Smartwatches VS fitness trackers

20.07.2020

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Introduction

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are the electronic devices that come in the category of wearable technology. People nowadays are more intentional in achieving their health and fitness-related goals. These two tools are best for tracking and monitoring fitness-related metrics like distance covered by walking or jogging, calorie consumption, and physical activity intensity. They also follow and display physiological parameters like heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, joints and muscle movement, alignment, and even sweat rate. These two gadgets often couples collectively, but they are not the same thing. This article is beneficial to see the overlapping and dissimilar features of these two and choose one according to your requirements and budget. The pros and cons of each device have also reviewed. After reading this article, you will be able to know all the features of these modern devices.

Smartwatches

Main features

A smartwatch is a wearable tech that resembles an ordinary wristwatch, but it's not mechanical; instead, it's digital. When we talk about its functions, we come to know that it can work unaccompanied as well as paired with a smartphone or computer via Bluetooth extension. They can be used to read, check and answer messages and emails, listen to phone calls, check weather forecasts, listen to music, pay bills, track journeys and interact with people on different social media apps.

Types

Advantages of smartwatches

1. The best fellow Traveller around your wrist

   Modern, Ultra-premium, and high Technology-based smartwatches are best to take on the way to your destination whenever you plan to travel. They have replaced many other electronic devices, such as tablets, laptops, and MP3 music systems. Smartwatches are the best option for adventurers and business travelers because it provides many additional benefits like playing music, load boarding pass, track your trip, get connected to social media, etc.

2. Smart features

   You can answer a phone call or message even when you have no access to your mobile similarly if you are in need to search something on Google, your smartwatch allows you to perform this task. By having a single click on your device's screen, you can find your misplaced mobile. It doesn't matter if your phone is in silent mode.

3. Your gym instructor and monitor

   Smartwatches can serve you as your trainer. You can control your physical activity and work out by just clicking on it. You can also connect with some health-related apps and transfer your data to see how far you are to accomplish your goal. If you are doing a workout, the smartwatch will tell you the intensity of your physical exertion and body systems.

4. Monitoring physiological features

   Smartwatches equipped with all the features we have on our fitness trackers, such as watching sleep time, checking blood pressure and calorie intake, pulse rate, body alignment while performing an activity, and much more.

5. Connectivity with your mobile phone

   Scroll through your Facebook account and comment on a post; you can do all with the help of a Smartwatch. You can interact with people even when you are performing a specific task. You don't need to take your mobile phone out from your pocket or purse again and again. You can just click on your smartwatch and answer your messages or phone call.

Disadvantages

1. Small screen size

   When we compare smartwatches with smartphones, the main difference is in screen size. It has a tiny screen on which you have to scroll up and down to see the content. You cannot read your complete message or email without scrolling. This small screen size can create inconvenience for many users because they don't feel comfortable reading social media posts and messages.

2. Expensive

   The more well-furnished a smartwatch is, the more expensive it will be. Everyone wants to use modern technology in life, but the high cost makes it difficult for everyone to get and use it.

3. Short battery life

   A simple Smartwatch has fewer features, so it has a long battery time, but a premium smartwatch has short battery life because of its wide range of functions. Like smartphones, whenever people use too many apps on smartwatches, the battery time runs down quickly, which inconveniences them.

Fitness trackers

Fitness trackers are also called activity-trackers and are used to track and monitor activity-based data for its users. They can be worn around the wrist or in multiple locations on the body. They have various forms and shapes, such as a ring, wrist band, or coin shape, which can implement anywhere in the user's body. As its name suggests, it is a variable device that can synchronize with different apps downloaded onto your phone. It uses various types of functions and movements with the help of different sensors. It has designed for fitness trainers, casual runners, and gym instructors. You can easily access various applications by keeping tabs on your daily activities such as step, running distance, heart rate, sleep patterns, swimming, calorie consumption, etc.

Advantages

1. Keep you accountable

   The topmost benefit of a fitness tracker is that it pushes you to do workout regardless of whether you are working alone or competing at your level with your friends or family. It acts like a motivator or an initiator. You can get rid of laziness and get a grasp on productivity.

2. Help to achieve goals

   People get attracted to see numbers that show the levels of their activities and performance. In this way, they can easily see their improvement and progress. This feature is beneficial for fitness trackers to meet their goals and get quantifiable outcomes.

