Almost everyone already has a smart watch or a activity bracelet. Thanks to advances in processors and sensors, people who are not even big fans of technology can enjoy the advantages of a wide variety of 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 blood oxygen saturation or if we have outdone ourselves in the gym this afternoon. The chances of these w They 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, the activity bracelets and smartwatches they became fashionable. And while Apple released its own version, Cupertino's 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 w. One of the least known 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 was powered by three AAA batteries, so very comfortable on the wrist as it was not.
It would take almost a decade to see the boom in activity bracelets. If these products have reached where they are now, it is thanks to Nike. In 2012, the company was in a transition period so as not to stagnate and continue to grow. Hence, they bet on some unusual products. The Nike + Fuelband It 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 hold of one and share their results every day on the social networks of the time. Indeed, Apple took this idea for its famous Apple Watch rings.
Soon after, the first smartwatches started coming out from Sony, Pebble and Samsung. The Samsung Gear Fit was the first Korean activity bracelet, and it even allowed sports monitoring. From here there are dozens of manufacturers that have been encouraged with the w. Xiaomi It is one of the companies that have invested the most in this sector. Their We Band they sell like hotcakes, and have been the gateway to this world for many users who in life would have imagined they would get a device to monitor their physical activity.
Smartwatch or Smart Band?
Good question. In fact, you are most likely wondering what difference exists between these two products. And the answer could be very varied, because there is no academic manual that defines each w. In general, the differences between an activity bracelet and a smart watch are the format and 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. The smartwatch, whether you like it or not, will replace your watch —yes, the one your family gave you when you graduated. Not the smartband. You can wear an activity bracelet on one wrist and a watch on the other without going off the deep end. 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 will tell you the time and count calories. The most advanced can replace even 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 tell 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. Activity wristbands were born for exactly 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 band 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 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 our heartbeats, 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.
- Hormone Cycles: This is a specialty of Fitbit 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 activity bracelets
If what you are looking for is a bracelet to monitor 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 is part of a very interesting priceIt 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 the ones that offers you more things for less money. We are talking about a bracelet that reads blood oxygen (SpO2), stress monitoring, high heart rate alerts, Alexa compatibility, sleep tracking and other tools that are usually found only in high-end proposals. Its battery usually lasts about 15 days.
See offer on Amazonfitbit inspire 2
Fitbit's entry-level model is also one of the most interesting you can find. Have a great design, good autonomy, heart rate monitor, sleep analysis and management of mobile phone notifications.
This bracelet can monitor various sports, highlighting especially the swimming. if yours is running, this model will fall short, as it only supports GPS if you connect the mobile phone.
See offer on AmazonXiaomi Mi Band 6
With Xiaomi bracelets you are never wrong. Not only is it an affordable product, but it includes a whole series of very interesting functions. Step counting, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and app notifications stand out. 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, swimming being her main course.
Without a doubt, this model is one of the most outstanding in the 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 much and the quality of the device is greatly detracted from.
See offer on AmazonThe best high-end smartbands
Now that we have told you about the most affordable models that 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
Is the high-end version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 6. It has a squarer design, and is worth a few more euros. The main difference is that this second model has support for more sports, supporting a total of 110. In addition, it has almost twice the battery, although its autonomy is practically the same due to the greater energy expenditure produced when monitoring these sports.
See offer on AmazonFitbit 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 smartwatchessuch as the heart rate (ECG) monitor.
This model hasAlways On Display', that is, we can consult 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 waterproof up to 50 meters, it has tracking of several sports, it is used for make payments and it also has GPS. Its battery can last a week and it is a device with very good finishes. Of course, since it does not have physical buttons, it is somewhat more complicated to act with the monitor than if we did it with a smartwatch.
See offer on AmazonThe links to Amazon with activity tracker that appear in this article are part of our agreement with their Affiliate Program and could earn us a small commission for their sale (without affecting the price you pay). The decision to publish and add them has been made, as always, freely and under editorial criteria, without attending to requests from the brands involved.