Best Fitness Tracker Bands By Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer | February 27, 2015
http://www.livescience.com/41556-best-fitness-trackers.html
Live Science reporters have tested all of the fitness trackers listed here, and ranked each in four categories — Design/Comfort, User-Friendliness, Value of Information and Enjoyment/Inspiration. We’ve reviewed them, and can give you a look at the pros and cons of each device, as well as how it stacks up against the competition. Below is the overall rating (XX/ 10) for all the devices we’ve reviewed. Most of these track your steps, distance, calories, and sleep, but each tracker varies in what it may track. Key features are mentioned.
Best Overall: Basis Peak: 7.5/10water-resistant; not GPS-enabled
Best for the Money: Jawbone UP Move: 6.6/10Low cost at $49.95
All the rest:
Fitbit Charge: 7.3/10 Smartphone features; not waterproof, no HR monitor
TomTom Runner Cardio: 7.1/10Tracks pace & speed; GPS $270; no sleep tracker
Moov: 7.1/10 Spoken instructions through your headphones on how to improve your form; water -resistant; no sleep tracker, no screen, must view on phone or tablet
Withings Pulse O2: 6.8/10 Heartrates (but not during exercise), O2 Saturation levels;
Withings Activité Pop: 6.6/10Waterproof, battery, $450, no HR’s
Fitbug Orb: 6.5/10$49.95; no screen interface; battery lasts 4-6 mo
Adidas Fit Smart: 6.5/10HR’s, tracking pace; not for swimming
Fitbit One: 6.4/10 Counts number of floors climbed; does not track cycling
Garmin Vivofit: 6.3/10 Learns your habits; tracks distance, steps, calories, hours slept; 1 yr battery
Fitbit Flex: 6.3/10Comfortable design; recalled in February 2014 after users experienced allergic reactions to the nickel in the device
FitBit Zip: 6/10$59.95; does not track sleep time or stairs climbed; screen does not light up
The Polar Loop: 6/10Waterproof; controls awkward; no details on sleep quality
Jawbone UP24: 6/10No screen; not waterproof;
iFit Active: 5.8/10 Tracks daily steps, exercise, sleep and diet; calorie & nutrient intake ;not waterproof; no HR’s . It does not have a heart rate sensor, but it is priced at $129, which means the iFit is less expensive than other trackers that do have this feature.
LifeTrak Brite R450: 5.8/10Waterproof, tracks steps, distance, calories, HR’s,sleep; light exposure & alerts you when you’ve been inside too long & need natural light.
Garmin Vivosmart: 5.7/10Tracks steps, calories, notifies you of texts & calls that you receive on your smartphone. $169.99
Runtastic Orbit: 5.4/10Tracks steps, calories and if you’ve been sitting still for too long; waterproof, so you can wear it swimming. However, in our experience, the Orbit came up short in several areas; pairs with the general Runtastic app, which tracks workouts.
Microsoft Band: 5.3/10Shows emails, texts & reminders; has GPS; tracks HR’s, steps, calories & sleep quality; seem to come up short on comfort; pairs with the Microsoft Health app; $269
Samsung Gear Fit : 5.3/10 Fitness tracker & smartwatch; sleek design; interactive display; uses 3 apps to manage device; shares some features with Samsung’s Galaxy S5, but since both devices track HR’s & steps, it can be confusing.
Nike FuelBand SE: 5/10Updated version of the FuelBand; reminders to move; no sleep tracker.
Soleus Go: 5/10Tracks steps, calories, distance, pace & sleep quality; shows alerts; vibrates to remind you to move; but need to press buttons multiple time to get data & charging device is cumbersome.
Misfit Flash: 4.25/10Low cost activity tracker at $34 to $50; waterproof, sleep tracking; but easy to break.
Other Fitness Trackers Reviewed in the original article:
Basis Carbon Steel Edition: 7/10
Basis B1: 6.8/10
Withings Pulse: 6.6/10
Jawbone Up: 5.8/10
Misfit Shine: 5.4/10
Nike FuelBand: 5.1/10
Bowflex Boost: 4.1/10
Editor’s Note: In February 2015, we changed the rating system we use in our fitness tracker reviews from a 5-star system to a 10-point system. Not all of our ratings were a straight conversion (i.e. 2/5 stars = 4/10 points). Instead, we adjusted some of them in order to give our readers a better idea of how these devices perform in relation to each other. http://www.livescience.com/41556-best-fitness-trackers.html
