If I may make a suggestion to any posters who talk about the supposed accuracy of the watch for steps or heart rate compared to other devices. Almost every time they make statements about how the watch doesn't match their Fitbit (or whatever) device and it is presented as if the Apple Watch is the one that is off.
My point is, nothing in most of these posts establishes which device is the most accurate. The posters may have made various tests to know, but the info in their posts do not give that information so it kinda sounds like an assumption that the device they had before is "right" and thus any difference in the watch means the watch is wrong.
I had one of the Fitbits for steps and I ran some tests where I'd count the number of steps myself - typically around 1000 - and then I'd look at the fitbit results and they were always off. Might have been "close enough", but it was off more than I expected. When I checked (just once though) the watch, I got a more accurate number.
I checked the HR against both a separate app on the phone and also a separate device for checking blood pressure and HR. The watch was always within 1 bpm. I have seen problems with the HR on the watch though. Most commonly I'll manually check the HR and sometimes, when it shows the rate for "x minutes ago", it will seem higher than I expect - and when the manual result comes in, it is always what I expect. Also occasionally see spikes (always high) at other times. Usually not, but often enough that it does bug me.
Anyway, if people would tell us how they know their other device is more accurate, the posts would have more meaning. Even a HR strap, which should be better, may not necessarily be so if you don't actually compare it with something solid - like taking your own pulse by feel.
Or by actually mentally counting steps for that metric.
My point is, nothing in most of these posts establishes which device is the most accurate. The posters may have made various tests to know, but the info in their posts do not give that information so it kinda sounds like an assumption that the device they had before is "right" and thus any difference in the watch means the watch is wrong.
I had one of the Fitbits for steps and I ran some tests where I'd count the number of steps myself - typically around 1000 - and then I'd look at the fitbit results and they were always off. Might have been "close enough", but it was off more than I expected. When I checked (just once though) the watch, I got a more accurate number.
I checked the HR against both a separate app on the phone and also a separate device for checking blood pressure and HR. The watch was always within 1 bpm. I have seen problems with the HR on the watch though. Most commonly I'll manually check the HR and sometimes, when it shows the rate for "x minutes ago", it will seem higher than I expect - and when the manual result comes in, it is always what I expect. Also occasionally see spikes (always high) at other times. Usually not, but often enough that it does bug me.
Anyway, if people would tell us how they know their other device is more accurate, the posts would have more meaning. Even a HR strap, which should be better, may not necessarily be so if you don't actually compare it with something solid - like taking your own pulse by feel.
Or by actually mentally counting steps for that metric.
