Amazon Halo review
Our Verdict
Amazon Halo will tell y'all more near your health than yous might always want to know, so long equally an AI-assisted agreement of your overall well-existence doesn't pitter-patter you out.
For
- Barely-there fit and feel
- First-class companion app
- Tone analysis can be fascinating
Against
- Tone analysis is too creepy, and zaps battery
- Torso fat scans raise concerns
Tom's Guide Verdict
Amazon Halo will tell you more nearly your health than you lot might always want to know, and then long as an AI-assisted agreement of your overall well-existence doesn't creep y'all out.
Pros
- +
Barely-in that location fit and feel
- +
Excellent companion app
- +
Tone assay can exist fascinating
Cons
- -
Tone assay is also creepy, and zaps bombardment
- -
Body fatty scans heighten concerns
Amazon Halo: Quick specs
Cost: $99
Bombardment life: 7 days (1-2 days with tone analysis)
H2o resistance: 5 ATM
Weight: 0.83 ounces
Microphones: 2
I didn't want to enjoy Amazon Halo. Its tone analysis characteristic seemed creepy and I dreaded the idea of a 3D body fat scan shaming me for the weight I've gained in my mid-expanse. Simply later testing this brandish-less fitness ring, information technology'due south non almost as bad as I expected it would be. In fact, I kind of similar it. But it'southward also kind of... a lot.
Amazon Halo is a both a $99 activeness tracker and $3.99 per month service that provides a holistic catalog of health metrics and 'labs' for helping you reach wellness goals. Although it'southward an in-brand Amazon device, Alexa is surprisingly absent. Instead, the band's congenital-in mics listen to how you speak and gauge the emotions y'all convey based on your tone. You tin meet how y'all audio to others, plus how well you slumber and how many activity points you're banking, in the connected Halo app.
The Amazon Halo app is likewise how you capture 3D scans of your body which, using AI, decide your body fat percent and show you with a slider what you might expect like with less fat. Information technology didn't have long for this feature to receive criticism for potentially exasperating body dysmorphia. Equally 1 of the many, many women for whom club has trained to obsess over weight and appearance, I deeply understand the cause for business organization.
Although many of the best fitness trackers promote acute health awareness, this Amazon Halo review reckons with whether yous can know your torso likewise well. If you're interested in a version of this fitness band with a display, bank check out our Amazon Halo View review.
Amazon Halo review: Toll and availability
Amazon Halo is available for purchase as of this writing. The band costs $99.99, and includes 6 months of Halo membership (usually $3.99 per calendar month.).
When you lot're checking out, you tin can cull your size and one of three colors: Blackness/Onyx, Blush/Rose Gilded and Winter/Silvery.
Amazon Halo review: Design
The Amazon Halo fitness ring looks like a fabric-swathed Fitbit Accuse iv that lost its screen, or like an extra long Apple Scout nylon sport loop band.
Its sensors are housed in an arced, stainless steel unit beneath the fabric. 1 side of the water-resistant sensor unit of measurement features and LED indicator light, two microphones and a single button.
Of all the fitness trackers I've seen, the Halo is the most nondescript; it's almost a throwback to early Fitbits and wearables that lacked displays.
I don't retrieve I could ever wear the Amazon Halo without also wearing a smartwatch, but it's comfortable, lightweight and sits flush plenty to my skin to not bother me on my opposite wrist. I would even forget I had information technology on.
Amazon Halo review: Labs
The four pillars of Amazon Halo — activity, slumber, tone and trunk — all have actionable tools that cater to your motivations. These tools are sourced from third-party services and take the form of videos or soundscapes, for instance. Some are as elementary as property yourself accountable for a bedtime.
Each lab encourages you to designate a time to be notified of that lab. Ane of my action labs notifies me at 6 p.k. every day to do my conditioning, while my meditation lab reminds me to check in with myself at x p.m. and my bedtime notification let'south me know I should wind down at eleven:xxx pm.
Every Amazon Halo purchase comes with a six-month trial of the complementary Halo membership, which includes labs from known Headspace, Orangetheory, P.volve and Aaptiv, too as medical authorities similar the American Heart Clan and Mayo Clinic.
After vi months, the total suite of labs, which number more than 100, costs $3.99 per calendar month. While you can cull which labs you want to utilize, you can't selectively subscribe to individual labs.
Amazon Halo review: Activity tracking
As a standalone action tracker, Amazon Halo won't wow you, just it covers the basics. You can run into your heart rate, steps and calories burned. For the virtually role my Halo readings for these metrics echoed my Apple Watch ones.
Halo implements a points system that's like Fitbit's Activity Zone Minutes, but less intense. When yous exercise at a given intensity for a given duration, Halo volition reward y'all with action points. Your goal is to earn 150 activity points each week, with the risk of losing points for extended periods of time without movement. You score more than points for higher exercise intensity levels, though.
I liked how Halo automatically tracked my long walks, although for nigh other exercises I had to manually input my action blazon and duration. I wish I could do this before I start a conditioning, rather exist expected to log it subsequently.
In terms of fitness, Halo's paid lab service offers admission to guided exercise videos from a diverseness of well-known workout providers, similar Orangethoery and P.volve. I started P.volve's famed 30 Twenty-four hour period Lengthen and Tone plan, and while post-obit along from my iPhone screen isn't ideal, I appreciate Halo sending me a reminder at the same time every afternoon to get the hour-long class in. There are 8fit classes that are simply 2 minutes, ii-week yoga journeys from Openfit, and month-long walking initiatives class the Mayo Clinic, too, for example.
