New affordable screenless band undercuts Fitbit Air with ECG, steel case, 30-day battery

Rogbid has added a stainless steel option to its screenless Loop family — the Loop W. It went live on the company's store recently, priced at $59.99. That makes it $10 cheaper than the Loop V from August, which uses an aluminum alloy case instead. It comes in Tech Black and Moonlight Silver, both on a nylon strap.

The case here is 316 stainless steel. Since there is no display, the band relies on vibration alerts for calls, messages and app notifications. Rogbid rates it at 5 ATM. That is a little better than the 3 ATM on the Loop V, though the company still describes it as suited to handwashing, rain and shallow water, not proper swimming.

Health tracking wise, you're getting heart rate, SpO₂, HRV, skin temperature, stress and sleep, around the clock. There is also a 30-second ECG reading. A Goodix GH3228-based sensor handles that, and a JieLi JL7073 chip runs the band. Multiple sports modes are included, too. A Family Care feature also lets approved family members view selected health data through the app.

Battery life is where the Loop W's different. The cell is only 150 mAh, smaller than the 220 mAh pack inside the Loop V. Rogbid still rates it for 25 to 30 days of use and up to 60 days in standby. In contrast, the Loop V was rated for 10 days. Charging is magnetic, and the promo art puts a full top-up at about an hour.

The band connects over Bluetooth 5.3 and works with Android 9.0 and iOS 10.0 or newer. For a limited time, Rogbid is also including a free nylon strap with each order.

As with the Loop V, the listing mentions no FDA clearance for the ECG. Its readings are better treated as wellness data than a diagnosis. The Loop W also costs $40 less than both the Fitbit Air and the Amazfit Helio Strap, the latter of which sells for $99.99 on Amazon currently.