity and evaluating fitness, personalization is the key. For example: imagine going to a café where the waiter knows exactly what amount of sugar you want in your tea. Wouldn’t it feel awesome?
So, an application needs to have your information like age, height, gender, and other insights, to provide accurate details to improve your health. Having personalized goals and comparing the performances will lead you towards a healthier life.
Heart Rate
Heart Rate monitoring has become a common feature in most of the Fitness Trackers. This feature helps you measure the pulse and heart rate, which gives you a clear idea about how much calories you are burning. Also, you can ensure whether you are in a normal heart zone or not.
Moreover, with the device having a heart rate monitor feature, you can measure the intensity of the workout, so that you don’t overdo it.
Water Resistance and Swimming support
Tomorrow can be a rainy day, but still, your jogging routine has to go, right? Thus, a Fitness Tracker with a water resistance feature will allow you to jog even if it’s raining. Also, the water-resistance and sweat resistance factor will provide a longer life for your Fitness Tracker.
But, if you are a swimmer, then a band with a water resistance feature alone won’t be enough. It will protect your watch from water but still cannot measure additional metrics such as the number of laps you swim, duration of laps, total swimming time, and so on.
For that, you need Fitness Tracker, which supports all the features mentioned above. For example, Polar A370 Fitness Tracker.
Notification and Reminders
If you are someone who works out, then you don’t want to miss any workout session. Do you?
You have a busy life, and on that account, you can miss even important things in your day-to-day basis. If your Fitness Tracker has a feature of notifying and reminding you about your workouts, then you won’t miss anything in your journey to become healthy.
Gamification
Let’s create a scenario. Imagine you have completed squats 20 times, and if you did 10 more times, you would reach the target. Every time after reaching a target, you will get a reward. And, this whole thing is a part of the game which your Fitness Tracker has.
This game will set certain tasks you have to complete to win. And in case you couldn’t complete the task, it leads you to penalties in the form of exercise again. This will motivate you to complete the targets.
Multiple Device Synchronization
You can sync your various devices with the fitness app. This helps you to easily continue with your workouts through your phone, even if you left your tracker at home.
Altimeter
This feature is useful for those who take stairs instead of escalators. A Fitness Tracker with this feature measures the stairs climbed and change in the altitude. The feature is also used during running or jogging, to make sure of the result.
Food Diet Setup
Most Fitness Trackers have this feature to keep an eye on how much calories you intake and the number of calories burnt. This will also help you know the precise result of your workout.
You can keep track of calories logged and know the exact requirement as per your body. You can also intake nutrients in the form of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins through this feature.
Water Tracker
The water tracker is one of the unique features available in Fitness Tracker. We all know our body is made up of 60% of water. Drinking water is a requirement which we cannot neglect.
Thus, this feature reminds us to drink water time and again and stay hydrated.
Online Consultation
Incorrectly doing any kind of exercise makes your body worse. In such a case, you must consult a trainer. And, through the chat feature, you can contact a trainer and clear your plethora of queries at any time.
Not only that, but you can also share your experiences and progress with your buddies.
Correct Feature of Security
You must make sure that your app has the correct feature of security. Poor password and risky location tracking will make you feel disgusted.
Good-To-Have Features in Fitness Tracker
There are lots of features that you may not seek frequently, but still are useful at some point in life. Let’s look at some good-to-have features in Fitness Tracker.
Blood Pressure
A few years back, there was no such feature like blood pressure check, but now some Fitness Bands have come with in-built sensors, which checks your blood pressure.
If you are a high blood pressure patient and want to check your blood pressure while doing the exercises, this feature can be very useful. However, you must know this is not a medical-grade BP measurement, so the result may vary within a few percentages.
Oxygen Level Detection
The latest Fitness Trackers have come up with a feature with SpO2 sensors, which allows you to keep track of blood oxygen saturation. More importantly, it will you aware of some issues you need to take care of, such as sleep apnea or other breathing conditions.
Night Mode
The night mode feature is specially developed to help you perform your workout more smoothly during night time. The black background is designed to help you view the statistics on the screen easily. Also, enabling night mode saves your battery, and you can use the app longer.
