Latest news with #Garmin
Tom's Guide
11 hours ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Huge Garmin sale with up to 40% off at Amazon — 11 deals I recommend buying now
One of the best Garmin watches will help you stay on top of your activity this summer, and right now Amazon is offering Garmin deals from $169. The sale even includes some of our top reviewed models! For example, right now you can get the Garmin Forerunner 55 on sale for $169 at Amazon. We rank this as the best value Garmin watch and it's even better with this $40 discount. (Just note that it sold for $20 less earlier this year.) You can also get an impressive $319 off the Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 (42mm), now on sale for $580 at Amazon. Keep scrolling to see my favorite Garmin deals right now. Plus, check out our Amazon promo codes, and see the back-to-school laptop deals I'd buy with up to $400 off. This isn't a watch deal, but it's a Garmin accessory worth investing in. The HRM-Pro Plus heart rate strap provides more accurate heart rate data than a watch can, works with Garmin devices and fitness apps, and even tracks steps and calories when you're not wearing a watch. With a year-long battery life and easy setup, it's a great buy, especially at this price. The Garmin Venu Sq 2 offers 11-day battery life, 24/7 health tracking, 25+ sports apps, and smart notifications, keeping you connected on both Android and iOS. This is the Garmin to get if you're buying a running watch for the first time. It offers a bright screen, easy to read stats, and long battery life. You'll also have access to PacePro suggested workouts, which is like having a running coach on your wrist. In our Garmin Forerunner 55 review, we said this watch was like having an expert coach on your wrist. The Garmin Vivoactive 5 is a comprehensive fitness tracker that comes in at an affordable price. In our Garmin Vivoactive 5 review, we loved this device's gorgeous AMOLED display, access to multitude of sports apps and its advanced health stats like sleep and stress coaching. This budget-friendly entry in the Garmin Instinct series just got even cheaper. This smartwatch has many of the features we like about the Garmin Instinct 3, including the same holistic sensors and sleep/recovery tools. It's made with a lightweight plastic bezel, and battery life lasts up to 16 days. The rugged Instinct 2X Solar is built for adventure, with features like dual-band GPS tracking and a built-in flashlight helping you enjoy the great outdoors. It also has solar panels on the front to stretch the already impressive battery life even further in sunny conditions, and comes in a range of eye-catching colors. In our Garmin Approach S62 review, we said this is the best golf watch an avid player can get. It's got accurate GPS measurements, great virtual caddy analysis and excellent battery life in GPS mode. It's pricy, so if you're a beginner the Garmin Approach S12 may be a better pick. The Garmin Forerunner 965 packs a bright, beautiful OLED display, accurate heart rate and GPS tracking, and excellent integration with the Garmin Connect app. In our Garmin Forerunner 965 review, we said this is the ideal watch to get if you want a premium training watch with a large screen. However, there's no ECG sensor or support for wireless charging. The Garmin Approach S70 is Garmin's flagship GPS-enabled smartwatch for golfers. In addition to all the tech found in the S62, the S70 boasts a higher-quality display, more modern looking hole maps with better detail, and a bevy of additional smart and fitness-tracking features. The Garmin Epix Gen 2 offers impressive battery life for an AMOLED sports watch. Even with the always-on display, it lasts around 10 days on a single charge. My colleague Nick Harris-Fry ran a 2:27 marathon wearing it, and praised this watch for it's reliable tracking and training analysis. This Garmin is on sale for a massive 45% discount. This model is a couple of years old now, but it still delivers nice features for boaters like accurate GPS and tide data. You also get heart rate, Pulse Ox, stress and enhanced sleep tracking, with a 1.4-inch always-on display and up to 28 days of battery life.
