In 2019, budget fitness trackers have come a long way from way back in, oh, 2018. Many have simply become better at what they do and are legitimate alternatives to more pricey name brand trackers from Fitbit, Garmin and others. One that I particularly like is from Letscom that I ordered off of Amazon and it sells for less than $50.
It’s very reminiscent in style and size to the Apple Watch and Amazfit Bip but the menu system is more reminiscent of the Fitbit Versa but it also has some unique characteristics.
The color display is a true touchscreen. Some cheaper trackers only have a touch sensitive area but this one is fully touchscreen in that you can swipe up/down, right/left to access different features.
There are also two physical buttons, one of the right side and one on the left. The left button acts as the back or home button and will pause and stop timed activities. Either button will turn on the screen as will turning your wrist towards you. The left button is programmable to start your favorite activity by long pressing it.
GPS can be used with the watch if the activity is started through the mobile app. The activity will then begin on the watch, while you can view your location on the phone.
This is really useful when biking. I had my phone in a phone cradle on my bike and was able to not only see my location but also my heart rate, distance traveled and other data.
One thing I learned though is to not exit the app because it will stop the activity. I stopped to use the camera on my phone and the activity was stopped. It would be better if it could run in the background but it was kind of like having a fancy bike computer on my bike for GPS.
The watch uses the mobile app called VeryFitPro. It’s not the most intuitive app in the world and if you’re new to smartwatches/fitness trackers you may not know how to find what you’ve looking for. I know where to look in these kinds of apps but many people wouldn’t know. Once you get a hang of it, it’s very simple but you just have to know where to look. I’m going to be writing up some tips and tutorials for the app because that’s something us reviewers are often guilty of leaving out of our reviews!
When I have that article ready I will update this post with the link.
This particular Letscom watch, also sold under the name of Letsfit, and probably others supports the most common activities and has some other useful features that you don’t always find on devices in this price range.
Activities Supported: (up to 8 can be chosen to display on the watch)
- walking
- running
- bicycle
- hiking
- dynamic cycling (stationary bike)
- treadmill
- generic fitness category
- yoga
- climbing
- badminton
- basketball
- soccer
- tennis
- dancing
Other Features of the Letscom Fitness Tracker:
- music controller (control music playing on your phone)
- relax mode (guided breathing)
- alarm
- timer
- daily and weekly fitness data
- notifications (storage for up to 10 on the watch)
- flashlight setting
- eco mode for battery saving
- do not disturb setting to turn off notifications
- find phone
- 3 levels of screen brightness
- 4 watch faces to choose from
- long-pressing the left button can be programmed to start your chosen activity
- quick-release straps that look to be 19mm but I’m not 100% sure
- has a charging cradle that it snaps into
View the current price and availability on Amazon
There is some confusion as to the water rating for this particular watch, at least in its description on Amazon. It is rated IP68 which is suitable for withstanding rain, sweat, and splashes but I never recommend an IP68 rated watch for swimming. You really want a 3ATM or 5ATM rating.
Heart Rate Accuracy
I’ve had good results with the heart rate sensor. I’ve compared it to the Polar H10 chest heart rate strap on a 51 minute bike ride and the results were similar.
Polar H10
Avg HR: 116 bpm
Max HR: 140 bpm
Letscom
Avg HR: 114 bpm
Max HR: 140 bpm
I’ve also tested it against other devices and it’s really done a good job. At times it read my heart rate higher at the beginning of a workout but would settle in and be accurate.
The watch also has 24/7 heart rate tracking in which resting heart rate is determined. It was also accurate for this as well. I really can’t complain about the heart rate sensor at all.
Heart Rate Sensor Grade: A
GPS Accuracy
As discussed earlier, this tracker uses the GPS from your connected smartphone and an activity that utilizes GPS has to be started from the VeryFitPro app in order for connected GPS to work. You can’t start the activity from the watch first but when you do start the activity through the app it will automatically start the activity on the watch too.
