Best Activity Trackers in The Netherlands - Reviews & Comparison 2021

Apart from the functionalities, the other factor you should consider while buying any wearable fitness tracker is how wearable it actually is. Since an activity tracker has to be worn for the entire day, it must be made of the best material and should be comfortable.

An easily stretchable and rubber-like material called elastomer and fitness trackers made from the same are popular primarily because they are widely used by brands like Fitbit. Besides, metal, leather, and nylon are a few other material options used to make fitness bands.

You can indeed see all the figures on your smart device once the activity tracker is connected to it, but that doesn't mean you can compromise on the band's display. The display of the fitness tracker should be good enough that you can easily see and analyse the stats on the go.

You can also choose a model without a screen, and such a tracker will be more compact, lighter, and easy to carry. In addition, instead of visual feedback, you usually have small lights indicating how far you are from your target.

If the fitness tracker has a screen, then the next thing to consider is the range of options and specifications, which includes the following:

• Touch screen

• Side buttons

• Colour or black and white

• Visibility in different lighting conditions

• Screen size

Besides screen appearance, the tracker must have an intuitive interface because there's nothing worse than spending money on a device and then struggling to use it. 

Last but not least, the interface of the smartphone app also matters because you will probably spend a lot of time using it. You can also use an external application and then link it to your activity tracker to synchronise information. 

The battery life of the fitness band/tracker is a very crucial factor to acknowledge while buying one. The fitness bands with a colour touchscreen and advanced functions like GPS tracking tend to consume more battery than those with basic LED and limited functionalities. The battery life changes from one model to another so that some bands can survive only for a week. Also, there are fitness bands that can go for almost a month at a single charge.

In addition, you must take the charging time into account. 

Activity trackers offer some degree of water resistance, and only the device's specs can give you the exact number. The measurement is an ATM rating, if not meters. So a tracker stating 5 ATM means 50 meters water-resistant. Of course, higher numbers are always better. 

The table will give you the proper water assessment.

IP certification

IP rating, i.e. Ingress Protection or International Protection Rating, is given according to the international standard EN 60529. It defines the degree of sealing of electrical enclosures against the ingress of foreign objects, including dirt and moisture.

The classification is done by letters IP followed by two numbers where a higher number means better protection. The first digit represents protection against external dust and the second digit represents protection against moisture. And a number replaced with an X indicates that the enclosure is not rated to that specification. So, a number such as IP68 means that it is fully protected against the ingress of dust and prolonged submersion underwater.

Compatibility between your fitness tracker and smart devices is essential. You must realise that not every activity tracker can fully function without a direct link with a smartphone. If you have an iPhone, then don't buy an activity tracker that only works with Android. Moreover, each device has its own app, and usually, they work for both iOS and Android.

New activity trackers are usually compatible with either smartphones or tablets. However, if this has to be connected to your computer, get trackers with an online program or connect the device to your PC via a USB cable.

An activity tracker is primarily bought based on its built-in functions. It's a great idea to know exactly what is it that you want from your tracker. Let's check out what functions can an activity tracker offer.

• Pedometer: It is the most basic sensor that counts your steps and measures your distance covered using your stride length.

• Stair Counter: This pedometer variation calculates an ascending or descending step and registers it as a stair climbed/descended. It's helpful because it calculates separately from your usual steps, as they require a more intense effort. 

• Heart Rate Monitor: A heart rate monitor measures your heart rate throughout the day. It shows your average heart rate, periods of peaks and valleys. It is a feature that an activity tracker must have and proves to be useful for tracking improvements in your fitness. A model with this feature might also offer VO2 data, i.e. an estimation of your maximum oxygen consumption. VO2 data is useful for climbers, athletes and anyone preparing for a particular sporting event.

• Sleep Tracker: This is a feature that even budgeted trackers offer. It helps in monitoring your sleep and include a motion detector to see if your sleep is being disrupted. With the help of this function, you get an overview of your sleep stages such as REM sleep, light sleep and deep sleep.
  Some models have a sleep cycle alarm as well, which allows your tracker to wake you at the right time during sleep cycle.
  This feature is essential to monitor your sleep patterns and sleep behaviours, primarily if you're focusing on your overall health.

• Calories Counter: The data collected by a calorie counter feature is usually based on your gender, weight, duration and intensity of the activity. However, an activity tracker typically gives you an estimate of the calories consumed, as providing an exact number is a bit more complicated to measure.

