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sleep tracker

Your Guide to the Best Sleep Trackers and Monitors for 2021

best Sleep Trackers

We all know that getting a good 8 hours sleep a night is best for our mental and physical wellbeing. So we’ve looked at some of the best sleep trackers and monitors for 2021 to help you hit that magic number. Before you can choose the best sleep tracker for your needs, we should run through some basics, so you know what they each offer. 

Heart rate monitors versus movement sensors

Initially, fitness trackers used to rely on your wrist movement to work out how you slept, making sense. Now, they use your heart rate. Brands like Withings and Fitbit consider your beats per minute and make educated guesses about the duration in each of the sleep stages you were in.

Sleep stages

The sleep stages are awake, light, deep and rapid eye movement (REM). Naturally, when you rotate through them all in order, you wake up feeling great. However, if you don’t, you should get a sleep tracker to tell you why not. All the best sleep trackers and monitors for 2021 rely on your heart rate.

Sleep score

Some brands will present your sleep data into a simple score. Usually, it’s out of 100 and the higher the score, the better quality sleep.  You’ll see this on wearables from the likes of Withings, Garmin and Fitbit,

Blood oxygen

This is a newer trend we’re seeing on fitness trackers, and they do so via a SpO2 sensor. Again, the brands you’ll see this on include Withings, Garmin and Fitbit.

It works by monitoring the amount of oxygen in your blood. A fall in blood oxygen levels is seen in conditions like sleep apnoea – so it’s a useful piece of information to keep an eye on. 

Now you know some basic features to look for, let’s look at the best sleep trackers and monitors for 2021.

Apple Watch Series 6 and SE

The arrival of Watch OS 7 brought us native sleep tracking, at long last! This feature can now be used on the Apple Watch Series from 3 to the newer Series 6 and SE. 

New Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS + Cellular, 44mm) - Graphite Stainless Steel Case with Black Sport Band
New Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS + Cellular, 44mm) - Graphite Stainless Steel Case with Black Sport Band
  • GPS + Cellular model lets you call, text, and get directions without your phone
  • Measure your blood oxygen with an all-new sensor and app
  • Check your heart rhythm with the ECG app
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With the arrival of watchOS 7, the Apple Watch does now offer native sleep tracking. That support has been added to the Series 3, 4, 5 and the new Series 6 and SE watches.

If you’ve been using a third-party app to track your sleep, you no longer need to. Your Apple Watch will do this for you now. It’ll tell you your sleep duration for the night, and it’ll highlight in light and dark colours where you were awake. 

This feature works in conjunction with BedTime, which brings a streamlined functionality between your iPhone and Apple Watch. It works by helping you get into bed at a decent time, as well as waking you at an optimal time in the morning.

Overall, sleep tracking on any Apple Watch is pretty basic, but because of this, it’s accurate. Tested against Fitbit, it offers the same reliability level, even if it doesn’t come with as much detail as its rivals.

Check out our Apple Watch comparison article, here.

Apple Watch sleep data

The data is somewhat oversimplified compared to brands known for excellent sleep tracking, like Garmin or Fitbit. So, if you’d like rich insights, you’ll need to download a third-party app. 

The Apple Watch is extremely comfortable to wear, even in bed. It’s a little larger and heavier than the Fitbit Sense (which we’ll cover next), but this doesn’t seem to impact its comfort on the wrist. It’s recommended you use a silicone band if you intend to wear this through the night.

What’s great about this purchase is that it’s currently the best smartwatch you can buy right now, so check out our full review to see exactly what you’d be getting.

Fitbit Sense

Fitbit released this corker of a fitness and smartwatch at the end of 2020, and it’s been giving the Apple Watch 6 and SE a run for its money. It’s hands-down the best sleep tracker option on this list when it comes to data.

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Fitbit Sense Advanced Smartwatch with Tools for Heart Health, Stress Management & Skin Temperature Trends,...
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It’s not as comfortable as the Apple Watch, but you do get better insights. It has the same sleep tracking tech as its Fitbit siblings, so you get the same sleep stages and sleep score. You get a detailed breakdown of your cycles from awake through to light, deep and REM stages. You can check how your night’s sleep compared to the rest of the month or benchmarks from people your age.

The Fitbit Sense has a SpO2 sensor to give you an idea of your oxygen variation as you slept. So this is a device to opt for if sleep apnea is a concern.

As we mentioned, Fitbit delivers a sleep score, which is a combination of your sleep duration, heart rate, blood oxygen levels and restlessness/awake time. This is calculated into a straightforward score out of 100. Generally, anything above 90 is considered excellent, whereas 85 is about average-good. It’s best to sign up to Fitbit Premium to leverage the data, where you can access the more in-depth information. You get six months free when you buy a Sense, so you have a lot of time to see if you find it useful.

Fitbit has a reputation for offering great sleep tracking; it’s accurate and reliable. 

Check out our Fitbit comparison, here.

Fitbit Charge 4

On a smaller budget, the Fitbit Charge 4 offers the same awesome sleep tracking capabilities and definitely deserves a place in a list of best sleep trackers. On the whole, it offers the same functionality as the new Versa 3, which includes Sp02 monitoring. 

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Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness and Activity Tracker with Built-in GPS, Heart Rate, Sleep & Swim Tracking,...
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You still get the Fitbit Sleep Stages, which offers an in-depth insight into your night’s sleep. What’s more, it’ll learn your behaviour over time and deliver personalised recommendations for getting better quality rest.

The accuracy is spot on, as you should expect from a Fitbit. The main difference between the Charge 4 and Sense or Versa 3 is a lack of large, touchscreen display, so you’ll be relying on the app on your phone. But here, you get useful graphs, so it’s worthwhile.