Silent Alarm
Whenever you are sleeping peacefully, you don’t want to freak out with the noisy and loud alarm tone, right? There are Fitness Bands which has come up with a buzzing alarm feature. With this feature in your tracker, you will wake up with light vibration instead of a loud sound.
The Thrumm Fit 2 TF2FBB01 and the Xiaomi Band 3 HRX Edition MGW4027IN, are such Fitness Tracker which has this feature.
Idle Alert
With this feature, your Fitness Tracker vibrates after it detects your device, which has been idle for a certain amount of time. This helps you to be alert about your next task.
USB-A Connector
Advanced Fitness tracker has come up with a USB-A connector, such that you can easily plug your Fitness Tracker into the USB-A port and charge it without any inconvenience.
Phone Calls and Notification
The phone call and notification feature allows you to become attentive towards your incoming calls and notifications. You can view the same notification that you view on your mobile screen. In that case, you won’t miss any crucial messages.
Find My Phone
The find my phone feature can be found on some Fitness Tracker. After you connect your smartphone with the fitness app, you can track your lost phone.
Moreover, when the app activates, the sound will buzz on your phone. Also, some trackers display Bluetooth signal strength, which increases as you move closer to the phone.
Menstruation track
Especially if you are a woman who cannot keep track of your menstruation date, this feature is very useful. You don’t have to put pressure on your brain after all.
Facts about Fitness Tracker
We can still set our goals and be active without Fitness Tracker as well. But, with such devices with us, we will be more realistic towards what we are trying to achieve. A healthy body comes with lots of hard work and persistence. Thus, Fitness Tracker will help us to be consistent for a better outcome for sure.
Now, let’s know some facts about Fitness Tracker.
Fitness Tracker Provides Short-Term Performance
After many random trials on various Fitness Tracker, most of them were positive towards short-term outcomes. Studies have shown that even if people took relatively fewer steps, the fitness tracker was always able to provide the performance analysis report even with very insufficient data and a short timeframe.
Strategies Can Be Applied For Long Term Outcomes
Many reports showed that people stopped using the Activity Tracker after a certain time. This is because people have to charge it frequently and sync the device with apps and websites. However, Fitness Tracker must be on use for a longer period to encourage fitness performance lifelong.
Similarly, studies showed that fitness activities increased as Activity Tracker started to combine with organizational support such as educational information, social support, and team challenges.
Thus, with strategies applied, we can expect a long-term result.
Basic Features of the Activity Tracker Are Accurate
The basic features of Fitness Tracker, such as step count and activity minutes, are perfectly measured by the device. But, there are other features such as sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, calorie counting, and so on.
The measurement of these features cannot be accurate, but the measurement errors are consistent. Thus, you can still make progress, as the estimation (over or under) is always the same way.
Fitness Tracker Can Affect Your Mood
There are reports where people are complaining about feeling guilty or naked whenever they are not wearing the Activity Tracker. Some are suggesting it affects the relationship with the doctor.
However, some studies suggest many positive effects of Fitness Tracker. It helps to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and improve your mood and quality of life. Yet, there is no direct evidence.
Despite Media Reports, Fitness Trackers Will Stay
Many articles have highlighted the troubles in the market of Fitness Bands. Sales and profits are decreasing. This has led many people to believe that Fitness Trackers are a temporary craze.
I don’t think this is true.
With days passing, Fitness Trackers are evolving with outstanding features, smart models, and awesome performances. Of course! In this growing environment, always staying on the top is nearly impossible.
However, even health professionals are willing to use Fitness Trackers, especially for those groups of people who are recovering from Breast Cancer or having Hemodialysis.
So, I think these devices are permanent fad.
Benefits of Fitness Tracker
Adults who do exercises daily are very hard to find. Most of the time, we see people working out very hard for 5-6 days, and again going back to a lazy life.
But, with Fitness Tracker on your wrist, you will be active every day and will get in shape sooner. You may wonder how? So, let’s see the benefits of Fitness Tracker one by one.
Person Becomes Accountable
For those who need a little push to stand and start working out, this is the topmost reason why the Activity Tracker is beneficial.
Even if you get busy and forget, the reminder feature will remind you that the time has come to begin moving your body.
