Fit for the new year: what does a fitness tracker need? What your fitness tracker should be able to do depends on your individual requirements. In our opinion, however, a few basic functions should definitely be on board. Which includes: ✔ Activity tracking ✔ Calorie count ✔ Movement memory ✔ sleep tracking ✔ An intuitive app With these basic functions, you always have the most important information in view, even in stressful everyday life. In our opinion, especially the movement memory is worth its weight in gold. Especially for those who mainly work in the office or sitting. A good app also prepares the recorded activities helpful. This is particularly important because the fitness tracker only has the most necessary space on the small displays.  

The comparison: Polar V800, Withings Steel HR, Fibit Ionic and iHealth Wave

At absmarthealth you will find numerous fitness bracelets and smartwatches with tracking functions, including the brands Polar, Withings, Fitbit and iHealth. In our comparison, we show you the entire range of functions – from the professional training watch to the simple fitness tracker. The following devices compete: the Polar V800, the Withings Steel HR, the Fitbit Ionic and the iHealth Wave. The good news first: all candidates master the basic functions smoothly. They reliably characterize your everyday activity. They remind you of more exercise during longer periods of inactivity and count your calories burned throughout the day. It should be mentioned that such information is always only an approximation. At the end of the day, all fitness trackers can expect a comparison in the manufacturer’s app. There you will also find information about your sleep quality and duration, among other things.

Withings Steel HR: Business and training in one device

Withings Steel HR occupies a special position among fitness trackers. At first glance, it looks like a normal wristwatch with a classic dial. Nevertheless, it does much more with its smart functions and is equally suitable for use in the office and in training. An interesting highlight is the heart rate measurement on the wrist. The use in swimming training is also convincing. If you mainly use yourself in the water, we advise you to use a suitably robust silicone wristband that survives the contact with the water undamaged. The watch also enables detailed training monitoring of up to 30 sports. Simply select at the push of a button before training, and off you go. But: You won’t find any integrated GPS with Steel HR. Instead, Withings relies on the so-called “connected GPS”. This is a smart interaction between the watch and smartphone. The latter then takes over the GPS functions and sends information such as your pace directly to the dial. The evaluation of the trainigns takes place clearly in the Health Mate app, in which other Withings products such as the body scales from the Body series are also integrated. By the way: As is the case for a good smartwatch, Withings Steel HR also informs you about messages, appointments or calls without having to take your smartphone out of your pocket. The Steel HR is made of stainless steel and is available in two sizes: one with a diameter of 36 mm and one with a diameter of 40 mm. You can also choose between a silver and a gold case as well as a black and white dial. Different bracelets made of leather and silicone are also available. ✔ Timeless design with an analog dial ✔ Wrist heart rate measurement ✔ Notification of messages and appointments ✔ Waterproof ✔ Multisport ✔ sleep tracker [content-egg module=CjLinks groups="Withings Steel HR"] [content-egg-block template=offers_list_groups groups="Withings Steel HR"]  

Fitbit Ionic: the smartwatch all-rounder

The Fitbit Ionic is one of the smartwatches with the largest range of functions. Your integrated GPS reliably records your speed and your route. The smart training companion automatically recognizes the sport that you are currently practicing. It automatically starts running mode and GPS as soon as you start your half-marathon training, for example. The device also knows how to convince in swimming training. Incidentally, the Ionic measures the pulse rate precisely on your wrist. An additional chest strap is not necessary for this. The smartwatch runs with the Fitbit OS operating system, in which such useful apps as Runkeeper are already integrated. However, the focus is still on the US market, so the selection is still a bit clear for us in Germany. In connection with your smartphone the Fitbit Ionic informs you about your appointments, messages and calls. A highlight for us: On the Fitbit Ionic there is a music player in which you can store your music and enjoy it wirelessly using Bluetooth headphones. The smartphone therefore stays at home during training. Another unique selling point: guided breathing exercises that provide additional relaxation during the training break. ✔ GPS ✔ Waterproof ✔ Automatic sports recognition ✔ Multisport ✔ Integrated music player ✔ Third party apps ✔ sleep tracker [content-egg-block template=offers_list_groups groups="Fitbit Ionic"]