Fitbit Inspire 2

Fitbit really does dominate the fitness tracking world’s sleep tracking side, so this is a third entry on the list of best sleep trackers from the brand. The Fitbit Inspire 2 is a lightweight but powerful device comfortable enough to wear through the night to track your sleep. 

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Fitbit Inspire 2 Health & Fitness Tracker with a Free 1-Year Fitbit Premium Trial, 24/7 Heart Rate,...
Fitbit Inspire 2 Health & Fitness Tracker with a Free 1-Year Fitbit Premium Trial, 24/7 Heart Rate,...
  • Free 1-year Fitbit Premium trial for new Premium users with personalized guidance, insights and...
  • Earn Active Zone Minutes as you progress toward your weekly 150 minutes of heart-pumping activity...
  • Track all-day activity: your steps, distance, hourly activity and calories burned
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You get all the same great sleep tracking features: Sleep stages, heart rate, sleep score and restoration. However, you don’t get any idea of blood oxygen variation as there isn’t an Sp02 sensor onboard. But you can utilise silent alarms to wake you up at the best time during your sleep cycle for a peaceful wake.

Using Fitbit Premium, you can unlock your heart rate during sleep data as well as levels of restlessness.

Apart from that, you get the same reliable Fitbit user experience in a sleek and lightweight device that won’t break the bank.

Garmin Vivosmart 4

No list of best sleep trackers would be complete without including Garmin. The Vivosmart 4 looks like a basic fitness tracker, but it packs a punch. It contains sensors that offer deep insight into your sleeping patterns, and Fitbit should be taking note.

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Garmin vivosmart 4, Activity and Fitness Tracker w/ Pulse Ox and Heart Rate Monitor, Black
Garmin vivosmart 4, Activity and Fitness Tracker w/ Pulse Ox and Heart Rate Monitor, Black
  • Slim, smart activity tracker blends fashionable design with stylish metal accents and a bright, easy...
  • Includes advanced sleep monitoring with REM sleep and can gauge blood oxygen saturation levels...
  • Fitness and health monitoring tools include estimated wrist based heart rate, all day stress...
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Sleep reporting on Garmin has improved exponentially over the past year or so. Similarly to Fitbit, it offers sleep stages but also tells you how long you spent in each zone. This is new to the app. The device itself has a heart rate sensor and uses that information to deliver your sleep cycle analysis.

The Vivosmart 4 carries a SpO2 sensor and will look into your blood oxygen levels within the app. Again, another good choice if sleep apnoea is something you have to look out for.

If you find it hard to fall asleep, as so many of us do, there is a guided breathing module built-in, which you can use in conjunction with stress tracking. So you can tell if your poor night sleep correlates to your stress levels and therefore can make some changes to improve your sleep.

What’s more, because we all know Garmin is for serious fitness fans, the Vivosmart 4 also offers VO2 Max data for use during training.

The reason Garmin isn’t sitting above Fitbit on this list of best sleep trackers is purely down to the fact that the Fitbit app is slightly more superior. The Garmin Connect app offers fewer insights.

Polar Vantage V2

The Polar Vantage V2 is an outstanding fitness watch, and part of being fit and healthy includes getting adequate sleep. So the Vantage V2 pays attention to your sleep patterns and certainly deserves a place on the list of best sleep trackers.

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POLAR Vantage V2 - Premium Multisport Smartwatch with GPS, Wrist-Based HR Measurement for All Sports - Music...
POLAR Vantage V2 - Premium Multisport Smartwatch with GPS, Wrist-Based HR Measurement for All Sports - Music...
  • The lightweight multisport smartwatch with full aluminium body (only 52g), equipped with advanced...
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The Vantage V2 has a built-in accelerometer which informs the device of when you’re sleeping. Then, it will calculate your insights from there.

You’ll get an analysis of your duration, sleep and awake time plus a sleep score. With Polar, you also get a Nightly Recharge feature which is really interesting. It tells you about the recovery of your ANS.

It’s been proven to be reliable for knowing your restless/awake and sleep times, and the score is a good match for how you feel during the day. The biggest issue is the drain these features have on the battery life, which is an eternal struggle for smartwatch users who want to wear their devices throughout the night.

Saying that you’ll get five days use between charges instead of a week. Which probably seems ludicrous to Apple Watch users who have to find time every day.

Whoop Strap 3.0

The Whoop Strap 3.0 comes at you from left-field and is probably not so expected on a list of the best sleep trackers. It’s an activity tracker at its core, but sleep tracking is just as important as activity monitoring. 

Much like Fitbit, Garmin and Polar, the Whoop Strap will deliver a sleep score based on your sleep duration and quality. It measures this against your need for sleep, which it gets from your training over the course of the week.

Like the others, it also tells you about your sleep stages.

What’s really advanced about the Whoop Strap 3.0 is that it will factor in your screen time, alcohol and caffeine intake and whether you sleep alone or with a partner. This gets shoved into an algorithm that will then tell you if you should train or take it easy for the day. This is called your Strain Score. 

Surprisingly, it doesn’t track your steps. This is an option for serious fitness fans. As such, it’s more expensive than most Fitbits, and the subscription for the premium features is more than twice as expensive as Fitbit Premium. 

Withings Steel HR Sport

The Steel HR Sport from Withings delivers information about your time spent in the sleep stages, showing how your heart rate varied throughout the night.

