Smartwatches and fitness trackers are increasingly popular devices that help people lead health-focused lifestyles, track their activities, and monitor progress toward their goals. Many people ask themselves, which wearable they should buy and what are the differences between fitness trackers and smartwatches.
The fitness tracker helps measure and record important data on daily activity: number of steps walked, distance covered, calories burned, heart rate, and sleep quality. Several additional functions are also offered: water resistance, blood pressure measurement, notification of calls and messages, and recognition of special activities (swimming, cycling, certain sports).
Smart bracelets synchronize with the phone through a special application, which saves complete statistics. Smartwatches allow you to monitor your health and respond to “alarm bells” in time and engage in physical activity to your favorite music.
Smartwatches are more expensive and advanced than fitness bracelets. They have the same functionality to keep track of your health and even more. Unlike smartwatches, they have less functionality, a simpler operating system and usually lack a GPS module, so you have to use the bracelet in conjunction with your smartphone to determine the exact data.
At the same time, the bracelet works longer without recharging, and weighs less. Actually, smartwatch is a little version of smartphone: it can send and receive messages, but, well, you can’t still watch videos, bet with sports betting odds or play video games on it.
Depending on the functionality, there are 4 groups of fitness trackers:
- Highly specialized gadgets: heart rate monitors, pedometers and stopwatches.
- Multifunctional bracelets – with a large number of functions and, as a rule, a big screen. They are suitable for professionals and sports enthusiasts.
- Advanced trackers – these are gadgets that go with the times, which can tell almost everything about the health of the owner.
The tracker uses two sensors for accurate pedometer readings: a gyroscope, which determines angles of rotation, and an accelerometer, which measures acceleration. With the help of these sensors it is possible to monitor physical activity in general, such statistics take into account any activity: dancing, doing fitness, climbing stairs, etc.
If you need to get your body in shape, for example for the beach season, a meter for calories burned will come to the rescue. In simple models, measurements are averaged. Advanced ones are more accurate, due to a complex counting system that takes into account driving speed, demographic and age data, heart rate and blood pressure.
Some gadgets calculate blood pressure based on the recording of pulse waves on the wrist. Knowing your blood pressure allows you to detect hormonal disorders, and kidney, heart, and spinal problems in time. Recall that the fitness bracelet does not replace the tonometer, but only allows you to get approximate real-time data throughout the day.
The most significant advantage of smartwatch is its huge functionality. A smartwatch allows you not to use the phone at all, the main thing is to keep it somewhere near. With such a device you will be able to send messages, listen to music, make calls, and use browsers and maps.
But most likely, they will need to be charged every day along with your smartphone and headphones, if they are wireless. And most smartwatch models cannot be called budget gadgets.
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What should I choose between a fitness bracelet or a smart watch?
A fitness bracelet is a compact and inexpensive alternative to a smart watch (they are very similar in functionality). The same bracelet has a small weight, it is easy to wear and use, and you can wear it to sleep, or a smartwatch without feeling it on your hand. In addition, fitness bracelSmartwatchesat a very affordable price.
A smartwatch is a more powerful device, with more features and settings. Smartwatches can even compete with smartphones. But they also have disadvantages: for example, bulky sismartwatcheshes are not always comfortable to sleep and do sports, they do not suit everyone’s style. In addition, smart watches are much more expensive than fitness bracelets.
Smartwatches solve all the shortcomings of fitness bracelets. However, along with that, they create problems for the user that they would not get with the purchase of a fitness bracelet. In the end, the question of what to choose is easiest to answer by looking back at your budget and expectations of the device and smartwatch.
