GOQii Life Band 2.0 – Review
Earlier this year, I reviewed the GOQii Life fitness band. A few weeks ago, GOQii launched the second iteration of their fitness band. I took my time to understand the GOQii band 2 and here is my review. First lets see the differences between the GOQii band Gen 1 and Gen 2. The Band 2 now has an integrated charger. I found it very useful and not many bands in the market have that design. You don’t need a dedicated dongle or a cable to charge this. Just remove the tracker and plug it in the USB module and you are good to go.
Whats new in GOQii 2.0?
The new band has a marginally larger display on the tracker. It is flatter and slightly bigger to accommodate a bigger battery. The band by itself now gets a watch-like strap locking mechanism. The new band has integrated NFC for contact less payment. At the moment, GOQii has tied up with AXIS bank for payment solutions and more such partnerships will be seen in the future. The material used is still the same rubber and it is very flexible and can be cleaned easily. The GOQii fitness app has also got a visual face-lift along with a bunch of new features.
Using the Band 2.0
Setting up and using the new Goqii band is identical to the earlier version. Also the features are the same. So here is an excerpt from my earlier review of the GOQii band.
Pairing the band to the mobile app was simple and smooth. Once paired, the app would collect data from the band only when it is open. There is no background syncing. While this may save battery, the sync has to be done explicitly and this manual intervention could have been avoided. The display on the band is always off. A swipe or tap on the screen would show you the time, goal status and battery level. Tapping again would cycle the display to show steps, distance, calories, etc. The display is good and is visible under direct sunlight as well. I like the fact that it has watch function, so I don’t need to wear a watch separately.
The GOQii pedometer is as accurate (inaccurate) as any other fitness band. My morning jog would be for 5 km and consistently GOQii counts it as 3.8km. But this inaccuracy can be forgiven as the band is all about keeping you active and not to track you on a micro level. Sleep tracking was way better than Mi band or Fitbit flex.
Unlike the first gen, the new band does not need to be put on sleep mode manually. It automatically detects your sleep and starts tracking it. It tracks daytime sleep as well. The new band still does not have heart rate sensor.
The battery on the first gen lasted for 7 days with all features including notifications turned on. The new GOQii band lasts for more than 11 days. GOQii has tied up with leading health care service providers. Utilizing this partnership, GOQii subscribers can consult lifestyle doctors. The doctors’ feedback, test reports, are all available in the app under “Health locker”.
What can be improved?
If I had to improve the GOQii band, I would add heart rate sensor and GPS tracker to it. I would also improve the accuracy of the pedometer.
Verdict
I have found the GOQii band and its subscription model very innovative and useful for anybody who is fitness conscious. The advises and the constant feedback from the personal GOQii coaches are very useful. Be it a short term or long term goal, when there is someone always monitoring your progress, the result is always positive. I liked the first gen GOQii band and I love the second gen GOQii band.
For more details visit: goqii.com
