In Depth Getting in shape just got easier
Getting fit has got a lot easier with the rise of smartphones and their various fitness tracking tools and apps - but which shiny new smartphone should you plump for if youre thinking of shedding the weight?
If youre serious about getting fit and want a smartphone to help you then dont just go out and buy the first shiny handset you see, because some are a lot more suited to that all important task of personal betterment than others. Weve got you covered with the best of them, handily split into five different categories.
Best water and dust resistant phone: Sony Xperia Z1
If you want to go biking through the forest with your phone in tow then its worth ensuring its dust proof, otherwise it might not work quite so well by the time you get home. Likewise if you want to take your phone out for a jog in the rain youd better make sure its water resistant.
The
Sony Xperia Z1 ticks both of those boxes, as its IP58 certified as dust proof and water resistant for up to 30 minutes at depths of up to 1.5 metres (in freshwater), so if youre feeling really brave you can even take it swimming.
Not only that, but its also a top flight phone in other ways, with a 2.2 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a 5 inch 1080p display.
Also consider: Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
The
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active isnt quite the phone the Sony Xperia Z1 is. Its not as attractive, thanks to being shorn of the smooth lines, and has a less impressive camera. But with a 1.9 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a 5 inch screen its almost as good in most other ways.
Crucially its also IP67 certified dust and water resistant, which means you can submerge it in fresh water up to 1 metre deep for up to 30 minutes.
Best for built in fitness features: Samsung Galaxy S4
The
Samsung Galaxy S4 does so many things right. From its powerful 1.9 GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, to its impressive 1080p 5 inch screen its a flagship phone through and through.
But thanks to a handy built in app called S Health its also a surprisingly useful tool for fitness fanatics.
S Health is a fairly comprehensive fitness tracker, which lets you log your workouts, your weight, your blood pressure and what food and drink youve consumed.
As well as manually entering activities and foods it can also automatically keep track of how many steps you take throughout the day (using the built-in sensors) and can be used to set and track long term goals.
There are even a range of compatible accessories available to help you get more out of the app, covering everything from a fitness tracking wristband to scales and blood pressure monitors.
Also consider: iPhone 5S
One of the more unexpected things about the
iPhone 5S was that it includes an M7 motion coprocessor, the sole purpose of which is to track any motion picked up by the iPhones accelerometer, gyroscope and compass.
Some other phones use their main processor to do this, which means having the CPU active even when the phone is idle and uses a lot of battery as a result.
The M7 on the other hand uses very little battery as it has a clock speed of just 150 MHz. So in combination with fitness tracking apps it can keep track of your movement all day everyday with minimal impact on your phones battery, and can port the data to a number of apps.
Best small, light and portable phone: Nokia Lumia 620
If youre keeping active then you really dont want your phone weighing you down. So having a light handset, not to mention one thats small and very portable is desirable.
In general smartphones seem to be getting bigger all the time, with the likes of the
Sony Xperia Z Ultra approaching tablet territory with a 6.4 inch screen.
But it is still possible to get some fairly compact handsets and the
Nokia Lumia 620 is one such phone.
With a screen of just 3.8 inches this thing is pretty small. Its full dimensions, if youre wondering, are 115.4 x 61.1 x 11mm, so while its not the slimmest phone around its quite compact overall.
At just 127g its also pretty light and while its a budget handset its no slouch as a smartphone either. Its 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 512MB of RAM may not sound too impressive but they serve it well and
Windows Phone 8 is far from resource hungry at the worst of times.
