Innovative smart water bottles are becoming commonplace these days. These smart bottles are packed with features you may get used to very quickly. Some common features include daily water intake reminders, syncing with your phone and smart watch. Bottles connect through bluetooth and monitor water intake. Depending on your water consumption level they alert when it’s time to drink. Smart hydration bottles come in different shapes, sizes and capabilities. This technology is still nascent so there are some rough edges to it like syncing issues and app crashes. Depending on your demands one feature may be more important to you than the other. Keep reading to find out the pros and cons of the most prominent bottles in smart water bottle market.
Water drinking habit
You may have heard that keeping yourself hydrated has many health benefits like better overall health, clearer skin, improved productivity and brain function, increased energy levels. To gain those benefits you need to develop water-drinking habits. As you go through a busy day tracking your consumption of water is probably not one of your priorities. Here’s when a water bottle that reminds you to drink comes handy. Remainders reinforce your habit of drinking thus you don’t need to make a conscious effort to track your water intake level.
It works by setting hydration goals. You can leave the tedious part of tracking your progress over time to your water tracker bottle. You will be surprised to find out just how much water you fall short of drinking.
Where is it most handy to use?
You can use smart bottles at home or take it with you to your office or gym. If you are more into outdoor activities then you can easily slide it into your backpack when leaving for camping, hiking or climbing. You will most likely need a replacement battery when on road.
Hydrate Spark 2
Bottle capacity is 24 oz (710 ml). Hydrate spark has an attractive design and comes in various colors. This bottle syncs with smart watches like Fitbit and Apple Watch and has a unique way of notifying you to drink by glowing in mysterious bright colors. The matte cover that gives it a classy look is also one its weak points because it is not durable as reported by many customers who’ve bought the bottle previously. Hydrate spark is easy to wash and feels soft to touch. It has an option to customize the alerts according to your hydration goals and the notifications it sends to the synced apps on your phone are hilarious and humorous. It is also smart to tailor the reminders depending on environmental conditions and your activity level. One minor drawback is that the app needs to stay open on the background otherwise you’d need to sync it again. Historical data spans only to the previous month.
Main Features:
- Tracks water intake
- Glows to remind
- Syncs with Fitbit, Apple Watch, MyFitnessPal
- No charging required (long lasting replacement battery)
- Syncs to iOS and Android apps via bluetooth low energy.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Tracking accuracy | Soft, matte finish starts to peel off soon after minimal brush against other objects and when set on surfaces that aren’t smooth |
| Clearly visible bright glow | Some users report syncing issues |
| Easy to wash | Data for the day is lost if you don’t sync it every day |
| Soft, matte finish makes it nice to hold onto and feels smooth (also see ‘cons') | Data older than a month is not retained. |
| Ships with a set of replacement batteries | It can get musty if you don't empty and allow it to dry out. |
| Customizable glow settings and notification options | Thin plastic on the lid is flimsy so it may pop open from a shock or start leaking |
| App notifications are amusing/funny | The app needs constantly to stay open in the background otherwise you’d need to reconnect to the bottle. |
| Battery lasts for a reasonable amount of time. A replacement is not expensive | |
| Water goal fluctuates daily depending on environmental factors (altitude, temperature, weather, how active you are based on Fitbit readings, your personal height/weight, etc.) |
Ozmo Active
Bottle capacity is 16 ounces (473 ml). If besides water you’d like to fill your smart bottle with coffee then Ozmo may fit better for your needs. Being a smart bottle it connects with smartphone apps and adjusts itself to remind you about your daily drinking goals by vibrating and blinking LED lights. Though if left on its own for a while may miss a vibration reminder. Reminders can be customized to fit your current goals. It’s made of BPA-free material and employs a rechargeable battery. The battery charges through USB post. Has a good insulation which prevents liquid from leaking and preserves its temperature but holds less liquid than its competitors and doesn’t fit into car cup holders..
Main Features:
- Tracks water as well as coffee consumption.
- Alerts hydration goals by vibrating. LED lights show your progress towards the goal.
- Bi-directional integration with Fitbit, Apple Health and Garmin.
- Automatically adjusts reminders according to your daily activity.
- Syncs with smartphones (iOS and Android) via Bluetooth.
- Food grade, BPA-free material. watertight, rechargeable battery.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Can be plugged into a charger (no need to carry around batteries) | Some users reported syncing issue |
| Easy-to-use app. | Doesn’t always vibrate if stays idle for a awhile |
| Nice ergonomics. | Cup is too big for a car's cup holder |
| Insulated enough to preserve liquid’s temperature | Small capacity (only holds16oz of liquid) |
| Good customer service | Lid wears out after continuous use |
| Customizable drinking goals |
Thermos 24 Ounce Hydration Bottle with Connected Smart Lid
Bottle capacity is 24 oz. The ingenuity of this bottle comes from its lid. Thermos connected hydration bottle with smart lid syncs with Thermos Smart Lid iOS app and starts measuring the amount of water you drink meanwhile providing real-time readings of the temperature of your beverage. The initial set up and syncing is relatively easy so no problem with that. The bottle fits into many common types of cup holders. Lid provides for its smart functionality and can be used with other suitable bottles if that’s something you’ll need to do. With Thermos smart lid you can instantly receive data if you drink while the app is opened in your phone. On the downside it has linking issues with Fitbit, iOS app crashes sometimes and Android lovers are still on hold for an app that works with their phones.
