As the world adapts to living with Covid-19, so too have manufacturers of smartwatches and activity trackers. New fitness trackers to hit the market now cater to the global pandemic, from stress management to blood oxygen monitoring.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

The Galaxy Watch3 runs on Samsung’s Tizen OS, which works best with a Galaxy smartphone. It comes in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. It is powered by an Exynos 9110 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Both feature a 360x360 AMOLED colour display, but battery size differs; 247mAh on the 41mm and 340mAh on the 45mm. The round, analogue-looking display has Samsung’s unique rotating bezel, which makes navigation a breeze and features a home and back key. It also supports LTE, NFC, GPS as well as Bluetooth 5.0 and is Samsung Pay compatible.

Apart from being able to take it for a swim and track your fitness, it has fall detection, electrocardiogram (ECG) support, blood oxygen and blood pressure monitoring, and VO2 Max monitoring.

Vodacom has recently partnered with Samsung tol launch an exclusive eSIM-enabled Samsung Galaxy Watch to its customers as part of the move. This smartwatch uses eSIM technology to deliver LTE connectivity and is compatible with Vodacom’s network, making it the first eSIM-enabled wearable to be activated in the country.

Huawei Watch Fit

The new Huawei Watch Fit has a rectangle face with rounded edges, aimed at those who want to make a fashion statement. It comes in trendy colours like mint green, light pink and black.

The 1.64-inch display has a 280x456 screen resolution, featuring 2.5D curved glass with a 70% screen to body ratio. It supports a selection of over 130 watch faces and weighs just 34g. Huawei watches are known for excellent battery life and the Watch Fit promises 10 days usage with its intelligent chip that optimises power when needed most.

It has a personal trainer to coach you, with support of 44 standard workout sequences. Other health features include heart rate and sleep monitoring, and blood oxygen (SpO2) saturation as seen on the Watch GT2. It features Huawei TruRelax for stress monitoring with supported breathing exercises.

Fitbit: Versa 3 and Sense

Fitbit’s new range includes an updated Versa 3 and the brand-new Sense with a built-in electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor to measure stress. The two fitness trackers/smartwatches are identical; you won’t be able to tell them apart based on looks. They share a 1.58-inch display with a 336x336 resolution and a haptic button to the left instead of a physical button. Both will be available in gold but the Versa 3 comes in black and the Sense in graphite.

Both have the same SpO2 sensors, heart tracking, GPS, accelerometer, mic, speaker, Bluetooth and WiFi support with 50M water resistance. However, the Sense has additional sensors that work with the EDA and ECG apps; an optical heart-rate sensor and one for skin temperature. The Sense is more suited to those who need to measure stress levels and take action.

Both trackers promise a 6-day battery life; have new bands that connect differently (it won’t work with previous Versa straps), support for Alexa and Google Assistant, customisable widgets, re-designed apps and notifications and Fitbit Pay support.

Apple Watch Series 6

Measure your blood oxygen level with a revolutionary new sensor and app. Take an ECG anytime, anywhere. See your fitness metrics at a glance with the enhanced Always-On Retina display. With Apple Watch Series 6 on your wrist, a healthier, more active, more connected life is within reach. With the ECG app, Apple Watch Series 6 is capable of generating an ECG similar to a single-lead electrocardiogram.⁷ It’s a momentous achievement for a wearable device that can provide critical data for doctors and peace of mind for you.

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The world is changing, and with that change comes disruption to our daily lives and habits. However, Vodacom online remains open for business and is free to use. We are still bringing you the best tech deals and latest smartphones around, along with a host of extras from shopping online.