Withings Steel HR Sport Smartwatch (40mm) - Activity Tracker, Heart Rate Monitor, Sleep Monitor, GPS, Water...
Withings Steel HR Sport Smartwatch (40mm) - Activity Tracker, Heart Rate Monitor, Sleep Monitor, GPS, Water...
  • Herzfrequenz-Tracking - Holen Sie alles aus Ihren Work-outs mit kontinuierlichen...
  • Trainingsmodus mit Connected GPS - Bildet Ihre Sessions mit Entfernungen, Höhenmessern und dem...
  • Fitnessniveau - Beurteilung Ihrer Herz-Kreislauf-Gesundheit beim Laufen auf Grundlage der...
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This Withings device is more health-oriented than predecessors, so it’s more comfortable to wear in bed. It’s slim and comfortable and has an alarm to gently wake you much in the same way the Fitbit and Apple Watches do. 

Some users have reported that the accuracy isn’t on par with competitors, but it’s not far off. The data itself is presented in an easy-to-understand way, but the insights themselves aren’t as deep. So if you’re new to sleep monitoring or want a rough idea without knowing about every toss and turn, this is a good call.

Conclusion

The amount and quality of your sleep at night directly impacts how you feel, inside and out. This can have an immediate effect on how the following day goes for you, leading to longer-term implications.

Your sleep also impacts how well and hard you’re able to train. So it’s no wonder sleep tracking has become commonplace on fitness trackers. The best sleep trackers and monitors for you depend on how much insight you need and what you need it for. We hope this has helped in your decision making!


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Maygen
Maygen

Maygen is a multifaceted writer, proofreader and an experienced smartwatch industry writing and editing professional.

February 25, 2021 By Maygen Leave a Comment Filed Under: Buying Guides, Health and Fitness Tagged With: monitoring sleep, sleep monitor, sleep tracker, tracking sleep

Top 5 Apps for Tracking Your Sleep with a Smartwatch

Sleep apps

We all know a good night’s sleep is critical to your health. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re going to feel pretty bad pretty quickly. Smartphones have been offering a decent sleep analysis, but now we have smartwatches and sleep apps, it’s become obvious that a phone simply can’t do the job all that well. It can tell you when you’ve been experiencing restlessness, if and when you woke up during the night. A smartwatch can use its sensors to tell you much more in-depth information and this can help you to maintain your health.

Sleep tracking - what's important

Let’s take a look at the top 5 apps for tracking your sleep with a smartwatch.

Sleep as Android

This isn’t a free app, but you can try it for 14 days for free, then it’s $3.99 a month. It’s for WearOS device, Samsung Galaxy Watch wearers as well as those using Google Fit, Samsung Health. It’s one of the original and best, because it’s had the time to mature. It will track your sleep patterns accurately, based on your movement. This app will also play binaural tones which help you drift off to sleep. It will act as a rather stubborn alarm that requires you to input a captcha before you can turn it off.

The coolest part about this app is that it’ll talk to Phillips Hue smartlights and they’ll turn on when you’re in the lightest stage of sleep for a peaceful waking experience.

Do I Snore or Grind 

Do I Snore or Grind is a wonderful sleep tracking app. It tells you if you grind your teeth as you sleep. There’s a free version of the app that will test the waters over five nights of sleep. Investing in the pro version, of course, gives you unlimited access. The other features include advice on how to stop or reduce grinding your teeth and even snoring. There’s offline support too so if you’re flying, you can use it in airplane mode (when you’re probably likely to be having a snooze). You can use the app in conjunction with sleep remedies to see if they’re working for you. 

The app, on the whole, is simple. It just tells you if you grind your teeth or snore, it doesn’t track your sleep to an accurate degree, but no other apps give you the teeth grinding information, so it really depends on what you find useful if you’re having an issue.

Do I Snore or Grind is available on WearOS devices.

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock is a premium sleep tracker app. It does have a free version with a generous set of features. It attempts to wake you when it thinks you’re at your most ready to. This app offers an analysis of your sleep, complete with a nightly graph to illustrate it. Furthermore, it also has various alarms. 

The iOS version has a cool additional feature that talks to your Phillips Hue smartlights, much like Sleep as Android. (See more on best Android watches)

The subscription version is a whopping $29.99 a year (a lot, for an app). Honestly, the choice is totally down to you if you want more in-depth sleep analysis and a couple of additional alarms. Perhaps the free version is too generous because the $29.99 seems quite costly for not too much more.

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New Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS + Cellular, 40mm) - Blue Aluminum Case with Deep Navy Sport Band
New Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS + Cellular, 40mm) - Blue Aluminum Case with Deep Navy Sport Band
  • GPS + Cellular model lets you call, text, and get directions without your phone
  • Measure your blood oxygen with an all-new sensor and app
  • Check your heart rhythm with the ECG app
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Sleep++

Sleep++ is a useful free app for Apple Watch wearers. It relies on sensors on the Apple Watch to measure the quality of your sleep as well as the duration. The better your sleep, the better your health will be as a result. It’s really key to use an app that keeps an accurate track of how you sleep and the Sleep++ app gives you accurate knowledge of your body functions during your sleep, including if your heart was at rest or not.

It has automatic and manual modes for monitoring and offers this data not only precisely, but privately, with the option to share with chosen pals. You can add this data to your health data too, which gives a better overall profile of your health.

AutoSleep

Another useful Apple Watch app alternative to Sleep++. It will automatically monitor and track the quality of your sleep as well as how long you were asleep for. It does this using your Apple Watch, but you don’t have to wear it to get the data from it, it’ll still do its job. It’ll give you a notification when you unlock your iPhone when you wake up. AutoSleep offers an intelligent but simple wizard for setting up the app, and you can customise it to suit how you sleep, for example, if you’re a light sleeper.

If you do wear your watch to bed it’ll track your heart rate and tell you if your body battery is charged. It’ll tell you how long it took you to fall asleep and will analyse the quality of your night’s sleep and give you an overall view of your night. It’ll load all this data into the Apple Health app for you.

