Razer Nabu X
RRP: $89.95
Why you’d want one:
Razer’s most closely associated with gaming, so it’s little surprise that its take on a fitness band takes a distinctly gamified viewpoint.
From a design perspective, the Nabu X looks like any other fitness band. The sensor itself is a small black and green pill that slots into the rubber Nabu X band itself, although you’re not likely to need to do this all that much, because the charging point sits flat and outwards so it’s simple to plug in and keep charged.
Like a number of simpler fitness trackers, the Nabu X uses a simple alerts system to let you know when you’re hitting fitness goals or have some other form of notification, although there’s no inbuilt screen or anything of the type to give you more detailed information.
In pure tracking terms, the Nabu X performed admirably enough for step tracking, bearing in mind the general observation that I’ve yet to hit an absolutely one hundred percent accurate tracker. If anything, the Nabu X tended to ever so slightly overcount compared to the other two bands tested here, but not to such a huge degree as to be worrying.
If you’re a heavy swimmer, the Nabu X might be for you, as it’s IP67 rated, meaning that a swim for up to 30 minutes shouldn’t give the Nabu X any particular problems. I’ve never been remarkably comfortable with wearables and water, but your tolerances may vary.
At $89.95, the Nabu X sits at a decent price point where it’s fairly competitive, and I could see gaming types warming to it if they’re already fans of Razer’s gaming gear.
There’s one other feature with the Nabu X that I haven’t been able to test, and that’s the social sharing aspect. Most bands encourage you to share your results with friends in order to create a little rivalry along the way, and that’s no bad thing. The Nabu X takes it a little further, offering detection of other nearby bands and data sharing if you allow it. Unfortunately, with only one band, and absolutely zero sightings of Nabu X bands in the wild during testing, I can’t really say if this works well or not. It is, on paper, an interesting way to connect with other users, if it works.
Why you wouldn’t:
Razer’s approach to apps for the Nabu X is downright weird. I tested it paired to an iPhone 6, and that involved downloading three separate apps for the full Nabu X experience. There’s also a Nabu X launcher if you’re an Android user. It’d be nice to keep it simple, Razer.
It’s endemic in simpler bands that the notifications don’t tell you a lot, but the Nabu X is also rather chatty, or at least it was while I was testing it. That meant that it vibrated a lot, and all I could do to discern its needs was to check with my paired phone, which quickly became irritating.
The Nabu X uses a clasp design that does solidly sit in place, but takes a lot of getting used to. If I was using it over a longer term, I’d probably trim the cable back a bit, because it tended to slip out at the sides once clasped in place, especially if I was exercising heavily.
Like most fitness bands, the Nabu X uses a custom charging cable. What’s notably annoying here is that the connection point is almost entirely, but not quite, like micro USB. Going with micro USB, and making it significantly easier to charge would have been a great choice for Razer to make in this instance.
Fat Duck Verdict:
The Nabu X is mid-priced; if you want a very simple tracker you can buy one cheaper than this that may deliver the same kind of experiences. Razer sells itself as a premium maker of gaming peripherals, ranging from laptops to mice and everything inbetween, and the Nabu X is a weird fit within that. I could see the social aspects perhaps working well for a gym group, but you’d have to convince everyone to get on board — and it’d have to work, something I’ve not been able to properly assess.
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