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I considering to buy either an Xperia Mini Pro or the new Live Walkman (basicly the same phone but without QWERTY keyboard but with a 3.2" screen) for my girlfriend who has an iPhone4 right now. The reason is that she dislikes the weak signal reception of the iphone4 and some other minor things.
My questions for the Mini Pro and Live Walkman users are:
1. how is the signal reception?
2. is the screen too small if you go from an 3.5" iphone4?
3. how is the battery life compared to iphone4?
4. is the Mini Pro too thick?
Thanks
A comparison between xperia mini pro and iphone4 ?! :/
led zeppelin vs ricky martin ?
Signal is "normal", screen is smaller than iphone 4...seriously just send your gf to the nearest shop so that she can test it in her hands coz it's a real big change from iphone 4
Thank you but I will consider another phone. I just read a poll were 22 out of 31 people were not happy with the signal reception of the Mini Pro.
swedish source here
alexuz said:
Thank you but I will consider another phone. I just read a poll were 22 out of 31 people were not happy with the signal reception of the Mini Pro.
swedish source here
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I don't find it great either. But as a phone it's great (bang for buck wise).
My previous phone was LGP500 Optimus One, another example of a great bang-for-buck phone; I feel reception was better there. Plus, it's dirt cheap (but it's ARMv6 so no flash for you)
Anyone come from a Blackberry or were previously a blackberry user, comment on the keyboard of the Mini Pro?
I have test the xperia mini pro sk17 keyboard and a BOLD 3 keyboard, both are so ****in great, but the xperia mini pro keyboard is better, bigger, and is in a smaller phone
sorry for my english!
By Bold 3 do you mean the 9780 or the 9900?
are the mini pro keys clicky or more mushy?
how is the build quality, does it feel like a 'cheap phone'?
They give great tactile feedback. Clicky.
And I think build quality is really good, except that in closed form, the first 2 mm of opening could feel a little less soft.
Sent from my SK17i using XDA App
Here's my score after 1 Week of using a Xperia mini pro (sk17i).
I was using a LG o2x (optimus speed) before.
Hardware 8/10.
Pretty good for such a small phone, everyhing opens in a fraction of a second
It's strong enough to play psx emulators and N64 games, which is awesome.
Call Quality 7/10.
Pretty good here in germany. I've seen loads of people complaining about it, but it's fine here.
Physical Keyboard 9/10.
Best keyboard ive ever had on a mobile phone. Great pressure point, nicely illuminated. AND YOU CAN ****ING USE IT TO PLAY GAMES
The only downside: the first row of buttons is too close to the display-slider.
People with stubby fingers shouldnt get this phone, lol.
Screen 7/10.
Could use a few more options like turning off the ambient lightning, but it's great for such a small phone.
Battery 6/10
Lasts roughly 2 days with light usage. 1 day of heavy usage is enough to drain the battery completely. I believe i need to root it and uninstall all the crapware draining my battery life. It's okay though, i'm used to heavy battery drain, my optimus did the same.
Price 10/10.
Only 200€ for 1,2 ghz, 512mb ram and a 8Gb micro SD what more could i ask for?
The hardware is well implemented and the screen never lags for me.
Sadly it isnt made of gorilla glas, but i use screen protectors anway.
Overall 7,5/10
This phone is of course not made for multimedia lovers. It's a great device for people who text alot, play some games, do some calls and carry it around in their pants pockets. For my needs only, i'd give it a 9/10. 10/10 if SE
actually fixes some stuff like the ambient light sensor ****.
Plus, it's an eye catcher Everytime i slide out the keyboard people are like "ooooh show me your phone :O"
Hey,i have Live with Walkman and i think you should get it...
it's a good phone and has a reallyyyy great sound!
if she likes mousic she'll love it...all round it can do pretty much anything,play games with good quality/performance,it's very fast,5mp shooter with 720p video and led flash it's a great all-round phone,very complete...especially for the price!