Phone Arena
17 hours ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
The Garmin Instinct 2S Solar has just become a no-brainer at 50% off on Amazon
The Garmin Instinct 2S Solar is $201 off $201 off (50%) The Garmin Instinct 2S Solar is an excellent choice for workout enthusiasts seeking durability, multiple sports and wellness features, and epic 51-day battery life. The model with a 40mm case and solar charging is half off right now, making it an absolute steal you just can't pass up. Buy at Amazon Receive the latest mobile news By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy Looking for a timepiece that matches your active lifestyle, features a rugged design, and has unlimited battery life? The Garmin Instinct 2S Solar might be worth a look, provided you're OK with getting a 40mm GPS watch. Typically, this fella can set you back nearly $400 — as much as a Galaxy A36 5G . But now, you can get it for 50% off at no joke, by the way — this Garmin watch indeed comes with a $201 discount right now, making it practically a no-brainer for just about any workout enthusiast. Sure, it's not the latest Instinct model on the market, but it's hard to pass up at that massive price off the bat, we should note this might not be your primary pick if you're looking for a touchscreen and a sleek, fashionable design. Instead, this Garmin timepiece emphasizes durability, offering impressive thermal and shock resistance. Plus, with water resistance up to 100 meters, you're all set for everything from open-water swimming to snorkeling and light the Instinct 2S Solar is built to withstand just about anything. But that's just the beginning! The unit features multiple built-in sports apps, helping you track all sorts of activities and get VO2 Max insights as you go. There's also continuous heart rate tracking, stress measurements, body battery energy monitoring, and Instinct 2S Solar won't leave you stranded during off-grid adventures, either. It has a built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter for improved orientation. On top of that, it supports multiple global navigation satellite systems and offers Trackback Routing to help you reach your journey's starting point with things out is its enviable battery life. This fella can last up to 51 days (with three hours of daily solar charging) on your wrist in smartwatch mode. Even if you don't use the solar charging feature, you're still looking at about 21 days of use per charge, which is a solid just no denying it: at $201 off, this ~$400 GPS watch is absolutely irresistible. If it sounds like your kind of wrist companion, now's your chance to grab the Garmin Instinct 2S Solar at 50% off.
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Whoop vs Apple Watch: I tested them side by side for a month — here's what you should know
When people think of wearables, a few names usually come up: Apple Watch, Oura Ring, Fitbit, Garmin. Whoop is usually not on that list: it's a smaller brand that appeals to a specific crowd as opposed to the Apple Watch and Fitbit users of the world. And yet, most people, myself included, will inevitably compare it to an Apple Watch. After all, most people will wear one, not both. That's why I wore the latest Whoop MG and the Apple Watch Series 10 at the same time for over a month: to see how they compare, and which one is right for you. By the end of the month I had a clear favorite: here's what you need to know. Whoop offers three products: Whoop One ($199 a year), Whoop Peak ($239 a year) and Whoop Life ($359 a year), each with their own distinct differences in software and hardware. Whoop One and Whoop Peak use the same physical Whoop band, but Whoop Peak users have more software features in the app. Whoop Life uses the Whoop MG (Medical Grade) band, which has a more advanced sensor with ECG and AFib detection. Apple sells the Apple Watch SE ($249), Apple Watch Series 10 ($399) and Apple Watch Ultra 2 ($799). I wore the Apple Watch Series 10 for this comparison, as it is the closest direct competitor to the Whoop, in my view. Want more from NBC Select? Sign up for our newsletter, The Selection, and shop smarter. My experience using Whoop and Apple Watch Whoop and Apple Watch are very different devices for very different people. Both are comfortable to wear and give interesting and mostly accurate health, sleep and fitness insights. But the experience of using them is wildly different, and highlights how they are meant for different kinds of people. Below are some of the key differences between the two. Design Whoop Whoop is essentially a screenless watch band. The included band is made of a flexible, comfortable yarn, and the sensor itself attaches to the band with a titanium clasp. It's comfortable, subtle and easy to forget when you are wearing it, plus it looks relatively normal in more formal settings (unlike some smartwatches). The clasp can be a little finicky when taking the Whoop on and off your wrist. Unlike most other wearables, you can wear the Whoop MG (or 5.0) on your bicep using the Whoop Bicep Band, but it hasn't been released at the time of writing this comparison. The Whoop MG gets up to 12 days of battery life, which is excellent. This made it easy to forget I was wearing it most of the time. You charge the Whoop MG