Almost everyone already wears a smartwatch or fitness tracker on their wrist. Thanks to advances in processors and sensors, people who are not even very fond of technology can enjoy the advantages of very varied devices that years ago could only be useful to professional athletes. Thanks to smart bracelets, we can know how many steps we have taken in a day, how our sleep cycle is going, if we have a good oxygen saturation in our blood or if we have outdone ourselves in the gym this afternoon. The possibilities of these wearables are very varied, and today we are going to explain everything they can offer you so that you can decide which model best suits your needs.
What is the origin of activity bracelets?
A few years ago, activity bracelets and smartwatches became fashionable. And, although Apple released its own version, those from Cupertino were relatively late to the party.
Throughout history there have been many products that we could consider as the seed of what we know today as wearables . One of the most unknown was the Garmin Forerunner 101, a huge hulk that came out in 2003 and was placed on the wrist to measure our running performance, informing us of the speed, pace, distance and calories we had burned. The device ran on three AAA batteries, so very comfortable on the wrist as it wasn’t.
It would take almost a decade to see the boom in activity bracelets. If these products have gotten to where they are now, it’s thanks to Nike . In 2012, the company was in a transition period in order not to stagnate and continue growing. Hence, they opted for some unusual products. The Nike+ Fuelband was a simple yet brilliant product. It was a very minimalist bracelet that counted steps and compensated us with Fuel Points. That simple premise was enough for many sports lovers to get one and share their results every day on the social networks of the time. Sure enough, Apple took this idea for its famous Apple Watch rings.
Shortly after, the first smartwatches began to come out from Sony, Pebble and Samsung. The Samsung Gear Fit was the first activity bracelet of the Koreans, and it even allowed to monitor sports. From here on, there are dozens of manufacturers that have been encouraged with wearables . Xiaomi is one of the companies that has made the strongest commitment to this sector. Their Mi Bands sell like hot cakes, and have been the gateway to this world for many users who in life would have imagined that they would get a device to monitor their physical activity.
Smartwatch or Smart Band?
Good question. In fact, you are most likely wondering what is the difference between these two products. And the answer could be very varied, because there is no academic manual that defines each wearable . In general, the differences between an activity bracelet and a smart watch are the format and the functions . Bracelets or bands are much more discreet and generally more limited than smartwatches. This does not mean that there are very advanced activity bracelets capable of monitoring all kinds of situations that other more affordable smartwatches will never be able to do.
So… What should I choose? It depends on your style, the use you are going to give and the budget you have. Whether you like it or not, the smartwatch will replace your watch — yes, the one your family gave you when you graduated. The smart band does not. You can wear a fitness tracker on one wrist and a watch on the other without going overboard. If you wear an expensive watch on one wrist and an Apple Watch on the other, you’ll look like a Merovingian in The Matrix.
What can an activity bracelet do?
The functions that your activity bracelet can perform will depend on the budget you have in hand. The simplest ones will tell you the time and count calories. The most advanced ones can even replace mid-range and high-end smartwatches. These are some of the features you can find:
- Time : almost all the activity bracelets on the market can offer you the time. Many of them also allow you to hide it if you are not going to use the smartband as if it were a watch.
- Steps : according to the World Health Organization, you have to take an average of 10,000 steps a day to avoid cardiovascular problems in the medium and long term. The activity bracelets were born for this purpose: to count the strides you take in a day to inform you of your activity.
- Distance : In some cases, if you adjust your stride distance, your bracelet will be able to tell you how far you’ve walked in a day or how far you’ve run. In many cases, this feature relies on GPS, which may be built into the device or require a connection to a smartphone.
- Calories : once we establish our weight, age and lifestyle, the bracelet will be able to count our energy expenditure based on our basal metabolism and daily activity.
- Heart rate : although it is not the strong point of activity bracelets in general terms, there are models that do this function well. Basically, it serves to record the beats of our heart, either permanently or at intervals.
- Blood oxygen : as a result of the pandemic, many manufacturers have also added SpO2 sensors to their activity bracelets to be able to measure blood oxygenation at night, a very interesting function if you suffer from a respiratory disease.
- Hormonal Cycles – This is a specialty of Fitbit’s wristbands, which have a feature called ‘Women’s Health’ capable of predicting the menstrual cycle.
- Notifications : activity bracelets are also used to receive notifications from your mobile phone on your wrist if you wish.
- Voice assistants : some bracelets also allow interaction with voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant, as well as being able to take a call if you don’t have your mobile phone nearby.
The best cheap fitness trackers
If what you are looking for is a bracelet to monitor a basic activity, these are the most interesting ones you can find for a good price:
Amazfit Band 5
This brand associated with Xiaomi has continued to launch very interesting activity bracelets after achieving success with the Amazfit Bip, a smartwatch that sold very well. This bracelet starts at a very interesting price , it has a screen with good brightness and colors, its management is simple and it has many sensors and functionalities.
It is not the perfect device, but it is one of those that offers you more things for less money. We’re talking about a bracelet that has blood oxygen (SpO2) reading, stress monitoring, elevated heart rate alerts, Alexa compatibility, sleep tracking , and other tools typically found only on high-end offerings. Its battery usually lasts about 15 days.
Fitbit Inspire 2
Fitbit‘s entry model is also one of the most interesting you can find. It has a great design , good autonomy, heart rate monitor, sleep analysis and mobile phone notification management.
This bracelet can monitor various sports , especially swimming . If running is your thing, this model will fall short, as it only supports GPS if you connect your mobile phone.
Xiaomi MiBand 6
With Xiaomi bracelets you can never go wrong. Not only is it an affordable product, but it packs a whole host of cool features. Highlights include step counting, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and app notifications. In addition, this model also has blood oxygen monitoring.
The Mi Band 6 has more than 30 training modes . Five of them can now be activated automatically, when the bracelet recognizes that we are practicing that sport. As usual, she is also a specialist in water sports, with swimming being her main course.
Without a doubt, this model is one of the most outstanding in terms of value for money . Specifically, this version has also improved its touch screen, which now offers a friendlier user experience. If you are going to get one, it is recommended that you get a good quality and hypoallergenic bracelet, since the one that comes by default is not a big deal and detracts from the quality of the device.
The best high-end smartbands
Now that we have told you about the most affordable models you can buy, it is time to talk about the most advanced models. Those that could even replace a smartwatch. They are the following:
Xiaomi Redmi Smart Band Pro
It is the high-end version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 . It has a squarer design, and is worth a few euros more. The main difference is that this second model has support for more sports , supporting a total of 110. In addition, it has almost double the battery, although its autonomy is practically the same due to the greater energy consumption produced when monitoring these sports.
Fitbit Charge 5
This model is the most recent activity tracker that Fitbit has released, and it has a number of features that are usually only found in more expensive smartwatches , such as the heart rate monitor (ECG).
This model has ‘ Always On Display ‘, that is, we can check it at any time and it will always be on. In addition, it performs well even in the sun, and is ideal for sports even on the brightest days.
It is water resistant up to 50 meters, it has tracking of several sports, it is used to make payments and it also has GPS. Its battery can last you a week and it is a device with very good finishes. Of course, by not having physical buttons, it is somewhat more complicated to act with the monitor than if we did it with a smartwatch.
