Yes connected watches are always smarter, more design and more practical, they are also more and more numerous. During the last quarter of 2020, their sales had thus increased by around 30% compared to 2019. A trend to which the Covid-19 pandemic is certainly no stranger, this technology being above all intended for athletes and all those and those who want to follow their health closely, the two things often being linked. But why, exactly?
Watches made to sweat
You know it: running with a smartphone is complicated, but doing without the many data it is able to provide on your daily jogging is just as annoying. Their manufacturers, like Samsung or Apple, know this well, and their smartwaches are never so sharp as when they accompany your efforts. Securely attached to your wrists and stuffed with various sensors, they are after all at the forefront.
Running, swimming, rowing, cross-country skiing: whatever your sport of choice, the best watches of the genre offer you performance monitoring adapted to each activity, or almost. It’s up to you, therefore, to draw GPS routes, sequence your workouts or measure your progress up to movement. Genuine coaches portable, these tools can also provide you with a number of physiological data, ranging from the predictor of running time to the number of calories burned through the measurement of your VO2max (i.e. your maximum oxygen consumption during an effort.)
But that’s not all: some watches, like the latest models in the Garmin range, can even be paired with external sensors, such as heart rate belts that measure your cardiac frequency as precisely as possible. A very useful piece of data to analyze your effort, but also to alert you in the event of a problem. And this is the second great advantage of these machines: they want you well. Or, at least, they allow you to take care of yourself.
ECG, oximeter: the health innovations of connected watches
Capable of tracking your heart activity for a long time already (in particular by analyzing the light reflected on the skin of your wrist), connected watches today go much further. Some very health-oriented models, like the Fitbit Sense, simply offer you to make your own EKG (for electrocardiograms). A simple touch of the fingers, and you are informed of the slightest anomaly. The idea? Detect possible atrial fibrillations that can lead to major heart problems. This will never replace a consultation, of course, but can make life easier for people at risk and the work of doctors.
And that’s not all: some watches, such as Garmin or Apple, can measure your temperaturebut are also equipped oximeters able to assess your blood oxygenation level. Either the same tool recommended by the WHO to detect possible respiratory discomfort, potentially resulting from a Covid-19 infection.
The advantage over a conventional sensor, placed at the fingertip? Your watch can allow you to do a thousand other things, like send an email or even – let’s be crazy – check the time. Disadvantage ? It is also (much) more expensive.
How to choose your watch?
Yes, the question of the budget is crucial when considering the purchase of such a tool. In particular because their overall prices are only increasing, driven up by models like the Apple Watch Series 6, now priced at around 400 euros.
If you are nevertheless ready to pay the price, carefully assess the available offer and your needs before paying the slightest euro. If the Apple is certainly the best generalist model on the market, you can definitely consider buying a more specialized (and cheaper) watch, such as a Garmin Venu for sportsmen or a Fitbit Sense to listen to your body speak. . Hoping it only tells you good things.
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