Xiaomi Mi Band review

Xiaomi Mi Band: Design 

This is how you design a budget wearable. Keep it simple, stupid.

The Mi Band consists of the oval-shaped tracking module which has a matte chrome finish and neat, chamfered edges and a (default) black or colourful, rubber band. That's it - no fiddly clasps, no buckles, just a neat, cheap tracker that everyone can wear. In the app, there is an option to choose left hand, right hand or neck placement so perhaps Xiaomi is working on Misfit-style necklace accessories too.

With an IP67 rating, the Mi Band is waterproof down to 1m for up to 30 minutes - even the Jawbone UP3 couldn't manage that. It's ridiculously light, too, and doesn't restrict wrist movement in any way like some smartwatches and bigger activity trackers do. So much so that you barely notice it on your wrist - especially important as it tracks sleep as well as steps. One downside is that both parts are easily scuffed - we're not sure how long the Mi Band will last when worn everyday for months on end.

The Mi Band's main competition at this price are $5 pedometers and well, just using Google Fit or Fitbit on your phone without a wearable device at all. But it functions well as an anchor too - the act of putting it on the morning can make you more likely to have your goals in mind.

There's no display but there are three LEDs on top - the colour of which can be customised in the Mi Fit app - to show you your progress. For instance, the bottom LED will blink if you're less than 30% of the way towards your goal. In theory, the LEDs behaved when charging but didn't perform as they should when we flicked our wrist. It's forgiveable at this price - it's $15! - but the LED function would have been a big Fuelband-like tick in terms of motivating the user if they actually worked properly.

Xiaomi Mi Band: Activity 

The Mi Band's tracking is somewhere in between apps such as Google Fit and Moves and trackers with real sensors such as heart rate monitors. It tracks steps, distance and estimated calories burned as well as providing a timeline of how long you are active each day. It breaks your day into walks, runs and activities in a somewhat whimsical fashion - that is, in a day when you have decidedly not been running anywhere, you will find a 'run' recorded.

This is pretty annoying but in terms of goals - for instance step goals - these are easy to keep tabs on without getting too bogged down with what the Mi Band thinks you've been doing. We found the Mi Band slightly overestimated our steps and distance travelled each day so bear this in mind when you're snacking on that fried chicken sandwich because you've smashed your goal.

Sleep tracking is much the same, with the Mi Band often out by at least half an hour which might be down to the fact that it's automatic - you don't need to tell Xiaomi you're going to sleep. It claims to track how much deep sleep and light sleep you've had each night - tricky to tell how accurate this is but given that our hand movements seem to be clocking up too much activity, we'd say the light sleep figure is probably also too high.

So it's not the most accurate tracker out there, no surprises here. But, particularly for activity tracking, it could still be more useful than a basic pedometer (no stats) or using your phone in which case the battery will run down. The Mi Band connects over Bluetooth, of course, but if you don't need the caller alerts (see below) it doesn't have to be synced all day. It's also worth pointing out that the Mi Band is compatible with both iPhone and Android and works with Google Fit.

Xiaomi Mi Band: Features

The Mi Band has a couple of non-fitness features including an alarm and vibrations when you get a call. It's a shame that it can't vibrate when you get text messages and WhatsApps - as smart jewellery without displays do - but again Xiaomi is sticking to the basics to keep costs down and that battery life long.

If you have a Xiaomi phone - which you probably don't - you can also set up the Mi Band as a safe device with its Smart Lock feature. So when the Mi Band is near, your phone unlocks automatically. It's a nice extra, and will do well in China where both Xiaomi phones and Mi Bands are much more common than in the UK, Europe and the US. It would be great to see this feature rolled out to all Android phones but that's no doubt out of Xiaomi's control for now.

Xiaomi Mi Band: Mi Fit app

A point before we jump into the app experience - generally the Mi Band syncs fine but the first time we paired it with our Moto X, it took us at least five tries, once in which the app said there were too many devices nearby. Fair enough.

The app is really basic with a profile detailing your average steps, total days using the app and total km walked as well as height and weight. That's on top of the main screen of graphics showing how close you are to hitting your daily steps target, a timeline of activities as well as the usual weekly chart. There's not much in the way of long term motivation but you can set up the app to send you a notification after 9.30pm every day with your day's progress with a similar alert each morning to detail your sleep.

