Increasing in popularity, fitness watches and bands have become essential to tracking progress and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They can monitor sleep, heart rate, strain levels and other important metrics. The Whoop fitness band was released in 2015, however it has more recently gained popularity and they released their fifth model earlier this year. Also released in 2015, the Apple Watch offers a more comprehensive design as it has a touch screen surface with access to many iTunes apps. While the Whoop band is cost free, they offer various memberships with fees, however, the Apple Watch is a one time purchase fee with available cellular service subscription. For a yearly Whoop subscription the cost is $239.99 meanwhile, the lowest end Apple Watch costs $249. Despite the high membership fees and the lack of a touch screen, the Whoop is more beneficial than the Apple Watch.
Since there is no screen on the band itself, the Whoop app contains all the data that the band collects. The app itself features three main categories and many subcategories. Those main categories are sleep, recovery and strain. The subcategories track health metrics like heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, skin temperature and respiratory rate which allows the band to determine your daily health. Many people have discovered that when the band detects a negative change in these metrics, it serves as a sign of sickness. The sleep section provides an overview of each night’s sleep along with suggestions on how to improve sleep for the best recovery in order to prepare for maximum performance the following day. Although the Apple Watch also tracks sleep, its data is less accurate and its platform is harder to interpret. Whoop also provides an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool for users to help if they are having trouble understanding their data. The AI tool also allows for users to plan out their day and workouts to achieve desired strain levels. The absence of a screen on the Whoop band also allows for more versatility with its uses while also limiting distractions. “Whoop is a superior health tool to the Apple Watch,” said Senior Dylan Nelson. “It provides the same data, but doesn’t have a screen so it limits distractions.” Athletes can compete with the band without having to worry about the security of their device. The band itself can be used, or users have the ability to purchase WHOOP gear to protect the device given their environment and preferences. The Apple Watch is a great tool for every day activity and serves the purpose of a watch by providing the time. “Even though I like my [Apple] Watch, I can say that the Whoop is 10 times better,” said Senior Brooks Gerhard. For charging, the Apple Watch needs to be charged almost every night, but the Whoop has a battery life of 2 weeks and can be charged while being worn. The Whoop offers a more streamlined approach to tracking health efficiently providing effective data. Despite the broad features of the Apple Watch, the Whoop has a more streamlined approach to assist athletes and individuals who desire a healthy lifestyle.