Jawbone UP3 smart health connected bracelet Review

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The launch of the Jawbone UP3 has been more than chaotic. Delay of more than 6 months, bracelet ultimately not waterproof, the snags have multiplied on the road to UP3. Will he still be able to satisfy fans of the brand? Answer in this Review.

Preamble: I invite you to read my UP2 Review which presents in detail the features common to the two bracelets.

Update 2017: the UP3 is now sold at a bargain price as Jawbone will close. You can choose to buy it at low cost without knowing how long it will still be supported at the server level, or take inspiration from our buying guide below:

Installation

As always, the installation is done very quickly: just download the UP application (be careful there are two different, you have to take the purple one for the new bracelets), activate the Bluetooth and follow the steps . The application prompts you to connect your Jawbone UP3 to a computer, put it on your wrist and long press to pair it.

If you are a new user, you will obviously have to create an account and enter your age, height and weight. Thereafter, you will need to set goals for steps, sleep and weight – if you wish.

Design and Hardware

The Jawbone UP3 is undergoing a weight loss compared to its predecessor, the UP24. The UP2 is thinner and slightly less wide than the 3. The fixing system is simple to use with a little training, and does its job well. The UP2 was the wearable bracelet that I found most comfortable to wear and it will remain so, the thickness of the UP3 making it a little less pleasant from day to day, but both models are for me above the competition.

On the design side, the UP3 is a success, the black model showing himself discreet in everyday life. On the other hand, I find the gray less aesthetic. Here too, we are above the competitors (it is purely subjective).

On the inner part of the bracelet, there are 5 sensors that are used, for the moment, only to capture the heart rate. Subsequently, we were promised that new features would be available thanks to them, such as stress measurement. The Jawbone UP3 is not waterproof, but simply " waterproof ". You can shower with it, but not bathe (theoretically). The autonomy is excellent, the battery lasted between 6 and 7 days during my weeks of testing the smart health connected bracelet.

Jawbone UP3 features

Like the UP2, it tracks daily physical activity and sleep, but goes further. This is where the heart sensor comes in. It tracks your heart rate overnight, which refines precision in detecting light, deep sleep cycles, but also REM sleep (this is not the case on the UP2). I find that this new data is a real plus compared to the UP2 or competitors, who are simply satisfied with light and deep sleep.

The cardiac sensor will not be used for nothing during the day. Unlike the Fitbit Charge HR or the Surge, which continuously capture the rhythm, the UP3 is currently only interested in the resting rhythm (also called "resting heart rate"), measured in the morning upon waking. This is very unfortunate for athletes who would like to follow their cardiac activity during a session, but at the same time it increases the autonomy of the sensor. It is also no longer possible to launch an activity session (race, etc.) from the bracelet as was the case on the UP24, you must go through the application. Not practical.

The rhythm at rest, however, allows the Smart Coach to offer more advice than the UP2 and I have learned a few useful things to improve my sleep during those few weeks.

I hope Jawbone will quickly activate any missing features via an update. They are generally efficient at this level, as when the UP24 saw its autonomy double. The UP3 is today a product that does not exploit its full potential, it is up to them to act to remedy it.

The UP application

This is THE strong point of each Jawbone product. I tested the UP24, the Move, the UP2 and now the UP3. Each time the experience offered by the application is above the competition. We find the Timeline system as the main screen, with, in addition, the resting heart rate.

Every day the Smart Coach gives you indications to improve your lifestyle. Whether in terms of nutrition, physical activity, sleep or heart. These tips are not intrusive, easy to follow, and can really make a difference.

To have an optimal experience, I advise you to link your Jawbone account to a smart health connected scale (there is a choice on the market) and to enter the food consumed throughout the day in the dedicated part of the application. The new version of the UP application makes it possible to launch challenges to friends over 1, 3 or 7 days. You can also encourage your friends in their daily progress.

The application allows program activity alarms, as well as the intelligent alarm, which wakes you up during light sleep. The functionality still works well, waking up on the right foot every day is really nice. This is the feature that I prefer among all those that I have been able to Review with different smart health connected objects for 3 years.

My opinion on the Jawbone UP3

mixed. On the one hand, a designer bracelet, which incorporates a real intelligent coach, including an extremely efficient sleep monitoring. On the other hand, advertised features not yet present and tracking unusable heart rate during the day are damaging.

I tested the Charge HR, the UP2, the UP3 and other bracelets, if you need help to make your choice, use the comments and I will give you my opinion, which really depends on the use that you want to make your future bracelet smart health connected.

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