Furthermore, whether you are performing alone or competing with your friends, you get accountable if you have the tracker with you. It will push you harder, and eventually, you will live a healthier life.
Healthier Diet
Having a healthier diet and nutritious food is as important as working out. A Fitness Tracker will log your food as well as water intake. You can also enter your food choices and calculate your diet plan.
Therefore, you will get an idea of how much calories you need and how much weight you have lost so far.
Good Sleep
As per the research, adults need at least 7-8 hours of sleep for better metabolism, mood, and energy level.
A fitness tracker tracks your sleep and calculates how deep or light your sleep was. It also calculates the number of times you woke up during the sleep.
Moreover, you can review the sleeping pattern before climbing into bed and improve your sleep quality.
Day-To-Day Motivation
The Fitness Tracker will show you the progress or the result that you have achieved so far. In that way, you can see how active you are. This will motivate you to push yourself a little harder every day.
Also, if you set a goal to walk 1,000 more steps per day, the tracker gives you feedback on your goal, which will motivate you even more to increase your activity.
Goals Set Up
If you want to achieve your goals, first, you have to set your goals. And with Fitness Tracker, you can not only do that but also analyze your progress, which I have mentioned just above.
Further, if you are a swimmer, then set the time limit and train yourself under that limit. In the same way, if you are working on your chest, set the number of push-ups you want to achieve, and work on that.
You already have your Fitness Band to show you the progress. All you have to do is, set the target, and work hard.
Tracks Your Activities
Fitness Trackers have a wide range of features. Each feature has similar, but different functions. And, these Activity Trackers are developing with new features rapidly. They already have features to track your steps, sleep, diet, and many more.
But, seeing their popularity, we can expect that they will be able to track almost everything essential for human bodies.
You Stay Connected
Almost every Fitness Tracker these days come with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, such that you can sync your device with your smartphone.
And, with this ability, you will get the notification, calls, messages timely, on you tracker itself; thus, you stay connected.
Disadvantages of Fitness Tracker
Everything has its bright side and dark side. Similarly, with lots of advantages, Fitness Tracker also offers some disadvantages. Let’s look at them briefly.
Quite Expensive
Fitness Trackers with the best features are quite expensive. If you want to get the most out of it, you have to spend a little more.
Questionable Accuracy
As I mentioned earlier, the data aren’t accurate. If calorie-counting is your topmost priority, then you can’t rely on this device completely. There are at least 5% errors in the result.
Battery Run-Time May Be Saddening
The battery run-time of the Activity Tracker can be a major issue. It can be quite frustrating to charge it daily. Also, there will be one more device for you to charge.
Is Fitness Tracker Safe To Wear?
As Fitness Tracker comes with a battery and Bluetooth, which are always turned on, people are usually concerned about their safety. However, there is no evidence to prove whether they are safe or not.
Cancer Risk
People believe that Fitness Tracker emits radiation just like a smartphone. And this is true. Since Fitness Tracker syncs through Bluetooth, it emits radiation. But, the radiation is very less as compared to the smartphone.
And, unlike smartphones, Fitness Tracker is not close to our head or chest; rather, we wear it on our wrist. So, there is a very thin chance of getting cancer from Fitness Tracker.
Obsessed with Workouts
Fitness Tracker is a safety device if you use the way it is supposed to. Some people end up having an unhealthy obsession with their calorie count, step count, and other activities.
Moreover, the way Fitness Tracker motivates you, in the same way, can also push you to the point where you will have a harmful obsession, even with your basic workouts. It is all up to you to use this device as a tool to motivate you, not to lead you towards unhealthy goals.
Reliance on the Device
People tend to rely completely on the Fitness Tracker regarding their health. People see themselves physically, instead of listening to their body and understanding what their body needs. Being a proud owner of Fitness Tracker doesn’t mean to forget about the body’s natural built and medical conditions.
Correct Tips to Wear Fitness Tracker
Fitness Trackers are celebrating tremendous success over a few years. If you have a Fitness Tracker around your wrist, then just wearing it is not enough.
Look out the tips below to get the most out of it.
