Budget fitness trackers: choose an inexpensive and functional device

In the modern market of wearable electronics, there is simply a huge number of fitness trackers. They are made by well-known companies, as well as by name-makers from China, which no one has ever heard of. It is clear that among all this diversity there are high-quality devices, and there are gadgets that cannot be called good even with a stretch.

What should I do if I want to buy a fitness tracker with a fairly good set of functions, but I don’t want to spend a lot of money, plus I don’t want to get burned by acquiring a low-quality device? For this case, we have prepared a selection (understandable, subjective) of budget devices ($ 25- $ 100) with a brief description of each device.

Xiaomi Mi Band 2

This tracker, like the previous Xiaomi activity tracker models, consists of two parts. The first is a capsule with electronic filling (sensors, wireless communication modules, etc.). The second is a rubber bracelet. The main difference from previous models is the presence of a monochrome display, where the user can see basic information about their activity, sleep quality, etc. There is also a heart rate monitor.

The gadget can count steps and calories burned, tracks the distance traveled, monitors the quality of sleep. There is an alarm clock that works well - from personal experience, the slight vibration with which this device wakes up acts much softer than the sound of an ordinary alarm clock that immediately pulls a person out of Morpheus' arms.

Another feature is the ability to unlock your smartphone using the tracker.

This bracelet is sold in our catalog .

Amazfit arc

Externally, the tracker is somewhat similar to the previous device. In terms of functionality, it is also not much different from a competitor from China. So, there is a heart rate monitor, tracking steps, the number of calories burned, distance traveled. There is also monitoring the quality of sleep.

All this works quite well, and the device looks interesting. As for the price, it is slightly higher than the bracelet from the Middle Kingdom. You can buy, for example, on Amazon .

SMA Coach

A great fitness tracker with a built-in heart rate sensor and smart watch features. The pulse tracker measures at the request of the user and in automatic mode - every 30 minutes. If the user is too long, the gadget will warn you to warm up. There is monitoring the quality of sleep, plus smart and ordinary alarms.

The device is equipped with a convenient display that displays all the information the user needs, including training data, notifications of incoming calls, SMS and notifications. The connection with the smartphone is via Bluetooth 4.0.

Protection against water and dust is, IP65 standard. In offline mode, the device works for about 10 days, which compares it favorably with many "brothers."

You can buy SMA Coach in Russia at the Madrobots store .

Archon touch

Fitness tracker Archon Touch is a rare guest in Russia, unfortunately. All in all, this is a great device with a good price. Like all previous gadgets, he knows how to track steps, distance traveled, monitors the quality of sleep.

The tracker is equipped with a small display, which displays notifications of incoming calls, messages and other events.

Archon Touch for sale on Amazon .

Misfit shine

Very lightweight and durable, the Misfit Shine is also equipped with many features. Firstly, it can be fixed either on clothes, or worn on the arm or as a medallion. Secondly, it is protected from water and dust, plus it is able to work offline for about 4 months. Thirdly, to read the accumulated information, the tracker must be applied to the display of the smartphone. When the device’s native application recognizes the pressure on the screen, transmission begins. It looks unusual and impressive.

You can control the Misfit Shine by tapping your finger on its body. The number of “clicks” of a finger on the surface of the device activates the desired modes of operation.


The device registers physical activity during the day, whether it is cycling, walking, running or swimming, counts the number of calories spent, allows you to set goals and achieve them. The miniature fitness tracker is waterproof and suitable for water sports.

You can buy Misfit Shine from us at Madrobots .

Jawbone up move

The Jawbone UP Move tracker can also be attached to clothing and worn as a useful decoration. Despite its small size, the gadget is capable of many things, including monitoring the user's sleep, tracking his physical activity and all that jazz. The color set is large enough, there are plenty to choose from. There is an opportunity to choose fasteners and straps of different types.

You can buy UP Move in many places, including the site of the company itself .

Withings pulse o2

This activity tracker perfectly fulfills its purpose - tracking daily physical activity. It shows time, counts steps and distance, calories burned, height difference, pulse. In addition, he knows how to determine blood oxygen saturation and sleep quality.

The physical activity of the gadget is divided into normal and intense. He also knows how to determine and climb stairs, which many other devices of this type cannot do. Data is transmitted wirelessly to a free, secure Withings account and is available for viewing in special web and mobile applications (for iOS and Android devices).

In Russia tracker Withings Pulse O2 is sold in our catalog .

Polar loop 2

Here the price is slightly higher than that of other trackers, but this device also performs the function of a smart watch, and not just a tracker. So, it supports notifications for Android and iOS devices. The quality of the case is very good, there is an LED display that shows the information that the user needs.

Staying up? Polar Loop 2 will warn you that you need to work on yourself. This is in addition to the already mentioned demonstration of notifications about calls, calendar events and messages from the phone. As for activity, the tracker measures the distance traveled, the number of steps, the number of calories burned and monitors the quality of sleep.

Gadget for sale on Amazon .

Mio fuse

This tracker can probably be excluded from the budget list, it is not so cheap. But still, its price is not as high as that of "elite" models, so we put it in a selection. The fact is that it measures the user's heart rate very accurately, the developers spent many months creating their heart rate monitor. Its advantage is that it does not require a separate heart rate sensor, even during active training.

The built-in accelerometer allows you to keep a full activity log. The device records the number of steps taken, the distance traveled, the average rhythm of the clock and the number of calories burned. There is also a sleep tracker, although you need to set the bedtime mode yourself.

You can buy Mio Fuse in Russia from Madrobots .

Striiv Fusion Lite

Well, this is quite a budget tracker, which, nevertheless, works as a smart watch. Here you can set goals and compete with friends in the speed of their achievement. Striiv Fusion Lite records your distance traveled, calories burned, steps taken, and total time you were active. The sleep monitoring mode and the built-in vibration alert will help you wake up with ease at the most correct time between the phases of sleep.

All data collected by the gadget is transferred to the proprietary application. Able to show both gadgets and messages. The display itself is protected by tempered glass.

You can buy this tracker from Madrobos .

In general, almost all of the presented fitness gadgets can track the distance traveled, measure the number of steps and wake up the user at a time when it is easiest to wake up. Many budget trackers now have heart rate monitors, which is good news, plus there are also a number of unique functions. So if you don’t need any special features, you can safely purchase a budget tracker and follow its indications.

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