Summary

Sleep is invaluable, so why not let an app help you out to get more? It can be wildly frustrating to toss and turn at night and not know why. The more you think about it, the less you sleep. Bad cycle. Being able to use your smartwatch with absolutely no effort from yourself can only be a good thing. You’re wearing it anyway, so let it do some analysis overnight and when you wake up, you can look at where you can make improvements the next night.

Depending on what app you’re using, and how smart your home is, your smartwatch and sleep app can team up and provide you with a way of drifting off into a peaceful and high-quality night’s sleep and then gently wake you at the most opportune moment to bring you out of it when you’re in the right stage of your sleep cycle. Not bad for something that’s not asking you to physically do anything yourself, eh?

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Maygen
Maygen

Maygen is a multifaceted writer, proofreader and an experienced smartwatch industry writing and editing professional.

December 13, 2020 By Maygen Leave a Comment Filed Under: Buying Guides Tagged With: apps for sleep, monitoring sleep, sleep monitor, sleep tracker, tracking sleep

A Rundown of NuBand Activity and Sleep Trackers

NuBand Activity and Sleep Trackers

NuBand activity and sleep trackers look after their users. The manufacturer creates affordable devices that aren’t overly complicated – let’s find out more.

NuBand Optim Smartwatch

$119.99 (US), £99.99 (UK)

The Optim is the top of the range offering from NuBand activity and sleep trackers – it’s certainly the best looking and offers the most features.

The Optim offers heart rate monitoring as well as sleep tracking (including sleep rhythms). To help you reach your fitness goals, the Optim will regularly remind you to keep moving and there’s a handy multi-sport function for accurate analysis of your activities and built-in GPS to boot. You can swim with the Optim on your wrist, safe in the knowledge that it’s waterproof and you also have the ability to share your data on social media through an app that’s compatible with both Android and iOS.

It offers the basics like alarms, stopwatch/timer and notifications for calls, messages and social media. You can get all this for roughly seven days between charges.

Physically, the Optim, which has a full-colour touchscreen, is 44mm wide and the band is 20mm by 245mm, quite big on compared to most smartwatches.

Advantages

  • Sleek design
  • Long battery life considering features
  • Well-priced

Disadvantages

  • Low-resolution display
  • There are better-known alternatives for slightly more money

NuBand Flash HR 2 Activity/ Sleep Tracker

$99.98 (US), £39.99

The NuBand Flash HR 2 activity and sleep tracker may have a low price tag, but it’s still pretty stylish.

Sleep Trackers

It has a heart rate monitor and sleep tracking ability including sleep pattern monitoring. It’ll also tell you steps, distance, calories burned and heights climbed via the accelerometer. 

The Flash HR 2 is waterproof to 3m, so you’re able to track your swimming sessions, as well as running, weight lifting and other sports. If you do fancy a run it has a handy weather forecast feature and it will also remind you to keep moving on those less active days.

The display is a full-colour touch screen measuring 24.38mm, resting on an 18mm wide and 45mm tall screen. The strap is slim at 20mm wide and 240mm long – and if you don’t like the colour it comes in, you can buy a replacement. 

Smart features include the usual suspects; text, calls and some app alerts. You can expect a solid seven days’ use between charges if you don’t use it heavily, but probably around five days with average use.

Advantages

  • Great features for the price
  • Accurate GPS
  • Solid battery life

Disadvantages

  • For a specific sleep tracking device, it could be more accurate

NuBand Kids Activity Tracker

$17.99 (US), £19.99 (UK)

This version offers a multitude of interchangeable, brightly coloured bands, all available in extra small sizes for the little ones. Recognising the wear and tear kids watches go through, Nuband includes an additional band for free, and the watch is water, dust and scratch-resistant. 

The screen is touch-enabled with impressive resolution. It’ll show texts and social media alerts. 

Activity-wise, it’ll monitor steps through the in-built pedometer, as well as distance, calories burned and track their sleep. Overall, it gives a good idea of general health and activity levels. You can expect seven days’ use if you don’t play with it too often, but realistically probably a day or two less.

Advantages

  • Good overall data provided about your child’s wellbeing
  • Rugged design
  • Free band

Disadvantages

  • No GPS to keep track of your child’s location
  • Only compatible with iOS

NuBand Pro HR GPS Tracker

$79.99 (US), £59.99

The Pro HR GPS tracker from NuBand features the brand’s most up-to-date tech and offers the best performance. 

The USP of the tracker is the combination of the heart rate monitor and GPS function which boasts accurate distance, speed and calorie monitoring to give a precise overview of your performance. You’re able to look at the route you took, as it’s mapped within the app and you can use this to re-run the route and see areas for for improvement.

Water and dust-resistant, the Pro HR skimps a little on smart features; calls and text notifications are about all you’ll see alongside select social media alerts, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the size of the display (a relatively-tiny 2.44mm touchscreen). It’s 15mm wide and 40mm long. The strap is about average for a fitness tracker, coming in at 230mm in length and 16mm wide. For those wanting to make a unique statement, you can replace the straps to suit your taste or mood.

The Pro HR will go five days on average between charges, or seven if you barely use any notifications (or don’t work out)!

Advantages

  • Excellent GPS service
  • Great analytical data for post-session performance review

Disadvantages

  • Isn’t scratch resistant like other NuBand trackers
  • The app is sometimes difficult and confusing to use

Summary 

NuBand activity and sleep trackers hasn’t yet made waves in the activity tracker world, despite some keen pricing considering the features on offer. Prices vary a lot between US and UK markets, too. Overall, the design and function of NuBand trackers are good enough to rival the much-loved Fitbit, but they’re just not as well-known. They’re a great alternative if the likes of Fitbit or Garmin aren’t in your price range.

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Maygen
Maygen

Maygen is a multifaceted writer, proofreader and an experienced smartwatch industry writing and editing professional.

