MymonX Review: Non-invasive glucose tracking

Verdict

The MymonX gives huge well being monitoring options, however is finally let down by {hardware} and software program issues that make it powerful to advocate over equally priced health-focused smartwatches.

Introduction

The MymonX is a smartwatch that guarantees to trace your vitals, together with one which hasn’t been provided by any excessive profile smartwatch.

AITIS, the makers of MymonX, says its watch packs in medical-grade sensors that may non-invasively observe glucose, which is one thing the likes of Apple and Samsung are regularly rumoured to be striving so as to add to their respective smartwatches.

That is additionally a smartwatch that may observe blood strain, take ECG readings and monitor SpO2, respiratory fee, physique temperature, all whereas providing some sports activities and health tracker options to make it helpful exterior of the extra severe well being monitoring time.

It’s a watch that packs in some fairly huge and probably groundbreaking options, so does it ship the place it issues? Right here’s my take. 

Design and display

• 51mm case
• 1.3-inch TFT show
• IP68 water resistance stage

In case you’re hoping that the MymonX goes to convey some severe styling to your wrist, then you definitely’re going to be dissatisfied. It’s very a lot in that class of strange wanting smartwatches and jogs my memory a number of the cheaper smartwatches I’ve examined from the likes of Realme, Poco and Mobvoi.

It’s constructed from stainless-steel and a metallic alloy with plastic and 316 medical metal across the again and that’s linked to a leather-based and TPU plastic strap with a standard watch buckle that has been comfy to put on and hasn’t brought on any kind of irritation.

There’s simply the one black color choice with scope to vary up the straps, and whereas it feels fairly properly constructed it’s simply fairly an uninspiring watch to look down at.

Weight-wise, it drops on the scales at 200g, so examine that to one thing like the brand new Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional (52g-59g) and it’s just a little on the heavy aspect. It measures in at 11.8mm thick, so it’s not a chunky watch at the least, and whilst you don’t really feel that weight, it definitely doesn’t disappear on the wrist both.

There’s one bodily button to get up the display and get into the primary menu display. And under that there’s what seems to be like a bigger, flatter button. That’s really the electrode to position your finger onto to take ECG measurements.

You’ll be staring into a reasonably muted, 1.3-inch, 240 x 230 TFT touchscreen show, which once more is the type of display you’d affiliate on less expensive smartwatches. That does imply you get some color, nevertheless it’s not rivalling the standard you’ll get on an AMOLED. It’s not a massively brilliant display both, with simply 3 brightness settings to select from and you may’t preserve the show on 24/7 both.

AITIS does give its watch an IP68 water resistance design, which does imply it may possibly deal with a while being submerged in water as much as 1.5 metres depth and gives some safety in opposition to mud as properly.

Well being monitoring

• Non-invasive glucose monitoring 
• Blood strain monitoring
• Takes ECG measurements

This smartwatch is actually about what it may possibly supply when it comes to measuring your vitals, significantly the promise it may possibly monitor blood glucose ranges constantly. No high-profile smartwatch has promised this and most specialists I’ve spoken to on this area counsel getting the extent of accuracy with non-invasive glucose monitoring is extraordinarily difficult. 

Apparently, MymonX claims this isn’t a medical gadget and shouldn’t be used within the therapy of any medical situation. Based mostly on my time with it, I’m unsure the information or the expertise of grabbing that knowledge feels adequate or higher than what different smartwatches presently supply to make it wholly helpful on that entrance.

Beginning with the non-invasive glucose monitoring, which MymonX claims is AI-based, non-invasive monitoring and inside the companion cellphone app will present real-time readings in mmol/L together with highest and lowest readings.

I wore a Supersapiens glucose monitoring gadget similtaneously testing the MymonX watch. Just like the watch, it’s not designed for medical use, however is just like the setup of its Freestyle Libre setup for these desirous to carefully monitor glucose for well being causes. It’s additionally an invasively utilized gadget designed to supply correct knowledge over a 14-day interval. 

Evaluating the readings they often by no means appeared to match. The readings on the MymonX didn’t seem to indicate a spike or drop at instances I’d anticipated it to, like after train or after consuming a meal and largely the readings simply appeared to hover on the similar real-time and steady readings more often than not.