• Stress Level: Not a popular function though, it is starting to appear more and more. It measures and collect your heart rate data and then notifies you about your stress level. This function is often accompanied by a recommendation whether to rest or to start exercising again.

• Speed: If you want to keep up with a sporty session like running or cycling, you must keep a check on your speed for a constant pace or to improve your performance.

GPS is an important feature, especially for runners and cyclists. It helps keep track of the routes, try new ways, and secure advanced data about your runs or bike rides.

There are two types of GPS, i.e. built-in or linked. A built-in GPS means there is no need to take your smartphone with you while you go out. Moreover, a built-in GPS costs more than the linked GPS method, in which you need to connect your smartphone to the activity tracker for navigation.
If you prefer to leave your phone at home during workout sessions, then get an activity tracker with built-in GPS.

An activity tracker with a GPS feature will also consume more battery. Therefore, pay special attention to this feature if you're a long-distance or trail runner and want a GPS device that lasts a long run.

You can opt for a fitness tracker without a GPS function to save money. However, we recommend otherwise because a GPS ensures that collected data is calculated more accurately. 

Ring and necklace activity trackers are also there, but the one made for the wrist is the most popular. And amongst the wrist-based activity tracker, you have some great style options. For example, you can adjust different trackers to your liking with interchangeable bands.

Comfort also forms part of styling. So, your band must be such that you can wear it 24/7 with different sleeve lengths, and also, it should be comfortable enough to sleep with. 

Notifications on your device can be received in two manners. One, smart notifications from your phone (texts, missed calls, apps, etc.). Second, inactivity notifications or alarms.

Today's activity trackers are smart enough, and they have successfully blurred the line between a smartwatch and an activity tracker. They will keep you informed even if you leave your phone at home when going for the workout. The inactivity reminders are helpful since they ensure that you stay on track. You can also set alarms if you have to be somewhere or take medicine, etc.

• Fitbit is known for its solid activity trackers, and it is popular amongst users who pursue a healthy lifestyle. It offers slim health tracking wrist wearables without bells and whistles or in-depth sports measurements.

• The tracker now has built-in GPS and contactless payment features.

• Built-in GPS is its biggest selling point because, with that, you can finally accurately track your runs and other athletic activities with accurate distance and pace measurements. Totally 7 different sports activities work with GPS, including running, cycling and walking.

• It has multiple functionalities, including heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, all-day activity tracking, SpO2 monitoring, skin temperature variation checking, distance travelled and calorie consumption, etc.

• You can track your weight and water intake. 

• You can also pre-set specific heart rate zones. You will receive a notification if you enter a different zone while running.

• The water-resistant limit of up to 50M ensures that you can use it in the shower, pool and beyond.

• Speaking of display and design, it has an elongated, rectangular shape with an OLED TFT touchscreen, the Gorrilla Glass 3 screen and an aluminium case.

• Unfortunately, it doesn't have a colour screen, but the current monochrome screen also produces satisfactory results. It is still clear and easy to read. 

• Entering text or codes can take longer because you have to scroll for letters or numbers more often, but eventually, you will get used to it.

• The other smart functions that the activity tracker comes with are contactless payment, Spotify control, receiving smartphone notification, DnD mode, personalised reminders, to name a few.

• Android phone users can also reply a short (standard) message using only the tracker. 

• The battery life without GPS enabled is quite acceptable- up to 7 days. However, with GPS, the battery life is a lot less rosy - maximum of 5 hours.

• Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is a fitness tracker that aces for all essential features, especially at such a lower price.

• It has 1.1 inches AMOLED display with 126*29 resolution and a maximum brightness of ≥ 450 nits.

• The weight is only 11.9 g, and you will to even feel it on your wrist.

• There is a coating for preventing fingerprint smudges.

• The Mi Smart Band 5 feels premium in terms of build quality with no loosening of strap or buckle even while used for a long time. Not just the band, but the charger is also premium, with two contact pins at the back for the magnetic charger.

• The 20% larger display than its predecessor makes it easier to see incoming calls, messages and alerts.

• The band has a fantastic battery life of two weeks, and it takes less than two hours to charge the band completely.

• The band offers functionalities like heart rate monitoring (whole-day heart rate, resting heart rate and heart rate curve), sleep monitoring (deep sleep, light sleep, rapid eye movement (REM), naps), reminders for the menstrual cycle and ovulation phases, stress monitoring, breathing exercises, PAI vitality index assessment, idle alerts, step counter, goal setting, etc.