Also it has good reception(not a problem to me with this phone)
the screen is just fine(i had a Galaxy S with a 4"inch screen before and i think it's display is quite good actually)
i use it all the time and the night only needs recharge(If you root it and use setcpu it can last even longer!!)
and finally it's quite slim and very very stylish...
Hope i've helped!!
Does anyone now the cheapest compatible heart rate monitor.
I would like to know this as well.
The Garmin HRM strap works fine (I just tried it). Not that they're that cheap but if you're a cyclist like me you probably already have one (or more).
Part Number: 010-10997-00 on Garmin's web site.
Has anyone else used a heart rate monitor with the Note 3? (or a fitness tracker/smart watch) If so, which ones? I would really love to get something like that! I can't find hardly any information on Samsung's S-band either, at least not from their site.
This is compatible and cheap. Opt for the "regular strap" for the cheaper version although I'd recommend getting the premium one for comfort.
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Premium-Heart-Monitor-Strap/dp/B0029M3NSS
Just got my Wahoo heart rate monitor and speed and cadence sensor for my bike.
All connect absolutely fine as they're Ant+ (knew they would)
Although they state for iPhone (stupid statement as it works on Ant+ not IOS).
best few $ I ever spent.
What apps do you guys use to track with? I've been using run keeper and have a garmin HRM and don't see a setting for it so i'm guessing this app does not support Ant+ sends me off to a blue tooth HRM.
doesn't the galaxy note 3 have Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+?
This is where I'm confused on the purchase of a HRM, I don't know whether to get a BLE or ANT+ strap? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
I have a Polar H7 which supports Bluetooth Smart. I use it with Sportstracker app. I went with Bluetooth Smart over Ant+ because more devices and apps are moving that way.
Endomondo is adding Bluetooth Smart soon. That's the app I want to use.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Polar Wearlink+.Bluetooth transmitter. Use it with CardioTrainer app.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HM0H14
There is also a very clever app which uses the camera and flashlight at the same time to report your pulse real-time - and it works!
Sent from my Galaxy Note III; Previous owner/hacker of Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus, Droid X, HTC HD2, HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Tilt, HTC 8525, O2 XDA II, O2 XDA.
Zephyr HxM = Sensor+Belt; Sports Tracker Pro = App
I use this combo daily. Absolutely reliable. The Zephyr HxM is the best senor because it has cadence built-in. This allows you to report distance on things like ellipticals and treadmills. The Zephyr HxM comes with a small dock for recharging; no messing with batteries. Sports Tracker Pro reports battery status along with other statistics so you can recharge unit after your workout if you notice it needs recharge. Sports Tracker Pro uploads your workouts to the cloud (if you so chose). This is a really complete package.
Amdathlonuk said:
Just got my Wahoo heart rate monitor and speed and cadence sensor for my bike.
All connect absolutely fine as they're Ant+ (knew they would)
Although they state for iPhone (stupid statement as it works on Ant+ not IOS).
best few $ I ever spent.
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Click to collapse
I too have a Wahoo HRM - works great.
I just picked up a Oregon Scientific SZ999 unit on Clearance for $23. I am trying to see if it will work with my Note 3. Has anyone tried these? It is a BLE (BT 4.0) device.
It shows up on my phone when I scan for it but when I try to communicate with it I get an "Unable to communicate with HRM (Ver0.4)" error.
The manual does say to slightly wet the skin where the pads go and to not have any hair. I just attached this to my chest and am slightly sweaty and have a little hair but nothing major. I figured if I saw it then I should be able to connect to it unless the battery is shot. It was on Clearance which normally means it has been in the box for a while.
So I guess I really want to know is has anyone tried using one of these with their phone?
If it works then I got it for an awesome price. If it doesn't then I have 30 days to return it.