Xiaomi has a really great opportunity to expand the Mi Fit app before it launches any other wearables. It already has a lot of users in Asia and it could jump ahead of Jawbone and Fitbit in offering actionable insights that tap into habit forming tactics. As we said, the hardware is light, easy to get along with and the absolute cheapest around - build a killer fitness and lifestyle app and a version 2 Mi Band with improved accuracy and Xiaomi could be unstoppable.

Xiaomi Mi Band: Battery life 

Xiaomi says the Mi Band is good for 30 days between charges and we've no reason to doubt that. After a week of wearing the Band, the percentage displayed in the app barely budged. That's not as impressive as a Misfit Flashor Jawbone UP Move, both of which don't have displays and can last six months. But again the Mi Band is cheaper than both of these and 30 days is much, much better than any wearable with a screen as well as high end trackers which typically last a week.

Charging is quick - from zero to full in less than two hours - and easy enough with a proprietary cable which the tracking module slots into. It's short and easy to lose though so keep an eye on it.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge review

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is a phone that's got me hot under the collar. It's another evolutionary step forward in the way we're going to be using phones, right?

I mean, it has to be. The rounded spine, with the screen curving away and tucking itself under the chassis, is surely the blueprint for the upcomingSamsung Galaxy S6.

Well, that is, assuming the idea of a curved display on one side isn't a novelty and redundant beyond being a clever marketing gimmick, of course.

And it needs to be more than that. Early prices seem to have the Note Edge at around £50 more than the impressive Samsung Galaxy Note 4, with the curved model costing a huge £640 if you shop around, while the £700 RRP is even more wallet bothering. Is the curved screen worth it?

Of course there's more on offer here that makes the Edge a really promising device: a huge 5.7-inch QHD (1440 x 2560) screen even without the curved spine is really pleasant to look at.

That's also coupled with Samsung's Super AMOLED technology, which again makes the Note range the best phone screen I've seen on the market.

The camera is improved, the S Pen is starting to show glimmers of offering really useful functionality to the average consumer (not just the business warrior hell-bent on dropping the notepad) and the raw power of the Snapdragon 805 chipset (or the octacore Exynos option from Samsung) means this phablet can go on, and on, and on.

And while Samsung unquestionably created the phablet market, it's now got some serious competition to contend with. Apple's new iPhone 6 Plus is some people's idea of 'the only large phone' on the market, and the Google Nexus 6, while not mega-cheap as before, is still a very well specified device without the need for bells and whistles.

Samsung's also facing a profits slide that it's desperate to arrest, and that will only be achieved through going back into its R&D labs, putting on a stylish thinking cap, and coming up with something truly innovative that wows the public.

Last year's Galaxy Round, the brand's first curved display in a phone, was a step towards that but didn't really do much beyond, well, being a bit curved. The Note Edge combines an innovative design with actual real-life usage, which means it could be more of a hit than Samsung's other novelties and now that LG's announced the G Flex 2 it really looks like curved screens could be here to stay.

Design

Let's get this out of the way first: you won't like the Note Edge the first time you pick it up. I almost want to applaud Samsung's designers for taking such a bold step, keeping the same high resolution display from the Note 4 but then adding in a few more pixels to bring us this clever spine which can independently show information.

But the problem is the phone gets wider as a result, and you really feel like you need to wedge it into one palm.

It's true that any phablet performs better when held in two hands, but when pulling out the S Pen from the bottom right hand corner (which pleasingly can be pushed in either way, a feature Samsung added in with the Note 3 and has removed tremendous frustration with Samsung's phablet series for me) you still have to hold the phone steady in one hand, which can be a little tricky.

That said, there is an acceptance that the Note Edge is going to be a larger device - after all, that's why you're buying it, right? - and it doesn't take more than a few days to really get used to the idea.

By putting the digital spine on the right hand side of the phone though, Samsung was forced into a big design decision: where does the power button go? Sadly, it didn't make the right call, as the unlock key has been moved to the top of the device where it lived many moons ago.

With a phone that measures 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm, this is mightily hard to hit and means you have to use two hands to lock the device. Hardly the easiest. It should have either been on the left hand side, or nabbed something from South Korean rivals LG and plopped it on the back.

Failing that, Samsung should have joined the swelling ranks of smartphone manufacturers allowing you to double tap the screen to wake the device. It's not a patented idea, and thankfully it's baked into Android Lollipop (which is arriving soon for this phablet) so could be an option.