Polar V800: The training smart watch for professionals

Are you looking for a companion who will push you to the Ironman in Hawaii if necessary? Then the Polar V800 is the right choice for you. The training watch offers you everything you need for effective training: a fast and precise GPS sensor, numerous training programs, different pace and heart rate zones and much more. You will receive a smart coach that will bring you new top performances. The Polar V800 is waterproof and therefore also suitable for swimming training. Different profiles for different sports also enable your very own personal training. Incidentally, the heart rate is measured using a separate chest strap, which is not included in the scope of delivery, but works very precisely. So if you are motivated to train for a big goal like a marathon, you should definitely think about a chest belt. So you always have your very own personal comfort zone in view. The Polar V800 is also compatible with other accessories: cadence and speed sensors monitor your training on the bike, for example, and offer you even more evaluation options. This makes the Polar V800 in combination with the free Polar Flow app a powerful training center. We find the function of the targeted competition time particularly clever. Based on your training, it calculates a target time for the competitions you want to contest. ✔ GPS sensor ✔ Multisport ✔ Waterproof ✔ Detailed training programs ✔ GPS routes can be imported ✔ sleep tracker

iHealth Wave: minimalist and affordable

Last but not least: The iHealth Wave. This is a very classic fitness tracker. But for someone who shows his strengths especially in the swimming pool. Because it not only counts the lanes, but also automatically recognizes your swimming style. Extremely practical for everyone in whom swimming is a regular sport. In addition to the Fitness Tracker Wave, the iHealth brand also offers other useful health products. These include blood glucose meters, scales and blood pressure monitors. The iHealth MyVitals app serves as the control center for all measurements. ✔ Waterproof ✔ Automatic swimming style detection ✔ sleep tracker [content-egg-block template=offers_list_groups groups="iHealth Wave"]  

Conclusion: Which smart fitness tracker for you?

Do you only need the basic functions like activity log, sleep tracking and movement reminder? Then you can safely take the iHealth Wave. The fitness tracker with its swimming analyzes is also particularly interesting for swimmers. Withings Steel HR proves that business and sport don’t have to be mutually exclusive. The combination of an analog dial with an LCD display for important training data such as pulse rate and pace makes the Steel HR unique. Although it does not have an integrated GPS, it can be quickly connected to a smartphone during training. It is also waterproof and is also suitable for personal swimming training. However, we recommend an additional silicone wristband to protect the leather wristband. However, if you are looking for a waterproof smartwatch with extensive training functions, the Fitbit Ionic is a good choice. It combines smartwatch convenience with its own apps and notification functions, including precise GPS and pulse rate measurement on the wrist. With the training programs you can quickly improve your performance. The integrated music player makes you completely independent of your smartphone during training. Since it is waterproof, it is also suitable for water sports. The Polar V800, on the other hand, plunges deep into the training theory. It offers the most extensive training programs of our comparison candidates and thus enables very targeted training on the street and in the swimming pool. Additional sensors from the Polar product range expand the V800 for optimal training on the bike. The Polar V800 is the right training partner for ambitious hobby athletes and competitive athletes if a detailed training analysis is to be carried out.

The most important functions at a glance:

	Polar V800	Withings Steel	Fitbit Ionic	iHealth Wave
Activity tracking	✔	✔	✔	✔
Pulse rate measurement	✘(only with separate chest strap)	✔	✔	✘
Integrated GPS	✔	✘	✔	✘
Training programs	✔	✘	✔	✘
Movement memory	✔	✔	✔	✔
Calorie count	✔	✔	✔	✔
Sleep tracker	✔	✔	✔	✔
Suitable for swimming	✔	✔	✔	✔
Equipment	Cadence sensor, Speed sensor, stride sensor	✘	✘	✘
Display	Monochrome LCD display	Dial with LCD display	Colored LCD display	Monochrome LCD display
Battery power	Up to 13 hours of training time	up to 5 days in GPS power saving mode Up to 5 days in training mode	up to 50 hours in GPS power saving mode Up to 10 hours of training time	up to 25 days in normal operation Up to 5 days
APP	Polar Flow	Health Mate	Fitbit App	iHealth MyVitals

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