Rodney
My main needs are:
1. Excellent GPS - Samsungs are universally crap and TomTom/Sygic/CoPilot always had me jumping around roads, forgetting where it was/which way the car was pointing when stuck in a jam etc. I just use TomTom now on my iPhone and whilst I hate iPhones their GPS/GLONASS implementation is excellent. Anyone used TomTom on a Z2? How did it fare? Both in dense urban situations and on highways and both on clear and cloudy days.
2. Loudspeaker - I do like to listen to radio in the shower and whilst I have no intention of ever taking a phone in there with me a good loudspeaker is a must. I heard the Z1 and possibly the Z2 had crappy loudspeakers due to waterproofing. Is this true? I'm not after a ghettoblaster but a good speaker is fairly important.
3. Camera - The iPhone 4S has a good camera. It opens quickly, HDR mode can cope with a moving toddler (my son rarely is still enough for other phones to cope with) and the camera can cope with shots where there is a window in there without just whiteing out the window area (l don't know the technical name for it but it's when the camera doesn't cope with light and darker areas well such as with the HTC One M8).
These are my main criteria and I'd like to know if the Z2 will meet my needs. It will be a big purchase for me and I can't afford to spend and lose money on a phone which doesn't do these functions well.
Everything else on the Z2 looks absolutely fantastic, just like the M8 and a Note 3 I had recently did except the M8 camera was truly awful (what were they thinking with that ultrapixel nonsense) and the Note 3 was terrible at GPS (five years on since the original Samsung Galaxy and the GPS was still like using a phone from 2005 when some phones didn't have true GPS).
I'd really value some honest opinions guys and gals!
Joe
joebongo said:
My main needs are:
1. Excellent GPS - Samsungs are universally crap and TomTom/Sygic/CoPilot always had me jumping around roads, forgetting where it was/which way the car was pointing when stuck in a jam etc. I just use TomTom now on my iPhone and whilst I hate iPhones their GPS/GLONASS implementation is excellent. Anyone used TomTom on a Z2? How did it fare? Both in dense urban situations and on highways and both on clear and cloudy days.
2. Loudspeaker - I do like to listen to radio in the shower and whilst I have no intention of ever taking a phone in there with me a good loudspeaker is a must. I heard the Z1 and possibly the Z2 had crappy loudspeakers due to waterproofing. Is this true? I'm not after a ghettoblaster but a good speaker is fairly important.
3. Camera - The iPhone 4S has a good camera. It opens quickly, HDR mode can cope with a moving toddler (my son rarely is still enough for other phones to cope with) and the camera can cope with shots where there is a window in there without just whiteing out the window area (l don't know the technical name for it but it's when the camera doesn't cope with light and darker areas well such as with the HTC One M8).
These are my main criteria and I'd like to know if the Z2 will meet my needs. It will be a big purchase for me and I can't afford to spend and lose money on a phone which doesn't do these functions well.
Everything else on the Z2 looks absolutely fantastic, just like the M8 and a Note 3 I had recently did except the M8 camera was truly awful (what were they thinking with that ultrapixel nonsense) and the Note 3 was terrible at GPS (five years on since the original Samsung Galaxy and the GPS was still like using a phone from 2005 when some phones didn't have true GPS).
I'd really value some honest opinions guys and gals!
Joe
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Click to collapse
1. Sorry dont really have much use for gps n only got phone this morning so untested
2. Right then, while i wouldnt say the speakers are crap they aren't the loudest, they do sound good tho.... im no audiophile but to me they sounded clear they just didnt go loud enough (altho i wouldnt rule out some form of volume increase app coming along for rooted users at some point) I havent tested the noise cancelling headphones yet but have heard they are very good. On a side note i received a free sont srs btx300 speaker, if you can get one thrown in then its well worth it. Maybe worth noting that altho the low volume may be caused by waterproofing you could keep it closer in the shower so it may not seem that quiet
3. dont know about hdr, ive yet to look at all the camera settings... but there is something called time burst while will 60 shots in 2 seconds, not tested it but read about it, apparently it starts shooting when you open it and it saves the 30 pics from 1 second before pressing shutter and 30 from 1 second after, you then pick the best one(s), should be perfect for capturing a toddler
I have to say I'm pretty disappointed by the speakers, thought they would be a lot louder.
