Do you want to monitor your health via a simple dashboard? Are you keen to measure your physical activities via wearables? In that case, you might have heard about two gadgets which do all these for you- smartwatches & fitness bands.
And more likely, you couldn’t decide the answer to the question- fitness band or smartwatch which is better? If yes, we have got you covered because today we will analyse both the gadgets thoroughly, and why should you choose one over the other.
According to wearable.com, the popularity of werable devices are soaring every year. In 2020, wearabale tech shipmets grew by 24%. The projection say that we could see 388M smartwatches & fitness bands shipped worldwide.
So we can say that both smartwatches & fitness bands are popular among people. While a smartwatch is seen as a fashionable gadget to stand out with awesome features, fitness bands are relatively cheap & focused to monitor your health closely.
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What is a Smartwatch?
A smartwatch is a wearable computer that allows you to perform a number of tasks from your wrist. You do not need to access your smartphone every time.
In simple words, it is an extension of your smartphone which looks fashionable. We can monitor our health, fitness & manage calls & notifications with a smartwatch.
Not only this but there’s a reason why it is a ‘smart watch’. You can do NFC payments, use the inbuilt GPS & play/pause the music. But do remember, it’s an extension of your smartphone, it can’t replace that completely.
What is a Fitness Band?
A fitness tracker is mainly invented to monitor your health. It might not look too attractive, but do the job of measuring different aspects of your lifestyle pretty well.
It can detect your footsteps, sleep, blood oxygen levels, etc. A fitness band collects all the data & presents it in a user-friendly LCD display.
For your daily activity monitoring, fitness bands are non-replaceable. The data accuracy is much better than smartwatches.
Why Choose Smartwatch?
You can consider buying a smartwatch if you want to get better accessibility all the time. It allows you to manage calls, messages, emails, etc very easily with the user-friendly display.
Not only this, but a smartwatch supports multiple apps such as Spotify, YouTube, Outlook, Uber & a lot more. Stream a video or enjoy music in real-time & experience the smart lifestyle.
Another advantage of smartwatches is health monitoring. Monitor spo2, heart rate, stress & get the metrics. Not only this but some brands offer NFC payments. So, besides being stylish, a smartwatch helps you do more.
Pros
- Smart features
- Multiple apps support
- Big display
- Health monitoring
- Manage calls, notifications, etc.
- GPS & other sensors
Cons
- Costly
- Low battery life
- Less accurate data
Why Choose Fitness Band?
On the other hand, we can’t ignore how useful a fitness band can be. If you solely need to track your health-related activities the best way, there’s nothing better than a fitness band.
Similar to smartwatches, it offers spo2 monitoring, sleep monitoring, steps tracking, etc. The data accuracy in activity trackers is far better than smartwatches. It is a pocket-friendly wearable gadget.
Fitness bands also provide you with the flexibility of managing calls, SMS, emails etc. For 80-90% of people, a fitness band is enough for their needs. However, there’re some drawbacks of fitness bands, which we will discuss shortly.
Pros
- Pocket friendly
- Health monitoring
- Multiple sports modes
- Excellent data accuracy
- Long battery life
- Manage calls & notifications
Cons
- Limited features
- No apps support
- Small screen size
Fitness Band vs Smartwatch Which is Better?
Design & Screen size
In smartwatches, the build quality is very attractive. We get either LCD or AMOLED display, which is super. The dial size is big as compared to fitness bands. It is usually 1.4-1.5 inches. As a result, the text size will be bigger & readability is great.
On the other hand, a fitness tracker comes with relatively smaller screens, 1.1 inches on average. The width is usually small than the length. Text size would be small & a few of us might not find it user-friendly. But yes, the durability is way better than smartwatches.
Battery Backup
Fitness bands are the clear winner when it comes to battery. They last for more than 2 weeks per single charge. On another side of the story, the smartwatch battery is not too good, they last only for 3-4 days & you’ve to plug in the charger 2 times a week.
So, if you live in a hilly area or rural area where electricity is a concern, we urge you to go for fitness bands instead. Because electricity drives every gadget & what’s the purpose if you can’t even use it?
Smart Features
Smartwatches are way modern, and hence, are packed with more features than smart bands. They support apps (which we have discussed), while fitness bands don’t.
Both smartwatches & fitness bands allow you to access social media notifications, calls & emails. However, you can’t run many apps in a fitness band.
Few smartwatch brands in India offer SIM cards & cameras. But yes, if your phone is not with you, the functionality of smartwatches are limited.
Health Monitoring
The fitness band and smartwatch, both come with multiple sports modes. But for the sole purpose of health tracking, fitness bands are best. They come with multiple sports modes, oxygen & sleep monitoring, which is enough for many of us.
The biggest advantage of fitness bands over smartwatches is the data accuracy. Fitness bands’ accuracy of what they show is more precise. Smartwatches have room to improve on this part.
Both the wearable offer very similar kinds of health monitoring functions. But a fitness band is a full-fledged health tracker band. Waterproof fitness bands allow you to swim deep in the pool.
Pricing
Smartwatches are costly. In India, you can buy a smartwatch for as low as Rs. 1000, up to Rs. 40000. So, there’s a scope for everyone as per their budget.
Fitness bands are cheaper than smartwatches. Probably because of limited features. They start as low as Rs. 500 & go up to Rs. 5000.
You have to think here- why do you want one over the other? What you will do with a smartwatch that you can’t with a fitness band? There’s no sense in spending money on something you will not need later.
Conclusion | Smartwatch or Fitness Band?
We have explained the main differences between the two. Now the ball is in your hands, you have to decide smartwatch or fitness band, which suits your need & budget. What we would suggest is, if you need better care of your health, long battery life, cost-effective & durability, go for fitness bands.
But if you wanna follow the trend, looking attractive while monitoring your health at the same time, go for smartwatches. They offer the best user experience with awesome features which fitness bands don’t.