December 13, 2020 By Maygen Leave a Comment Filed Under: Buying Guides, Fitness & Sports Watches, Reviews Tagged With: Cheap watches, Fitness tracker, kids smartwatches, luxury smartwatches, Nuband, NuBand Reviews, sleep tracker

New Smartwatches To Look Out For In 2020

New smartwatches

Back to the future

With the ball about to drop on the decade everyone is excited to see what the next generation of new smartwatches look like. The wearable tech market is incredibly competitive and consumers are the ones getting the benefits. There are some incredible features packed into some gorgeous devices.

Here’s a look at some of the most eagerly-anticipated smartwatches coming in 2020.

Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Solar

We know and love Garmins for their GPS reliability and accuracy. Garmin is the brand of choice for hardcore athletes, both indoor and outdoor. And the Fenix range hasn’t disappointed with features like topographical maps, music, and oxygen saturation monitors.

The Garmin Fenix 6x Pro Solar was launched in October of this year. So, it’s just about got a head start and fans have received it very well so far. Hardly surprising, as this is Garmin’s first solar-powered offering. 

The design is thinner and better looking than any of the other Fenix models. The sixth-generation is packed with features previously missing. This includes the ability to store 36GB of music, better GPS than ever before, contactless payments and new sensors to pick up on information such as a fall or the weather. It’s a seriously clever piece of kit that has the potential to save your life. It’ll tell you health measurements in painfully accurate detail.

The best thing is the battery life. Thanks to solar power, you’ll get 21 days of performance. If you think that’s impressive, in smartwatch mode you can get 24 days.

The 6x Pro Solar is the most expensive, coming in at $1,150 (£850). The Fenix 6s Pro, however, can be picked up for $700 (£500) and has the same amount of storage onboard for music.

Apple Watch Series 6

Apple fans will have to wait until September for this one. There are predictions on everything from the name to the features though as it’s anticipated that it won’t break the mould with the numbering system, it’s referred to as Series 6.

The advancements expected will be around the fitness features including sleep tracking and more accurate tracking for activities like running. Thanks to a stray tweet, we know there’s been some development on a sleep app. Ideally, there will be some improvements in battery life. The addition of always-on has caused some controversy amongst users as to whether or not this feature saves or drains the battery.

As there was little difference in design between the 4 and 5, there’s hope for some drastic changes for the Series 6. There’s talk of a circular display, which could be a wild rumour, but now Apple’s lead designer has left the building, who knows? There has been a patent approved for a round face, so September might bring a surprise for us all.

Other rumoured features include a camera for FaceID and the ability to use TouchID. Furthermore, blood pressure and blood glucose measurements are also expected.

It’s certainly fun to speculate, and it’s suspected this smartwatch will be the smartest device ever released. 

Google Pixel Watch

Google has been so busy providing WearOS (Android Wear) to other devices that it never stopped to make its own smartwatch – until now, we hope.

Google has teased the market for years with potential release dates for the Pixel watch. Now, it could be any time between March and October 2020.

One highly discussed rumour was a feature named ‘Blackghost’ which saw the watch listen out for and respond to voice commands with little drainage of the battery. It’s not something currently available, but expecting to use Google Assist isn’t outrageous. It’s anticipated you’ll be able to ask questions without having to use anything but your voice.

Seeing as WearOS is mostly Android smartphone compatible, there’s a third-party app expectation that the Pixel watch will work seamlessly with things like WhatsApp, Messenger and Uber. Naturally, it’s expected to have Gmail, maps and Google Pay.

Fitness and health tracking should be a feature as well as the smart functions. A heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, GPS, barometer, altimeter and accelerometers are all anticipated for accurate data about your movements.

There have been no concrete links about the design, so we can only look to the existing Pixel range and see what 2020 brings.

Seeing as this is Google’s first attempt at their own smartwatch, it’s hard to guess the price it’ll be marketed at. Looking at competitors Apple and Samsung, it’s likely to fall between $300- $400. 

Microsoft Surface Watch

We’re set to welcome Microsoft into the smartwatch world in 2020. 

We all know and love their laptops and PCs but they’re not performing as well in the smartphone market.

It’s believed the Surface watch will run on Windows OS with its Surface siblings. Odds are on a square design with a durable screen. It’s aimed at business folk in terms of design and function, with selling points such as long battery life and cloud storage. 

Rumours have been going around since before Apple released the Apple Watch. In 2012 a patent application was released that saw a small device held in a frame, mounted on a strap. The device was navigated using the display and had capabilities that allowed it to swap data with another device.

Given that was eight years ago, and considering how well Microsoft keep new products under wraps until release dates, who knows what the Surface Watch could do.

New Smartwatches Summary

Much of these new smartwatches for 2020 releases are speculation, fuelled by expert opinion and a few information leaks here and there. We know for certain we’ll see sales of the Garmin Fenix range continue to soar, given the initial welcome it’s already had. Apple’s new smartwatches will have people camping outside the stores in late August 2020 for the Series 6 and it appears there’s a race between Microsoft and Google for the latest high-tech smartwatch. 

We can only wait and see!

Maygen
Maygen

Maygen is a multifaceted writer, proofreader and an experienced smartwatch industry writing and editing professional.

November 10, 2020 By Maygen Leave a Comment Filed Under: Buying Guides, News Tagged With: apple watch, blood pressure smartwatches, Garmin, Garmin Fenix 6, Google, GPS Watches, Microsoft, New smartwatches, sleep tracker

Why Smartwatches are Beneficial

Why have a smartwatch

Have you got friends who’ve upgraded their watch game recently? Have you noticed people looking (or talking) at their wrists? Do you wonder why? More than likely some people around you have invested in a smartwatch.

So, why are smartwatches beneficial? Now, digital watches have been available for quite some time. Some of them even quite advanced with features such as calculators.