3. Get Interacted with friends

   Fitness trackers enable you to get in touch with your friends and community using social fitness apps. Working out is more challenging or fun when you compete at your results with your friends. Fitness trackers can be used best for this purpose. They also have a third-party intervention, enabling you to post your data related to physical activity on fitness-related apps.

4. Pushes you to eat healthily

   Your visual progress can easily be monitored by a fitness tracker to get an idea of food and water intake. For example, it has always said to take 6 to 8 glasses of water for body systems to work efficiently, but we forget to make this particular amount. By using a fitness tracker, we can keep a record of our water intake per day. This record also motivates us to eat and drink healthy because it makes us conscious of our calorie consumption.

5. Monitor body systems

   The fitness tracker has sensors that monitor energy expenditure, ECG, heart rate, and temperature. It also enables the user to record and track food consumption, muscular activities, etc.

Disadvantages

1. Expensive

   Advanced fitness trackers capacitate their users to benefit from their multiple features, but they become more costly, which is a drawback of using them.

2. Accuracy is questionable

   Fitness trackers are not always accurate. You can get only a general idea about your activity level and body metrics. Sometimes it shows a false sense of task completion, so there will be the chances of inaccuracy and errors. You cannot get 100% accurate results.

3. Need to wear all the time

   You need to wear them all the time. These devices only work when they touch the user's body. They have sensors that detect the body functions when they are in contact with the skin. Some people get disturbed when they wear them while sleeping to track their sleep patterns.

Similarities

1. Wearable techs

   Both of these devices come in the category of wearable techs, which may or may not pair with your mobile phone. They are the modern electronic devices that are worn around your wrist and perform different functions.

2. Traditional wrist watch shape

   Except for some latest brands of smartwatches, the fitness trackers and smartwatches have the same rounded wrist watch like shape. Some newest smartwatches are different in a way because some people like to use them for fashion purposes.

3. Similar tracking and monitoring system

   Regardless of the smartwatch's communication feature, both devices are excellent for tracking and monitoring body systems and collecting and transferring data to mobile phones.

4. Pairing with mobile phone

   Both devices can pair with mobile phones. All smartwatches allow you to answer phone calls and messages, but only some latest brands of fitness trackers have this feature.

5. Touch screen

   These devices have a touchscreen interface, but the quality of the touch varies from brand to brand.

Differences

1. More features

   Smartwatches can act as a fitness tracker, but a fitness tracker cannot act like a smartwatch. Smartwatch is the combination of a wristwatch, smartphone, and fitness tracker, but a fitness tracker is merely concerned with tracking and monitoring physical activity.

2. Display size

   Smartwatches have a more prominent backlit LCD, which gives the user comfort to view content more easily. Some latest devices have AMOLED displays that are more reliable and beautiful.

3. Prolong battery time

   Smartwatches have many features, so their battery time is short, but the battery of a fitness tracker can last for a week or more due to its limited functionality.

4. More customization

   Smartwatches are more customized with a luxury strap and modern stylishness. They are comfortable to wear for an extended period. Fitness trackers do not look this much appealing as they have bland plastic exteriors to give sweat resistance.

5. Cost difference

   There is a considerable difference between the cost of these two devices. Smartwatches are more expensive than fitness trackers. They have furnished with many advanced features that give ease and convenience to their users. The cost of these devices varies from model to model. Some of the latest Samsung and Apple brands are very expensive, while some old versions are very cheap because they have fewer functions.

Why should you buy a smartwatch?

If you aim to buy a wearable device that has features more than just tracking and monitoring and wants it to have a captivating look, you should go with some smartwatches' latest brands. One more thing to consider is your budget. If you feel comfortable with purchasing high-cost gadgets, then these devices are a perfect match for you.

Best Outdoor Smartwatches

Why should you buy a fitness tracker?

If you have a small budget and your main aim is to trap physical workout, you should buy a fitness tracker. Some latest models have extra features like a large display, long battery life, ability to answer a phone call or message. It's ok with you to spend more money if it means more features and a more prominent display. Either way, both are a perfect option for adding some advancement to your everyday life. Whether it's fitness-related, work-related, entertainment-related, or a mixture of all of it.

Conclusion

Wearable fitness trackers are among today's top fitness trends as they circumscribe an array of technological features. These wearable sensors can serve you in different fields like playgrounds, gyms, hospitals, and even at home They can be a blessing if they are suitable for you and help your fitness requirements.

Smartwatches

Fitness trackers