And also like I wrote earlier, I really found he app useful when cycling because I could see my location live as I traveled down roads and along trails. My location was accurate with a slight delay here and there.
The only negative thing I have to say about having to use the app for GPS is that you can’t leave the app while it’s running. But the distance estimates were very reasonably accurate.
GPS Grade: B+
Step Tracking
Compared to the Fitbit Inspire HR the Letscom was more conservative with daily step estimates. Fitbit can be kind of generous so the actual number was probably somewhere in between.
It will probably miss some steps of very short walks, such as those that were 20 steps or less but during longer walks it did a good job. It also didn’t register any steps when I was riding my bike or in my car.
Step tracking is so hard to get exactly right and I don’t think there’s a tracker out there that is 100% accurate but this tracker will give you a good idea of your total steps, especially for those longer walks.
Step Tracking Grade: C+
Sleep Tracking
Compared to the Fitbit Inspire HR again sleep tracking was decent but not on par with Fitbit. The Fitbit Inspire was more accurate, especially when estimated the time that I woke up in the morning. It would recognize that I was awake while I was still in bed but the Letscom didn’t recognize I was awake until I got out of bed and started moving.
Also, if I got up out of bed and then went back to bed and fell asleep it wasn’t able to detect this. The Inspire HR was. So if sleep tracking is really important to you then you’ll probably be disappointed in this tracker and should look at getting the Fitbit Inspire HR or any of the other Fitbits. Most Garmin watches and the new Polar Ignite are also very good at sleep tracking.
Sleep Tracking Grade: C-
Connectivity
The Letscom will show notifications from your smartphone and store up to 10 of the last notifications you’ve received on the watch. You can access them by swiping down on the screen.
Full text notifications are shown and you can delete them on the watch. You can’t respond to the notifications such as quick replies. If you want a watch that is capable of that you’ll have to spend more money. If you have an Android smartphone you have more options from Garmin, Samsung, Fitbit, Fossil, Ticwatch, etc. If you have an iPhone and want to respond to messages your only choice currently is the Apple Watch.
Other than that, the Bluetooth connect was reliable and I had no issues syncing data to the mobile app.
Connectivity Grade: B
Check out the current price and availability on Amazon.
<--!nextpage-->Other Features
This tracker can also control music playing on your phone. You’ll have to start the music on your phone first but you’ll be able to pause, forward, and go back to tracks on the watch.
I particularly like how the watch integrates this feature into activities you may have running on the watch. Music can be controlled while your doing a timed activity like running, cycling, etc. All you have to do is swipe the screen to the left to get to the controls.
The screen itself is adquently responsive. It’s not Apple Watch quality but it’s better than 90% of the budget friendly trackers I’ve tested before. It’s also readable outdoors in bright sunlight. Many budget trackers aren’t so great in this area. There are 3 brightness level settings that you can manually set. And while the VeryFitPro app is a little clunky, the menu system on the watch is very easy to figure out and use.
Swiping up on the screen from the main screen will show the day’s number of steps, distance, calories burned and your weekly totals.
It also has a relax feature that functions nicely. These are timed and guided breathing activities to manage stress levels. This is common on higher end trackers but this is one of the first budget fitness trackers I’ve seen it on.
There’s also an eco mode for the battery that can be enabled to extend the battery life. Oh, and speaking of battery life I got 4-5 days out of it with normal usage.
The charging cable has a clip that the watch snaps into and I prefer such charging cradles.
The straps are quick release and they appear to be 19mm in width but I’m not 100% sure. It would have been better to have used a more common stap size but you can find 19mm straps on Amazon.
Conclusion
For the price, you’re getting quite a bit with this smartwatch/fitness tracker. This size and fit is comfortable. Many of the fitness features tested out very well. Sleep tracking is probably its weakest feature but it’s not terrible. There’s just devices out there that are a lot better.
Overall, if you’re looking for a tracker for under $50 then this one is well worth trying out. I’ve enjoyed reviewing it and wearing it.
Check out the current price and availability on Amazon.
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