However, it wasn’t until 2010 that technology companies started to release watches that had smartwatch type features. It was in 2013 that the first smartwatch in the guise of what we understand a smartwatch to be today was introduced to the market by a small company called Pebble. The rest is history.

What is a smartwatch?

In order to answer why smartwatches are beneficial it’s important to understand what it is. A smartwatch is a portable device that is meant to be worn on a wrist. A type of wearable, the smartwatch is also seen by many as an extension to a smartphone.

It has similar features such as touchscreen and a range of apps and sensors to monitor health and fitness activity. There are two types of smartwatch that occupies the market; the first being the everyday use type, a device that is designed to replace the traditional watch but relies on a smartphone.

The second is the speciality range, designed for specific functions and audiences, for example, a smartwatch for the elderly where the main element is location tracking and safety. The speciality watches can be a cross between a phone dependent wearable device and an independent fitness tracker.

Uptake of the smartwatch had been slow. With people not quite sure why smartwatches are beneficial, what to do with them or classifying them as not being necessary because it did everything a smartphone can do. However recent statistics show that things may be changing on this front.

In 2017 sales of smartwatches and fitness trackers was up 16% on 2016. The Smartwatch market then saw an increase of 23% on 2016. With Apple, Google and Samsung continuing to invest development into the sector the popularity of the smartwatch looks set to carry on.

 If you’re not yet one of the converted, lets us take you through reasons for why wearing a smartwatch is a good idea.

It tells the time

Obviously a smartwatch tells the time. However, isn’t it easier to glance at your wrist to check if you’re late for your appointment than to think where you’ve left your phone and look around for it?

Sales of traditional watches have been on the decline as smartphones have dominated the market, but the smartwatch reminds us what a key item the watch actually is.

Fashion Accessory

Smartwatches can be confused with activity trackers and so you could be forgiven for thinking they are a bit boring, clunky and mechanical looking. On the contrary, the modern smartwatch comes complete with a library of colours, materials and watch faces to suit all types of occasions – whether it’s a work day or fun at the weekend.

Are we there yet?

We’ve become accustomed to using the map function on our phones to assist with navigation. But, did you know it is even easier with a smartwatch? There is an increased risk of missing the next turn if you are too busy reviewing the direction on your handset or worse the smartphone is dropped during the constant put away, take out, put away scenario. A smartwatch makes navigation much easier, with the route available at a glance.

The Apple Watch goes further, notifying you which direction to turn with distinctly different vibrations for left and right. When driving, a flick of the wrist will provide reassurance that you’re on the right route. A smartwatch is ideal for navigation purposes on vehicles where it would not be appropriate to use a handset such as a motorcycle.

Entertainment

The smartwatch makes entertainment even easier to access. Granted the screen size is a factor but it’s ideal for public transport journeys where keeping the phone aloft can prove to be a challenge. It’s also ideal to use the smartwatch when you want to quickly share a funny YouTube video with friends and family.

Perhaps the better entertainment factor with a smartwatch is its music capabilities. Listening to music on your smartphone is even more enjoyable with a smartwatch.

You can skip tracks, change the volume and play around with your playlist all from the device on your wrist. Newer smartwatches even allow music to be stored directly onto the device so no need to have the smartphone with you as well.

A great example of a smartwatch with Spotify controls is the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus; check out the full review, here.

Garmin fenix 5 Plus, Premium Multisport GPS Smartwatch, Features Color Topo Maps, Heart Rate Monitoring, Music...
Garmin fenix 5 Plus, Premium Multisport GPS Smartwatch, Features Color Topo Maps, Heart Rate Monitoring, Music...
  • Premium multi sport GPS smartwatch that estimates heart rate at the wrist and includes color TOPO...
  • Fit for adventure with rugged design that features stainless steel or diamond like carbon (DLC)...
  • Easily store and play up to 500 songs on your watch, and connect with Bluetooth headphones (sold...
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Smart Notifications

Perhaps one of the smartwatches most useful features is its ability to alert you to calls, text messages and social media updates. Rather than having to get the handset out each time it vibrates or pings. Not every notification will be important i.e. requiring an action), a smartwatch makes it easier to manage notifications quickly and easily. It may seem trivial but the potential to save time and simplify situations you’re in is huge. For example a quick glance at your watch in a meeting wouldn’t be considered rude as it would if you were to start rummaging for your phone. Also when out and about running or taking part in other physical activity you may decide to not take your smartphone with you. You can decide when alerts come through on the smartphone so as to keep the process efficient.

Making and answering calls

How this activity is undertaken will vary on the type of smartwatch. Some devices allow the wearer to accept or decline calls through the watch. Others will allow this but also give you the option to answer the call through the watch itself.

Both options require your handset to be nearby. There are now cellular versions of the smartwatch available on the market, which means you can use the watch independent to a smartphone including being able to make calls.

Although the appearance of voice dictation into a smartwatch can look strange, it is a useful feature allowing you to respond to important messages in a timely manner without compromising what you may be doing at the time i.e. out for a run or busy in the kitchen.

Even kids can have an affordable smartwatch that lets them make calls to trusted contacts. For more information on these devices, check out our review, here.

Health and Wellbeing

It can be easy to assume that the smartwatch is only good for tracking your steps. It does of course track daily steps but it does so much more which can really make a difference to a person’s health. Due to the smartwatch being capable of doing more than just tracking steps, it is more likely to be worn on a daily basis rather than taken off and being forgotten about.

A smartwatch is not just a pedometer, it has various built-in sensors to monitor and record other activity such as heart rate and blood pressure. The latest edition of the Apple Watch even has the capability to perform an ECG. Other useful health-related features include sleep monitoring, calorie counting and a range of apps to support stress management.

