With its simple and minimalist appearance, the beautiful and sleek Withings Pulse HR fitness tracker is ideal for casual users wishing to track and improve their fitness with an easy-to-use, cheap fitness tracker.
With its 20-day battery life, heart rate monitor, and tracking support, this is a device worth considering.
But it isn’t all good. The Pulse HR relies exclusively on a connected GPS and your smartphone because it lacks a standalone GPS. There’s also a modest selection of workouts to keep track of.
Breaking Down & Analyzing a Design:
The Pulse is designed in an elegant manner that makes it appear slimmer than it is. The body comprises toughened plastic and mixed metals, while the strap is ultra-smooth black rubber. This is scratch resistant and should last a long time. With only 45g, the Pulse is substantially lighter than competitors like the Fitbit Charge 3.
The high-precision MEMS 3-axis accelerometer, the photoplethysmography (PPG), and the light sensor are all hidden beneath the Pulse HR. All complex technologies provide precise heart rate, distance/direction traveled, and other measurements. This fitness tracker is water-resistant to 50 meters, making it ideal for usage in the pool or shower.
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Is This a Good Screen?
The screen is where the quality of the Pulse HR starts to deteriorate. With only 0.75 inches of OLED display, the screen covers only 30% of the face’s surface area. Users hoping for a larger, more detailed display would be disappointed. Icons are distorted and hazy in appearance.
It foregoes a color screen, favoring a minimalist and simplistic display to keep the gadget user-friendly and simple. The default screen is the digital clock. With a simple raise of the wrist, you can turn it on. A progress bar appears beneath the clock, indicating how close you are to achieving your goal. Unfortunately, none of the display features can be customized. This makes the device simple to operate, yet it is unappealing to consumers who prefer a more interesting and customizable design.
An ambient brightness sensor is included in the Pulse HR to improve the device’s convenience and user experience. This adjusts the brightness automatically to allow reading in any light condition.
A Performance and Software Analysis:
The Withings Pulse HR’s performance can be summed up in basic. It keeps track of fundamental activities like running, swimming, cycling, and ‘other.’ The addition of a multi-sport option enhances the user experience. To access the exercise tracking menu, press and hold the right-hand button for a long time. It, however, pales in comparison to similar-priced smartphones.
The current heart rate, calories burned, steps are taken, and distance traveled are all displayed. Ideal for a casual jogger and similar users but not for expert fitness enthusiasts. The Health Mate app shows a summary of daily activity, sleep data, and maps of cycling/running routes on the user’s phone.
Sleep tracking is extremely excellent, and users can get a sleep score when they wake up—calculated using light and deep sleep cycles and the number of interruptions experienced throughout the night. There’s also a lovely vibrating alarm included.
Overall, the screen is quite straightforward; the instruction booklet will be rarely used. The 20-day battery life cuts down on charging time tremendously. However, the device’s weak magnetic pull when charging is readily dislodged from its charger.
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In conclusion
This is probably not for you if you’re a professional athlete or seeking a fitness tracker that delivers an in-depth and advanced analysis of fitness data. On the other hand, the Pulse HR is well worth considering if you’re a casual user looking for a simple fitness tracker.
Elegant and unobtrusive. It’s ideal for all-day use, regardless of the occasion, and the battery life is excellent. This fitness tracker costs £120 ($150) and is a good option for a casual user searching for a simple and economical fitness tracker.
