I finally took up going to gym and I have been toying with the idea of getting a wearable device to keep track of exercising / to keep me motivated.
The rising exchange rate is yet another incentive, as the prices are like in Europe. Luckily for me, there is only a handful of models available in Argentina, therefore, FOMO aside, the choice should be pretty simple.
However, I am not fully committed to the purchase because the model that is "most sold" on mercadolibre, for however cheap, costs anyway about 50 USD. And because my track record with gyms is pretty poor (one month top). I am eager to read the other forum members' experiences.
What I have understood so far is:
1) Fitness tracker / Smart band is the same thing. They are devices you wear 24/7 and keep track of your activity. Some also keep track of your heart rate and SpO2 saturation, sleep pattern, and other parameters that are used to tell about your overall health and performances.
The cheaper the model, the less accurate one or more measurement. If you want continuous monitoring, the battery will drain pretty fast.
They all connect to your phone via bluetooth and are a sort of extension of it, meaning that you can get notifications on your wearable.
2) Smart watches do the same as above, however are more geared toward connectivity, i.e. smartphone usage without using the smartphone, i.e. receiving messages AND replying to it from your watch, being able to take and make calls from your watch, make contactless payments etc., and less on activity (they track SOME exercises, but not all). The price difference is minimal (10-20 USD), and they are slightly bigger in size.
3) they all interact with an app installed on your phone, which is the authorized app. This app can, in turn, interact with other 3rd party apps or your phone's native apps.
As I am just a novel going to the gym, I am interested in the amount of calories burned when doing each kind of exercise. Allegedly, the fitness tracker can automatically detect what kind of exercise you are doing based on your movements. I'd like also to see the heart rate as I am curious to find out if I am suffering more than the average man/woman when exercising (I don't like exercising, how do people keep up with it?).
These are the models I have been looking at:
Xiaomi Mi Band 7 - 17.100 ARS (about 50 USD) - https://www.mercadolibre.com.ar/xiaomi-mi-smar…ory%3AMLA352679
This is the most sold one on ML, the most recent version from Xiaomi
Amazfit Charge 5 - 6800 ARS (used, or 10300 ARS new) - https://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-1262703731…fa-ea66d8d28250
This is the competitor of the Mi Band, and also by Xiaomi. Some comparison say that the Mi Band is better as it tracks more sports and it is more precise. Other than that, they are just about the same, as far as I am concerned.
I am not considering FitBit Charge 5 (used from 31,000 ARS) as apparently it requires a subscription (10 USD/month) to track heart rate and oxygenation, which I find appalling for the price tag.