Amazon encroaches even further on Fitbit’s territory with a new, revised wearable following its screenless wristband tracker release last year. The new version, the Halo View, features a color AMOLED display, haptic feedback, tracking of sleep, activity, blood oxygen levels, among other features, and is bundled with new programs Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition as additions to the existing Halo subscription program. What’s more, it’s priced at $79.99, even cheaper than the original Halo band.
Update: Amazon Halo is now available to purchase without requesting an invite. Nothing has changed of my opinion from the original review.
The health and wellness industry has been something Apple has been focusing on for several years with the Apple Watch. After the first version focused on apps and communication, Apple pivoted in the following years toward the Apple Watch, becoming the ultimate fitness tracker by adding GPS, new workout types, ECG monitor, and much more. Amazon is relatively new to the health and wellness industry as a first-party product. While Amazon sells several fitness items, it has not branched out into a first-party connected fitness device until the Amazon Halo. I’ve been wearing the Halo for the first month, and I am finally at a place where I understand what the product is and what it’s not.
Connect fitness is a market that is currently seeing immense growth driven by COVID-19, but most analysts expect that trend to continue even after the pandemic is over. Amazon’s first product into this market was the Amazon Halo, but does it have further ambitions?
In a statement to Forbes, Amazon has denied the partnership with Echelon.
Over at our sister site 9to5Toys, we get our first look at the Amazon Halo fitness tracker that was announced earlier today.