Wear Fitness Tracker on Your Less Dominant Arm
Wearing the Fitness Tracker on your less dominant arm has many advantages. The less dominant arm is the one you move less. So, the device can track the data more accurately, especially sleep data, if the tracker is on your less dominant arm.
Remember, if you’re left-handed, your less dominant hand is right, and vice-versa.
Connect the Fitness Tracker with Other Apps
Your Fitness Tracker has its app, but still, to get better with your health, you can sync your device to other apps via Bluetooth. For instance, there is the MyFitnessPal app for food-tracking, MedHelp for sleep tracking, MapMyRun for mapping workouts, and many more.
Set an Accurate User Profile
Before using the Fitness Tracker, it will ask you to set your profile. There, you have to give an accurate measurement of your height, weight, and age. In that way, the device will analyze your profile to give you the precise outcome. Make sure you input the exact data of your height and weight.
Be a Consistent User
If you have all day Fitness Tracker with step count, calories measurement, heart rate monitor, and other features, then make sure you wear it all day to get the most out of it. The more you run and walk, the more precisely the tracker will analyze your data and give a clearer picture of your health.
Also, do not forget to wear your device. Just know consistency is the key.
Add Friends
Some Fitness Trackers allow you to add friends to share each other’s progress and start the competition. Doing so, you will get the motivation to work even harder. You will also enjoy racing with your buddies.
Things to Consider Before Buying Fitness Tracker
This can be a very frustrating and stressful process, as the Fitness Trackers have huge features ranging from basic to advance. But you know what, don’t worry. Here are some necessary guides to help you select the perfect one.
Match Your Lifestyle
It is very important to select a tracker that matches your lifestyle. For example, if you are a runner, or swimmer, or hunter, you want the device that tracks all these activities.
Also, if you are a sports person, then many Fitness Trackers provide detailed insights on sports like basketball, soccer, golf, and many others.
Choose the Brand You Like
You may have your brand that matches your purposes. There are many brands of Fitness Tracker, such as Fitbit, Garmin, Apple, and others. Just find the brand that encourages you to move more.
Know the Price
How much to invest in is the main thing you need to keep in mind. There are bands which are very pricy—for instance, Apple Watch Series 5. But, investing more doesn’t always mean the best performance.
If you are a new user, it is better to buy an affordable one. After you get familiar with the device, you can upgrade into a more functional one with the features you think necessary.
Look Out the Features
After you have decided what functions you want, you can consider some features as per your taste.
Style
You wear most of the Fitness Trackers on your wrist, but some you can wear around our neck or even clip to your clothes. So, you can choose anyone according to your interest. All you have to feel is comfortable with the device. Look for shapes, color, model until you feel this is the ‘one.’
Display
Advanced Fitness Trackers display the data in the form of numbers, words, or symbols. But, there are Fitness Trackers which share information by LED light display or only via an app. So, before coming to a final decision, first, make sure whether the device meets your expectations or not.
Compatibility
Before paying for the Fitness Tracker, make sure if it is compatible with your device or not. Some trackers only sync with Apple iOS, and some only with Android. Some even do not work with windows.
Battery Life
A Fitness Tracker with a colored touchscreen and an armada of sensors need to charge more frequently as compared to the one with few Led lights. Also, not all trackers are rechargeable. Some run with coin cell batteries used on cameras and calculators.
Try on
Try on your device before you buy it. Ensure if it fits perfectly and goes with your personality.
What Are the Best Fitness Trackers you can buy in 2020?
Having some dilemma in choosing the best Fitness Tracker? No worries! Here you can see some special trackers with huge functions and features.
Fitbit Charge 4
| Display | 1.57-inch OLED monochrome touchscreen Display resolution: 100*160 pixels Display color depth: |
| Materials used | Case material: Platic Resins Strap material: Elastomer Bezel Material: Plastic resins |
| Dimensions | Body dimensions: 35.8*22.7*12.5 mm Body net weight: 27 g Adjustable length: 140-180 mm (small band) 180-220 mm(big band) |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5 ATM |
| Memory | 4 GB internal storage |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes |
| SpO2 Sensor | Yes |
| NFC | Yes |
| GPS | Yes |
| Sleep Tracker | Yes |
| Microphone | No |
| Battery | non-removable lithium-polymer Without GPS: 7 days With GPS: 5 hours |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Supported Systems | Android and iOS |
| In the box | Charging cable two size wrist band user manual warranty card |
| Other features | Accelerometer Optical heart rate monitor Vibration motor Altimeter |
The device is identical to Fitbit Charge 3, only the main difference is, Fitbit Charge 4 has an onboard GPS so that you can track your runs, even leaving your device at home. It is a slim and neat device with amazing features. Absolute Fitness Tracker for everyone.