The noise cancelling headphones are brilliant though, very clear, and good amount of bass.
A first I did think the speakers were pretty awful in comparison to the M8 however, once I enabled xLOUD from the Sound Enhancement settings it became very comparable!
As for the photos, I regularly take photos of skateboarding and the Timeshift Burst feature on the Sony phones is brilliant for moving shots. Like the other guy said, it constantly buffers the first 30 images while the app is open and then takes another 30 after you press the shutter, you'll always get a handful of great shots at the perfect moment!
As for GPS, I don't drive, but my phone is used as the sat nav whenever I'm in a friends car. I've only ever used Google Maps but I have to say it works flawlessly. Always accurate and very easy to use.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
The speakers are just fine. Only the m8 beats it for loudness and quality. It's louder than the m7 which was all the rage last year so can't see what the problem is. The speakers on the z2 get the job done and pretty well too especially while watching videos and gaming.
As for the camera, it's to put it simply, only bettered perhaps by the lumia 1020. It takes the most amazing 8mp shots with so much detail it's hard to accept they're actually 8mp snaps. Colour reproduction is frightfully accurate with excellent dynamic range. Crank up the resolution and things noticeably degrade in quality in every respect mostly focusing. The shots are still to notch but just not as good as the truly incredible 8mp snaps.
Never had any problems with gps on any Sony device but the z2's seems better than that on the z. The weather app picks up my location exactly while that on the z was more general.
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
joebongo said:
My main needs are:
1. Excellent GPS - Samsungs are universally crap and TomTom/Sygic/CoPilot always had me jumping around roads, forgetting where it was/which way the car was pointing when stuck in a jam etc. I just use TomTom now on my iPhone and whilst I hate iPhones their GPS/GLONASS implementation is excellent. Anyone used TomTom on a Z2? How did it fare? Both in dense urban situations and on highways and both on clear and cloudy days.
Joe
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Click to collapse
Since when do samsungs's GPS's suck?!
All the notes, S s, and even some of the budget phones I handled NAILED GPS co-ordinates/Google maps etc!
I travel..off-road too...and heavily rely on GPS.
How have you arrived at such a conclusion or your just a hater?
In regards to Sammy gps, I had galaxy s 1 2 & 3, and found the gps took a long time to lock on to satellites but when they did they were very accurate.
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
How is the Z2's volume when the phone is in your pocket? Just asking cause I work in a loud environment, also, how does the antenna perform when in a building ( like in the middle of a warehouse or basement of shopping centre or department store)? Thanks for the info guys :good:
Pre- ordered on 8/3 and still waiting lol....
The samsungs I've had (the first galaxy and a note 3) were terrible with gps and had me in fields or parallel roads and generally were unusable. Maybe I just had two duff units but looking on the web there were also many people having gps accuracy issues for driving on both models.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
cyneverdie said:
Since when do samsungs's GPS's suck?!
All the notes, S s, and even some of the budget phones I handled NAILED GPS co-ordinates/Google maps etc!
I travel..off-road too...and heavily rely on GPS.
How have you arrived at such a conclusion or your just a hater?
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Click to collapse
One of my friends got his Note 3 a couple months ago (he's a long time iPhone user) and we were headed out to meet someone. We were using the GPS on his Note, and for some reason the damned thing was off by a 1-2 intersections! I whipped out my Xperia Z Ultra, and it was spot on for our location.
Dunno what was going on with his Note 3, but damn it sucked. He mentioned that he had run into similar problems with it in the past, so it wasn't a one-off thing either.
vivftp said:
One of my friends got his Note 3 a couple months ago (he's a long time iPhone user) and we were headed out to meet someone. We were using the GPS on his Note, and for some reason the damned thing was off by a 1-2 intersections! I whipped out my Xperia Z Ultra, and it was spot on for our location.
