THE FITNESS TRACKER OF THE SMARTPHONE EDITORS

Whether as a classic bracelet or in the form of a watch: Smart fitness trackers have been enjoying great popularity for some time.

Regardless of whether you like jogging, hiking, swimming or cycling, the sporty companions record your sporting activities, remind you to move and (in some cases) also take care of notifications on your smartphone and the background music during the activities. We wanted to see whether the intelligent watches and fitness trackers really offer added value in everyday life and whether they actually increase athletic motivation. Five models, five editors and a week's test period later, we summarize our impressions on the following pages. One thing has already been revealed: Nobody wants to miss the little helper for the arm from our team.

Fossil Sport Smartwatch

The Fossil Smartwatch is used on my wrist every day. The steps taken are recorded every day and the pulse is tracked. This data can then be called up clearly in the Google Fit app. Furthermore, all notifications that arrive on the smartphone are passed on to the watch. This can be a little too much at times. In addition to Facebook, WhatsApp, Gmail and Co., a flood of new messages comes in during the day. It is therefore important that the applications are restricted in the app beforehand. I usually get through the day well on one battery charge.

Apple Watch Series 4

I am not a gifted athlete, but I love hiking and exploring the area around my hometown. The Apple Watch has been my loyal companion for years. With it I can count my steps, determine the calories burned and have the distance covered recorded. The smart watch also tracks my sleep and now and then reminds me to take a few steps outside. Apart from that, the timepiece also functions as a normal smartwatch that shows notifications and lets me reply to incoming messages by voice.

 Honor Band 5

I've been using the Honor Band 5 for a few weeks and I'm very satisfied with it. In addition to a step counter and a sleep tracker, the fitness bracelet is also able to measure the heart rate. I use these three functions the most. The collected data is listed very clearly in the app, but it always takes a few seconds after starting the app until the newly measured data is displayed. Notifications of incoming calls, SMS or emails can also be displayed on the fitness bracelet. One charge lasts about nine days.

 Newgen medical fitness bracelet

I was equipped with the cheapest model - besides the Honor Band 5 - that ran surprisingly reliably. Although the app had occasional problems and somewhat long loading times, the tracker itself always worked. The "newgen medicals fitness armband", the full name of this gadget, measures heart rate and blood pressure, tracks steps and training units and shows the most important information on the small color display. The bracelet can be removed, but the connection to the display part is a bit delicate. However, this does not detract from my overall good overall impression!

Wathings Move ECG

I got the chance to test the Withings Move ECG. At first glance a conventional watch, the latest Withings model also offers classic smart functions such as a step counter or sleep recording. The user can see all vital signs via the app, the Withings watch does not have a digital display. The "Move ECG" - as the name suggests - has an integrated ECG function. During the week-long trial period, I was able to check my sinus rhythm at any time, simply by holding my thumb and index finger on the watch's frame for 30 seconds. Very cool!