Mio Fuse Review: Fitness + Activity Tracker
Verdict
The Mio Fuse is a really solid activity tracker that could be a great companion for a sporty person. The activity tracking is solid and the inclusion of a heart rate monitor at this price is excellent. Did we mention it’s fully waterproof too?
Pros
- All-day long heart rate, activity, and sleep tracking
- Wrist-based heart rate tracking without needing an extra strap
- Water resistance up to 30 meters
Cons
- Not a mobile phone companion
- Doesn’t alert for phone notifications
User Review
( vote)Looking for an all-in-one activity tracker? The Mio Fuse could be the one you’ve been searching for.
This device is a complete package of an activity tracker, heart rate monitor and sports watch dedicated to sportsmen and athletes.
The Mio Fuse does a great job of reporting on activities with beautiful illustrations and diagrams.
Read on for the rest of the review to learn where we learn where it shines and where it needs to improve.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we may make a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Table of Contents
Design
At first glance, you can tell that the design of the Mio Fuse is fairly basic. It’s a two-color rubber band with an LED display on top of it. The charging port and the clasp are the only materials that are made of metal.
The heart rate monitoring is built into the band and uses a laser-based technology to measure heart rate. So you will not require an additional chest or wrist strap like many of the devices do.
It has a water-resistant build and survives water levels up to 30 meters or 3 ATM. You can wear it when you are swimming to measure your heart rate underwater.
The Mio Fuse is available in three different colors (Aqua, Cobalt, Crimson) and two sizes (Small/Medium, Large). The outer part of the band is black and the inner part is where the color alters.
[Clicks on images below will take you to its official Amazon store]
Features
1. Wrist-Based Heart Rate: Many smart devices need a chest or wrist strap to calculate heart rate. But the Mio Fuse is an exception that uses in-band laser technology to determine the heart rate. Whether you are doing exercise or working, this device can show how your heart is beating on the LED screen.
2. Activity & Sleep Tracking: It tracks steps, calories burned, distance walked, and speed, along with a sleep quality checker to ensure that what you are doing is going in the right direction. You can set your desired goal and monitor how far you are from accomplishing it.
3. Mio Pai Metrics: A Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) app is available for all the Mio devices to provide personalized metrics of activities. For example, it will calculate analytic data based on your age, gender, maximum heart rate, and resting heart rate. Not all steps matter and it can determine this for itself as to not spoil the accuracy of metrics. It will determine when you are actually stepping or running and records the data according to its algorithm.
4. Connect to Fitness Apps: The Mio Fuse is not limited to its own device but enables you to transmit data to a wide range of devices and machines that support Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+. Some apps that work are Strava, RunKeeper, Pear Sports, DigiFit and more.
5. Offline Data Storage: To reduce the chance of losing data, it offers offline storage up to 2 weeks of daily activity and 30 hours of heart rates. The data will sit there until it reaches its limit or you sync it with your phone.
6. Water Resistance: Unlike other devices, you are not restricted from going into the water. The device functions underwater and is able to track heart rate in up to 30 meters water level without error.
Charging & Connectivity
The Mio Fuse runs and tracks activities on a continuous basis. However, there is a noticeable battery limitation.
The battery life benchmark is 7 days which sounds great. But the limitation is that you can’t use a heart rate monitor for more than 1 hour/day.
Though the device tracks activities continuously, it can also be toggled on/off. While, if you plan to keep the heart rate monitor on all day long, it can barely survive a day. Their recommended usage is to use the heart rate monitor during workouts and keep it off during others.
Regarding connectivity, you will need the Mio GO app to configure settings and sync the tracker. This app is available both on Google Play and Apple Store.
The best thing about the Mio Fuse is that you are not limited to the wrist band or the phone to display data. You can transmit data to any exercise equipment or device that supports the connectivity medium of Bluetooth 4.0 or ANT+.
You can transmit and display measured data on devices such as bike computers, treadmills, exercise machines, and GPS watches. It will work like a normal heart rate sensor for any machine.
Is Mio Fuse the Activity Tracker for Me?
If you are an active person that loves statistics then this is right up your alley. It does all the activity tracking that you can dream of and can even be worn underwater.
The downside is the display which is not able to provide much in the way of graphical interpretation. However, sync it up to the app and you’ll have all the graphs and pictures you need. Another upside of having a low-resolution display like this is a better battery life.
Another downside of this activity tracker is that it is not a mobile phone companion. It is purely an activity tracker that doesn’t include hybrid features like notification alerts or calls. It’s purely a sports watch.
Do you have experience with one of these watches? Let us know all about it in the comments section!