The good thing that slightly helps is the home button, which again doubles as a fingerprint scanner, will allow you to unlock the phone and get swiping straight into the action.

In terms of the rest of the design, it's typically Samsung. Anyone that's read any of the other reviews will realise that's not necessarily a good thing, but it's not terrible either in this case.

The metallic rim of the Note 4 and Alpha are missing, presumably to add in the curved spine on the right side, but the overall build quality is good, the frame surrounded by a strong case and there's very little creaking.

I'm not a fan of the leatherette feel of the back cover, but it's removable again and allows you to swap the battery and microSD cards easily, which I'm pleased to see Samsung continuing with.

The infra-red port and headphone jack both reside on the top of the device, making it easy to use the Note Edge as a daily media device, and the speaker (which I'll talk more about in the next section) is placed towards the bottom of the phone on the rear.

The camera on the Note Edge (a 16MP) affair) protrudes quite dramatically from the back of the phone, although not to the point that you'd notice it in the pocket.

It's weird how much other phone brands can get away with the camera unit sticking out the back of the phone when Apple gets castigated for a couple of millimetres, but I'm glad that's the case. I'd rather have a better snapper than an aesthetically more pleasing handset, and the Note Edge does both pretty well.

The lightness of the phone, at 176g, is nothing to get excited about (it's actually one of the heavier on the market), but then again it's not too heavy either. In the palm it's nicely balanced, and pulling out the S Pen is an easy task thanks to the whole thing being so grippable.

That said, I did find myself holding it in a weird way so as not to touch the spine in general use. I never really had an instance where I accidentally did anything with that element, but it didn't stop it being slightly in the way all the time.

iPhone 7 release date, specs, news, rumours and price

IPHONE 7: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are coming in 2016. Here's everything we know about Apple's next flagship smartphone.

iPhone 7 FAQ:

iPhone 7 release date: September 16 or September 23 on sale (expected)

How much will the iPhone 7 cost: It should cost the same as the iPhone 6S so prices should start at £539/$649

What's new about the iPhone 7: If rumours are to be believed then the iPhone 7 will make more waves because of what it's missing than what it comes with. It's very likely that we've seen the last of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Plenty of analysts initially believed that the Home button would disappear, but the consensus now seems to be that this will be a feature of the 2017 model

Other reports suggest that the 16GB storage variant will finally be shunned, and that the phone will feature a dual-camera setup. Otherwise expect the usual processor and screen improvements. Oh, and possibly a new 'Deep Blue' colour option. Wahey!

IPHONE 7 NEWS AND RUMOURS IN BRIEF

A spate of recent reports seem to be solidifying out view of what the iPhone 7 will entail. Indeed, one report claims that Apple has started mass production of the handset, suggesting it's been finalised.

The Wall Street Journal claims that the iPhone 7 will be largely unchanged from the iPhone 6S, but for the notable omission of the 3.5mm headphone jack and possible inclusion of a dual-lens camera.

It's all part of a shift to three-year cycle rather than the usual two which currently sees S-models following plain-numbered models. As such, all the big changes will allegedly occur with the 2017 model, which could feature a bold all-glass design and an OLED display.

Meanwhile, reports from Japan claim that the iPhone 7 will ship with the same old Apple EarPods, but will feature a Lightning adapter. Which sounds like a bit of a fudge to us.

Of course, we should also balance this against reports from a Gangzhou-based repair shop that suggest the iPhone 7's Lighting port assembly still features a headphone jack. Interesting.

IPHONE 7 RELEASE DATE UK & US – WHEN WILL THE NEW IPHONE 7 COME OUT?

Apple, more so than many of its rivals, is a creature of habit, which makes it very simple to predict the iPhone 7 release date.

The best strategy is to look at previous iPhone launches, which we’ve outlined below:

• iPhone 6S – Wednesday, September 9 (reveal), Saturday, September 19 (release date)
• iPhone 6 – Tuesday, September 9 (reveal), Friday, September 19 (release date)
• iPhone 5S – Tuesday, September 10 (reveal), Friday, September 20 (release date)
• iPhone 5 – Wednesday, September 12 (reveal), Friday, September 21 (release date)

Based on those dates, we’d expect the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus reveal to take place on either:

• Tuesday, September 6
• Wednesday, September 7
• Tuesday, September 13
• Wednesday, September 14

And we’d expect the iPhone 7 release date to fall on either Friday, September 16, or Friday, September 23. If we were forced to mark our calendars, we’d probably place our bets on September 14 and September 23 for reveal and release, but we can’t say for sure until Apple starts sending out invites.