using the wireless charging puck, which slides and clicks into place on top of the clasp. It takes about two hours to fully charge, which is pretty slow. You can, however, keep wearing the Whoop MG while it's charging, though this makes it much heavier and bulkier. I think you'll either love the wireless charging puck or hate it. One the one hand: it means you never have to take off your Whoop, even to charge. On the other hand, it's slow, feels bulky on your wrist and is easier to lose compared to a more standard wireless charging station. Apple Watch You're probably familiar with the Apple Watch, and the Series 10 is similar to models before it. It's thinner and lighter than the Apple Watch Series 9, but ekes out more screen space by reaching further into the edges of the case. It's very comfortable to wear daily, and you can choose from dozens of bands to maximize comfort or better fit the occasion. Improvements over the Series 9 include a brighter screen that is easier to see at off-angles and faster charging — up to 80% charge in 30 minutes (or 100% in an hour). Total battery life is still about 18 hours, though. My take: This is mostly about battery life and whether you want a screen or not. I barely need to think about battery life with the Whoop MG, and charging is relatively flexible. The Apple Watch needs to be charged almost daily, but it's a fully-featured smartwatch, with all the features that entails. Day-to-day Whoop Using the Whoop MG feels like a middle ground between the mostly passive Oura Ring ($349) and the arguably over-active Ultrahuman Ring ($349). It offers some notifications, like reminders about tonight's optimal bedtime for ideal recovery, but it leaves most control in your hands to open the app and explore your data when you want to, not when the app tells you to. Like the Oura Ring, the Whoop MG has automatic workout detection, though you can also open up the app to manually start and stop workouts as they happen. Apple An Apple Watch can be as active or as passive as you want it to be. You can have all your smartphone notifications synced, and get pings every time you get a text, emails or app notification. You can also turn everything off, and treat it as a watch that's also a fitness and sleep tracker — it's up to you. It's easy to start and stop workouts on the Apple Watch because it has a screen — you don't need to pull out your phone. It also automatically detects some workouts, but will prompt you on screen when it does, which makes it easier to know when to start a workout yourself. My take: I think the Apple Watch is more flexible here. With a couple of minutes in its setting menu, you can make it as hands on or as hands off as you want. Whoop is a more focused product than the Apple Watch, so its day-to-day experience is more one-size-fits-all. Whoop My Whoop MG tracked health, sleep and fitness data relatively accurately, and provided a lot more information to dig into than the Apple Watch in most cases, for better or worse. Sleep data between the Whoop MG and the Apple Watch Series 10 was similar, but the Whoop showed my sleep on a more granular level than the Apple Watch, with exact timings on wake windows and sleep stages. The Whoop MG does have automatic workout detection, but like the Oura Ring, I found myself starting and stopping workouts manually through the app. After my month of testing, I realized that while the automatic tracking is okay, I didn't trust it enough to risk not logging a workout or having inaccurate data about my runs or gym time. Apple The Apple Watch similarly tracks sleep, health and fitness data, but has more convenient exercise tracking than Whoop, especially outdoors. It has its own GPS built-in, so its outdoor walk, run and cycling workouts tend to be slightly (or significantly) more accurate than the Whoop, depending on the environment. It also has more detailed stats for runners like cadence, stride length and more. Again, because it has a screen, it's easier to start and stop workouts on the Apple Watch. That screen is also useful for confirming or denying its automatic workout detection. My take: Both wearables track similar things. Whoop has the edge when it comes to sleep and health tracking, while Apple is easier and more accurate for exercise tracking. Metrics and analysis This is where things get interesting, and where the big differences between the Apple Watch and the Whoop MG reveal themselves. Whoop Whoop has three key metrics placed front and center on the Home tab: sleep, recovery and strain. Sleep is pretty self-explanatory, but recovery and strain are impressive but can be a bit confusing. Whoop assigns a strain score to all of your activities, and charts your strain across days, weeks and months. Strain is scored between zero and 21, which is very specific but can take some mental gymnastics when every other brand is using scales of zero to 10 or zero to 100. The specificity around strain and recovery was interesting to look at, but didn't feel too different from easy to understand features like Training Readiness and Training Status on some Garmin watches. The Health tab is where you will find most of the new features compared to the previous Whoop 4.0, and this is where I have the most mixed feelings. Clicking on the Health