Having been on sale in the US for a matter of weeks, Jawbone’s new UP2 and UP3 fitness trackers have just hit the UK too.
Jawbone’s had its foot in the world of fitness for some time having previously established itself as a significant player when it comes to Bluetooth headsets and portable speakers. Activity trackers have been the other key pillar of Jawbone’s business and today the company’s bringing its latest technology to the table.
We met the original UP and UP24 early last year and put the latter through its paces against the hottest competition at the time. Next came the highly affordable UP Move and today we meet the UP2 and UP3.
Jawbone UP2
Last year’s UP24 was a reworking of Jawbone’s original wrist-worn tracker, featuring improved battery life and wireless synchronisation with a smartphone through the companion UP app. The UP2 takes the concept a step further, with more accurate sensors and an all new design, that’s slimmer, lighter and easier to operate by means of a single capacitive panel on the tracker’s face.
Whilst the body of the UP2 features aluminium, the strap is now a fully adjustable silicone number, so you don’t need to worry about buying the wrong size at retail. The UP2 will be available in black or grey for £89.99.
Jawbone UP3
At a glance the new UP3 bears a striking resemblance to its launch partner, the UP2 and there are a number of notable similarities. The UP app can be paired to either wearable and via the Smart Coach feature, supply information based on the data logged, including potential dietary and lifestyle improvements. Both trackers also feature water resistance so you can wear them in the shower. The biggest difference however, lies with the UP3’s ability to supply the app with significantly more detailed information.
Alongside tracking your daytime activities, the four on-board sensors can differentiate between the various sleep states a person goes through, such as REM, light and deep sleep. Understanding such information helps inform the UP experience whether your body is recovering and repairing itself each night sufficiently.
One big omission to the UP range versus its rivals has been heart rate monitoring and the UP3 is the first to amend this with its galvanic skin sensors. Metal contacts lining the inside of the strap measure the user’s resting heart rate (at the moment they wake up before doing anything) and use that as a baseline to judge how hard their body is having to work to perform a certain activity.
Jawbone’s Jason Donahue, Senior Product Manager for the UP product family explained that by using a resting heart rate the UP system can better quantify the activity of the user as it’s a standard metric across all people. What’s more, by forgoing an optical heart rate sensor, as found on devices like the Apple Watch, the UP3’s battery lasts for a solid week, rather than approximately 24 to 36 hours.
Similarly to the UP2, the UP3 will be available in Black Diamond or Light Grey and retail for £129.99 and is scheduled to arrive or store shelves a little later than the UP2, sometime in mid-July.
We’re already putting this new tracker through its paces so stand by for a full review soon.
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