Standford University has recently come up with a brand new study that hails the Apple Watch as the best when it comes to the accuracy of modern fitness trackers. The study was conducted with a total of 60 participants and delivered judgment on the accuracy of fitness trackers with regards to measuring heart rate and calories burned.
The study also included a series of other smartwatches, including the Samsung Gear S2, the MIO Alpha 2, the Microsoft Band, and the Fitbit Surge. The participants were then made to engage in a series of exercises including running, biking, and walking.
Next, an electrocardiograph and indirect calorimeter were deployed for heart rate measurement and tracking the calories burned during the exercise. These results were then compared with the results exhibited by these respective watches, and in this way the performance was gauged.
After the tests were concluded, the Apple Watch came out on the top, while the gear S2 stood at the last in terms of heart rate tracking.
For the walking task, three of the devices achieved a median error rate below 5%: the Apple Watch, 2.5% (1.1%–3.9%); the PulseOn, 4.9% (1.4%–8.6%); and the Microsoft Band, 5.6% (4.9%–6.3%). The remaining four devices had median error between 6.5% and 8.8%.
Across devices and modes of activities, the Apple Watch achieved the lowest error in HR, 2.0% (1.2%–2.8%), while the Samsung Gear S2 had the highest HR error, 6.8% (4.6%–9.0%).
The study also showed that a lot of work needed to be done in energy expenditure measurement. On comparison with the clinical calorimeter, Fitbit Surge was the most accurate wearable with energy expenditure error rate of around 27 percent. The Microsoft Band was second at 33 percent, while Apple Watch watch reported a third at 40 percent.
