Amazon Halo View vs. Fitbit Inspire 2: How the new fitness band stacks up against Fitbit's affordable tracker
Amazon is taking on Fitbit with its new Halo View, which adds a color screen and comes at a cheaper price.
The latest Amazon Halo fitness tracker gets an upgraded subscription fitness service, and a more normal-looking smartwatch look.
Amazon is redoubling its health efforts by introducing the $80 Halo View, a new version of its Halo fitness band that adds an AMOLED screen for viewing activity metrics and notifications. With its new screen, Amazon's fitness tracker seems like a much more worthy competitor to the $100 Fitbit Inspire 2, which is the company's cheapest general purpose fitness tracker.
The retail giant's newest health tracker also includes a one-year membership to Amazon's Halo service and launches near the end of the year.
The Halo View was one of many new products Amazon announced during its fall product launch event on Tuesday, along with its first home robot called Astro, a wall-mounted 15-inch Echo Show smart display, and an Alexa-free gadget that kids can use to play with relatives remotely.
The Halo View represents a different approach for Amazon compared to last year, when it opted not to include a screen on its first Halo fitness band to minimize distractions. It's also surprisingly cheaper than last year's screen-free model, which costs $100. Amazon Halo View pricing for Australia and the UK hasn't been announced yet, but $80 translates to about AU$110 and £60, respectively.
Both fitness bands from Amazon and Fitbit have a lot to offer for the price, but they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Amazon's fitness band might not have as many features geared towards athletes, for example. But the Halo View could be better suited for those who want to be more active in their everyday lives, since it detracts activity points for time spent being sedentary.
However, a large part of the appeal will likely come down to the quality of Amazon and Fitbit's respective wellness programs. Amazon has improved the Halo on this front, too, by launching a nutrition planning service that will debut next year as well as a new series of video workouts.
Here's a snapshot of how the two fitness trackers compare based on what we know about the new Halo View so far.
Amazon Halo View vs. Fitbit Inspire 2
| Amazon Halo View | Fitbit Inspire 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Color AMOLED | Monochrome OLED |
| Price (USD) | $80 | $100 |
| Included subscription | 1-year Amazon Halo membership | 1-year Fitbit Premium trial |
| Activity tracking | Calorie burn, 10 exercise options on device, time spent active and at rest, movement intensity, heart rate, steps taken | Calorie burn, steps taken, 20+ exercise modes, active zone minutes, heart rate, heart-rate zones, real time pace and distance, VO2 Max |
| Sleep tracking | Sleep stages, sleep duration, skin temperature, sleep score | Sleep stages, sleep duration, sleep score and skin temperature variation |
| Wellness features | Body fat percentage, tone-of-voice analysis, mobility, posture and stability assessments, blood-oxygen levels, reminders to move | Reminders to move, breathing rate, stress management score, mood logging, food logging, guided breathing exercises, menstrual health tracking, heart-rate variability |
| Battery life | Up to 7 days | Up to 10 days |
| Special features | Can ask Alexa for health statistics from Halo on other devices, swim proof | Google Fast Pair (Android), Find with Tile, swim proof |
| Phone notifications and features | Text message notifications, stopwatch, timers, alarms, do-not-disturb mode | Call, calendar and text message notifications, stopwatch, timers, alarms, do not disturb |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS | Android and iOS |