What smartwatch should I get 2016 edition

[mellofello]

With the fast impending arrival of my S7 edge, it is time to say goodbye to the Apple Watch.

It has been a strange year of ownership. I never actually came around to liking the AW but at the same time I absolutely cannot live without it now. My whole usage paradigm has shifted, and going back to checking notifications on my phone is not happening. I have also become pretty obsessive about tracking my fitness, and diet so having a HR monitor and reliable pedometer are tops on my list.

My criteria are:

HR monitor

Round screen

Able to communicate with My fitness pal (which rules out gear s2)

I'm leaning Moto 360 but open to any input.

Thanks in advance.

 

[nviz22]

Moto 360 Sport looks nice. I would get the Gear S2 and find an alternative to My Fitness Pal tbh though.

 

[Lloydbm41]

With the fast impending arrival of my S7 edge, it is time to say goodbye to the Apple Watch.

It has been a strange year of ownership. I never actually came around to liking the AW but at the same time I absolutely cannot live without it now. My whole usage paradigm has shifted, and going back to checking notifications on my phone is not happening. I have also become pretty obsessive about tracking my fitness, and diet so having a HR monitor and reliable pedometer are tops on my list.

My criteria are:

HR monitor

Round screen

Able to communicate with My fitness pal (which rules out gear s2)

I'm leaning Moto 360 but open to any input.

Thanks in advance.

I own the Gear S2, Huawei watch and both generations of Moto 360. After the latest update, the 360 no longer has the crappy 8 bit ambient mode, so it is a viable option. The flat tyre still is an annoyance, especially if you download a watch face that has data down in that area.
The Gear S2 is an impressive watch on the hardware side, but the software is killing me. It will get better once Samsung Pay is activated, supposedly in March or April.

The Huawei is still the best watch. The Android 6.0.1 update still hasn't arrived though, so the speaker is still inactive. But everything from the display resolution to sapphire screen to the DLC coated stainless steel is 100% top quality. Best Smartwatch sub-$500 category!

 

[mellofello]

I went and played with it today(and the s7E) at Best Buy. It is certainly a gorgeous watch.

I am more or a sports watch guy though, and it seems a bit dressy for my uses. I think I will end up with the 360 sport. The only thing I really don't like is that it is only 42mm.

 

[nviz22]

I went and played with it today(and the s7E) at Best Buy. It is certainly a gorgeous watch.

I am more or a sports watch guy though, and it seems a bit dressy for my uses. I think I will end up with the 360 sport. The only thing I really don't like is that it is only 42mm.

Get a different band with it perhaps and that could be your next watch.

 

[zhenya]

How about the new Garmin Vivoactive HR or the Forerunner 235? Their smart-watch features are somewhat limited, but they are much better HR monitors/activity trackers than any dedicated smartwatch on the market.

 

[spinedoc77]

Until someone comes out with a useful HR monitor I'm sitting out on smartwatches. I need an instant read of HR, not to stand still for a minute to let it get a HR. Give me something that I can use for interval training.

 

[zhenya]

There are plenty of watches on the market that take constant HR readings from the wrist while exercising. And if you want more precision and even faster updates, pair a $50 chest strap for those particular workouts. You then still get the benefits of tracking your HR automatically during the rest of the day.

 

[spinedoc77]

There are plenty of watches on the market that take constant HR readings from the wrist while exercising. And if you want more precision and even faster updates, pair a $50 chest strap for those particular workouts. You then still get the benefits of tracking your HR automatically during the rest of the day.

They are all junk, I've looked into in depth reviews and tried several of them myself. They are great for all day HR monitoring to give a very general idea of HR variations during the day. But for very fast HR changes such as in interval training they don't work very well. Of course a heart strap works great, but negates the point of a smartwatch.

The technology is just not there yet, although Mio is probably the closest to having a usable solution.

Also while on the subject, give me VO2max as well. Only the MS band does this as far as I'm aware, and is probably the best indicator of fitness out there. But the value of it on the MS band is questionable in the reviews I've read. Of course it's not a true VO2max reading just an approximation from an algorithm based on the numbers it does collect.

 

[zhenya]

They are all junk, I've looked into in depth reviews and tried several of them myself. They are great for all day HR monitoring to give a very general idea of HR variations during the day. But for very fast HR changes such as in interval training they don't work very well. Of course a heart strap works great, but negates the point of a smartwatch.

The technology is just not there yet, although Mio is probably the closest to having a usable solution.

I have run thousands of miles with my Garmin and generally use the wrist monitor. It's more than accurate enough for 99% of the population. I use a chest strap on my workouts where HR is most vitally important, or it's cold enough out that I'd prefer to wear my watch over my jacket's sleeve. But for the vast majority of workouts for the vast majority of people, they are good enough. Also, if you are serious about endurance training, don't discount how valuable having that automatic daily monitoring of resting HR is. For me there is a very clear correlation between my recovery level and my resting HR as measured by the watch. Tracking that would be much more difficult if I had to do it manually.

Point is - even if they are not yet perfect - what gadget is? There is still a lot of value in smartwatches as they sit today, including their also imperfect HR monitoring.

 

[spinedoc77]

I have run thousands of miles with my Garmin and generally use the wrist monitor. It's more than accurate enough for 99% of the population. I use a chest strap on my workouts where HR is most vitally important, or it's cold enough out that I'd prefer to wear my watch over my jacket's sleeve. But for the vast majority of workouts for the vast majority of people, they are good enough. Also, if you are serious about endurance training, don't discount how valuable having that automatic daily monitoring of resting HR is. For me there is a very clear correlation between my recovery level and my resting HR as measured by the watch. Tracking that would be much more difficult if I had to do it manually.

Point is - even if they are not yet perfect - what gadget is? There is still a lot of value in smartwatches as they sit today, including their also imperfect HR monitoring.

It's not accurate according the reviews I'm reading. If you are running at the same pace and not changing then it may seem accurate, but if there are any HR variations it won't keep up. It's probably ok for novice/beginner runners, but when you get into more advanced interval training, and other sports besides running, no smartwatch can keep up.

I agree 100% though with the daily monitoring of resting HR, it's a great way to indicate if you are overtraining. I'm not saying they are useless, no far from that. But in my little niche of interval training the technology just isn't there. While I tend to agree that this may not be terrible from a consumer point of view, just the fact that they market heartrate ability so much tells me it's important to consumers.

 

[mellofello]

I went to look at the dedicated activity trackers, and honestly none of them had deep enough integration into the OS to meet my needs. I really like Google now so it narrowed it down to android wear. End of the day notifications trump fitness for me.

I ended up ordering a New in box original 360. None of the current crop of watches checked every box, so I will wait to see what 2016 versions improve upon. I will also most likely return to apple for iPhone 7 so this is a experiment for me.

For the price $129 brand new with stainless steel band it is hard to argue with the value of the OG 360. I ordered a sport band and rubber bumper for it as well. If the HR tracking is really that bad I will also order the chest strap. I am not a top athlete or anything but I do envoy quantifying my exertion relatively accurately, as it makes you push that much harder.

 

[Quicklite]

Feeling a bit pessimistic about the devices - gonna keep the fitbit HR for now (not sure if iWatch would offer better battery in version 2).

 

[Flow39]

I'd go with a Moto 360 v2, but just be aware that a new one will launch in about 3-4 months I think.