Amazon Halo Review : Amazon’s New Fitness Gadget

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Staying fit and healthy has become a top priority in recent years, and technology has adapted to meet this need by creating wearable fitness devices that can keep track of your physical activity and health.

Of course, tech giant Amazon is not to be left behind and has created a wearable fitness gadget of their own – the Amazon Halo. 

However, with the numerous other fitness devices available on the market, such as the original Fitbit, Garmin’s fitness trackers, and the Apple Watch, what does the Amazon Halo have to offer?

To better understand what’s unique about it, this article will be discussing everything there is to know about the Amazon Halo – from its features to its pros and cons. Check them all out below.

An Overview of the Amazon Halo

Amazon has gotten onboard the fitness trend with their new wearable fitness device, the Amazon Halo. Unlike most fitness bands out there, this one doesn’t feature a screen display, only a fabric band that wraps around your wrist and a detachable sensor capsule.

It has a lightweight and unobtrusive design that works well for those who want fewer distractions when working out or tackling tasks. Although made of fabric, the Amazon Halo’s sensor capsule is water-resistant up to a depth of 164 feet, so you can wear it even in the pool or shower.

It comes with a charging clip that allows you to charge its battery as quickly as 90 minutes. In terms of battery life, the Amazon Halo can last up to 7 days on a single charge, so you don’t have to worry about it immediately running out of juice.

The Amazon Halo also requires you to download the app, where you can view all the data it tracks and stores, as well as helpful recommendations for your fitness journey. 

 

Pros  Cons
  • Simple and subtle design
  • Lacks advanced features
  • Accurate tracking and reporting
  • Tone analysis can drain the battery more quickly
  • Powerful tracking software
  • Lacks recovery tracking feature
  • Comprehensive library of helpful programs and workouts
  • Requires a monthly subscription
  • Easy to set up and use

Amazon Halo’s Top 4 Functions

As mentioned, there are numerous wearable fitness devices on the market these days, so what makes the Amazon Halo stand out among the rest? 

Amazon’s fitness tracker has four central functions: body composition scans, activity tracking, tone analysis, and sleep tracking and analysis. This article will go over each one in detail below.

  • Activity Tracker

Like most wearable fitness gadgets these days, the Amazon Halo has the capacity to track your physical activities – from your step count to your workouts. However, this fitness device takes it up a notch by also tracking just how long and intense your physical activities are during the day.

It also tracks your idle or sedentary time, giving you a more accurate picture of your activity level throughout the day. Of course, it doesn’t just track your activities; it also logs them as points on a scoring system, which is later given to you as your Activity Score.

The app follows the recommendations made by the American Heart Association, so it encourages you to get at least 150 points weekly. You also risk losing points if you don’t move for long periods, which can motivate users to move more throughout the week.

  • Body Fat Scans

Besides tracking your physical activities, the Amazon Halo also conducts body composition scans using your smartphone’s cameras. With your permission, the included app will use the cameras to scan and create 3D images of your body, which it will then use to determine your body’s fat percentage.

You can use these images to keep track of your trends, and Amazon claims their technology is as accurate as how doctors do it for their patients. The app also comes with a slider tool, so you can see how your body looks with more or less body fat. 

The company also understands how these scans can make someone feel more self-conscious, which is why they only recommend scanning yourself every two weeks and don’t show users their bodies with less than 12% body fat. 

  • Tone Analysis

Taking a page from Alexa’s playbook, the Amazon Halo also has built-in microphones that can collect your voice’s data throughout the day, which the app analyzes for trends. This feature can come in handy if you want to know how you sound to others when you talk.

It also has a “live mode” option so that you can check your voice analysis reports in real-time. Of course, you also have the choice to keep the microphones off using the built-in button on the sensor capsule if you’re not comfortable with being recorded.

  • Sleep Tracking and Analysis

Getting enough restful sleep is crucial when you’re trying to stay fit, and Amazon acknowledges this. This is why the Amazon Halo doesn’t just track your activity when you’re awake; it also does so when you’re asleep. 

This fitness tracker uses sophisticated software, rivaling Fitbit’s own, to keep track of what your body’s doing while sleeping. Its powerful software can easily identify the different stages of sleep and give you an accurate sleep score based on how excellent your sleep quality is. 

It can also keep track of your body’s temperature while asleep, as well as your heart rate, so you can get better insights into what affects your sleep. It can also give you accurate reports on how many times you woke up during the night and how long it typically takes you to fall asleep. 

  • Bonus: Discover and “Labs”

Aside from these four, the Amazon Halo app also has two other significant features: Discover and Labs. Discover is a section in the app where you can find helpful training programs and workouts designed by the company’s third-party partners and in-house health experts.

Meanwhile, Labs use the data your device collects to offer you helpful tools you can use to achieve your fitness goals. These encourage you to make small but impactful changes to your routines, such as establishing a specific time for bedtime, among many others.

Final Verdict

Although there are numerous fitness devices on the market these days, the Amazon Halo sets itself apart with its accurate tracking software and other unique features. 

It may not have the fancy and more advanced features of other fitness trackers, but it serves its purpose well and can be an excellent way to keep yourself on track when you’re trying to stay fit and healthy.