The Striiv Fusion is a budget fitness tracker with minimal smartwatch features built-in. To be honest, I’ve never really been a fan of the Fitbit trackers despite the fact that most of my family owns one – and swears by them.
Being a fan of smartwatches, I’m of mind that fitness trackers should implement at least a few basic smartwatch features, like notification tracking. At the same time, they shouldn’t sacrifice important fitness and health monitoring features just to implement such a thing.
Which brings us to the review device we’re here to talk about today. I came across the Striiv fitness bands, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try one out myself. So, I settled on the mid-level Fusion model, and the rest is history!
I soon learned it was one of the smartest purchases I’ve made in a while, and it didn’t hurt my wallet either!
Striiv Fusion Review
Striiv offers three different models, each with their own unique features. There’s the Fusion Lite which is akin to the Fitbit model trackers. Then, there’s the Fusion – the model I purchased – which includes all the fitness and health tracking support plus some basic smartwatch features. Finally, there’s the Fusion Bio which includes everything from the two previous models and a heart-rate monitor.
If you want to monitor your heart-rate – or beats per minute – then you’ll need to pony up the cash for the most expensive model: the Fusion Bio. If you don’t care about heart-rate then you can settle for one of the other two models, which also track basic fitness data.
Naturally, I settled for the Fusion.
The price of each model varies:
- Fusion Lite: $59.99
- Fusion: $79.99
- Fusion Bio: $99.99
It is worth noting you can find them much cheaper if you shop around. I picked up the Fusion for $59.99 on sale, which is the same price as the entry model.
But even at less than $100, the question remains: is it worth your hard-earned money? Read on to find out.
Overview
| Striiv Fusion Review | |
| Overall: (4/5) |  |
| Build: (4/5) | |
| Design: (2/5) |  |
| Tracking: (4/5) | |
| Functionality: (4/5) | |
| Compatibility: (4/5) | |
The Striiv Fusion works great and there are quite a few features packed into this affordable $70 smartwatch. There are a lot of fitness trackers and activity bands around that price range, and the Fusion is certainly comparable.
The battery will last for up to five days on a full charge, unless you use the smart features and keep it synced via Bluetooth with your phone constantly. Then you’ll get about 1 to 2 days use out of a single charge.
There are multiple bands included in the package with the device. In addition, it’s sweat and rain resistant. So, it’s durable too.
There are a few bonus features included, as well. For example, you can track your sleep, indicate how much water you drink on a daily basis, and track when you’ve taken – or missed – your medication.
- Overall: 4/5 – the Striiv Fusion is an excellent fitness and smart band, through and through.
Build
For a relatively cheap device, the Fusion is surprisingly durable. The bands are made of “durable elastomer” which is essentially a soft rubber-like material.
The tracker is actually a separate module that can be removed from the bands at will. This is great because the Fusion comes bundled with three different band colors which you can freely swap between (red, blue and black). The clasp is made of stainless steel and just clamps into the small holes in the band – much like a waist belt. Obviously, if you swap band styles you need to take the clasp out of the current band and move it over to the next one but this is pretty easy.
The module is quite durable and you can feel this when you have to wake up the device. To turn on the screen you need to tap on the display twice, and you need to do it quite hard.
The other thing I’m happy to report is that the Fusion is indeed sweat and splash proof. The reason I mention this is because when I’m active I sweat like a pig. I have had previous fitness trackers die on me after being exposed to my sweat.
You wouldn’t want to take it in the pool or in the shower, it’s not built for that. However, it can withstand an inordinate amount of sweat, and I’d imagine rain as well.
The bands are also quite durable. I haven’t noticed any wearing of the plastic or cracks despite constant use. I wear this thing 24/7 because it tracks sleep too.
- Build: 4/5 – The Fusion is not totally indestructible since it’s made out of plastic but it is remarkably durable, especially for something that’s so budget-friendly.
Design
Now I’ll be honest here, the Striiv Fusion bands aren’t particularly attractive, but they’re not downright ugly either – they fall somewhere in between. But seeing as the device is nothing more than a glorified rubber band – with an attached module – it’s silly to fault Striiv for this.
You’re not going to buy the Fusion models because they look sexy, like say the Moto 360 or Huawei Watch.
This isn’t a smartwatch, it’s a fitness band with “smart” features. If you’re used to seeing other fitness bands you won’t find anything wrong with the Striiv Fusion. On the wrist it looks just like a Fitbit, Jawbone, or comparable tracker.
What redeems the design is the option to swap band styles freely.