Main Features:
- Provides real-time temperature readings and tracks liquid intake.
- Calculates suggested hydration goal based on your personal data input.
- Keeps track and charts daily, weekly, and monthly hydration progress.
- Long battery life (up to 12 days)
- Pairs with iOS devices
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy set up and pairing | Syncing with Fitbit is slow |
| Fits into many common cup holders | App crashes sometimes |
| Updates instantly if drinking while the app is open | Lid does not open with a latch |
| No Android app | |
| Accuracy issues |
H2OPal Smart Water Bottle Hydration Tracker
Bottle capacity is 18.6 oz (550 ml). It has elegant design though a little bulky. It has companion iOS app however Android app is still in beta. Automatically tracks water consumption progress and sends notifications to keep up with drinking goals. It’s made of glass to keep the liquid fresh for a longer period of time. The producer company provides very good customer service and is quick to address issues and complaints. H2OPal can sync with Apple Health but the accuracy is not very high. Another downside is that bottom may fall off sometimes during the normal usage and the bottle is not easy to clean. The price is higher than its that of its competitors.
Main Features:
- Automatically tracks your water intake and sends smart notifications
- Auto-adjusts your goals based on daily activity, air humidity, and personal info.
- Quality glass bottle preserves the fresh taste of water.
- Optimized for home & office use.
- Doesn't fit in car cupholders. Not ideal for biking or hiking.
- Works with iPhone. (Doesn’t work on most Android devices)
- Not recommended to use with carbonated water/drinks
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very good customer service | Connection issues |
| Accurate and easy to use | Doesn’t work on most Android devices |
| Syncs with Apple Health | The bottom falls off sometimes |
| The reminders are customizable | Not easy to clean |
Geniway CloudCUP Hydration Tracker Smart Bottle
Bottle capacity is 16 oz (480 ml). This bottle manufacturer advertises water ionization as one of its main benefits. Ionization process raises the pH of drinking water. Ionized water is believed to have health benefits but this fact is not backed up by medical evidence. Connects up with iOS and Android apps to synchronize your water intake data. Has inbuilt sensors which detect water purity level, volume and temperature. The readings are only in ml and C. The advantages include easy-to-use app, touch screen display and long lasting battery. On the downside the bottle is rather heavy, may become annoying sometimes because you need to shake it to turn of the reminder beeps.
Main Features:
- Customizable hydration tracker
- Connects with iOS and Android apps via bluetooth
- Portable Water Ionizer
- Built-in sensors register Water Purity, volume and temperature (°C)
- Built with borosilicate glass body and stainless steel base/lid
- High capacity rechargeable batteries
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| User-friendly app | The bottle is heavy |
| Long lasting battery | No option to turn off beeps |
| Good customer service | Not best suited for taking to travels |
| Touch screen | Measurement are in milliliters(ml, not oz) and Celsius (C not F) |
Hydra Smart Bottle
Bottle capacity is 20 oz. Hydra differs from previous bottles in that it doesn’t offer fancy tracking capabilities and reminders. But it has perks you cannot find in other smart bottles. Thanks to its multifunctional design It’s branded as Swiss army knife for smart bottles. It features premium bluetooth speakers letting you stream your favorite music or use it as a loud speaker for your phone. Can be used as a flashlight and cycling LED colorful lights. Small hidden chamber for valuables, power bank to keep it charged, carabiner with a bottle opener on the side - it’s best suited for those who are on the go.
Main Features:
- 20oz BPA-FREE water bottle
- High quality 5W Bluetooth Speaker
- Can be used as a phone speaker with the embedded bluetooth speaker
- Bright color LED lights, white lantern
- 4000 mAh safe polymer Power bank (with 2.1a USB output)
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| High quality speaker | Does not monitor water intake |
| Light source | Electronic parts are not waterproof |
| USB charger shuts off when the battery is fully charged | No usage instructions |
Summary
We reviewed 6 popular smart water bottles by showing their individual advantages and disadvantages. You now may be wondering which bottle is right for you. Well it depends on where and how you want to use it. Hydra shines when you don’t need daily tracking of your organism’s hydration levels meantime you are more into outdoor activities. Among other bottles with hydration level tracking support If you’d like your bottle to be made of glass and have an aesthetic design than H2OPal is your best choice. Ozmo has an easy-to-use app and can also be used for storing coffee. Hydrate Spark 2 seems to log the most accurate data but you’ll need to use replacement battery when it’s out of charge.
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