Amazon Halo review: Body fat scans
In instance you didn't feel your smartphone knew enough about you, the Halo app uses your handset'southward cameras to return 3D scans of your body and determine your body fat percentage.
While y'all usually need to go to a doctor (or use i of the best smart scales) to figure out your body fat pct, Amazon has figured out a fashion to measure out information technology using AI. It's not quite every bit easy as advertised, though. You need good lightning, the proper telephone angle and limited clothing. When Halo is happy with these factors, the app will instruct you to rotate similar a spray tan booth might.
I was a bit skeptical nearly the accuracy of these body fat per centum readings, though to my surprise my first attempt matched the results I received on some of the best smart scales I tested recently. (Information technology's important to note that neither of these readings are as authentic as professional measurements.) Except scales just tell me the number — I'g not as obsessed with fat as I was when I was in college, but something virtually seeing my torso rendered on my phone definitely stung.
So likewise did using the Halo app's slider tool to see what my body would expect like with more or less body fat. I've come to terms with my appearance, merely I can't help only worry that the intrusive nature of these scans could cause damage than good. Fifty-fifty if these body scan images are confined to your phone and are deleted in one case processed.
The Halo app suggests y'all don't scan yourself more than every two weeks, and the slider won't show you lot what your form looks like with less than 12% trunk fat. Simply users 18 or older can use the Halo ring's trunk scan feature, as well, although I propose that anyone who struggles with body dysmorphia or related body-epitome insecurities avert Halo. I know I wouldn't have been able to utilize it responsibly in my late teenage years.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, the Alsana anonymous helpline is available for 24/7 support.
Amazon Halo review: Tone analysis
Always wondered how you sound to others? The mics on the Amazon Halo band listens to your voice, and the app volition analyze trends based on the varying tones of your communication.
If I wasn't so fascinated with my tone reports, I might be more wary of the feature. Although Amazon assures voice assay is processed entirely on the user'south smartphone and deleted after, there'southward something spine-tingling about this level of intimacy with AI. At least nothing is recorded for playback — I'thousand relieved I didn't have to listen to my ain speech samples.
Which, for the almost office, skewed negative. Both when I tested the alive assay feature and reviewed my tone highlights from the 24-hour interval, Halo oft used adjectives similar stressed, irritated, disappointed and anxious to describe the sound of my speech. This seemed accurate given the incessant work and personal pressures I've been dealing with. Just when I had dinner with an old friend and filmed some voiceovers for this review did words like amused, interested and focus appear.
Halo provides timestamps for these 'notable moments,' which meant I could reflect on conversations I had throughout the day and take inventory of reasons I sounded irritated. I didn't detect myself making mindful changes to my voice, but instead trying to alleviate causes of my aural negativity. Halo won't proactively suggest things like meditation and breathing exercises like the Fitbit Sense, but I've taken advantage of the relaxation-centric labs.
Of class, you tin can keep the microphones off, but you'd skip a rather central feature of this fitness tracker. I've just muted my Halo ring when I wanted to salve bombardment life.
Amazon Halo review: Slumber tracking
When yous wear the Halo band to bed, the app can provide slumber assay that, on paper, rivals Fitbit'south sleep tracking software. Amazon says Halo slumber tracking tin can identify unlike stages of sleep and assign a sleep score based on the quality of your shuteye.
Fifty-fifty more, it tracks your body temperature using a sensor similar to the one in the Fitbit Sense. Amazon Halo will chart your temperature, forth with movement and heart charge per unit, to assist you go on tabs on what factors might be impacting your zzzs.
Halo sleep tracking picked upward on when I woke up in the middle of the night ameliorate than most fitness trackers I've tested. It fifty-fifty seemed more than authentic than Apple Lookout sleep tracking when it came to identifying how long information technology took me to autumn asleep each night. I similar how the Halo app provides plenty of related reading material and actionable data, too. Similar to activity labs, slumber labs provide calming sounds, bedtime reminders and meditation routines for improving for your rest.
Amazon Halo review: Battery life
Amazon says the Halo tin can last upwardly to vii days on a single change and up to two days with the mic on, but I found the ring fell curt of these claims. I can hardly become a day out of the ring when the mics are on for tone analysis; Iresorted to charging information technology upwards before bed each night aslope my Apple tree Lookout man and then that it could track my sleep.
When I turned the microphones off, the Halo band lasted somewhere between 5 and half-dozen days, which isn't very impressive for a fettle tracker without a display or other battery-draining features. At least it changes support with Amazon'south proprietary charger in but 90 minutes.
Amazon Halo review: Verdict
Amazon Halo's holistic approach to health tracking has its appeal. Its affordable entry signal, discreet blueprint, data accuracy and thorough companion app brand Halo one of the most surprising wearables we've seen this twelvemonth. Plus the large library 3rd-party labs introduce a "choose your ain adventure" element to improving your overall wellness. That alone is well worth $4 per month, in my opinion.
Vocalisation analysis and torso fat percent scans are features I might consider living without. Depending on your goals, I could run across positive use cases for both, but some boundaries should remain betwixt our bodies and our technology. Scantily clad scans, a slider rending your figure's "what ifs" and eerily-on-betoken voice probes toe as well close to that line for my comfort. Although I'k not rushing it off my wrist either. If you're even marginally excited by the Blackness Mirror-ization of wearables like I am, Amazon Halo simply might be upward your alley.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/amazon-halo
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