Dunno what was going on with his Note 3, but damn it sucked. He mentioned that he had run into similar problems with it in the past, so it wasn't a one-off thing either.
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Click to collapse
Hmmm...never heard that before. The Note 3 rocks!
I assure you that his phone has some serious issues....it should be pin sharp accuracy.
Dying for a Z ultra 2 btw....
With a damn flash/torch!
Does the videos get recorded in mono or stereo? What's the fps while recording in 720p?
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using Tapatalk 2
joebongo said:
The samsungs I've had (the first galaxy and a note 3) were terrible with gps and had me in fields or parallel roads and generally were unusable. Maybe I just had two duff units but looking on the web there were also many people having gps accuracy issues for driving on both models.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember that map apps use an algorithm where it assumes you are continuing on the road it's telling you to go on, assuming that any deviation between the position from the GPS and the real location is due to drift. So it might not be as bad as you think.
I've also had regular problems with my note 3 gps. So sketchy and unreliable. Anyway here's hoping the z2's is better. Hope this thing hurries up and releases in the states!
In order to offload step calculation from Galaxy S5 and add heart rate monitoring to my exercises I thought to buy Samsung Gear Fit. I thought it might help a lot. But after a little research it seems its pedometer and heart rate sensor is far from accurate. However, all those reviews were made when it was first released. It got some updates I think. Now, after those updates what about its accuracy, did Samsung increase its pedometer and heart rate monitor accuracy via updates, or is it still the same?
Also since nearly a month S Health application is very laggy. When I wake up the device it is freezed nearly for 5 secs. Exercise mode rarely functions, just freezes and phone asks to kill it. This way also it consumes much more battery too. So I see it is important to not rely on only one application. Can Gear Fit run fine with other applications like Endomondo? I thought about other devices too, but it seems Gear Fit is the best in its price tag and features.
S-Health is really bad. I use Endomondo and it does more than I could ask for. Yes, best value for money device.
sis651 said:
In order to offload step calculation from Galaxy S5 and add heart rate monitoring to my exercises I thought to buy Samsung Gear Fit. I thought it might help a lot. But after a little research it seems its pedometer and heart rate sensor is far from accurate. However, all those reviews were made when it was first released. It got some updates I think. Now, after those updates what about its accuracy, did Samsung increase its pedometer and heart rate monitor accuracy via updates, or is it still the same?
Also since nearly a month S Health application is very laggy. When I wake up the device it is freezed nearly for 5 secs. Exercise mode rarely functions, just freezes and phone asks to kill it. This way also it consumes much more battery too. So I see it is important to not rely on only one application. Can Gear Fit run fine with other applications like Endomondo? I thought about other devices too, but it seems Gear Fit is the best in its price tag and features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems so. Just Endomondo seems its not able to use the heart rate sensor. I don't know, maybe I can buy sth. like Garmin Vivosmart and a heart rate monitor band. I'm dubious as I haven't used these devices. In fact do not really need these, but hava some capitalistic urge to buy from these.
What about their pedometer and heart rate accuracy?
After quite some time of using Amazfit 2 as sportstracker mostly for running, I would like to share my experiences and comment on issues I have found. I have bought Amazfit 2 as a cheap replacement for garmin forerunner 220 I have used in the past. My feelings are quite mixed in the end. One of the highlights of amazfit is its build. It is build to last, looks nicely and fells durable in comparison with low to mid class garmin devices. However, there is lot of issues that in my opinion render it unusable for serious sport tracking:
GPS recording - There is discrepancy between mileage showed on watches (and in Amazfit app) vs mileage actually written in GPX file. So when your activity gets uploaded into Strava (or you then export it to Endomondo etc.), there is major difference (up to 2 %) in total mileage and thus also in pace etc. This is critical flaw.
