The Amazon Halo and Halo View are two of the more interesting fitness trackers available, but when it comes to GPS support, how does the Halo lineup stack up? The market for fitness/health trackers is extremely competitive. For iPhone users, the Apple Watch remains one of the best (and most expensive) ways to keep track of your activity. Fitbit's also a dominant force, offering everything from $100 trackers to $300 smartwatches. There are also ample options from Amazfit, Garmin, and others.
In August 2020, Amazon decided to also throw its hat in the fitness ring with Amazon Halo. The company has two fitness trackers to choose from (the Halo Band and Halo View) along with its own companion app and fitness membership. Both Halo trackers do essentially the same thing, offering all-day activity tracking, sleep tracking, and 24/7 heart-rate monitoring. The Halo app is also capable of some more inventive health features, such as body fat tracking and grading your movement stability.
While all of that's great, there's one critical fitness tracking feature that isn't mentioned anywhere by Amazon: GPS. Just about any modern fitness tracker offers GPS tracking — whether the tracker is tethered to your smartphone or has its own GPS chip. Unfortunately, GPS support isn't anywhere to be found with the Halo Band or Halo View. Neither fitness tracker has a built-in GPS chip, and even when connected to your smartphone, the trackers are unable to use the phone's GPS for more detailed tracking.
Why Amazon Halo's Missing GPS Is A Big Deal
What exactly does this mean? For starters, the lack of GPS means Halo Band and Halo View are unable to show a map of your walks, runs, or bike rides. It'll track the calories burned and steps taken (if applicable), but you won't be able to see a map of where you went. Perhaps even more concerning, not having GPS also means Halo Band and Halo View cannot show your distance or pace for these workouts.
Whether or not any of this is a big deal depends on the type of tracking you hope to do. For someone who's just starting their fitness journey and is mainly focused on using Halo to get them more active, this missing GPS data may not be an issue. However, for anyone who's trying to train for a race, improve their mile time, or wants any granular details about their walking/running/biking, Amazon Halo's absence of GPS may be a dealbreaker.
Source: Amazon