Fitness tracker how to choose
Today, almost everyone has smart bracelets that help count steps, calories, lose weight and plan workouts. And those who have not yet acquired them are thinking about it. What is the difference between different brands and models, what parameters should be used to select a gadget? Experts of the Roskontrol.rf portal have tested fitness trackers.
Seven models participated in testing, costing from 1500 to 9000 rubles (at Moscow prices in June 2015):
Jawbone UP 24
Fitbit Flex
Striiv Fusion
Youwell Smartband
Xiaomi Mi Band
Polar Loop
Sony Smartband SWR10
If in big sports every fraction of a second and millimeters of distance is important, then for everyday training it is mainly required that the fitness tracker can correctly calculate the distance traveled, the number of steps and the number of calories burned.
Accuracy measurements were carried out using standard applications for each tracker. They were all installed on the same smartphone. The reliability of the distance traveled was assessed on a reference segment of 500 meters, the correct operation of the pedometer was determined at a distance of 500 steps.
The first unexpected discovery happened on this test: none of the samples could correctly calculate the steps and distance. Worst tracker pedometer Jawbone: he missed 93 steps. The same bracelet along with Striiv I was greatly mistaken in assessing the 500-meter distance covered: the trackers missed 100 and 110 meters, respectively.
Decent pedometers were found in Sony и Xiaomi, their error was 1−2%. The bracelet from Youwell – he lost only two steps. But even the leading samples, when calculating the distances, were mistaken by about one value – 50 meters. However, this error can be explained by the peculiarities of the GPS technology in urban environments. Another thing is that all the samples were wrong in calculating the distance “minus”, and Polar Loop overpriced the tester.
After the distance test, experts evaluated the feature set of each fitness tracker.
“Smart alarm clock”, which will wake you up at the right phase of sleep, so that you feel rested and full of energy, is available in all models. There is no pulse meter in any.
When using any of the tested fitness trackers, you can view information on the current workout and statistics on previous ones. As you use the bracelet, you give it your weight and nutritional data, which it stores and uses to calculate calories and exercise performance.
Have bracelets Youwell, Polar and Striiv there is a character display that will tell you the data you need while walking or exercising. This can be considered a plus of these models. The rest have no display, and to find out how many steps you have taken, you need to use the application installed on your smartphone. Fitness trackers Fitbit, Polar и Striiv will not be able to record the entire amount of data if you forgot your smartphone at home or at work, the rest will remember and transmit the information to the application when you return.
Model from Sony – the only one in the test equipped with a module NFC… One rapprochement with a compatible smartphone – and he himself begins to download and install proprietary applications.
Tracker Youwell Smartband there is a dust and moisture protection class IP6 / IP67, which allows you to train in the desert and in the pouring rain, without fear of damaging the gadget. However, the design of all other test participants will also allow you to transfer, for example, a light rain, but this is not officially reported.
У Youwell, Sony and Striiv there is a standard microUSB port on the case, thanks to which the bracelet can be charged with any standard cable from the available USB port, while other samples have original connectors for connecting the cable.
Healthy lifestyle supplement
A smartphone app is the face, brain, and speech apparatus of every fitness tracker. The comfort of training depends on the convenience of working with the application. As observations have shown, if an application is inconvenient to use or it malfunctions, then a person quickly removes it from his everyday life and, as a result, stops using the fitness tracker itself, which means that the money is wasted.
The branded app was evaluated on a variety of criteria. Among them – the speed of access to key functions (in clicks) and information about the current progress. Also, the assessment was influenced by the stability of the application during the trial period and support for various mobile platforms.
Ilya Sukhanov, head of the testing laboratory of NP Roskontrol:
“Almost all fitness trackers can be easily synchronized with the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6. Owners of gadgets on the Android platform will find it more difficult to enjoy workouts under the supervision of trackers: many models start to be“ naughty ”, connecting with some smartphones and completely ignoring others. Users of the Android 5x operating system have more chances of success. The most difficult thing is for owners of smartphones based on Windows Phone: six out of eight samples do not offer such compatibility in principle, expressing their readiness to work only with iOS and Android. Two truly multi-platform bracelets are Xiaomi и Fitbit… There is another problem related to Windows Phone: the functionality of some applications for this platform is often poorer than for two more massive ones, and there may also be no localization (the application is in Russian). “
The most trouble-free in terms of synchronization can be called Jawbone, Xiaomi и Sony. Polaras well as Fitbit, requires relatively recent versions of iOS or Android (with Android 4x, difficulties may arise on different gadgets). For full-fledged work with a fitness tracker Polar it must be connected to a computer to perform initial initialization through proprietary software. The rest of the trackers do without this stage.
Each tracker has its own application in Russian, with the exception of the model from Fitbit – the application “communicates” with the user in English only.
In general, the interface of all applications can be called intuitive, but the tracker application works the fastest Youwell… The testers noted the usability of the wristband software from Jawbone и Xiaomi… The functional capabilities of the applications turned out to be very similar: recording the results of training, maintaining statistics, recommendations on the intensity and duration of training to keep fit or lose weight, the ability to share achievements through social networks.
The most accurate were fitness trackers Youwell, Sony, Xiaomi.
The most comfortable to wear were recognized Polar и Jawbone, and the most beautiful – Sony.
The most convenient and fastest applications – at Youwell и Xiaomi.
Trackers have the most features Youwell и Sony, but not the fact that all of them will be useful to you.
Eduard Kanevsky, fitness trainer, member of the Association of Fitness Professionals, expert of the Wedding Size show on the Domashny TV channel:
“Like any other gadget, a fitness tracker arouses interest, positive emotions, a desire to use it, and, as a result, motivates you to move more and play sports. But after 2-3 months, this interest, as a rule, wanes, and many people give up both the fitness tracker and the sport. It is important to seize this moment and not give up! You need the right motivation. If you want to keep yourself in good physical shape, the fitness tracker will help you calculate the distance traveled per day – 10 thousand steps are enough. If your goal is to lose weight or gain muscle mass, walking is no longer enough – you need special training, nutrition, rest and sleep. And here a smart bracelet will also come in handy – it will count calories, wake you up at the right time, and tell you how much you need to train to achieve a result. “