The good news is that Apple has already kicked off mass-production of the 4.7-inch iPhone 7, at least according to a new report. Journalist and reputable leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer – better known on Twitter as @Onleaks – claims the final model manufacturing has “slowly started” at the Pegatron factory.

Along with Foxconn, Pegatron is one of Apple’s primary manufacturing partners. It’s a Taiwanese company, although the lion’s share of its employees are based in China. According to Hemmerstoffer, only the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 is being manufactured by Pegatron, not the 5.5-inch ‘Plus’ version. He previously alleged that Foxconn had won the contract for the larger iPhone 7.


Naturally, we can’t verify Hemmerstoffer’s claims and, although he has a great track record for mobile leaks, you should take this report with due caution.

IPHONE 7 FEATURES – WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THE IPHONE 7?

One of the most obvious upgrades we’re sure to see with the iPhone 7 is the introduction of a new processor. It’s generally accepted that Apple’s A10 system-on-a-chip will feature in the new device, bringing with it assured improvements to processing and graphics.

It’s also looking very likely that Apple is going to abandon the 3.5mm headphone jack that you use to connect your headphones. Instead, users will be forced to plug in via the Lightning port, which will mean purchasing an expensive adapter for many, or using Bluetooth headphones. Conveniently, Apple's latest Back to School promotion sees the firm offering student buyers of Mac devices a free pair of wireless Beats headphones. They'll be perfect for a headphone jack-free iPhone, right?

Camera upgrades are also a dead cert. There’s potential to finally get optical image stabilisation on the smaller iPhone 7, something reserved for Plus models only until now. We’re also likely to see improved low-light performance on both the iPhone 7 cameras.

And finally, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will both feature Apple's upcoming iOS 10 software. The new software version was revealed at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, and we'll outline some of the additions below.

SHOULD I WAIT FOR THE IPHONE 7?

If the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus aren’t hugely popular, we’ll eat our keyboards. Apple devices always command hype like no other, and so we don’t need to do much convincing for fans of the brand.

That said, Android is now a slick, powerful operating system that most will find as easy to use as iOS. And with formidable rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5 and Nexus 6P already available, the iPhone 7 is very much up against it.

What’s more, the iPhone 7 will be launching at a similar time to other expected handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 and Google’s Nexus 2016 handset(s).

And if you're a fan of iOS but hate the large 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch frames of flagship iPhones, you might want to consider the iPhone SE, Apple's new 4-inch smartphone. The iPhone SE was unveiled on March 21, 2016, and released to the public on March 31. It boasts a near-identical design to the iPhone 5S, and comes in 16GB and 64GB storage variants.

It's worth a mention that the iPhone 7 doesn't sound like it will offer significant upgrades over the iPhone 6S. So if you've got last year's handset, you might want to wait for the next model, which is rumoured to be where the real changes will come.

iPad Air 2 review

The first thing to consider is that the iPad Air 2 is still £150 cheaper than the 9.7in iPad Pro, so if your budget doesn't stretch to the £499 Apple is asking, then you can stop reading this and skip to the review below. If money is burning a hole in your pocket and you're tempted, read on...

The iPad Pro runs Apple's latest A9X processor. In the 12.9-inch iPad Pro it provided stonking processing performance and we can't expect much less from it in 9.7in form factor. Equally good will be the upgraded screen that supports Apple's genuinely Impressive Pencil. It has a maximum brightness of 500nits and also supports the wide DCI P3 colour gamut, for richer and more vibrant colours.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the new display is that it supports Apple's own True Tone technology. True Tone will see the screen change colour temperature based on what light source it's under. This means under soft, warm lighting, whites will look equally warm, while under artificial lights you'll get a purer white. The net effect of this is that you'll get accurate colours no matter your lighting conditions, which will be very handy for those working in colour-sensitive professions.

As if this wasn't enough, the new iPad Pro has a massively upgraded camera that equals the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus and SE – quite when you'll have the opportunity to take a decent shot with your massive tablet remains to be seen, but it's a nice-to-have, we suppose.

