We don’t generally write about fitness trackers and wearables, but we’re making an exception for the Wyze Band. Wyze disrupted the smart home device camera market in 2017 when the company released the first Wyze Camera, an indoor smart home security camera that earned shockingly positive reviews despite its minuscule $20 cost. Former Amazon employees founded Wyze in response to what they viewed as significant over-pricing among major smart home camera brands. Now Wyze has taken what appears to be a similar step with the $25 Wyze Band. We haven’t tested, touched, or even seen the Wyze Band in person, so we’re not making any claims about how well it works. We feel reasonably confident, however, based on Wyze’s track record with several products starting with the Wyze Camera, that the Wyze Band will perform as advertised.
Here’s a run-down of the Wyze Band specifications. The Wyze Band comes with a USB charger and a Quick Start Guide. The wristband weighs 2.6-ounces and fits wrists with a circumference from 6.1-inches to 8.6-inches. A Cypress PSOC6 dual-core microcontroller unit (MCU) drives the Wzye Band including its 240 pixel, 282 PPI, 0.95-inch AMOLED color display. The device has 288 KB internal and 8 MB external RAM, along with 16 MB of flash storage. The tracker has no speaker, but there are two digital mics. A 120 mAh lithium battery supplies power, rated for up to 10 days of normal use. A standard USB port connects to the included charger. The Wyze Band connects to other devices via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 wireless. Finally, the Bandis rated for 5 ATM, water-resistant up to 164 feet underwater for up to 10 minutes. The Wyze Band also has an accelerometer, a PPG heartbeat sensor, and haptic feedback for vibration alerts.
The Wyze Band tracks steps, but it also tracks your heart rate for up to 10 days. It monitors sleep patterns and quality and can remind you when you’ve been sitting for too long. You can use the Wyze Band to set alarms and configure it to receive notifications and alerts from your smartphone.
The Wyze Band uses two forms of connectivity. You can use the Band to control all current and future Wyze smart home devices, including cameras, lights, and plugs. It also comes with Alexa built-in, which means you can ask Alexa questions and get answers (in print on the display), set timers and alarms, and control your home’s Alexa-compatible smart devices such as turning on lights and security systems, controlling a smart thermostat, and adding an item to your shopping list.
The Wyze Band’s extensive laundry list of features and its low price point aren’t conclusive proof that the low-cost fitness-focused wristband will take over or even threaten the markets for Fitbit, Garmin, and the Apple Watch. Even if some Wyze Band features don’t measure up in various respects to the more established brands, the act of a price disruptor with a proven record entering the wearable space with a functional device at such a low cost is a favorable sign for even more price competition in the wearables market.