tab pulls up a slew of other metrics. You can track your respiratory rate, blood oxygen, resting heart rate, heart rate variability and skin temperature. You can see trends in each overtime, from weeks to months, similar to my experience using the Oura Ring 4. But the biggest new feature is Healthspan. In the essay-length description of the feature on the Whoop app, Whoop calls Healthspan 'the number of years you live in good health.' It gives two measurements: your Whoop Age and your Pace of Aging. Both, but mostly Pace of Aging, fills me with dread and anxiety in a way no other wearable I've tested has. I could argue this says more about my relationship with mortality than Whoop, but hear me out. Pace of Aging 'reflects how quickly your Whoop Age is changing,' says Whoop in its app. It charts it on a scale from -1.0x to 3.0x, 'like a speedometer.' Over 1.0x? Your Whoop Age is increasing faster than your chronological age. Your Pace of Aging changes weekly, and Whoop would notify me every week that it changed. During my entire test period, my Whoop Age was younger than my actual age (likely a reflection of my fitness activity), but my Pace of Aging was consistently fast, usually at 1.4x. Whoop eventually explained that my Whoop Age and Pace of Aging are increasing because of my sleep consistency, and to 'keep an eye on this trend to stay on track' or else my Whoop Age may increase if 'you keep up with your current behaviors.' Here's the thing: I know why I get between five and 6.5 hours of interrupted sleep every night: it's because I live in a one bedroom and have a wonderful one year old. I would love to sleep eight hours uninterrupted every night, but most new parents know that that is a pipe dream. So Whoop telling me that my interrupted sleep is speeding up my aging was just frustrating. It's important to remember that Whoop Age and Whoop Pace of Aging ultimately cannot truly tell you how fast you are aging. It's far too complex a topic for Whoop, or any wearable, to track. Aging is affected by a myriad of factors Whoop either isn't including or can't track, including diet, lifestyle, genetics, mental health and underlying medical conditions, to name a few. Healthspan is a buzzy feature that made me open the Whoop app more than usual. But I don't think a feature that fills me with dread and anxiety is a win, especially one that is more of a suggestion than objective truth. By comparison, metrics and analysis on the Apple Watch are much more grounded and reserved — it doesn't go anywhere near fitness age or aging with its data. It's solely focused on giving you your sleep, health and fitness data, without much suggestion or analysis. Metrics are spread across two apps: Apple Health and Apple Fitness. Apple Fitness shows you all your workouts, and has features like Training Load and Trends that chart things like exercise frequency, move goals, steps, pace and cardio fitness over time. Apple Health has the Vitals feature, which tracks your overnight heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature and sleep duration, and can tell you when your stats are out of normal range, indicating potential illness. Whoop does this too, but unfortunately for my testing (and fortunately for my health), I did not get sick during this comparison, so I couldn't test this feature. My take: Whoop MG gives you more metrics and analysis to look at than the Apple Watch. That's arguably the whole point of getting the Whoop: detailed strain, recovery and health data. My problem is that I either didn't find the analysis all that useful or it stressed me out (Healthspan). Apple Watch takes a 'just the facts' approach, with little to no analysis (outside of Vitals), just detailed metrics you can interpret on your own. Value My take: Normally I wouldn't harp on value too much: everyone has their own budget, and knows what they can and can't afford. But the Whoop subscription model is expensive, even compared to a premium product like the Apple Watch Series 10. A full-priced Series 10 is $399 (though it's often on sale for less). The lowest priced Whoop subscription is $199 a year. That means after just two years of use, the Whoop starts becoming more expensive than the Series 10. Everyone I know uses their wearables for four or five years. Four years of Whoop Life, the version I tested, is $1436. That's more than basically every wearable on the market. Whoop vs Apple Watch: The final verdict Whoop is a much more specific product than the Apple Watch — it's for a niche crowd who want a tracker with no screen, in-depth analysis and excellent battery life. If that sounds like you, give the Whoop a try — the brand has a one month free trial (though the trial does not include Healthspan features). Whoop is not for me, though. If I am wearing something on my wrist, I want it to have a screen so I can use my phone less. The Apple Watch Series 10 is one of the best wearables for anyone with an iPhone, as long as you don't mind charging it daily. In the long run, it's also much cheaper than any Whoop subscription. Why trust NBC Select? I am a reporter smartwatches, running shoes, workout earbuds and more. I tested the Whoop MG for a month alongside the Apple Watch Series 10. I test wearables regularly, and tested the Whoop 4.0 in years past.