Pace - One of the most important features of running sport tester is its ability to indicate current tempo. However, Amazfit readings fluctuate wildly, so it is really of not much use. For example, when jogging at constant pace, it quickly jumps between 4:00-5:30 min per km. In garmin devices, this get averaged and probably even anticipates hand movement, so you get quite good impression of how fast are you running at the moment. This is another major drawback of amazfit.
Altitude - I have noticed that for running, amazfit uses altitude from GPS only. Therefore, it is very inaccurate and completely useless - serves more like a random number generator. If you use "trail run" acitivity, altitude is measured through barometric sensor only, which is also less accurate. On garmin devices with barometer, altitude is measeured through combination of both sensors and measurements are very accurate (I got this impression after using Strava's correct elevation functionality).
Heart rate - For me, heart rate measurement during activity provides very poor readings. Even though i am having watches tightened fairly strong. For my regular runs at 150-160 bpm (measured through chest strap), typical stratos reading is around 120. Only sporadically, it gets closer to real values for certain period of workout. But in general, it is useless. It works same for my friend who also bought Amazfit for running. It seems to perform better when cycling (maybe because there is not that much hand movement - I dunno). However at this price tag, it is not realistic to expect any kind of accuracy from optical sensor. It is probably something very basic, it can be compared with garmin devices, which provide kind of realistic measurements. Downside of stratos is also the fact that it does not support ANT+ protocol, so most quality chest straps are not supported.
First beat features - These are in theory very nice. However as they are mostly based on HR readings, which are totaly offshot in Amazfit, they are not of much use.
However, this is something you might expect, as amazfit costs fraction of most other comparable devices, that can actually be used as sports tracker. In general, I would say, for a price it is still good buy for a nice looking smartwatch. For usage as sport tester, it has very nice hardware, however lacks proper software, which is probably not going to get changed.
Abandonned my Stratos because steps count are totaly wrong. Works if you start a fitness exercice with continuous walk or run but unusable as daily tracker. Steps are at minimum 2 time below real steps. I have real steps with a Fitbit One wich count only steps and not arm movement. Stratos daily steps also totally wrong compared to : Apple Watch, Gear Watch, Fitbit Watch, Garmin Watch.
Other thing is the current temp. Works sometime but often no data and display only min/max of the forecast for the day so unusable to have a forecast and not current temps. When we have a feature it must works or deleted
Notifications truncated but works on Android phone but ramdomly on IOS phone.
Not ready for prime time, just as prototype for tester.
thanks great review
Poborak said:
After quite some time of using Amazfit 2 as sportstracker mostly for running, I would like to share my experiences and comment on issues I have found. I have bought Amazfit 2 as a cheap replacement for garmin forerunner 220 I have used in the past. My feelings are quite mixed in the end. One of the highlights of amazfit is its build. It is build to last, looks nicely and fells durable in comparison with low to mid class garmin devices. However, there is lot of issues that in my opinion render it unusable for serious sport tracking:
GPS recording - There is discrepancy between mileage showed on watches (and in Amazfit app) vs mileage actually written in GPX file. So when your activity gets uploaded into Strava (or you then export it to Endomondo etc.), there is major difference (up to 2 %) in total mileage and thus also in pace etc. This is critical flaw.
Pace - One of the most important features of running sport tester is its ability to indicate current tempo. However, Amazfit readings fluctuate wildly, so it is really of not much use. For example, when jogging at constant pace, it quickly jumps between 4:00-5:30 min per km. In garmin devices, this get averaged and probably even anticipates hand movement, so you get quite good impression of how fast are you running at the moment. This is another major drawback of amazfit.
Altitude - I have noticed that for running, amazfit uses altitude from GPS only. Therefore, it is very inaccurate and completely useless - serves more like a random number generator. If you use "trail run" acitivity, altitude is measured through barometric sensor only, which is also less accurate. On garmin devices with barometer, altitude is measeured through combination of both sensors and measurements are very accurate (I got this impression after using Strava's correct elevation functionality).