It'll also work with the Smart Keyboard that was launched along with the original iPad Pro. There are four incredibly loud speakers, too, which is a marked improvement over the iPad Air 2.

WHAT IS THE IPAD AIR 2?

If you're short of time and need to get off then all you need to heed is this, the iPad Air 2 is the best tablet we've ever reviewed. Apple has done it again and improved on the already excellent iPad Air (that's remains on sale for a lower price) from 2013.

It is brilliant but don't expect it to do anything new or anything different. The iPad Air 2 is still a tablet, not a tablet/laptop hybrid, and so it won't quite serve as your fix for both productivity and entertainment like, say, the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. On the other hand it's a lot cheaper, and the Apple app store has a superb array of quality apps that let you do pretty much anything you want. Pair the iPad Air 2 with one of the better third party keyboards and it becomes a swiss-army knife of tablets.

The iPad Air 2 is a stunning tablet when it comes to design. Even thinner an lighter than its predecessor, Apple has managed to pack blistering performance and 10-hour battery life in a tiny package. The screen has been improved too, in ways that make it a joy to use.

The headline feature on the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 is Touch ID – a feature that lets you unlock the tablet using your fingerprint. It’s about a lot more than that, though. Touch ID on the iPad Air 2 is all about Apple Pay and making it easy for you to purchase securely online at the touch of a button. Apple Pay is only available in the UK and US only at the moment, however.

The other thing to consider right now is that a new iPad is on the horizon. A new version is expected to launch in October, as is a larger iPad Pro model.

IPAD AIR 2: DESIGN

There’s been a new colour added to the space grey and silver versions and it's gold. It’s not a blinging back-of-an-old-mercedes-tissue-box gold, though. It's a light gold, almost champagne in colour, and the front bezels are white. Our favourite colour remains the space grey, but it's a matter of taste only.

There has been one casualty in Apple’s pursuit of a supermodel figure. The iPad Air 2 is the first iPad without a mute/rotation-lock switch. It’s a sacrifice we’re not fussed about much. You can still easily mute the Air 2 by pressing the volume down button for a second, and lock the screen rotation via the settings menu.

Other than that, the controls are similar to previous models. You get the volume buttons on the right edge and the power button at the top – easy enough to access and use.

The Lightning port for charging and data transfer is at the bottom, flanked by the stereo speaker grilles. It’s not the best location for the speakers, as you can muffle them with your hand while holding holding the iPad Air 2 in landscape mode. We’d prefer front-facing speakers like the ones on the Nexus 9, although in every other respects the iPad is a much better tablet.

There’s been a new colour added to the space grey and silver versions and it's gold. It’s not a blinging back-of-an-old-mercedes-tissue-box gold, though. It's a light gold, almost champagne in colour, and the front bezels are white. Our favourite colour remains the space grey, but it's a matter of taste only.

IPAD AIR 2: TOUCH ID

Touch ID is Apple’s fingerprint scanner. It works by securely storing your fingerprint on the device, so you can unlock the iPad Air 2 with a simple touch. It’s super-slick but it’s less useful on the iPad than it is on the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. Phones are unlocked a lot more often and are used one-handed, so it’s a neat feature on the iPad Air 2 rather than an essential one.

Apple has now allowed developers to hook into Touch ID so these days you can secure all your data on Evernote, for example, behind the peace of mind of your own, unique, biometrics.

Apple’s key reason behind adding Touch ID it to its latest tablets, though, is Apple Pay. Unlike on the iPhones, which come with NFC, you won’t be able to use an iPad to tap and pay in a physical store. You can use it to buy things online, though.

Add your credit card details to the iPad Air 2 and you'll be able to use Touch ID to make purchasing dead simple. There are some limitations, though. Currently Apple Pay only works via apps, so you won’t be able to make purchases through a browser.

The other problem is that it’s not available in all regions yet, although you can now use it in the UK as well as the US.

IPAD AIR: SCREEN

Some observers have wagged a finger at Apple, citing a lack of recent innovation. Looking at specs alone, it also looks like its devices lag behind Android ones. Specs can be misleading, though – Apple champions user experience. To this end it's made the sort of improvements to the IPS LCD screen that we like to see.

There’s no increase in the 2048 x 1536 resolution. It’s the same Retina pixel density the iPad 3 wowed us with in 2012 and it’s still more than adequate. You’ll have to put the iPad a couple of inches from your face to notice any pixelation. But having the same resolution doesn’t mean that this is the same screen. Apple has made some important changes to it since the iPad 3 to improve colours and contrast ratios, especially this year.