Price: Starts at $149.95
Fitbit Charge 3
Fitbit Charge 3 is also an excellent Fitness Tracker, with a bigger and clearer display, but still a black and white screen. It is waterproof with a fantastic sleep tracking feature. It has no onboard GPS but still can track GPS by paring with your phone.
Price: $149.95
Garmin Vivosmart 4
Generally, this band is for those who want to track odd-bit of exercise. The screen of this band is bigger as compared to other Garmin bands, and battery life is about 7 days depending upon the workouts you do.
Also, it has a unique feature called body battery through which you can know when exactly you can exercise.
Price: $129.99
Huawei Band 3 Pro
| Display | 0.95-inch AMOLED touchscreen Display resolution: 120*240 pixels |
| Materials used | Metal and high gloss UV coating |
| Dimensions | Body dimensions: 45*19*11 mm Body net weight: 25 g Adjustable length: |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM |
| Memory | 384 KB of RAM 16 MB of flash memory 1 MB of ROM |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes |
| SpO2 Sensor | Yes |
| NFC | No |
| GPS | Yes |
| Sleep Tracker | Yes |
| Microphone | No |
| Battery | 100 mAh(Nondetachable lithium ion-battery) 14 days of battery life |
| Connectivity | No Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Supported Systems | Android 4.4 or iOS 9 or above |
| In the box | Band*1 Charging cradle*1 Charging cable*1 quick start guide, safety information, and warranty card*1 |
| Other features | 6-axis acceleration sensor Detaches PPG cardio tachometer Infrared wear sensor Precision heart monitoring sensor |
Huawei Band 3 Pro has not only GPS on-board, but also a water resistance feature along with a colorful screen. Also, the heart rate monitor is accurate. Thus, this band is best for the ones who are strict on their budget.
Price: $49.80
Xiaomi Mi Band 3
| Display | 0.78-inch OLED touchscreen Display resolution: 128*80 pixels Display color depth: 24 bit |
| Materials used | Thermoplastic Elastomer strap aluminum alloy buckle material Plastic body material |
| Dimensions | Body dimensions: 46.9*17.9*12mm Body net weight: 20g Adjustable length: 155-216mm |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM |
| Memory | – |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes |
| SpO2 Sensor | No |
| NFC | Yes |
| GPS | No |
| Sleep Tracker | Yes |
| Microphone | No |
| Battery | 110mAh (Lithium-ion polymer) 20-day of battery life |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.2, No Wi-Fi |
| Supported Systems | Android 4.4 or iOS 9.0 |
| In the box | Wristband body*1 Wriststrap*1 Specialized charging cable*1 User manual*1 |
| Other features | Accelerometer PPG heart rate sensor Automatic step counter |
If you are using your Fitness Tracker simply for step count and other basic exercises, then Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is good enough. You can easily swipe the screen up and down. Not too attractive but affordable.
Price: $41.01
Honor Band 5
This band offers decent sleep tracking features. The screen is sometimes unresponsive, but if you are looking for something that monitors exercise as well as tracks sleep, and want to spend less, you must look here.
Price: $32.99
Fitbit Inspire HR
You will get Fitbit’s top-end services here at affordable prices. It offers heart rate tracking but lacks a swim tracking feature. It has a slimmer design, so it won’t feel heavy on your wrist.
