GADGET SPECIAL ...Buyer’s guide

Buyer’s guide

Looking for a fitness band or a smartwatch with a heart-rate tracker? Here are some of the best devices you can use to monitor your cardiac rhythm…

Mi Band 2 | ₹1,800 | This entry-level fitness band, which boasts of a battery life of 10 days, sports a splash- and dust-resistant (IP67) build that’s certified to survive a jog in the rain. It lacks a built-in GPS, so outdoor runs and walks are only tracked when you have the paired handset with you.

Goqii Vital | Starts at ₹3,499 | After you register with Goqii and provide details like your age, weight, and pre-existing health conditions, the service connects you to a personal coach who helps you set fitness goals and create a roadmap on how to achieve them. This health coach will also provide you with dietary advice and the exercise routine you should follow. The Vital band can be worn to the pool; it measures blood pressure, has a seven-day battery life, and can store data for up to 30 days without syncing with its mobile app.

Smartron t.band | ₹4,999 | Besides a heart rate monitor, this band also includes an ECG sensor to measure blood pressure on an hourly basis. Its app uses all your physical-activity data, along with your heart rate and sleep patterns to detect stress levels and calculate your overall health index. The t.band is water- and dust-resistant, but it can’t be worn for swimming. It has a two-day battery life and can store 14 days of steps, up to 10 heart rate and BP records, and 1,200 minutes of exercise data.

Huawei Band 2 | ₹4,600 | This band is waterproof and can even be worn when swimming. It comes with built-in GPS for an accurate analysis of your outdoor jogs or walks; you get a guided mode to help you breathe right, and it even measures VO2 levels (maximum amount of oxygen utilised during intense exercise).

Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro | ₹13,590 | The Fit2 Pro comes with built-in GPS; can be worn in the swimming pool and even measures altitude during treks. The band also supports third-party fitness services like Endomondo and MapmyRun. Depending on GPS usage, the Fit2 Pro will need to be recharged almost every three days.

Garmin Vivomove HR | ₹17,990 | This smartwatch continuously monitors your heart rate to detect stress levels. It also initiates a relaxation timer to help lower anxiety levels. Besides, it looks like a traditional time piece; it combines an analogue watch face with a digital display that gets activated when you swipe to view your heart rate, VO2 levels, step count and notifications. The Vivomove HR will give up to five days of service before needing a recharge.

Fitbit Versa & Ionic | Starts at ₹17,950 and ₹22,599 respectively | The only difference between these two bands is that the Ionic comes with built-in GPS, while the Versa lacks this feature. Besides, tracking your physical activities, the app stores detailed information on your sleep cycles and heart rates and presents it in a way that can be understood and worked upon. The devices are sturdily built, swim proof, come with an altimeter and give you up to four days of use on a single charge.

Apple Watch 3 | Starts at ₹29,900 | If you own an iPhone, then the Apple Watch 3 is your best option for its native integration with the iOS ecosystem. It alerts you of any cardiac emergency when your heart rate rises beyond a certain threshold during inactivity for a 10-minute period. It is also swimproof and you can choose from various activities (running, cycling, swimming, etc) to record your exercise sessions. A built-in barometric altimeter measures elevation to count the number of flights climbed and GPS to record speed and distance covered. On the battery front, the Apple Watch will need to be charged almost daily.

Note: These devices are NOT a replacement or an alternative to professionally-monitored stress tests or ECGs. They use LEDs that lie in contact with your skin to illuminate the capillaries beneath, while an adjacent sensor measures the rate at which blood pumps past to calculate beats per minute.

But the sensors aside, the true quality of a good fitness band or watch depends on its smartphone app, which crunches all the data to give you an idea of your heart health, and even help you maintain a record for your doctor. If you suffer from a heart ailment, consult your physician for advice on fitness activities for you.