A number of panels combine to create the final display. Most screens have small air gaps between each panel, but on the iPad Air 2 these are fused together. Not only does this make the screen thinner, which helps the design of the tablet, but it also helps to reduce reflections. And this is where Apple's really made inroads.

Apple claims a 56% reduction in reflectivity of the iPad Air 2 by bonding the display and adding an antireflective coating to it. It’s an improvement that we didn’t realise we needed until we got it.

It makes a huge difference. Whether you’re using the iPad Air 2 on a sunny day in the park or just in a room with awkward lighting, the screen manages to keep reflections to a minimum. This helps you enjoy reading content online or watching a movie more than ever before.

The iPad Air 2 trumps its predecessor with its colours, too. They're bright, accurate and vivid, while contrast is greater, too, with deeper blacks and more detail in dark scenes. There’s only one area where the iPad Air wins out, and that’s with the whites. The Air 2 we looked at had a light pinkish tinge. It was faint, though – just a little worse than its predecessor, and only a minor issue.

Apple also claims that the responsiveness of the display has improved, leading to quicker reaction speeds. iPads have never had a problem in this area and we haven’t been able to notice any difference between the iPad Air 2 and the Air before it.

All in all the iPad Air 2’s screen is brilliant, with the bonded display looking almost painted onto the glass. This is a big step up from previous iPads and only the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and its Super AMOLED screen can eclipse it.

IPAD AIR: SPEAKERS

Supporting the iPad Air 2’s credentials as a superb multimedia tablet are its stereo speakers. These pack a punch and are much louder than those on last year’s model. They’re better in other ways, too. Dialogue is richer, voices sound accurate and there’s a mite more bass. Stereo separation remains poor, though, because the speakers are so close together.

Sony SmartBand 2 review

There's nothing game changing about Sony's SmartBand 2, its new Fitbit Charge HR rival with a heart rate monitor that aims to track the whole quantified self, not just fitness.

That said, it's an affordable £100 tracker that tries to integrate health and fitness tracking with the rest of your life, most successfully by attempting to track stress levels. But does it do basic tracking well enough to compete with Fitbit and Jawbone?

Sony SmartBand 2: Design and build

It's about the same size as the Charge HR, so on the chunky side for a fitness band. It feels light, robust and comfortable on the wrist and with a clever, not too fiddly clasp to keep everything flush and tidy. Ladies, take note, it's a wider band than the likes of a Jawbone UP3/4.

It's also very minimalist and there's no texture or design flair as on the Jawbone or even Fitbit's latest tracker. This is very much old school fitness band design and it's a shame Sony hasn't moved on. With the heart rate tracking module, it can't be slim and small like a Mi Band so Sony should at least have made it look more attractive. After all, with all the Lifelog integration, this is designed to be worn all day, everyday.

We got a look at the (two tone) white and black models but Sony will also be launching pink and indigo hues later this year plus the module can be swapped out and used with other bands.

The whole thing is waterproof to IP68 which one ups some rivals as the SmartBand 2 can be used in fresh water up to 3m for 30 minutes, Sony also states that 'casual use' in chlorinated pools is OK as long as you rinse it in fresh water afterwards. In other words, it's fine for leaving on in the shower and we got rained on numerous times while wearing the SmartBand 2 and - incidentally - using a Z3 Compact without any problems.

Sony SmartBand 2: Features

The main difference between this tracker and its predecessor is the heart rate monitor. Returning are the vibration alerts for calls, texts and notifications - which are not very subtle - a smart alarm wake-up feature and an out of Bluetooth range alert so you don't use your phone. So far, so standard, so 2014.

The apps you are alerted to can be customised in the SmartBand 2 app but there's no contact or keyword control. Somewhat obviously, there being no display, the tracker also won't tell you the time or weather or anything like that either. Plus your steps, distance, time spent active and estimated calories burned are all access via apps, not on the band. It's worth mentioning that it is compatible with Google Fit on Android and Apple Health on iPhone.

Pairing can be done via good old-fashioned Bluetooth of NFC if your smartphone has the tech. Apart from some basic media controls - you can set the button to play/pause and skip music if you wish - that's it for non-tracking features. Still, chances are you're not considering buying this as an alt-smartwatch.