• The 11 sports modes that the band comes with are outdoor running, power walking, cycling, indoor running, pool swimming, freestyle, indoor cycling, elliptical, jump rope, yoga, rowing machine. It also supports automatic running or walking detection, pace alerts, completed kilometre alerts, high heart rate alerts.

• The Xiaomi Mi band 5 has some smart features as well, such as remote photo-taking, music playback, find my phone, phone muting, phone unlocking, do not disturb, app message alerts, calendar & event reminder, weather forecast, timer, countdown timer, alarm, Bluetooth broadcasting, screen locking, charging progress display, choice of wearing method, OTA upgrades, etc.

• All in all, the Mi Smart Band 5 is a standout at its price point.

• Fitbit has done an excellent job by introducing the Fitbit Inspire 2.

• The design is striking and not entirely illogical. It is a subtle, narrow sports watch that consists of a tracker and a strap. The unique slim design characterises Inspire.

• It has a convex edge, excellent visibility outdoors, and fewer buttons to operate.

• Fitbit Inspire 2 is water-resistant up to 50 meters.

• It measures your heart rate accurately whether or not you exercise. It is also able to take measurements during your sleep and provide the necessary insights.

• The GPS function is there to track your movements accurately. However, the disadvantage is that it is not built-in, so you still have to take your phone with you. 

• This allows you to benefit from extra workouts, guided programs, extra data and after exercise, you can use the mindfulness functionality. 
  It can monitor sleep patterns, breathing rate, heart rate variability, stress level, menstrual health, cardio fitness level, and 30 exercise modes.
  No, the tracker is not all roses and moonshine since it cannot calculate the stairs.

• If you are still looking for something more, then here is the bonus, Fitbit is treating its users with the Fitbit Inspire 2 to a year of free Fitbit Premium!

• Xiaomi has created a niche with its Mi Band series. It offers value for money. 

• The band has a rectangular shape with a 0.95-inch display. In addition, it has a high-resolution OLED colour screen, due to which it becomes a lot brighter and much easier to read both indoors and outdoors. Moreover, the screen turns on when you turn your wrist, improving its practicality during the day.

• The fitness band weighs only 21 grams, due to which you don't even notice you're wearing it. 

• It is a touchscreen band with a capacitive button at the bottom. You can operate it by swiping and tapping the screen. 

• Your daily steps are automatically tracked throughout the day, and that too accurately. In addition, it measures distance travelled and calorie consumption. Yes, there is more to this.

  Various sporting activities are also tracked, including walking, running, fitness, cycling and swimming. In swimming, it measures your distance, time and strokes.

• One of the benefits this tracker offers is that you can start an activity directly from the tracker, and no phone is required. However, the irony is that in-built GPS is missing in this, so to get an accurate result, you need your phone anyway since it has the GPS.

• The built-in heart rate monitor switches on automatically when you start an activity. However, multitasking is not possible while tracking activity. So using a stopwatch and timer during your fitness routines is not possible.
  Thanks to the heart rate monitor, you can also measure your sleep quality.

• With the help of the Mi Fit App, you can also view your fitness data.

• The smart functionalities also include seeing messages and phone calls coming in and not answering them from the tracker.

• Its impressive battery life of 21 days is a huge selling point.

• It might seem like Xiaomi could have done better, but it is hard to find the features that Band 4 is still offering at this rate.

• Huawei is delivering a really nice health monitoring device with Band 4 Pro. 

• The tracker is best suited for large wrists because due to the elongated and slightly curved display incorporated in the bracelet, the spaces between the wrist and tracker may be a bit (too) large for a small wrist.

• It has an AMOLED coloured screen with dimensions (0.95 inches) and a 240 x 120 pixels resolution. Also, the screen is bright enough for reading in direct sunlight.

• It is equipped with a touchscreen and also has a single integrated button that is also touch-sensitive. The button helps you go back to the home menu.

• Interestingly, for the Band 4 Pro, the brand allows you to choose from no fewer than 100 different 'dials' and personalise your tracker a bit.

• The band does all the basic jobs such as tracking steps, stairs, pace, distance travelled, and calories burned.