Additionally, the new Fitbit Sense is being hailed as stiff competition for the Apple Watch, also a holistic fitness and wellbeing smartwatch in one. See how Apple and Fitbit compare, here.

Reduced Price
Fitbit Sense Advanced Smartwatch with Tools for Heart Health, Stress Management & Skin Temperature Trends,...
Fitbit Sense Advanced Smartwatch with Tools for Heart Health, Stress Management & Skin Temperature Trends,...
  • EDA Scan app detects electrodermal activity which may indicate your body's response to stress and a...
  • Assess your heart for atrial fibrillation –a heart rhythm irregularity- and easily share results...
  • An on-wrist skin temperature sensor tracks yours each night so you can see how it varies. You can...
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Multisport capability

Not all fitness trackers are smartwatches and not all smartwatches are fitness trackers. However, some do offer both functions. A smartwatch that can offer multiple sports tracking is another reason why smartwatches are beneficial.

Look toward the likes of Garmin and Suunto if you’re a keen adventurer or triathlete who likes to keep and eye on their notifications at the same time.

Reduced Price
Garmin 010-02064-00 Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch with GPS, Features Glonass and Galileo, Heart Rate...
Garmin 010-02064-00 Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch with GPS, Features Glonass and Galileo, Heart Rate...
  • Rugged GPS watch built to withstand the toughest environments
  • Constructed to U.S. Military standard 810G for thermal, shock and water resistance (rated to 100...
  • Built in 3 axis compass and barometric altimeter, plus multiple global navigation satellite systems...
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Blood pressure

The ability to check your blood pressure is becoming more commonplace in smartwatches.

For one, you could download the Qardio app if your smartwatch supports third-party apps. Failing this, there are cheap, basic fitness trackers that will look after this for you. For example, the Mgaolo Smartwatch will measure blood pressure, which is great if you need to do it multiple times a day.

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Mgaolo Fitness Tracker Smart Watch with Blood Pressure Heart Rate Sleep Monitor for Men and Women,Touch Screen...
Mgaolo Fitness Tracker Smart Watch with Blood Pressure Heart Rate Sleep Monitor for Men and Women,Touch Screen...
  • Change Brightness Touch Screen: Elegant and fashion design,With brightness changing function, the...
  • Smart Function: 24 hour continuous Heart rate and Blood pressure monitor,Sleep monitor,Step and...
  • Activity Tracker with 11 Sport Modes:Accurately record all-day activities like...
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Personal Assistants

A lot of us have either Google Assistant or Alexa in our homes these days. There’s convenience in letting them control of mundane tasks like changing the heating temperature or turning lights on and off. What’s cool is that we can now use our smartwatches to utilise our virtual assistants.

If you opt for a Fitbit Versa 3 or Fitbit Sense, you have the option of using either Alexa or Google Assistant.

Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch with GPS, 24/7 Heart Rate, Alexa Built-in, 6+ Days Battery,...
Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch with GPS, 24/7 Heart Rate, Alexa Built-in, 6+ Days Battery,...
  • Run, bike, hike and more phone-free and see your real-time pace & distance with built-in GPS. Then...
  • Active Zone Minutes uses your resting heart rate to gauge exercise effort and gives you a buzz when...
  • Better track heart rate 24/7 with PurePulse 2.0, Fitbit’s enhanced heart rate technology.Operating...
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Safety

Smartwatches are equipped with GPS as standard, most will require you to pair the watch with your handset whereas others have stand alone GPS built in. This is key for a number of reasons.

Not only does GPS allow you to track sports activities such as running and hiking, measuring speed and distance accurately but it also helps to track your location for safety purposes, particularly useful if on your own or in an unfamiliar environment.

For that reason, smartwatches are ideal for offering loved one’s peace of mind for when elderly relatives are out and about. Some smartwatches also have the ability to detect falls and take action if needed, for example, contact emergency services if no movement is detected.

Many smartwatches, especially the speciality types, have SOS/panic buttons which if activated can contact identified individuals through the phone either via message or by making a call.

On the subject of safety, smartwatches are expensive as are smartphones. However you’re more likely to draw attention to yourself using a smartphone than you are your smartwatch, offering the wearer a degree of reassurance.

Losing your smartphone can be disastrous, but with a smartwatch the risk is significantly minimised. Most smartwatches are programmed with the ‘Find Phone’ feature, especially useful if you have a habit of misplacing your phone!

Many modern smartwatches are also waterproof, providing connectivity in all types of weather and activity.

At the height of this feature is Apple’s new Family Set Up that allows parents to stay connected with their children, ensuring their total safety.

Battery life

Keeping your smartphone charged can prove challenging. Having a smartwatch reduces that urgency – more use of smartwatch equals less use of smartphone, saving valuable phone battery life.

Evidence shows that battery life on smartwatches is of a good standard lasting between 18-24 hours for devices such as the Apple Watch and up to a few days and even a week for some of the speciality watches.

So yes, it is true that a smartwatch can do everything a smartphone can, but as we’ve described above it can do that and more. The smartwatch shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for the smartphone – it doesn’t have to be a choice between the two – but as a must-have accessory for today’s tech-savvy individual.

Check out our review of smartwatches with the best battery life, here.

Summary

We hope this in-depth guide has been useful. Hopefully, we’ve been able to point you in the right direction for your next smartwatch purchase!

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December 13, 2020 By Superwatches 1 Comment Filed Under: Buying Guides, News Tagged With: blood pressure smartwatches, Casio, Cheap watches, heart rate watches, hiking watches, Kate Spade Smartwatch, Pebble, sleep tracker, smartwatch benefits, smartwatch reviews, what is a smartwatch, why have a smartwatch

Nokia Smartwatch Review: A Classy Yet Feature-Packed Timepiece

Nokia Smartwatch

Smartwatches are rarely praised for their appearance. While brands try their best to create sleeker models, most of them still have chunky designs but the Nokia Smartwatch makes a difference.