Sony SmartBand 2: Tracking

What's nice about the SmartBand 2's optical heart rate tracking is that there's lots of choice over how you want to use it. Double tapping the tiny power button on the right hand side of the tracking module puts the band into continuous HRM mode, the battery life for which you'll get ten hours. It's quick and not at all fiddly to press this at the start of a run or workout and the strong vibrations indicate immediately that it's kicked in.

Otherwise, the SmartBand's stated two day battery life is based on heart rate tracking 5 - 6 times per hour, including when you are asleep. Stamina mode which gets you five days turns the heart rate sensor off entirely.

It's a nice solution to cater to different levels of user and the readings we got at rest and during exercise are within 5 - 10 bpm of a chest strap. So that's not perfectly accurate but it's similar to the results you'd get from a Charge HR: accurate enough for beginners looking to see, for instance, their resting heart rate go down as they get fitter.

The stress and recovery metrics, measured by your heart rate variability, are more difficult to test but low stress periods did correlate to an hour of sitting down working and medium/high stress periods logged to exercise. The graphs and timelines could be incredibly useful here if you're looking to reduce your stress levels and it's fascinating stuff.

Strangely enough, what's slightly more worrying is the standard steps and distance tracking which both averaged out on the slightly more generous side when compared to other trackers and watches, such as Misfit on Pebble Time, worn simultaneously. That's something to bear in mind. In fact, on a day where I left the SmartBand 2 at home on the desk, it managed to track 177 steps.

It's limited too - Sony tracks walking, running and cycling as separate activities but not gym sessions or sports, unless you manually enter the data.

Sleep tracking records the number of hours you were asleep with automatic sleep detection which was accurate enough slightly more than it got things wrong. What's nice here is that by tracking broad periods of deep and light sleep, the smart alarm can wake you during light sleep once you've set certain parameters. Sleep monitoring is a tricky one to get right, and if you move around a fair bit at night, the SmartBand 2 will think you're up and about.

Sony SmartBand 2: The apps

The SmartBand 2, which is both iOS and Android compatible, syncs with both a dedicated self-titled app and Sony's Lifelog app on Android or Apple Health on iPhone. This might sound confusing but the two actually work together - for changing settings and on the spot heart rate readings, it's the SmartBand 2 app. For everything else - graphs, milestones, sharing data with others, seeing which activities affected your stress levels, on Android it's the Lifelog app - this is what we tested the SmartBand 2 with.

It's worth noting that Sony claims to be able to track your stress levels through a combination of three sets of data - first, your pulse, second, your sleep and third, your heart rate variability. As Lifelog isn't just for fitness, in theory you will be able to see what is affecting your stress and energy levels - a scary film, a workout, whatever. You can even hook the app up to Spotify. It's a clever approach and Sony's graphics are slick but in use, Lifelog is a bit crowded.

It's not always clear - at a glance - how we were doing in terms of our daily or weekly progress. There's plenty of detail and charts to dig down into but with no swipeable metrics on the band itself, we're not sure how motivating the in-app grid of out of context stats will actually be for beginners plus Sony doesn't offer pro stats, like Garmin Connect does, for real enthusiasts.

Sony SmartBand 2: Battery life and charging

With heart rate monitoring on, we found we got two to three days out of the SmartBand 2, depending on how much continuous tracking we needed. Considering there is no display and the battery life is a maximum of five days with no HRM whatsoever, the battery performance is OK but nothing to write home about. Rival, cheaper trackers, from Misfit and Jawbone, that count steps, distance and track sleep can last for months on one charge, for instance.

Charging is via micro USB which is easy enough - the module pops right out and you just plug it in for one to two hours. Battery life can be viewed in the Sony SmartBand 2 app or via the three LEDs next to the band's single physical button. This makes the SmartBand 2 feel more like a gadget than it would if it had a smartwatch-style charging dock. But most fitness trackers come with fiddly proprietary cables and cradles so Sony's gets bonus points for this addition.

Sony SmartWatch 3 review

WHAT IS THE SONY SMARTWATCH 3?

The SmartWatch 3, as the name suggests, is Sony’s latest attempt at a wrist-wrapping wearable. It’s the fourth ‘smartphone companion’ the company’s come up with, if you include the LiveView.

