“Apple Watch gets to know you the way your personal trainer would,“ said Tim Cook during the launch of the first Apple Watch in 2014. Wearable technologies and smartwatches have been defined as personal health and wellness companion in various ways as a result of this. Except now, you have the option of adding a doctor to your personal trainer. It’s the primary motivator for most people who have given up their luxury and ancestral timepieces in favor of a piece of wearable tech.
The original Apple Watch had only three fitness features: an accelerometer that monitored total body activity, a heart rate sensor that tracked intensity, and GPS that tracked where you went. Seven years later, wearable producers have added new wellness elements and sensors to the mix, making it a completely different game.
With a cutting-edge BioActive Sensor, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 can measure your body composition (with clear body fat percentage) right off your wrist, while Fitbit’s Sense has a temperature sensor. Most businesses’ sales pitches revolve around two major wellness features: ECG and blood oxygen monitoring or tracking SpO2 levels.
Thanks To COVID-19, We’ve All Heard Of SpO2
The pandemic has raised more awareness than ever before on SpO2, or blood oxygen saturation levels. Remember the clip-on pulse oximeters you used to wear on your finger or earlobe? You may have used them in a clinic before 2020, but you will almost certainly need to be vetted by one of them before entering your local gym. A non-invasive technology that emits and then absorbs a light wave traveling through blood arteries.
SpO2:
SpO2 stands for oxygen saturation. It is a measurement of the amount of oxygen in the blood. The ideal blood oxygenation level is 94-100 percent.
ECG On Your Wrist
The Apple Watch’s ECG sensor debuted in 2018 and demonstrated wearable technological prowess. An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a test that measures the strength and timing of electrical signals that cause the heart to beat. The ECG app uses these pulses to calculate your heart rate and determine whether your heart’s upper and bottom chambers are in sync. If they’re out of sync, it’s possible they have AFib, or atrial fibrillation, which is a type of irregular heart rhythm.
Most medical professionals and gadget manufacturers warn that none of these sensors are 100% accurate, but they can serve as a starting point or an alert that something needs your attention. We have compiled a list of the five best smartwatches with a SpO2 sensor, with a handful of them also including ECG monitoring.
1. Apple Watch Series 7
For iPhone owners, the seventh-generation Apple Watch is still the greatest wearable. It’s also the most advanced smartwatch on the market, with a vast App ecosystem. The Apple Watch Series 7 has a newly enlarged screen that adds more functionality to the wrist, including an on-screen keyboard for rapid replies. It can take on-demand measures when the user is stationary and periodic SpO2 measurements when they are inactive, such as while sleeping. The Apple Watch’s ECG sensor is also the most experienced of any other smartwatches. The pricing for Apple Watch 7 starts from Rs 41,900.
2. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
It’s the best of both worlds with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. Samsung’s hardware and design, together with Wear OS, make for a compelling combination (from Google). This gives your wrist a lot more capability and apps (think Google Maps). It’s also one of the most well-equipped smartwatches on the market. You get on-demand SpO2 tracking, but the Body Composition tracker is our favorite feature. Samsung’s new BioActive Sensor monitors fat percentage, skeletal muscle, and bodily fluids using a fast chip (a dual-core 1.18 GHz processor). After regulatory approvals, the watch will be accessible in India with ECG and blood pressure measurement capabilities. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 will cost you Rs 23,999 onwards.
3. Fitbit Sense
An evolved companion App and the Fitbit Premium subscription (Rs 999/year with a free six-month trial with the Sense) that delivers extra drill-down wellness statistics work equally well with iPhones and Android devices. The Sense can monitor your SpO2 levels as you sleep (it’s not an on-demand feature). The ECG feature, on the other hand, is available on-demand and is incredibly simple to use. A skin temperature sensor is also included in the Sense. It’s not the same as your body’s core temperature, which is generally measured with a thermometer. The Sense estimates your baseline temperature over three nights before beginning to detect differences with the skin temperature sensor. Fitbit Sense is a really good watch at a competitive price of Rs 22,999.
4. Garmin Venu 2
Among dedicated fitness enthusiasts, Garmin has remained a cult favorite. The Venu 2 is one of the newest additions to the Garmin line. It includes a built-in Health Snapshot feature that allows you to log a 2-minute session to record key health stats like heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), Pulse Ox, respiration, and stress. It also generates a report via the Garmin Connect app to track the data. Garmin claims an impressive battery life of 11 days in smartwatch modes, with up to 8 hours in GPS mode. Garmin Venu 2 costs Rs 41,990 currently.
5. OnePlus Harry Potter Limited Edition Watch
For Potterheads, the OnePlus Harry Potter Limited Edition Watch is a no-brainer. This limited-edition OnePlus watch has several Harry Potter customizations, including a lightning bolt imprinted on the power button, which is reminiscent of Harry Potter’s iconic scar. The Hogwarts Crest is imprinted on the vegan leather band, making it clearly recognizable. Fonts, animations, and watch faces are among the customizations available in the UI for Potter. It’s the same OnePlus watch that debuted a few months ago. It completes with a bright 1.39-inch AMOLED display and a simple-to-use SpO2 sensor. This edition of the OnePlus watch will cost you Rs 16,999.
Which of these smartwatches is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
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