Up 24 by Jawbone Review

UP to the Challenge?

I’m trying to weigh the options between a fitness band with a several month long replaceable battery and a fitness band with a rechargeable battery. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what the replaceable battery machines offer in terms of usability and stamina, but I have yet to find a device with a rechargeable option that lasts more than a few days. I am terrible at charging my devices, and a fitness band that isn’t charged is just a bracelet.

Up 24
See it at Amazon

Charged UP

The Up 24 by Jawbone has a battery that is supposed to last for about a week, and the claim seems accurate. Charging a band once per week is acceptable if it’s able to do the things that it says it will. A band that doesn’t have to be charged at all would probably still be better, but as long as it’s not all the time, I think it’s manageable.

What I’ve figured out is that often the more features you have in a fitness tracking band, the more likely you’re going to be to have to charge it rather than have the advantage of a replaceable battery. It’s one of the tradeoffs of technology, I guess, and the newer bands definitely have better battery life.

I didn’t see any particularly common complaints of the device being unable to hold a charge, and that bodes pretty well as an indicators that the battery life should pretty reliable.

Sync UP with Bluetooth

Another big draw to UP 24 was the wireless Bluetooth sync. I never have Bluetooth turned on on my phone because connecting devices to my phone via Bluetooth used to use up way too much battery life. Bluetooth 4.0 is much less likely to cause battery issues and can be running all of the time without a problem.

The Bluetooth sync is able to update your phone in real time with the data from the band. While you’re exercising, moving around or logging things like calorie intake, it’s automatically updating everything to give you the results for that day so far.

UP 24 can give you pretty quick updates when you log in to the app if you’re trying to keep track of steps or distance. This way, you don’t have to manually sync everything by plugging the band in to the computer, and you get to keep your motivating information in your pocket all the time.

The realtime information is also available in other apps that also connect to the UP 24. If you use downloadable fitness tracking apps like MyFitnessPal, UP 24 actually talks directly to it and logs the information for you to use in their engine. It doesn’t marry you to Jawbone’s proprietary software even though it has to go through it initially.

Wake UP Quietly

UP 24 also has the silent alarm that can be used to wake you up in the morning without the loud noises that traditional alarms make. As a serial snooze-hitter, I think a silent alarm would be my husband’s dream. I get up way earlier than he does, in theory. In actuality, thanks to the number of times my alarm goes off, he’s basically up too. I’m sure he would love the chance to skip out on my obnoxious wake ups.

UP in Style

It also comes in a variety of colors and sizes. From bright and sassy to muted, there is almost guaranteed to be a look for everyone. More than that, they do their best to fit everyone with the multiple sizes which makes people like me with tiny wrists very happy.

UP in Size

The largest drawback about UP 24 is probably its size. It’s pretty bulky and doesn’t stay on while using the computer without getting in the way. It’s thick and stands off the wrist pretty far, and some people don’t like the way it feels when it’s worn. The ends don’t connect in a clasp, so things can get tangled in them if you’re using cords or headphones while wearing UP 24.

UPended Numbers for Sleep

The sleep tracking functions can become a problem if you don’t remember to turn them off in the morning. In theory, UP 24 should be able to tell the difference between sleep and movement, but if you take it off for any period between waking and immediately getting moving for the day, it will continue to track it as sleep. Obviously, the solution is to make sure to turn sleep mode off, but that it sometimes easier said than done.

UP-ing the Ante

For a device that was designed as an all inclusive fitness tracker, it seems like UP 24 does a pretty good job of managing a lot of features without a lot of problems. The 7-day battery and lack of reports of battery issues would be the biggest draw for me. I can’t track my exercise if my device isn’t always on, and I don’t have to time to stop and charge it all the time. I would be pretty happy with 7 days worth of battery, and that would be enough of a selling point for me.

If you’re thinking that UP24 by Jawbone has what you need in a fitness tracker, you can pick one up here. Happy tracking!

Further Information

• UP 24 by Jawbone – Bluetooth Enabled – Medium – Retail Packaging – Onyx