- Design: 2/5 – The Striiv Fusion isn’t pretty, but it’s not ugly either.
Fitness Tracking
Unless you purchase the Fusion Bio, the fitness and health monitoring support is standard. The band will track steps walked, total distance, calories, active time, and sleep. Sleep mode is not activated automatically. You either have to turn the sleep tracking mode on via the touchscreen, or with the companion app using your smartphone.
The Fusion also has a few simple habit monitoring options. For example, you can indicate your daily water intake (in ounces), whether or not you stuck to your diet, your daily weight, and if you took your medicine. Of course, this information is tracked on the device directly – and you make your selections using the touchscreen. The data is synced to your smartphone as soon as you pair up via Bluetooth.
Using the Fusion alongside a Razer Nabu and a Fitbit Flex during a walk, I was able to match up accuracy. They all track pretty much the same data. The Fusion picked up a few extra steps over the other trackers, and some added distance, but it wasn’t enough to consider a problem.
- Tracking: 4/5 – Everything you need is there, plus a few extras like habit and sleep tracking.
Functionality
The biggest difference between the Fusion and most fitness bands is that it has a small touchscreen display. No, it’s not the same size as a smartwatch display, and only offers basic interactions – but it’s more than you’d get on a base model Fitbit.
To turn the display on – assuming it’s charged – you double tap on the surface. Sometimes getting the screen to turn on is a bit finicky, but personally I’m fine with that. It keeps the display from turning on randomly all the time and wearing down the battery. You really have to tap on it to get it to react.
The first screen displays the current time and whether or not the device is synced with a smartphone. Then, by swiping left to right (or the opposite direction) you can move from screen to screen. Every data point being tracked gets a separate screen, while the device settings, sleep mode, and habit tracking options are tucked away under a sub-menu.
The display is a bit difficult to read in direct sunlight, but that’s a minor quirk.
The free companion app syncs and collects all your fitness data. It also allows you to set personal goals, ping tracked data to third-party apps like RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal, and find device support.
There’s a nifty little reality game called MyLand that allows you to use tracked data to grow crops and customize a virtual island. There’s absolutely no need to play or participate, but it’s a neat little time-waster if you have the desire to get involved.
The battery will last for up to five days on a full charge, unless you use the smart features and keep it synced via Bluetooth with your phone constantly. Then you’ll get about 1 to 2 days use out of a single charge. I found it best to sync up the device occasionally and use the “smart” features when I was away from home. This allowed me to get notifications while my phone was in my pocket, and kept the battery life reasonable.
If you have notifications on, they will show up on the display temporarily. When the screen times out, they revert to a notifications sub-menu that you’ll need to navigate to in order to see missed alerts. I find this convenient because it doesn’t clutter the display with unread notifications, and they’re just a few swipes away when you want to take a look.
Through the companion app you can specify what apps are allowed to ping notifications to the band so you have full control.
- Functionality: 4/5 – Striiv has a lot to offer, even if the Fusion bands aren’t pricey! That’s more than you can say for even some of the big names in the business (like Razer or Jawbone).
Compatibility
For the most part, the Fusion is compatible with a great deal of devices. If you own an iPhone 4S+ or Android 4.4+ device with Bluetooth 4.0, you’re in the clear. For the full list of compatible devices see this official page.
I’m rocking a 2015 Moto X with Android 6.0 (Verizon) for reference.
- Compatibility: 4/5 – The Striiv Fusion is compatible with most modern smartphones including iOS and Android.
Striiv Fusion Review: Conclusion
I will say, after about a month of use I am extremely happy with my purchase. Having never heard of Striiv before I got my hands on my Fusion, I would certainly buy from them again. I expect they’ll release updated models soon enough.
The Fusion is a hell of a lot cheaper than most comparable devices hitting the market, and it offers just as many features if not more.
If you’re interested, here are the specs:
- Separate tracker module
- Includes 3 bands: Black, blue, and red
- Battery life: Up to 5 days (rechargeable)
- Sweat and splash proof
- Touchscreen display
- Activity tracking:
- Steps
- Calories burned
- Total active time
- Total distance
- Sleep
- Track habits like water consumption, diet, and medicine
- Smartwatch Features:
- Call and text notifications
- Calendar and meeting reminders
- Various app and social notifications
- Vibrating alarms (on your wrist)
- Remote media controls
Striiv Fusion Photo Gallery
We hope you enjoyed our Striiv Fusion review and that it proved useful in your search for the perfect fitness band. Stay tuned for more coverage!