Heart rate - For me, heart rate measurement during activity provides very poor readings. Even though i am having watches tightened fairly strong. For my regular runs at 150-160 bpm (measured through chest strap), typical stratos reading is around 120. Only sporadically, it gets closer to real values for certain period of workout. But in general, it is useless. It works same for my friend who also bought Amazfit for running. It seems to perform better when cycling (maybe because there is not that much hand movement - I dunno). However at this price tag, it is not realistic to expect any kind of accuracy from optical sensor. It is probably something very basic, it can be compared with garmin devices, which provide kind of realistic measurements. Downside of stratos is also the fact that it does not support ANT+ protocol, so most quality chest straps are not supported.
First beat features - These are in theory very nice. However as they are mostly based on HR readings, which are totaly offshot in Amazfit, they are not of much use.
However, this is something you might expect, as amazfit costs fraction of most other comparable devices, that can actually be used as sports tracker. In general, I would say, for a price it is still good buy for a nice looking smartwatch. For usage as sport tester, it has very nice hardware, however lacks proper software, which is probably not going to get changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its great to have a review from sport tracker point of view . After watching many youtube reviews I was in impression that this watch is a steal but now I think they have compromised on GPS , Optical heart sensor and software . I think now I will stick to my TomTom Spark as its fairly accurate in both department and wait for AmazeFit 3. Thanks for the great review :good:
I love my Stratos 2S...
I am not a professional athlete and for my use it is more than ideal! A great price for what it offers, without mentioning the battery life.
Guto ViP said:
I love my Stratos 2S...
I am not a professional athlete and for my use it is more than ideal! A great price for what it offers, without mentioning the battery life.
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Click to collapse
These are my thoughts exactly. I recently ordered the Stratos and saw this thread thinking "Oh no, should I cancel my order?" but reading the details, the concerns raised by OP are likely not of concern for anyone that is not particularly "serious" about their athletics. In other-words, it's exactly what it looks like - an lower cost alternative to professional sports tracking devices. 2% inaccuracies in the distance traveled is actually ideal for my purposes - I may run about 5 miles at a time, so if it indicates I ran 4.9 or 5.1 miles (~2% is 0.1 miles), I would have no problems there since I likely set my stop point based on Google maps to begin with!
All the other metrics such as altitude, pace, and HR, I would treat as relative to my initial readings. Eg, if I started a run at 100 ft elevation and 70BPM, I would simply look at how much of a difference from that I varied and only care if I saw absurdly huge variances.
I appreciate the insights, and the details provided by OP, but I think it actually sends a different message to some users - instead of saying "it's quite useless", it's really just quite useless for OP and serious (or professional) athletic tracking. For every day, average joe/casual users, we're mostly glad to hear there's only a 2% variance.
Thanks for the details analysis! Looking forward to receiving my watch.
Individuals have different expectation. For its price, I will never think it can be as good as Garmin or much more expensive trackers. Serious athletes should never consider this Stratos watch unless you can accept certain flaws for its much lower price tag. It's quite unfair to compare it with those trackers and come with the conclusion that it's useless while many others are happy with it.
I will never think it can be as good as Garmin or much more expensive trackers
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Bingo. There's a reason a Garmin costs 2, 3 times as much. It's not that the Amazfits are bad they just may lack some of the refinement/accuracy of more expensive devices.
On a value-for-money count, they score high.
Poborak said:
After quite some time of using Amazfit 2 [...].
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Click to collapse
I agree to all points. I have each experience the same after few weeks and several activities with this watch already performed.
I can only wish that firmware updates will improve most of weaknesses.
I have compared vivoactive 3/gamin fenix 5/polar m430/amazfit stratos and I will keep only the stratos, I explain shortly my decision:
Calories burned in all the day and training in gym (I'm bodybuilder) with a chest strap are the same (+/- 50) than the garmin.
