Review: Jawbone UP3 Gets Saved by the App
Jawbone’s fitness band is priced at the upper end but the aesthetics leave you wanting more.
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The wearable space is blooming with options, but it’s fair to say that the only ones surviving right now are budget fitness bands like Xiaomi’s Mi Band. That doesn’t mean the big-wigs in fitness arena can’t carve out a space for themselves. We’re talking about brands like FitBit and Jawbone who may have taken time to enter India but quickly forged a fan-following for themselves.
Key Features: Jawbone UP3
- Medical-grade hypoallergenic TPU rubber
- Bluetooth 4.0 BLE
- Heart-rate sensor
- Three single colour LEDs: Blue for sleep, orange for activity, and white for notifications
- Weighs 29 grams
- 38mAh with 7 days life
- Price: Rs 14,999
What’s Good?
Fitness bands rely heavily on their built-in sensors talking with your phones to communicate your actions, movements or the lack of it. And for that to happen you need a stable and functioning application to deliver on the promise. Thankfully, Jawbone’s UP app has all the attributes on the positive side.
Tracking of movement and heartbeat is immaculate, sleep tracker functions are as expected and it’s hard to ignore the guidance offered by UP apps Smart Coach feature. If Mi Fit is capable of scoring high on the app front then UP is right at the top of the pile for us.
Jawbone UP3 has the look of a premium gadget, which offers durability at the same time. The rubber-strapped band feels comfortable and can be worn even when you’re in the shower.
What’s Bad?
For a wearable without display, the Jawbone UP3 seems lightweight in the battery department. When you consider the likes of Mi Band lasting for well over a month on a single charge, UP3 falls into the trap of having too many features on board, that too with high price tag.
While the construction of UP3 is impressive, the wearable’s use of rubberised finishing leaves us wanting more with respect to its aesthetics. After using the wearable for over a week, we noticed obvious marks of stain and dust settling onto the strap’s surface.
For a fitness band that costs upwards of Rs 12K the appeal factor, especially for someone wearing it and running for long hours, is missing.
Why Buy It?
Jawbone UP3 fitness wearable is the latest entrant into the Indian market looks promising.
However for Rs 13,999 the Jawbone UP3 falls short of delivering on long battery life, rubberised straps that wither off quickly and is merely saved by the functional value of its app.
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