  It is equipped with 6 sport profiles: outdoor/indoor run, outdoor/indoor cycle, outdoor/indoor walk, free training, elliptical and rower modes, and swimming.

• The Band 4 Pro has GPS, so you can leave your phone at home and still get accurate measurements.

• The built-in heart rate monitor tracks your heart rate accurately.

• Tracking your sleep quality, measuring Spo2 are two other functions that the tracker performs.

• The Band 4 Pro does not have a music player for offline use, but you can do the same on your smartphone.

• It is a partially smart device as you can see incoming messages from your phone, just like incoming calls, which you can also hang up or record with your tracker, but you can answer them on your phone.

• You can also see the weather and forecast on the Band 4 Pro, and the 'find my phone' function ensure your phone is always with you.

• The battery stays for a maximum of 20 days. However, with GPS on all the time, it will last up to 7 hours which is more than enough to run a marathon, according to the manufacturers.

• This tracker is for all those who are casual athlete, wants accurate tracking, looking for a device to monitor wrist-based heart rate, and the necessary smart functions under an attractive budget.

• Samsung Galaxy Fit2 is an affordable fitness tracker offering more than just basic features.

• Its display matches many other activity trackers in the form factor. This bracelet-like tracker has an attractive rectangular dial, 0.95 inches 120 x 240 OLED colour display with a glass top layer.

• It has a touchscreen and one physical button on the side. 

• Most interaction is offered by the touchscreen with you swipe through the screens and functions, and by tapping, you make a selection. 

• The tracker has various functionalities, including heart rate monitoring, stress level checking, tracking daily steps, calories burned, water intake, sleep monitoring, etc.

• It has an extensive library of 90 activities that can be pre-programmed. The fitness tracker also detects whether you are involved in different sports and then automatically starts tracking.

• The device is waterproof (5 ATM), so you can also swim with it.

• The automatic pause function is a welcome addition, so after stopping an activity, you can decide to continue or end the activity permanently.

• All the health-related details you can check on the Samsung Health app.

• Some other advanced features that this Galaxy Fit comes with are an alarm clock, timer, and weather forecast. Moreover, you can receive notifications and respond to them with predefined answers (in the app). 

  The 'find my phone' function and a 'find my Galaxy Fit' function ensure that you do not lose any device.

• The tracker has desirable accuracy, especially when it comes to heart rate measurement. Unfortunately, customers have a complaint of inaccuracy during distance measurements due to the lack of built-in GPS. 

• The battery remains for six and seven days with light to moderate use. 

• Charging does take quite a while. 

• Samsung Galaxy Fit is a practical, light, attractive, and subtle activity tracker for a reasonable price.

• Garmin Vovosmart 4 are best suited for casual exercisers and those who want a more subtle form factor. 

• It isn't that least priced, but if you're going to use all the device's features, it will undoubtedly be worth it. It has all supreme features except in-built GPS.

• The tracker has a small and attractive screen. The screen has stylish edges, for example, in rose gold or silver.
  The brighter and more readable AMOLED screen is undoubtedly subtle and good-looking. 

• In addition to an attractive screen, the tracker comes in unique colours, including blue, grey and wine red. 

• It is apt to count steps taken, and distance travelled throughout the day. It gives an estimate of calories consumed, monitors the heart rate and quality of your sleep. This is not it. VO2 max (oxygen intake) is also measured to see better how your fitness is improving. It updates you about your stress level as well. If this value is too high, it helps you relax by giving breathing exercises. 
  The user also receives a notification if he or she has been sitting still for too long.

• It is a smart device since it quickly observes the sports activities and registers them immediately when you start; for walking, running, cardio and strength training. 

• Just like our other selection, this is also waterproof with a 5 ATM rating.

• It also features a Body Battery and a pulse oxide meter.

  The pulse oxide meter helps measure the oxygen level in your blood, and then that data is used to measure sleep quality better. For example, how much deep, light and REM sleep do you experience.

  The useful body battery feature works exactly like the battery indicator on your phone: it shows your energy level (in percentages). 

• Unfortunately, the accuracy of heart rate, distance and speed measurements still leaves much to be desired. 

• The battery can last for seven days on a full battery and if the pulse oxide meter is turned off. Otherwise, you will have to charge it after 4 to 5 days.

• Some other functions that the tracker has been seeing incoming calls and receiving text messages and updates. 

• The Garmin Vivosmart 4 is a decent fitness tracker with smart functions.