Y use elpitical profile to track the gym activity and problem solved.
Amazing product for this price, the app is very good. 130 Euros VS..... no VS.
cons
nice watches, though i will get rid of tomtom spark 3 cardio, but Stratos showing wrong hr even with hr belt, instead of 48 showing high 70... even with belt the optical diode is still flashing. looks like bugged evo model to me...
Poborak said:
GPS recording - There is discrepancy between mileage showed on watches (and in Amazfit app) vs mileage actually written in GPX file. So when your activity gets uploaded into Strava (or you then export it to Endomondo etc.), there is major difference (up to 2 %) in total mileage and thus also in pace etc. This is critical flaw.
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For GPS is pretty accurate. I have a track that I use for years now. Ran it with different watches (Vivoactive, Fitbit Ionic, TomTom etc). All of them had different mileage. And the Stratos is in the range of the others. Same for Strava: As far as I know Strava is automaticly correcting the length of the run based on their own algorithms.
I had an Garmin Vivoactive 3 before which costs twice as Stratos and was returned and refunded because of 2 hardware defects. I can only compare my Stratos to the VA3.
Distance: Same on both devices but little difference to Strava (both).
Pace: Same on both devices but Vivoactive 3 is updating move frequently and giving more pace alerts.
Altitude: Good to OK for Stratos, totally off for VA3. Strava corrects it anyway so I do not mind. For accurate altitude one needs to have a Suunto or Polar watch.
Step count: Only fine in walking activities on Stratos. For whole day it is counting much less than VA3. Amazfit should use a different algorithm for all day steps as others do. But I do not care about steps that much and VA3 is also not counting baby stroller steps.
Intensity minutes: The only reliable measurement on the VA3 but not available at Stratos.
Floor count: Garmin VA3 was OK but omitting some. Stratos stopped to count my floors since now the threshold seems to be much higher than 3 m.
Activities: Stratos missing important activity types as cardio or yoga. I am using elliptical for that which has almost same calorie count.
Heart rate sensor: Garmin has one of the best (it not the best) and because Vivoactive 3 is small and light it is the best watch at Garmin for recording. But still one needs to use a chest strap for high intensity activities or intervals. Stratos sensor is really bad but OK for resting heart rate and if one puts it higher on the arm and makes it tight than good enough for running or cycling.
Usage: Garmins VA3 has a crappy touch interface with a lot of annoyances and no mood to fix it. Stratos is more easy to operate but to slow and sometimes buggy.
App: Garmins Connect app is not really an app but just a web view. It holds a lot of data which is sometimes confusing but only works while having an active internet connection. Without internet is is not possible so sync activities to the smartphone nor checking data on the smartphone app. Stratos app is functional without internet but can only sync to Strava.
Verdict: I would be totally happy with the Stratos if the bugs are fixed and it had cardio and yoga activity types. I also like the Firstbeat features like recovery time and training effect. Garmins Vivoactive 3 is doing OK as an expensive activity tracker but has no training features and an annoying user interface and also some bugs like wrong altitude.
battery life with HR belt
guys whats your battery life with HR belt? I get -38% of battery after 2hr run with HR belt + GPS /optical switched off/, no backlight.
any hints?
my tomtom spark 3 runs for 8h15m with gps and HR belt, 7hr when skitouring /sub 0`C temp/
Hr measurements are completely off i take jabbra sport earbud for this and they connect to the stratos so ok
What annoys me the more is the altitude completely off hope they will introduce a manual input for this ... and sometimes it freeze ?
Great review of real runner, thank you!
Jabbra sport earbud
pbxl said:
Hr measurements are completely off i take jabbra sport earbud for this and they connect to the stratos so ok
What annoys me the more is the altitude completely off hope they will introduce a manual input for this ... and sometimes it freeze
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Hi could you share the exact model, would like to get the same earbuds for heart rate measurements.
Thanks