On the surface the Jawbone UP2 and the Jawbone UP3 look pretty similar, with the Jawbone UP2 is a little smaller and lighter than the UP3. The next noticeable difference lies in the price tag with the Jawbone UP2 coming in a bit less than it’s counterpart at $99.99 versus $179.99 for the Jawbone UP3. What could cause the price difference? Lets take a look.
These wearable activity trackers from one of our favorite brands, Jawbone, have quite a few things in common. To begin with, they both access the free UP App where you can see personalized insights and advice thanks to Smart Coach. Of course both of these activity trackers track your activity including steps, calories burned and even your sleep habits. You also have the option of keeping a food log, setting goals, challenging family and friends to duels and accessing leaderboards. In an effort to create a more active you, they also feature a Smart Alarm and Idle Alert. Last but not least, both have a battery life of up to 7 days and come in black or silver.
The Difference
So what sets the Jawbone UP3 apart from the UP2? It comes down to Heart Health Monitoring and Advanced Sleep Tracking. With the Heart Health Monitoring, the Jawbone UP3 uses bioimpedance sensors to look at your heart rate and skin temperature in order to track your sleep phases with a high degree of accuracy. Plus, in addition to regular Sleep Tracking capabilities, Advanced Sleep Tracking adds an additional dimension to understanding your sleep quality by tracking REM (the phase of sleep where dreams occur) and deep sleep. According to the NIH, getting enough sleep in the REM phase is vital to mental health quality.
So which one is right for you?
The difference between the two activity trackers really lies within the big picture. If you’re someone who is just looking to become more active in your daily life while keeping track of food and helping you reach goals then the Jawbone UP2 has you covered. However, the heart rate monitor and advanced sleep tracking capabilities come into play if you’re looking for a more well rounded picture on everything that affects your health. As most people know, sleep plays an important role in health, while reaching your target heart rates is crucial to successful cardio and fat burn during exercise. If you’re serious about either of these two, then the Jawbone UP3 is the wearable tech solution for you.
The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
Maybe if I had one of these I might be more motivated to be more inclined to exercise.
I would love to have a tracker like this because even though I run around with my boys all of the time, I really don’t track my physical activity. The simple UP2 would be the one for me since I am not super tech savvy.
I had a FitBit and never used it, so I threw it away LOL. I think these are pretty neat gadgets for people who are trying to track their progress.
Thanks for the interesting comparison. I’ve had a FitBit and a Garmin, but never a Jawbone… I like the features it seems to have that others do not so it’s certainly something worth considering when I’m looking for an upgrade! Thanks for the comprehensive review! – Jerusha, TheDisneyChef.com
I think I would like to try the UP2 first. I think the simplicity of it seems like something I could handle to begin with.