This time, Sony has ditched its previous Android-based operating system in favour of Android Wear, joining the likes of the Moto 360 and the LG Watch G R in embracing Google’s dedicated operating system for smartwatches.

Taking a sportier approach to Android Wear, the SmartWatch 3 is the first to include GPS tracking, so you can map activities outdoors without relying on the GPS connection from your smartphone.

While it certainly signals a step in the right direction toward making smartwatches less reliant on your phone, ultimately it’s still plagued by many of the same first-generation Android Wear issues that make it tough to recommend.

SONY SMARTWATCH 3 – DESIGN

Smartwatch design on the whole has been pretty underwhelming. If you discount something vastly more expensive, such as the Withings Activité, Android Wear watches in particular have struggled to come up with an offering to rival a traditional or digital watch. The Sony SmartWatch 3 certainly doesn’t alter that viewpoint.

 you take the LG G Watch and squeeze a rubber strap around it, that’s pretty much what you get with Sony’s fourth smartwatch. It’s really just a bit dull and ordinary, like Sony’s Smartband activity tracker. If the intended user is an athletic one, the neutral look probably won't be an issue when you size it up next to a dedicated sports watch, though. Despite its limited design appeal, the Sony SmartWatch 3 is comfortable to wear. There's no skin irritation and it even does a good job of battling sweat.

The watch module is removable, so you can add different-coloured rubber straps. Those straps, however, are only available from Sony and cost £20. If you do want something more elegant, Sony has since announced a stainless steel bracelet option and it certainly works wonders when you compare it to the rubber version. Crucially, there’s no details about how much adding a metal band will cost, and could push the SmartWatch 3 over the £200 price mark.

The Sony SmartWatch 3 alongside the more attractive Withings Activité

Sony has gone for a square watch face, bucking the recent trend of rival Android Wear watches in going for something circular. With a stature similar to an old-school Casio watch, it’s not a watch that dominates the wrist like the Samsung Gear S, and it weighs just 45g so it’s light enough to wear all of the time.

While we can’t wax lyrical about the design, the materials do at least feel durable and robust. The stainless steel rear is one of the nicer-looking elements of the SmartWatch 3, although the silicone rubber strap easily attracts muck and dust. With an IP58 waterproof certification, you’re safe to take it into the shower as long as you have the charging port seal firmly closed.

There’s been a slight alteration to the strap since we first had a look at it as well. Now the area of the strap surrounding the watch module has been made more rigid to ensure it stays in place. The clasp holding the smartwatch around your wrist is a similar two-part mechanism to that used on Samsung’s watches, and you can rest assured that, after some initial fidgeting, this watch is not going to budge.

Touchscreen interaction aside, there’s just a single button and that allows you to turn the device on or off, or can be held down for a reset, which we unfortunately had to do on a couple of occasions. Around the back it’s good news for anyone who hates proprietary charging cradles as much we do. Sony has included a Micro USB port, so you can use the somewhat short cable in the box or use your (non-Apple) phone’s as an alternative.

SONY SMARTWATCH 3 – SCREEN

The SmartWatch 3’s 1.6-inch TFT LCD touchscreen is on the whole pretty underwhelming. Sony has done a good job of making sure it’s well protected and achieves good visibility outdoors, but if you’re looking for the best, the SmartWatch 3 falls short.

A Gorilla Glass 3 coating adds an important layer of scratch- and impact-proof durability, though the viewing angles are less than fantastic. The latter probably doesn’t seem as important as it does when you compare it to a smartphone, but it does become an issue when you’re glancing at notifications.

The 320 x 320 resolution and 245ppi pixel density means sharpness, clarity and overall vibrancy pales in comparison to Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays used on the Gear Live and Gear S watches. Colours are muted, much like they are on the LG G Watch, and images clearly look a little pixellated.

It’s a bright screen at least when cranked up to the maximum setting available, and to improve screen visibility outdoors Sony includes a transflective display. The benefit here is that the screen is still easily readable in the bright outdoors without having to rely on the potentially battery-sapping ambient light sensor. In practice it works well and, like the Outdoor mode on Samsung’s smartwatches, is a good solution to a problem for small displays.

There’s no real complaints to have with screen responsiveness, while the square watch face means there are no optimisation issues displaying Android Wear apps as the developers intended them to look. Sony includes some basic display accessibility features to improve screen visibility, such as the ability to invert colours and make text larger if you’re having to squint.