This post is part ofFind Your Fit Tech, Lifehacker’s fitness wearables buying guide.
So lets consider the question: Should you get aWhoop bandor a traditional smartwatch?
Whoop is a wristband-shaped wearable that does not have a screen, but it can still track your activities.
For some, Whoops lack of a screen is a plus; for others, its a dealbreaker.
How you feel about that?
If you want something that just tracks your activity without bothering you about it, Whoop makes sense.
It also doesnt need to be worn on your wrist.
(Oura costs more to start, but has a cheaper subscription.)
Smartwatches dont usually require a subscription.
(The Apple Watch can do this, too; check with your cellular provider.)
Apple Watch, Garmin, and the more expensive Fitbit models have GPS.
None of that is an option with your Whoop.
Everything I’m talking about is likely to be good enough for most purposes.
The same goes for sleep data.
One thing Whoop has that most smartwatches dont: weekly and monthly analyses of your activity and sleep data.
Some smartwatch apps provide summaries and analyses; some dont.
Whoop definitely has one of the more detailed and readable ones.
The Whoopsometimesagrees with the Watchs numbers, but sometimes doesnt.
One, do you have strong feelings about Whoops subscription model?
And two, do youwanta watch?
A smartwatch can do a lot of things besides act as an activity tracker.
Many can play music, pay for purchases, and ring your phone if youve misplaced it.
A watch can also be a fashion accessory or status symbol, if thats important to you.
Do you want all that?
For some people, thats a definite yes.
So go for itbuy a smartwatch.
