The Consumer Council revealed on Thursday that smartwatches and fitness trackers show wide variations in accuracy for step counting and heart rate monitoring, with some devices deviating by up to 74 percent.
The watchdog tested 38 smartwatch models priced between HK$199 and HK$9,799, along with six fitness trackers ranging from HK$139 to HK$498. Results showed that three models mistakenly registered minor hand movements as steps, leading to step-count discrepancies of 59 to 74 percent.
Heart rate monitoring also proved inconsistent. Two models displayed deviations exceeding 11 percent during most activities, with errors surpassing 21 percent during cycling.
The Council advised users to wear devices as instructed - neither too loose nor too tight - to ensure optimal performance of optical heart rate sensors.
It also emphasized that health data from such devices are estimates rather than precise measurements, making them suitable for general reference but not medical diagnosis.