Price: $99
Xiaomi Mi Band 4
| Display | 0.95-inch AMOLED color touchscreen Display resolution: 120*240 pixels Display color depth: 24 bit |
| Materials used | Thermoplastic Polyurethane(TPU) strap Polycarbonate body material |
| Dimensions | Body dimension: 21.6mm (length)*10.8mm (width) Body net weight: 22.1 g Adjustable length: 155-216 mm |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM |
| Memory | 512KB of RAM 16MB of flash memory |
| Heart Rate Monitor | Yes |
| SpO2 Sensor | No |
| NFC | Yes |
| GPS | No |
| Sleep Tracker | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes |
| Battery | 135mAh(Lithium-ion polymer) 20-day battery life |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi |
| Supported Systems | Android 4.4 or iOS 9.0 |
| In the box | Mi smart band 4 Wrist band Specialized charging cable User guide |
| Other features | Accelerometer Gyroscope Compass/Magnetometer PPG heart rate sensor Capacitive wear monitoring center |
It has a slimmer design and a 20-day battery life. The very cheap model with a useful heart rate monitor. Even the screen is easy to view.
Price: $35
Privacy and Security Risk of the Activity Tracker
Activity Tracker helps you improve your health condition by making you aware of your issues. However, health information is a private thing for you.
It is very important to be aware of the information the device collects, such as height, weight, age, blood pressure; after all, these are a very important part of your life.
Moreover, as Fitness Tracker connects via Bluetooth, hackers can have access to your information. Even without hacking, someone can sniff the Bluetooth signal sent back to your smartphone and easily guess the pin.
In technology, there is a privacy risk, so before purchasing the product, take some time, and read the privacy policy of the company. Make sure that the company values your data and takes rational measures to protect them.
Equally important, research if the company has taken reasonable steps to protect the customer’s data or not. And, avoid wearing the tracker in a crowded place, where there is more chance to skim the data. Even by using a VPN service, you can protect your privacy.
Some Related Questions
How much to spend on Fitness Tracker?
The price of Fitness Tracker varies as per the brand. Apple Watch Series 5 is a very expensive Fitness Tracker. Its price starts at $279. However, there are Fitness Tracker which are affordable with the best features. You must have at least $40-100 in spare to purchase Fitness Tracker.
What Fitness Tracker Is Compatible With iPhone?
As mentioned earlier, some Fitness Trackers go only with Android, and cannot work with the iPhone. So, if you are an iPhone user, then you can look out for Fitbit Charge 2 (excellent), Polar M400 (excellent), Fitbit Blaze, Garmin 4 Runner 235, Samsung Gear Fit 2, Garmin Vivosmart, Fitbit Charge HR, and much more.
Which Fitness Tracker Is Most Accurate?
As per the test done, Fitbit Charge 3 is the most accurate Fitness Tracker, especially for measuring steps and heart rate. It is the simplest device that correctly identifies and records your workouts, but only after 10 minutes of the movement.
It has a touchscreen display with a labeled icon, which makes it easier to navigate. It is a waterproof device having almost every features necessary along with about 7-days battery-life.
Can Fitness Tracker go In a Pocket?
Fitness Tracker is a small device that can go anywhere you want. It can go in your pant pocket or shirt pocket. And, as prior mentioned, some can go even around your neck, or you can clip on your clothes, also in your waist. Wherever you put, it should be able to track your information.
What If The Fitness Tracker Won’t Turn On?
Fitness Tracker has to turn on after pressing the main power button for 3 seconds but, if it is not turning on, then there might be some problem with its battery or error in its software.
You can try following these steps to turn it on:
- Your device can freeze or lock up sometimes. In such a case, it won’t respond to any input. So, try plugging the device to an external power source using a data/power cable. Then, press the power button for at least 15 seconds. Note that these steps can result in the loss of your data.
- Charge your device fully.
- Check if the charging cable is in good condition.
- Are the pins aligned properly? Check that too!
- Furthermore, check your charging contact points. If it is full of dirt, clean with cotton, dipped in rubbing alcohol.
What If The Fitness Tracker Won’t Charge?
As mentioned above, if the charging contact points are dirty, the charging pins are not aligned, USB port not working, then you will have a problem in charging your device. Similarly, if your device is not waterproof, then it might be wet. Dry it up! Even restarting can help you with charging.
Final Words
To sum up, Fitness Trackers are wearable devices that track your overall activities to help you live a healthy and quality life. They stay in your wrist and motivate you throughout your workout. They will keep you up-to-date toward your exercises without any distractions.
