Jawbone Up 2 Review and First Impressions

After a disappointing experience with the Garmin Vivofit 2, I was back on the hunt for a fitness band and tracker. Naturally, I gravitated towards the two I knew the most about – Fitbit and Jawbone. I’ve heard mixed reviews about both bands, and I wasn’t too excited at the thought of buying another mediocre fitness band. But I did my research anyway, because that’s just what I do.

I quickly learned that Jawbone recently revamped their entire line of fitness bands. I searched for reviews, and was pleasantly surprised to see really positive reviews about the Jawbone Up 2. It only took me a few hours to make my decision that this was the band I wanted to replace the Garmin Vivofit 2. I’ve owned the Jawbone for a couple of weeks now, and here’s my Jawbone Up 2 review:

The Pros

• The Jawbone Up 2 band is fairly thin, and it looks more like a bracelet than anything else. Even on my small wrists, it doesn’t look too bulky (or as my fiance says, it doesn’t look like a parole bracelet). The band is also super light, and most of the time, I don’t even remember that I have it on.
• The UP app is really simple to use, and it’s laid out in a way that you don’t get “lost” using the app. I can easily find where everything is, and it’s super easy to track food, workouts, weight, sleep, etc.
• Speaking of sleep tracking, the Jawbone Up 2 is awesome with sleep tracking. I love that I can see how many hours of light vs. restful sleep I got as well as how many times I woke up during the night. I don’t think it’s 100% accurate when it comes to how long it takes me to fall asleep, but it’s cool.
• The battery life is only 7-9 days, which means you need to charge your Jawbone every week or so. I just set a reminder on my phone to repeat weekly, so this isn’t really a big deal for me.

The Cons

• In order to switch between sleep and awake mode, you need to tap the band. When you first get the Jawbone Up 2, it’s incredibly difficult to tap the band. I think I spent a minute or more tapping the band just trying to get it to show me which mode it was in. I’ve had my Jawbone for a few weeks now, and tapping the band has gotten much easier. I’ve also found that on your last day or so of battery life, it’s also a little more difficult.
• The one thing I loved about my Garmin was that I could change out the bands, but this isn’t the case with Jawbone. After only a few weeks, my band is scuffed up. I can’t imagine what it will look like in a few months (or more). Plus, I don’t have the option of changing out the color when I get tired of black.
• Closing the band is kind of difficult, and it requires a bit of practice to get it right. It also takes a bit of work to get the clasp closed, which can get frustrating at time.
• Unlike the Garmin, the Jawbone isn’t waterproof. Instead, it’s classified as water resistant, meaning it can be worn in the shower, while working out, or in the rain, but swimming with it is a no go. This isn’t really a big deal to me, but I can see how it would be a negative thing to other people.

The Verdict

Despite all of the cons, I am absolutely in love with my Jawbone Up 2. For $100, you absolutely cannot beat it. If you’re looking for a small fitness tracker with a ton of features, the Jawbone Up 2 is for you. I had a really hard time choosing between the Jawbone and the FitBit, but after only two weeks, I know that I made the right decision.