Amazon Halo Band- Pros And Cons
Health and fitness bands are all the rage in fitness and sports these days. Some are capable of tracking your heart rate, skin temperature, electrocardiogram (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA), or blood oxygen saturation levels (SpO2). Some are even capable of GPS, stress monitoring, and contactless payments through an onboard NFC chip.
The health and fitness band you choose to use in your daily workout routine or just your run-of-the-mill daily routine is up to a subjective choice. Some have more features than others, but with those features generally comes a higher price. Choosing the right health and fitness band for your needs depends on the most important features.
Amazon Halo Band – Pros And Cons
The Amazon Halo Band comes in a median price range compared to other health and fitness bands. It is not top of the line, nor is it a basic entry model. It has a good range of features for its MSRP price of $99.99. Still, it lacks what some people may consider the most important features, such as GPS, automatic exercise recognition, stress monitoring, and NFC payments.
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable | No Onboard GPS |
| SpO2 | No Stress Monitoring |
| Long Battery Life | No NFC Payments |
| Quick Charge Time | Skin Temperature only while using Sleep Tracking |
| Sleep Tracker | Subscription Needed |
| Water Resistant | No Smartwatch Capabilities |
| Automatic Workout Tracking | |
| Wellness Programs |
It is important to look at all of the features of any given health and fitness band to determine what features meet your needs and to purchase the band that has most of the features you desire in your price range.
Pros
The Amazon Halo Band has many upsides to work as your health and fitness band of choice. These are some of the main features most user reviews appreciate about the Amazon Halo Band. The Amazon Halo Band is rated at 3.5 stars with over 23,000+ reviews on Amazon.
Affordable
The retail price for the Amazon Halo Band is $99.99, but Amazon frequently has it on sale for at least 15% off. It can make the Amazon Halo a more budget-friendly entry with its features. It is important to note, though, a subscription is required for all features.
SpO2
The Halo can track oxygen saturation with its SpO2 sensor. This tells you how much oxygen is in your blood versus how much oxygen should be in your blood. An important stat while
Exercising.
Long Battery Life & Quick Charge Time
Amazon claims a 7-day battery life with the tone disabled and a 2-day battery life with the tone enabled. With a charge time of fewer than 90 minutes to take it from 0% battery to a full 100%.
You won’t have to wait long for your band to charge up.
Sleep Tracker
The Sleep Tracker allows the Halo to track your sleep quality through Alexa. You can rest soundly knowing Amazon Halo is watching your back with the many wellness apps.
Water Resistance
Amazon lists the Halo Band as swim-proof and water resistant up to 50 meters or 5 atm. This is okay for the pool or beach, but don’t go deep diving and expect it to work.
Automatic Workout Tracking
The Amazon Halo will track your movement throughout the day and track your workout and sedentary times. Helping you keep track of your daily work output.
Wellness Programs
The Halo Band comes with a slew of wellness programs meant to help you track your mental and physical wellness. However, access to these requires a subscription. You get a free 6-month subscription with the purchase of a Halo Band, but then it auto-renews at $3.99 per month after that.
Cons
These are some of the biggest complaints users and consumers have had about the Amazon Halo Band versus its direct competition.
No Onboard GPS
Some people like to be able to track their runs or workout through GPS and upload the data to other tracking apps. Unfortunately, the Halo Band lacks a GPS antenna.
No Stress Monitoring
There is no direct stress monitoring past the typical health and fitness band. Bands such as the Fitbit Charge 5 include the ability to track your active stress levels throughout the day. However, that feature comes with a price increase.
No NFC Payments
Contactless payments are sought by many working out because it means fewer items they have to carry in their pockets while jogging, running, cycling, or working out. The ability to just stop in somewhere, grab a water, and pay with the NFC chip on your watch makes for a nice quality of life improvement.
Skin Temperature Only Active When Using Sleep Tracker
The Amazon Halo Band can track your skin temperature, but the featured sensor is only active while the sleep mode in the sleep tracker is active. That means that you can’t track your skin temperature during your workouts.
No Smartwatch Capabilities
The Amazon Halo is, first and foremost, a health and fitness band. Just like the lack of NFC contactless payments, it also lacks any sort of smartphone-to-smartwatch connectivity.
If you want those features, you may need a smartwatch in addition to your Halo Band.
A Subscription Is Needed For All Features
While several features make the Amazon Halo a desirable health and fitness band, it does require a monthly subscription to unlock all of its features.
You get a free sixth-month subscription with the purchase of a Halo Band, but after that, it is $3.99 per month.
Conclusion
The Amazon Halo Band is a middle-of-the-road entry into the health and fitness market. It is up to the buyer to decide if the features-to-price ratio meets their needs. If you need just a simple fitness band with no bells and whistles. This one might be what you are looking for.