UPDATED 09:27 EDT / NOVEMBER 24 2015

NEWS

Report: Consumers want pricy smartwatches with heart rate monitors instead of fitness trackers

What tech will you be purchasing this holiday season? A new smartwatch, a fitness tracker, or other wearable gadgets that can help you improve your well being?

Argus_Insight_-_Top_wearables_2015According to a consumer report from Argus Insights, Inc., the Apple Watch, Lumo Lift Posture and Activity Tracker lead in the smartwatch and fitness tracker categories respectively, based on consumer perception and demand ahead of Black Friday. Despite a continued drop of 4.36 percent year-over-year in consumer demand (from October 2014-October 2015) for the overall wearables market, the analysis predicts consumers will be mostly likely to open their wallets for these top products this buying season.

The report came from an analysis of more than 6,000 wearable consumer reviews from the past five weeks, October 4-November 11, 2015.

Argus_Insight_-_Smartwatch_interestThe report also mentioned that consumers are no longer price-conscious and are more likely to purchase higher-end smartwatches like the Apple Watch, than fitness trackers, but they are also more interested in the fitness tracking features of these smartwatches than smartphone-like features such as texting. The report stated that heart rate monitoring is the top feature consumers are looking for on wearable devices.

“Heartbeat monitoring has become the must have feature for fitness trackers, leaving triathlon friendly bands like Moov in the dust for this holiday,” said John Feland, CEO, Argus Insights. “While these are the most loved of all the trackers, overall products in the fitness tracker category are leaving a lot to be desired by consumers, as overall they average much lower delight scores than their milli-amp eating smartwatch cousins.”

If you’re interested in purchasing a smartwatch or fitness tracker on Black Friday, check out Best Black Friday sales for smartwatches, fitness trackers and other gadgets to find which stores offer such devices at great discounts.

Photo by GabrielaP93

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