In-box is the monthly column in which the editorial staff of Consumerisms answers the most interesting questions received via email from readers looking for valid purchases, unexpected gifts and savings opportunities. Is called In-box like the email box we receive from you, but with a dash because the things we’re talking about often arrive in a box.
I have long been fantastic about buying a bracelet to wear at night that has an alarm function, perhaps with vibration, without a ringtone. Since I often get up before my girlfriend, she finds herself woken up early and can’t get back to sleep. The world of smartwatches and smartbands is very broad and intricate: I am looking for an object that satisfies this precise need, without the need to wear it during the day or to have information on the quality of my sleep. The only other feature that might be useful to me is the stopwatch and heart rate monitor when I’m training for a run.
Thank you,
N.
Dear N., yours is a requirement that other people also had in the drafting of the Post. In general, the alarm clock with vibration is a function that many models of smart watches have fitness tracker that are on the market. For those like you who intend to make limited use of it, i.e. are only interested in the alarm clock and other basic functions, we recommend a Xiaomi Smart Band, a line of which there are now several more or less recent models and which have the advantage of being on average cheaper than other brands on the market.
In general, the main functions for which fitness trackers have been designed and marketed are recording steps, calculating times, movements and heart rate during workouts, tracking sleep and calorie consumption, and sending notifications when it has been stopped for too long. In short, the function of the alarm clock is secondary, even if practically everyone has it.
As for the wake-up function, several Post editors who use it agree that it is effective and at the same time discreet enough not to wake those sleeping next to you. In general this, together with the fact of wanting to turn off the phone at night, are among the main reasons to use it. It must be said that you have to get used to wearing a bracelet while you sleep: those of Xiaomi are generally comfortable and not bulky, but someone used otherwise could still be annoyed.
– Read also: There are still those who prefer the traditional alarm clock
Among the various options there is also that of being able to set the vibration rhythm and choose between a continuous vibration and an alternating one (two seconds yes, one no, five yes, for example), based on what works best for each . However, one editor said he fears he has gotten used to the vibration because lately he tends not to hear it or ignore it and fall back asleep: once he says he took off the fitness tracker in his sleep while it vibrated, but we feel that it is not a risk that most some people may run.
An editor who uses the Mi Smart Band 6 model claims that for what it costs (32 euros on Amazon, 35 on Mediaworld or Unieuro) it does a lot: in addition to having the classic functions of a fitness tracker, it allows you to control the music on your smartphone and to see notifications from various apps.
He finds it reliable on step counting, but a little less on heart rate counting, after comparing the data with more specific tools: for running, he says he prefers to use a band (this one in particular) to get more accurate data . Among the Amazon reviews, on the other hand, there is enough satisfaction for this aspect too, always bearing in mind that the data is indicative.
The most recent Xiaomi Mi Smart Band model on the market is the 7, but it costs a little more (50 euros on Amazon, but also on Mediaworld and Unieuro) and more reviews agree that the differences with the previous model – for example the larger and slightly brighter screen, or the continuous measurement of blood oxygen – are not so consistent as to prefer it.
For those who would like an even more basic model, we found this TabTime wristwatch, which only acts as a clock and alarm clock (therefore it has neither the stopwatch function nor the heartbeat count function requested by N.), but costing 30 euros however, it seems convenient to us compared to Xiaomi’s smart band.
Another well-known and well-reviewed brand of fitness trackers is FitBit. We report it for completeness, because for the simplicity of functions required by the reader of Consumerisms we think its products are overpriced. Wirecutterthe authoritative review site of the New York Timesentered the FitBit Charge 5 among the best fitness trackerfor accuracy of tracking and functions, but it has a much higher price than Xiaomi’s Smart Bands: it costs between 119 and 147 euros depending on the colors on Amazon and Euronics, 120 on Mediaworld.
– From our archives: We tried five wrist pedometers
***
Disclaimer: with some of the sites linked in the Consumer section the post has an affiliation and gets a small share of the revenue, with no price changes. But you can also search for the same things on Google. If you want to know more about these links, here’s a long explanation.