Wondering if anyone has done any testing to see the effect the blood oxygen measurements have on battery life? Main reason for asking is that I'm a recent Garmin Epix 2 convert to the Ultra and it is well known that leaving it enabled on Garmin watches completely torches the battery so I've always had it disabled and would only use it to do spot checks when I'm in the mountains to check on how well acclimated I am. Probably going to do the same thing with the Ultra since the readings don't appear to be all that accurate compared to my fingertip sensor.
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SPo2 Effect on battery life?
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Haven’t tested; don’t need to.
The Ultra will take a dozen or so measurements overnight, and then a few more during the day. And it only uses 2% or so total battery overnight for all of its sleep analysis. (That is, go to bed with 85% battery, wake up with 83% battery, everything turned on, including SPO2.)
You have to hold still and have the face pointing up in order to get a measurement. It’s not going to give you any measurements during a workout.
So, since you’ve already got the watch, go ahead and turn it on and leave it on.
I haven’t compared directly to a fingertip doohickey, but the ranges it reports are consistent with what I expect to see at the doctor’s office as well as what I saw when paid attention at home in the early days of the pandemic.
I’m not sure how the number would change your training routine, unless your routine incorporates some complicated altitude adjustments. In practice, it’s going to be far more useful for far more people if it shows a sudden decrease, especially to worrisome levels. As in, “better get to the doctor right away, because you’re having trouble breathing (even if you don’t feel it).” And, of course, I’m sure there are those with chronic conditions who need to pay particularly close attention — but that’s above our pay grade.
b&
The Ultra will take a dozen or so measurements overnight, and then a few more during the day. And it only uses 2% or so total battery overnight for all of its sleep analysis. (That is, go to bed with 85% battery, wake up with 83% battery, everything turned on, including SPO2.)
You have to hold still and have the face pointing up in order to get a measurement. It’s not going to give you any measurements during a workout.
So, since you’ve already got the watch, go ahead and turn it on and leave it on.
I haven’t compared directly to a fingertip doohickey, but the ranges it reports are consistent with what I expect to see at the doctor’s office as well as what I saw when paid attention at home in the early days of the pandemic.
I’m not sure how the number would change your training routine, unless your routine incorporates some complicated altitude adjustments. In practice, it’s going to be far more useful for far more people if it shows a sudden decrease, especially to worrisome levels. As in, “better get to the doctor right away, because you’re having trouble breathing (even if you don’t feel it).” And, of course, I’m sure there are those with chronic conditions who need to pay particularly close attention — but that’s above our pay grade.
b&
An addendum: I dug out the finger doohickey.
First time, the Ultra was unable to get a measurement. The next couple times, it read in the low ‘90s while the finger thingie said mid-90s.
So I took off the watch, cleaned the back with my shirt, put the watch back on. The next two readings were 1% below what the finger whatchamacallit said. Moved the thingamabob to the other hand; same thing: the watch read 1% less.
Moral of the story: the watch is almost certainly no worse than a two-year-old $30 Walgreens pulsar discombobulator; but, if the watch readings don’t seem right, give its backside a good wipe.
Come to think of it, “give its backside a good wipe” is a not-bad first approximation to solving so many of life’s problems ...
b&
First time, the Ultra was unable to get a measurement. The next couple times, it read in the low ‘90s while the finger thingie said mid-90s.
So I took off the watch, cleaned the back with my shirt, put the watch back on. The next two readings were 1% below what the finger whatchamacallit said. Moved the thingamabob to the other hand; same thing: the watch read 1% less.
Moral of the story: the watch is almost certainly no worse than a two-year-old $30 Walgreens pulsar discombobulator; but, if the watch readings don’t seem right, give its backside a good wipe.
Come to think of it, “give its backside a good wipe” is a not-bad first approximation to solving so many of life’s problems ...
b&