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Tom's Guide
Tom's Guide Awards 2025: Our favorite fitness watches, smart rings, workout headphones and more
Whether you want to prioritize your health or improve your fitness, there are plenty of excellent devices, products, and services to help make living an active lifestyle easier, and we've tried the best ones out there. From top-rated workout machines, fitness-tracking smartwatches, and useful apparel like running shoes and outerwear, to electric bikes for your adventures, there's never been more ways to enhance your health and fitness journey. Our team of experts has tested and reviewed the latest workout and outdoor gear for the Tom's Guide Awards 2025. Below, we highlight the fitness and health products—from headphones to running shoes, hiking boots, or workout apps—that we hold in high esteem and think are really worth the money. As the primary smartwatch tester here at Tom's Guide, I have a giant plastic bin filled with loaner wearable review units. However, of the 25 or so devices in there — from the Apple Watch Ultra to the Fitbit Inspire 3 — there's only one I know for sure will be charged up and ready to roll at any given moment, and that's the Garmin Instinct 3. The Instinct series has always been Garmin's longest-lasting, built with outdoor adventurers in mind, and this sporty, colorful model tracks all your favorite adrenaline-pumping activities, from rock climbing to downhill mountain biking to backcountry skiing. It also sports an ever-handy LED 'Torch' flashlight built in, rock-solid location and elevation tracking, and more water resistance than even Jacques Cousteau could need. Did I mention that the non-solar model lasts for up to 26 days per charge, and the Solar model can technically last forever with enough sunlight? Now you know. It's not your typical fitness tracker — it doesn't have a screen for one thing, but smart rings are becoming one of the most popular ways to discreetly track everything from your daily steps to how well you've slept, and the Oura Ring 4 is the best of the best. It's thinner and lighter than its predecessor, the Oura Ring 3, as the sensors are recessed into the ring, which we found made the ring more comfortable to wear. The Oura Ring 4 has 18 total data collection paths through your finger and is the most reliable in real-time, resulting in greater accuracy with fewer gaps. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Compared to other smart rings on the market, the Oura app breaks all your data down in an easy-to-understand way, helping you make smarter decisions when it comes to your health. It's compatible with Natural Cycles for menstrual cycle tracking and has a pregnancy mode for expectant mothers. It's an impressive wearable, and in our eyes, it's worthy of a Tom's Guide award. Garmin's Forerunner range has always been spectacular, but it's hit new heights with the launch of the Forerunner 970 earlier this year. It is the best sports watch available for runners and triathletes, offering an upgraded design that's more attractive and durable than its predecessor, the Forerunner 965, earning it the award for the best running watch in 2025. During testing, we were impressed by the reliably accurate tracking and detailed training insights that go beyond what we've seen before from a watch. The Garmin Forerunner 970 is an outstanding sports watch, and the only one that can really best it is the Garmin Fenix 8, which offers a more durable metal design and longer battery life. However, the Forerunner 970 is cheaper, and many will prefer the lighter, slimmer design, especially now that it includes a sapphire screen and built-in flashlight, features that were reserved for the Fenix line in the past. Worthy of a Tom's Guide award, this is the best Garmin on the market for runners right now. Beats' redesigned Powerbeats Pro 2 workout headphones have comfortable over-ear hooks and pack the same tech as Apple's AirPods Pro 2. Plus, they have physical buttons, which is a winner for runners with sweaty fingers. They're versatile, work with Android and iPhone, and sound great, making them worthy of this award. The company leaned heavily into the buds' heart rate monitor at launch. It's neat, but you'll probably never use it. There's a small optical sensor built into the buds that is used to track your heart rate during workouts. The Powerbeats Pro 2 look super slick as well, thanks to their svelte design, and their ten-hour battery life will get you through a trip to the gym or a run without any problems at all. The Bob and Brad M7 Plus Mini massage gun received 4 stars during testing because it's the perfect budget-friendly option for most people. It has a max speed of 3,000 RPM and an amplitude of 9mm, so it can reach pretty deep into sore muscles. Yes, the speed range could be better (the lowest setting is 2,000 RPM), but for your money, you really can't go wrong. We tested all 5 head attachments and the heated head setting, all of