Subsequent was the ECG measurements, which fared a bit higher on the accuracy entrance, however illustrates a few of the disconnect between the app and the watch. You begin ECG measurements from the app or the watch, with the latter finished by inserting your finger on the electrode. Taking a recording on the watch itself did work, however knowledge by no means synced over.

It labored nice when prompting a measurement from the app, which emits a loud beep because it’s taking readings. This generates coronary heart fee, blood strain and coronary heart fee variability measurements. The ECG measurements basically did match what I grabbed from the Apple Watch and its built-in ECG sensor. So the information seems to be good, it’s simply the execution of getting that knowledge that’s the issue right here.

Onto blood strain monitoring the place you possibly can take readings instantly from the watch by means of the optical sensors or you are able to do the above ECG measurement to get them. Both manner, I took readings alongside a devoted blood strain monitor they usually not often matched and have been typically off my typical readings. You may set your typical readings within the app to calibrate it within the app and with out doing that it doesn’t appear extremely dependable.

For steady coronary heart fee readings, the final readings have been usually a lot greater than the dependable steady readings on a Garmin watch and the extra correct ECG measurements additionally confirmed that too. It could possibly be at instances 20 bpm greater.

Information like SpO2 readings, respiratory fee and temperature did really feel extra in keeping with different units we in contrast them in opposition to, so if that’s knowledge you do care about, it felt extra dependable on that entrance. When it comes to these huge options like glucose monitoring and blood strain, I’m not satisfied they’re providing adequate knowledge on the entire.

Health monitoring and smartwatch options

• Tracks every day steps 
• Sleep monitoring
• Sleep monitoring from watch and app

MymonX makes use of what appears to be its personal working system right here, or one which feels just like the type of Android-based OS you discover on cheaper smartwatches. That’s powered by an ultra-low energy nordic52832 chip, which appears to be sufficient to do the job for a not so demanding working system.

Interacting with the software program doesn’t really feel significantly slick. You flick to screens versus transferring to them such as you do on most smartwatches with parts like widgets, menus and watch faces all feeling a bit price range.

You do have some watch faces to select from, although none actually shine on that muted show, whereas notifications are tucked away whenever you wish to overview them. There’s music playback controls right here too, although it may possibly’t show presently taking part in tracks and options like remotely controlling your smartphone’s digital camera aren’t properly executed.

It does have the sensors on board to trace every day steps and monitor sleep, and every day step counts have been within the ballpark of the identical monitoring on a Garmin watch and the Oura Ring Gen 3.

It breaks down deep and lightweight sleep levels, together with capturing sleep period and supplying you with a brief piece of sleep evaluation. Sleep period captured was very near what Oura and Garmin recorded, whereas sleep levels basically have been roughly in line too. It’s a fairly primary presentation of that sleep knowledge within the app, nevertheless it appears the reliability of the information has been good.

There are some sports activities monitoring capabilities right here too, although not significantly good ones. From the watch, there’s profiles of operating, biking, normal health and issues like skipping and desk tennis. Everytime I attempted to trace a exercise from the watch, whether or not it was a run or a normal fitness center exercise, it by no means synced it over to the app and it was prefer it by no means occurred. 

You may launch sports activities monitoring from the app, the place you’ll get the GPS tracked route and extra metrics, however once more this represents but extra disconnect between the watch and the app, which makes this explicit a part of utilizing the MymonX irritating.

Battery life

• As much as 15 days battery life
• 30-40 days in standby mode

A spotlight for the MymonX is the type of battery life you’ll take pleasure in, which regardless of the extra primary nature of the watch software program and parts just like the show know-how used, continues to be shocking when it’s constantly monitoring a number of vitals directly.

There’s a 200mAh capability battery that MymonX says can ship wherever from 7-15 days battery life. In case you go away it in standby mode that jumps to 30-40 days. I noticed a every day and in a single day battery drop-off of round 10%, which might equate to 10 days. 

Unsurprisingly, it makes use of a proprietary charging cable to energy it again up and fortunately it isn’t the horrible sort that does magnetically keep in place in a safe trend.

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