None of the products above managed to stay within a 10 percent margin of error when measuring calorie burn. (image: Korea Consumer Agency)
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent study has revealed that smart bands, wristwatch-like devices that measure physical activity, fall short of precisely measuring the quantity of calories burned.
The Korea Consumer Agency revealed its investigation into the precision of measuring calories burned and distance travelled among the six most popular smart band products on Tuesday.
The products included the Things Smart Band 2 HR, Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro, Xiaomi Mi Band 3, Inbody Band 2, Coa Korea CK Color, and Fitbit Alta HR.
None of the products above managed to stay within a 10 percent margin of error when measuring calorie burn.
The average margin of error for the devices from Samsung, Coa Korea, and Fitbit was between 10 percent and 20 percent, while it was over 20 percent for the other products.
In measuring running distance, devices from Things, Samsung, Inbody, and Coa Korea showed better performance than Fitbit and Xiaomi.
Five products (from Things, Samsung, Xiaomi, Coa Korea, and Fitbit) showed good performance in measuring and recording heart rate, while all six products performed well at measuring steps.
After a complete discharge, the smart bands from Inbody and Coa Korea were the fastest to fully recharge, at 60 minutes, while it took 123 minutes to fully charge the Xiaomi Mi Band 3.
In terms of battery life after a full recharge (30 minutes of exercise per day, notification sync, wearing 24 hours), the Samsung smart band had the shortest battery life, while Xiaomi lasted the longest at 12.7 days.
All products met the requirements for the specified waterproof features, and no issues were found concerning notification sync with smartphones.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
