Jawbone Smartwatches may not still be in business, but there are still lots of their smartwatches on the market ready for you to buy. This brand offered solid and dependable smartwatches at a reasonable price, and we want to take you through the specs of the UP, UP2, UP3 and UP4 so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs.
Is the Jawbone UP Smartwatch a Good Choice?
These days the Jawbone UP is a rare find on the market, but if you do get your hands on one, you may find that it isn’t as great as you had hoped. It looks interesting on the wrist but offers little more in fitness tracking than the average pedometer, and this may well cause significant disappointment if you have paid a high price to get hold of one.
The device is housed in rubber, and it has both Android and Apple apps that can be downloaded to your phone so that you can see your progress over the course of the day. It looks great on the wrist and fits in with any other jewellery you want to wear alongside it. On one end is the navigation button to help you use it and at the other is the charging port so that you are never left out of battery.
When it comes to uploading your data to the app, you just plug it directly into your phone and let it work its magic! The app will let you input a range of personal data in an attempt to offer accurate estimates of the energy you have used across each day as well as monitoring any fluctuations in your stats so that you can track your progress.
As there were many updates to this model, it’s not a shock that they are now hard to find, but if you own one and it still runs well, then we’d suggest you keep using it until it doesn’t anymore.
Does the Jawbone UP2 Smartwatch Perform Well?
The Jawbone UP2 offered a totally new design when it was first realised and was vastly different from the UP1 that people were used to. The great news about this new model is that it offers a much more reliable experience for users so that you can be certain it is doing what you have paid for it to do. Just like the UP1, you can expect step and sleep tracking to be the main features on offer.
The main highlights of this model included the new, sleek design as well as a battery that lasted up to an entire week before needing to be recharged. However, the thing that impressed people the most was the app that offered lots of new and exciting features that had not been seen on a Jawbone device before.
Unfortunately, if you are planning to get hold of one of these devices, you will also need to be aware that the magnetic charger is not great because it is so short that it cannot be laid flat when charging, resulting in you hanging it down the side of your compute or desk to allow it to charge up.
Other widely recognised problems include a poorly made touchscreen that can be unresponsive one minute and then do what you need the next. It also has problems connecting to the Android device, which will leave you frustrated when you want to update your progress.
Is the Jawbone UP3 Good Value for Money?
When it comes to getting the UP3, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it would offer a huge amount of new and exciting features compared to the previous two models. In fact, the UP3 was the tracker that Jawbone had hoped would offer huge new features not yet seen on fitness bands. Sadly, the company forgot to ensure the basics were in place, and this meant that their new model was not waterproof, so could not deliver all that had been promised.
In fairness, if you have enjoyed the UP1 or UP2, then this model would impress you with its upgraded features. You would first be greeted with a wholly new design and a wearable that looked more like a watch than any other of the brand’s offerings that had gone before. This was not a bad choice, and the design is sleek and secure.
When it comes to using your device, you will need to manage it directly from the app as there are no controls available to you on the band. This is not a huge problem as the main reason for buying one of these watches will be to have a step counter on your wrist at all times. It also offers a great sleep tracking capability so that you know how well you are nodding off every night.
With a range of colour choices and the new supped up design and companion app, this device is a good choice for anyone who likes the Jawbone brand.
Is the UP4 Smartwatch the Best Model From Jawbone?
The UP4 is possibly the best of the UP family mentioned in this article. It offers a sleek design and offers the ability to make payments when you are out and about. It also offers a wider range of tracking capabilities, and the user can look forward to having their heart rate, sleep and steps monitored with the results fed back to the new app.
Interestingly the design of this model is very similar to the UP3. Still, Jawbone seemed to have put more effort into developing the hardware so that you get better tracking and feedback on your daily movements. The strap is not hugely comfy until it has been worn in, but it is fine after the first few days.
Many people opt for the UP3 instead as it is not as expensive, but if you want access to your heart rate stats, you may be wise to spend that bit extra to begin with as it will pay off in the long run. Remember that the heart rate monitor on this model is not continuous; in fact, it just offers a passive heart rate checker to give you feedback on how you’ve performed during the day.
Ultimately, the Jawbone smartwatches are not top of the class, but they also aren’t write-offs either. The solid, but basic performance will help you count your daily steps and look great on your wrist. As the company has now gone into liquidation, you can expect to see less and less of these on the market, so if you want one, you need to get hold of one sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.
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Emma brings over a decade of freelance copy and content writing experience and is our Editor, Social Media Manager, and regular contributor. Specializing in long-form content such as blogs, articles, lead magnets, and white papers, Emma also provides businesses with email marketing, website copy, and landing pages.