Formerly known as Nokia Steel HR and now called Withings Steel HR, the Nokia smartwatch impresses with a gorgeous design that looks like a stylish, classy timepiece rather than a massive fitness tracker.

But don’t be fooled by its looks. The Steel HR certainly packs a punch and comes with all smart functions you’d expect from a modern smartwatch.

Background

The Nokia Steel HR is a timepiece that focuses on smarts and functionality without compromising the design. Developed by the Nokia Health division, the wearable was rebranded in 2018, when Nokia Health was acquired by Withings.

What strikes you right from first glance is the classic timepiece look with physical hands encased in glass rather than a digital display. In its slim casing, the wearable looks just like a regular watch and pairs perfectly with either casual, business, or formal wear.

A tiny OLED screen in the middle of the watch displays notifications and cycles through the wearable’s menu.

Furthermore, it’s made to stay on your wrist 24/7, and tracks your sleep and heart rate plus is waterproof to 5 ATM. It doesn’t have all the functions offered by peers such as Garmin or Fitbit, but provides a different approach.

Features

Nokia Steel HR offers nothing special at first glance, but a closer look reveals a wealth of smart features. Like all modern smartwatches, it delivers text notifications on the wrist, alerts you of incoming phone calls, and buzzes when you receive any calendar notifications.

The small OLED screen shows the type of notification as an icon. A short line of text also reveals more information about the alert, such as a contact name or phone number.

While you can’t answer calls or read texts from your wrist, at least the Steel HR delivers sufficient information to help you decide if it’s worth pulling your phone out.

Perhaps the biggest drawback is that you don’t get any social media notifications, and this is where Nokia is stuck in the past. In a world revolving around social media, you’ll have to check your phone for any email, Facebook, Twitter, or WhatsApp notifications.

You can download third-party apps to solve the issue, but that may paying out more on top of the watch’s already expensive price tag. Hopefully, Withings will decide to rectify this lack of functionality in future with some native solutions.

But if you don’t mind living without email and social media notifications on the wrist, the Steel HR offers good value for money. Not only will you get all the basic functions, but you’ll also get amazing battery life measured in weeks rather than days.

Design

Nokia have gone with a minimalist wristwatch look for its Steel HR. Two sizes – either 36 or 40 mm – make it easy to choose the model that best fits your wrist, while the stainless steel case and curved glass add elegance to the package.

A button on the left-hand side of the dial looks like a crown, but it actually lets you access the menu and cycle through  the various metrics. To save the battery life, the small OLED screen turns itself off when there is nothing to display, disappearing on the black dial and contrasting with the white one.

A second dial of the same size as the OLED screen tracks your steps. The traditional, physical hands indicate the hour, but you’ll have to estimate the exact time due to the lack of marks and numbers.

A standard 18mm or 20mm watch strap – depending on the case size – makes it easy to replace the factory rubber strap and customise the watch’s look to your liking.

Fitness Tracking

Nokia Steel HR doesn’t come with multi-sport profiles or advanced fitness tracking features. It monitors your heart rate and sleep cycles and has a step counter that’s easy to customise with a distance tracker and calories burned counter.

We particularly like the percentage counter that slowly fills as you reach your daily goals rather than showing an abstract number – we find this more motivating.

Waterproof construction and resistance up to 5 ATM also make it possible to wear the Steel HR when swimming. However, the watch doesn’t come with a swim tracker.

Main Advantages

  • Sleek, stylish design inspired by classic watches
  • Outstanding battery life
  • Accurate heart rate monitoring
  • Easily customisable features

Main Disadvantages

  • Expensive considering its limitations
  • Poor app support

Competition

  Nokia/Withings Steel HR Diesel On Axial Puma Smartwatch Kate Spade Scallop 2
Display OLED AMOLED AMOLED AMOLED
Resolution – 328 x 328 pixels 328 x 328 pixels –
Size 36 x 36 mm 44 x 44 x 12 mm 44 x 44 x 11 mm 41 x 41 x 16 mm
Weight – – 28 g –
Band material Rubber Leather / Fabric / Metal Silicone Silicone / Leather / Metal
Water resistance 5 ATM 3 ATM 3 ATM 3 ATM
Connectivity Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Bluetooth
GPS No Yes Yes Yes
Heart rate monitoring Yes Yes Yes Yes
Smart notifications Yes. Texts, calls, and calendar only Yes Yes Yes
Sleep tracking Yes No No No
NFC Payments No Yes Yes Yes
Calorie count Yes No No No
Multi-sport profiles No Yes Yes No
Battery life Up to 25 days Up to 24 hours Up to 24 hours Up to 48 hours

Summary

Nokia Steel HR is not your standard smartwatch, but it is a noteworthy wearable. It’s perfect for ladies and gents aiming for a classy look with some smart and fitness tracking functionality.

You won’t get the whole range of smart notifications nor the ultimate in fitness tracking profiles, but what you do get is accurate metrics and outstanding battery life.

If you want an elegant hybrid watch and don’t mind a slightly higher price point, the Nokia smartwatch undoubtedly offers amazing value for money.

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Roxana Bikfalvi

A degree-qualified professional writer with extensive experience in copy writing. Expert in product description, reviews, editing and proofreading. Also a bilingual expert in Italian and Romanian where she is originally from.

A wealth of experience in IT and technology, and also a wordpress expert.

December 13, 2020 By Roxana Bikfalvi Leave a Comment Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: hybrid watch, nokia, nokia smartwatch, sleep tracker, smartwatch reviews, smartwatches for women, Withings

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