which worked wonderfully. And, for its mini stature, this machine sure packs one heck of a punch. The Asics Novablast 5 is a fantastic running shoe that'll appeal to a wide variety of runners thanks to its comfortable ride and relatively low price tag. It's got a great amount of versatility, with enough cushioning to keep you comfortable on long runs and easy miles, but enough of a snap to cope with faster speed sessions. If you only want to invest in one running shoe, this is a good place to start. If you're a faster runner, the Novablast 5 is a very good daily trainer that will work well as part of a rotation with a faster shoe for workouts and racing. Compared to the Novablast 4, with the newer shoe Asics has made tweaks to the upper, midsole, and outsole — the reduced heel bevel makes the shoe smoother underfoot for heel strikers, and the new midsole foam is a tad softer without being unstable or mushy underfoot. The Asics Novablast 5 is comfortable and affordable, making it the perfect pick for a Tom's Guide award. It could easily get you around your first marathon, and as a team, we've clocked hundreds of miles in this shoe and we're still impressed. Timberland doesn't technically advertise this rugged pair of footwear as a 'hiking boot,' rather, a 'hiking sneaker.' However, the Timberland Motion Access Mids, look and handle just like a pair of modern hiking boots… and I've tested many of the best pairs. There's one caveat, though. While even the best hiking boots require some break-in period, these puppies don't. Case and point, I hit the trail my first time rocking them, which goes against everything I've learned as an avid granola eater, but made it through an epic trek in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge with zero foot pain. Reliably waterproof — I've also hiked in torrential downpours with not a drop penetrating — and super grippy, the Timberland Motion Access Mids are my favorite trail-ready footwear option in 2025. Patagonia is synonymous with hefty price tags, and the new Nano-Air Ultralight Jacket, with a cost of $249, is no exception. That said, in my months of testing, this mind-blowingly featherlight insulating layer/piece of outerwear is well worth the cost. Sure, it was originally designed for rock climbers, with an abrasion-resistant exterior, easy roll-up sleeves, and a notably unrestrictive design featuring plenty of stretch, but you don't need to be an extreme athlete to appreciate it. I wear mine while walking the pup, hitting the airport, and running errands. It's also super breathable, thanks to a double-knit polyester material under the arms. Yet, despite weighing just eight ounces, I've found that the Nano-Air Ultralight is capable of keeping me warm and cozy in temps down to forty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Best of all? Patagonia stands behind its jackets with lifetime repairs and replacements. Runna has taken the running world by storm since launching in 2021, and after clocking up some big milestones and personal records using the app ourselves, it's earned our vote for best workout app in this year's Tom's Guide Awards. But it's not just about the PR's. Runna offers flexible, personalized training plans for every kind of runner, whether you're training for a faster 5K, your first marathon, or even an ultramarathon. You simply choose your goal, timeframe and current fitness level, and the app builds a tailored plan to get you there. Alongside the running, it also includes mobility sessions, strength training and recovery advice to help keep you injury-free and your progress on the up. Runna keeps improving, too, with new features, updates, and expert input added regularly. It's everything you need from a running coach, all in one easy-to-use app on your phone. It's rare that you'd find a set of adjustable dumbbells that you'd happily pay more for, but there's where we're at with the LifePro PowerFlow Plus. Plastic storage tray aside, these feel like premium dumbbells you'd get from a brand like BowFlex or NordicTrack but for around half the price. The adjustment mechanism is easy and quick (it's a slider), they run up to 25 lbs per weight (they come as a pair) and the knurled handle is easy to grip with a sweaty hand or for two-handed moves like triceps skull crushers. They're easily the best budget adjustable dumbbells you can buy right now, and the biggest compliment we can give is that the weights just get out of your way, so you can focus on your workout. Segway took what was one of the best scooters for long distance and made it even better. The Max G3 improves upon its predecessor in every way: It has a better design, it's faster (up to 28 MPH, and it can travel further (up to 50 miles). The suspension has been improved — front and rear shock absorbers — as well as the handling. The motor? Superb. I was able to roar up hills with ease. And, when I finally got to my destination, a handy U-shaped bar made it easy to lock this scooter up. As if that wasn't