Fitness Tracker/Pseudo/Dumb-Smart Watch

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sibot

sibot

Forerunner
Hi guys,
I have been using Fitbit Versa for a few years now. Of late the watch's display is giving out and the battery life is on the wane.

I am in the market for a new fitness tracker, primarily steps, heart rate, and sleep tracking. I do not need in-built GPS since I always carry my phone with me.

I was using a Fitbit Charge 2 before the Versa and I have been quite satisfied with the tracking on both bands. For a short while I did use a Mi Band but it was very poor at tracking steps, at times it would under-count or randomly add 1000 steps whilst I was driving. Though those were the initial days of the Mi band and maybe the tracking has improved on the newer variants.

The reason I have mentioned a pseudo/dumb-smart watch is that I do not want a full-blown smart watch. For that reason I am not looking at the Apple Watch for now. I only check message notifications on my watch and beyond that I am really not looking for any smart features except the ability to change watch faces and track fitness data.

Fitbit Versa 2 costs some ~12k on Amazon, I'd like to save some money and go for a watch similar in tracking ability.

I have been looking at Amazfit, but I am not sure how the brand compares in tracking to the Fitbit competitors.

I would love some suggestions on the brands/models I could check out. Even if they have other features such as GPS, etc. but fulfil my criteria of tracking accuracy, I would be happy with it.

Any help would be much appreciated!
TIA!
 
Huawei Band 6. I had similar requirements like you and went for this based on a review by the Quantified Scientist. You'll also find a comparison video in their playlist and it ranks hughest amongst it's peers in accuracy. I've been using it for about 4 months and am pleased with it's performance and battery.
 
Arjun said:
Amazfit is not as accurate as Fitbit.
Click to expand...
Agree. I have GTR 2e. There are instances where my heart was pounding after a bicycle ride and watch was showing 76bpm. GPS latching is amazing though and PAI is a god way to keep you motivated.
 
sibot said:
Hi guys,
I have been using Fitbit Versa for a few years now. Of late the watch's display is giving out and the battery life is on the wane.

I am in the market for a new fitness tracker, primarily steps, heart rate, and sleep tracking. I do not need in-built GPS since I always carry my phone with me.

I was using a Fitbit Charge 2 before the Versa and I have been quite satisfied with the tracking on both bands. For a short while I did use a Mi Band but it was very poor at tracking steps, at times it would under-count or randomly add 1000 steps whilst I was driving. Though those were the initial days of the Mi band and maybe the tracking has improved on the newer variants.

The reason I have mentioned a pseudo/dumb-smart watch is that I do not want a full-blown smart watch. For that reason I am not looking at the Apple Watch for now. I only check message notifications on my watch and beyond that I am really not looking for any smart features except the ability to change watch faces and track fitness data.

Fitbit Versa 2 costs some ~12k on Amazon, I'd like to save some money and go for a watch similar in tracking ability.

I have been looking at Amazfit, but I am not sure how the brand compares in tracking to the Fitbit competitors.

I would love some suggestions on the brands/models I could check out. Even if they have other features such as GPS, etc. but fulfil my criteria of tracking accuracy, I would be happy with it.

Any help would be much appreciated!
TIA!
Click to expand...
Had a Versa 2 back in 2019. It is good for sleep tracking. Step count is exaggerated. The OS was quite buggy. It is customizable in terms of watch faces though variations are not that huge. SPO2 only works during sleep. Smart functionality is limited but at the end of the day it feels like someone wanted to make a smartwatch but gave up half way.

Also tried a Fossil Hybrid HR to come down to an even dumber smartwatch and that was simply rubbish. A personal opinion, but I simply don't want health data to be migrated to Chinese servers and used for their data analysis.

In the end, I realised that you either stick with cheaper devices with gimped functionalities and huge inaccuracies, just so you have some comparable data on a daily basis or get a full smartwatch which kind of reduces phone dependency and provides consistent data, but repent the time spent on charging.
 
I am using an old Amazfit Bip bought from a TE member. I really wish they made modern smartwatches like these. With the AOD it lasts 2 weeks easily without charging. Step counts are closely matched with my spouse's fitbit. Sleep detection is wonky as it confuses rest with sleep. Coupled with the heartbeat detection option it becomes a little better. Best thing is it works directly with Gadgetbridge so no data leaks and no chinese apps. I am yet to test the GPS though but for my purposes this is the best option.
 
I am in the same boat. I was using Fitbit ionic, and recently got refunded for some recall on the model. Likewise, I was eyeing the Sense but open to other suggestions. Not very big on smartwatch app support. Notifications and fitness tracking is what I am looking for. Sense has the ECG sensor and works both with iOS and Android(which is another requirement)
 
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