The Amazon Halo Band vs. The Apple Watch

A few months ago I shared with Ken that I was beginning to get frustrated with my Apple Watch. The device that I wore daily was starting to annoy me and make me feel like I couldn’t unplug, which is interesting because that was one of the reasons that I initially liked it. When I got my Apple Watch in December of 2019 I loved that enabled me to step away from my phone without feeling like I’d miss something. But a few months and a pandemic later, I was never really far from my phone and now I was also constantly being pinged by my watch every time I sat down for too long or didn’t close my move ring. In all honesty I’m not a terribly competitive person so not hitting my daily goals didn’t bother me all that much, but since I was using the watch as a very expensive fitness tracker I decided to see what else was out there that might be less intrusive. It turns out, Ken had been feeling the same way and since he’s the researcher in our relationship he suggested we try Amazon’s new health tool. After wearing it nearly 24 hours/day (read on about the incredible battery life!) for a couple months I’m ready to put my thoughts out there on why I love the Amazon Halo Band and how it’s helping me crush my fitness goals.

The Amazon Halo Band is Screen Free

For the majority of the day it’s just me and this little cloth band, doing our thing. When I’m interested or intrigued to see how I’m tracking against my health goals for the day I open the Amazon Halo app but it’s on my terms. Within the app I can quickly see a tally of steps taken, calories burned, and movement points earned for the day and week. It also gives me more comprehensive insights on my sleep patterns, activity, and movement trends. If I want to dig even deeper I can analyze my body fat percentage, track a workout or see my activity data over a longer timeframe (weekly, monthly, etc.).

The Amazon Halo Band Tracks Total Calories Burned

One of my issues with the Apple Watch was that it only showed me calories burned attributed to movement. My daily goal was 500 calories and usually I’d get pretty close to that, but what did that mean overall and how many calories should I be consuming daily to be in a deficit or maintain my weight? The Amazon Halo Band calculates total daily calories burned and since you can wear it 24 hours/day it’s pretty darn accurate. Now I know that I typically burn an average of 2,300 calories/day so when I’m tracking my nutrition I try to stay around 1,800 calories/day in order to safely lose weight.

Turns out I can’t hold a plan for as long as it takes Ken to get the shot!

The Amazon Halo Band Stays Charged For Days (7 to be exact)

When I was wearing the Apple Watch I charged it overnight as it would be pretty close to dead by the time my head hit the pillow. The Amazon Halo Band fully charges from 0% to 100% in less than 90 minutes and only needs to be charged every 5-7 days. This way I can track my movement, sleep, and more without interruption.

The Amazon Halo Band Tracks My Body Composition (aka body fat)

By doing a 360 scan of my body using the camera on my phone, the Amazon Halo Band can tell me my body fat percentage and where it falls within the range for women my age. I was shocked (in a bad way) when I did my first scan but it’s a super accurate way to track just how progress I’m making with my exercise and nutrition goals and makes me far less reliant on the scale. It also gives you a visual using your scan images of what your body might look like if you gain or lose body fat.

The Amazon Halo Band Tracks My Sleep

I’m sure the Apple Watch has this capability but to be honest I never used it (because it was charging). Every morning the Amazon Halo Band gives me a full read out of how I slept including how long it took me to fall asleep, my total time sleeping, how much time I spent in the various sleep stages, and then gives me a sleep score. It’s really interesting to track and has been helping me to improve my sleep quality over time.

As you can probably tell, I’m a huge fan of the Amazon Halo Band. We got my dad one for Christmas and he’s already raving about it and like most dad’s, he’s really hard to buy for! Plus it’s very affordable compared to other fitness trackers and health devices, the regular price is $99.99 but right now it’s on sale for 50% off making it a pretty smart investment. If you have an Amazon Halo Band and would like to share your experience, or have any questions about it I’d love to hear in the comments below!