enough, it's also outfitted with Apple FindMy and has an electronic lock and siren to help keep thieves at bay. It's not the smallest nor the lightest, but if you need an electric scooter that can go the distance, this is it. For the vast majority of riders, the Rad Power RadCity 5 Plus will be the best electric bike. It has a comfortable design, plenty of power, and a multitude of mounting points for things such as baskets and child seats. The RadCity 5 Plus offers plenty of power, and comes with lights, fenders, a rear rack for your gear and plenty of optional accessories. We found it responsive and powerful enough to easily tackle hills. It's pretty heavy at 64 pounds, but that should only be an issue if you try to go farther than its 55-mile range. Rad Power says that the RadCity5 should get upwards of 50+ miles on a charge; in our testing, it came fairly close — about 40 miles. It's a seriously good electric bike, whether you're commuting or heading out on a weekend adventure. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Scotsman
Mibro GS Explorer S: rugged AMOLED smartwatch with diving mode for £186
The Mibro GS Explorer S is a premium sports watch without the premium price | Mibro This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. With a 1500-nit AMOLED display, 10ATM water resistance and 60-day battery claims, this rugged watch is built for anything. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... If you're shopping around for a smartwatch that's ready for some tough times in the great outdoors, you might naturally migrate to the bigger brands like Garmin or Suunto. And if you wanted one with an AMOLED screen, Bluetooth calling, military strength testing and a battery that can last for weeks, you know it's going to cost a pretty penny. But is it? A new watch has just been launched by Mibro, a Chinese tech firm, which packs in some seriously impressive features and you can currently buy it for £186. It's the Mibro GS Explorer S, and its features start with the impressive 1500-nit HBD AMOLED display. It's really bright, which is exactly what you need on an outdoor adventure. It's also seriously tough. Mibro put its new flagship watch through 17 military standard tests, which means it can cope with extremes of weather, bashings from rock faces and, obviously, submersion. There's also dual-frequency five-satellite GNSS for location tracking and a 10-axis motion sensing system, which means it's always tracking your precise movements. It feels great on the wrist, with a chunky bezel, but not too much weight | Mibro And then there's the water resistance. Another of the GS Explorer's stand-out features is its free-diving mode. And its water resistance rating is 10ATM, which can withstand depths of up to 100 metres. And, you have to remember, this is a phone with chunky buttons you can operate with gloves on, and Bluetooth calling. Yes, the Bluetooth calling system actually works underwater. The free-diving mode is one of several customisable setups you can flick over to, and it gives you depth and time warnings, current depth indication, and other tailored data. But there are plenty of other modes for other extreme sports, all wrapped up in an intuitive interface called Galaxy OS 2.0. It's eerily similar to Huawei's operating system, as is the companion app. And that's no bad thing. It feels light on the wrist, but incredibly robust. There are absolutely no build-quality qualms here. There's even a premium titanium version, which takes this to the next level. Battery life is also a strength, with claims of up to 60 days in a restrictive mode, 20 days in a daily mode, and around 15 hours with all the sensors on. I found that's all pretty realistic while using the watch out and about. The Bluetooth calling function even works underwater | Mibro The body trackers, which include heart rate and blood-oxygen monitoring, do take their toll when you use the most accurate settings, but it's possible, with a little careful management, to keep the watch going for over a week in normal use, and that's superb. I did experience a few glitches with the tracking and, comparing it with other watches I have at my disposal, some of the data was a little off. But I've always found they need time to settle in. That said, the overall feel was that the Mibro interface needed some finessing, which can doubtless be done through firmware updates, because it occasionally missed the fact I'd gone out on a bike ride, for example, and I missed a few notifications from time to time. Overall though, it's a seriously impressive piece of kit, especially considering it costs less than £200 at the moment. I'd also go as far as to say it's more attractive than the rivals from Garmin and Suunto, and it feels more robust than most of them. I've always been a fan of Chinese smartwatches and, while there are a lot of rubbish examples out there to sift through, every now and again you'll find a gold nugget. And the Mibro GS Explorer S is one of them.
