Dedicated activity trackers or fitness trackers can help you move more, sleep better, and improve your overall health. However, fitness trackers are slowly fading away and smartwatches are taking their place. Users now want more features from their fitness bands like internal sensors, bigger, better screens and more.
But, are we witnessing the death of the fitness tracker or is the market just experiencing a lull before it surges back in line with smartwatch? Well, looks like it’s in the balance for now, but there are signs that indicate fitness trackers could soon be back on top. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the companies we believe will continue to lead the fitness tracker market and explore potential next-generation features that they could introduce to make sure these trackers still lead the fitness tracker charge, according to Wareable.
Flexible technology
Flexible technology could be one of the biggest changes in fitness trackers. This would mean that the modules would be thinner, bendable and could fit more snugly around the wrist. Samsung has long showed an interest in flexible technology and has a plenty of wearable prototypes exploring these kinds of developments.
Blood pressure
Since blood pressure monitoring feature aims to offer medical-grade tracking, adding it to a mass-market device requires FDA approval and, perhaps because of this, it isn’t necessarily a priority for companies like Fitbit and Garmin just yet. Since it’s a strong indicator of overall health, rumors indicate the big names are all exploring the possibility of the feature, reports Wareable.
Glucose monitoring
There’s plenty of dispute whether it is possible to monitor glucose through non-invasive methods on the wrist. While it’s unlikely we’ll see fitness trackers offering glucose monitoring anytime soon, Fitbit is preparing a coin-sized glucose monitoring patch that’s minimally invasive, and transmits the data to its wearables.
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Sleep apnea
Fitbit is expected to start on this feature sooner rather than later, and that should mean an overlap onto its fitness trackers.
Hydration monitoring
Consumers have been crying out for hydration monitoring in high-tier wearables for some time now. But, it’s hard to monitor hydration precisely. Fitbit has shown itself to be the most forward-thinking in this area, though this is a feature that fits Garmin’s M.O. better than any other wearable giant.
