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Nigerians are presently approaching wellness and fitness differently thanks to digital health innovations.

In recent years, smartwatches and fitness bands have changed from accessories that were once considered as luxury to very important pieces of technology for anyone who is serious about taking full control of their health.

These wearable devices are capable of serving multiple purposes, they can monitor heart rates and sleep patterns and also manage notifications while maintaining daily activity goals.

As the demand for this type of accessories increases, manufacturers are creating more efficient models to make sure quality no longer depends on a premium price tag.

The market has changed significantly, and manufacturers now offer smartwatches and fitness bands with many exciting features at affordable prices.

For individuals looking for reliable health tracking and smart features without overspending, models that sell for under N100,000 provide excellent value and functionality.

This article examines the market for affordable wearable technology in Nigeria, highlights key features to look out for before buying and also showcases some standout models that deliver impressive performance for a N100,000 budget.

Key Features to Look for Before Buying 

Before you purchase any smartwatch or fitness band, it is very important to understand the specific features that genuinely add value to your daily routine.

Actually, not all specifications matter equally, and prioritizing the right ones ensures you invest in a device that serves your exact needs satisfactorily.

Comprehensive Fitness Tracking

Modern fitness tracking goes way beyond counting the number of steps you make. A quality device should be able to monitor your heart rate continuously throughout the day, providing accurate insights into your cardiovascular health and exercise intensity (a measure of how much energy your body expends during an exercise). Sleep tracking has become equally important,

offering detailed analysis of sleep stages, duration, and quality. Also, monitoring the blood’s oxygen levels (SpO₂) has become an important health indicator too, especially after recent global health concerns. Go for devices that can offer accurate sensors and detailed analytics through their in-built applications.

Battery Life and Charging Convenience

The need to always charge your smart watch or fitness bands can impact negatively on the user experience.

How well the battery performs varies across models, with some lasting just for a few days while others can be used extensively for up to two or three weeks on a single charge. Consider your lifestyle and charging habits when evaluating this feature.

Furthermore, charging speed also matters; modern devices now mostly offer fast-charging capabilities that can provide several hours of use from just a few minutes of charging time.

Device Compatibility

Your smartwatches also need to work smoothly with your smartphone. Most smartwatches can support both Android and iOS platforms, although there are some features that may work better with specific operating systems.

Before purchasing, make sure you verify that the device fully supports your phone’s operating system version and that all the features advertised function as expected.

The companion app, which acts as the main interface for customization and data analysis, must also support this compatibility.

Design, Comfort, and Durability

Since you may likely wear this device throughout the whole day or night, how comfortable it is becomes very important. Consider the weight, strap material, and general ergonomics of the device.

Skin-friendly materials prevent irritation when worn for a longer time, particularly during sleep tracking.

Display quality also means a lot; AMOLED screens offer superior visibility in bright sunlight compared to the standard LCD displays.

Additionally, water and dust resistance ratings (such as IP67 or IP68) ensures that your device withstands everyday exposure to moisture and other environmental elements that can damage the device.

Top Smartwatches and Fitness Bands Under N100,000

After deep research into the Nigerian market, several devices stand out for their combination of features, reliability, and value within this price range. Each option highlighted here caters to different conditions and use cases, ensuring there is something suitable for every type of user.

Xiaomi Smart Band 9

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 is the newest addition to one of the world’s most popular fitness tracker series. This device is a perfect balance between affordability and impressive functionality, making it the best choice for budget-conscious consumers who refuse to compromise on essential features.

The Smart Band 9 comes with improvements on everything that worked in the previous model, it comes with a bright, large 1.62-inch AMOLED display with a smooth 60Hz refresh rate that makes navigation very seamless.

The display brightness reaches as high as 1200 nits, ensuring clear visibility even under direct sunlight or in the night, an indispensable feature in Nigeria’s type of climate.

What truly differentiates this fitness band from others is its exceptional battery life. The 21-day battery life span allows users to forget about charging for weeks on a single charge, eliminating the anxiety of running out of power during important tracking periods.

The device supports over 150 sports modes, covering virtually every type of physical activity from running and cycling to swimming and football. With multiple color options and customizable straps, users can easily personalize their device to match different outfits and occasions.

Features: 

• Display: 62-inch AMOLED touch display with a resolution of 192×490 pixels and a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits.
• Design: Lightweight, aluminium pill-shaped
• Straps: Detachable TPU strap available in multiple colors, and adjustable from 135–215
• Durability: 5ATM water resistance, suitable for users who love swimming and showering, but not high-speed water sports or hot water.
• Health Monitoring: Continuous 24/7 monitoring for heart rate and blood oxygen (SpO2) with high and low heart rate alerts.
• Sleep Tracking: Sleep monitoring that tracks deep sleep, light sleep, and REM sleep, along with tips for improvement.
• Stress Tracking: It can monitor stress levels throughout the
• Workouts: Supports over 150 workout modes for tracking a wide variety of activities
• Price Range: N55,000 – N60,000

Xiaomi Smart Band 8 

For those who are looking for a slightly more affordable alternative to the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 while maintaining nice features, the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 offers the best value. This predecessor to the Band 9 also has an efficient performance and remains widely available in the Nigerian market.

The Band 8 comes with a 1.62-inch AMOLED display and weighs just 27 grams, making it light and comfortable for all-day wear.

The metallic frame comes in several colours such as graphite black and champagne gold, adding more aesthetic appeal to its functional design.

The main difference between this model and the Band 9 is that it offers less battery life and also has a lower screen brightness reach. Asides from this, it is almost identical to the Band 9 at a lesser price.

The fitness tracking features are very identical to those of its successor, with 24/7 heart rate monitoring, sleep analysis, stress tracking, and SpO₂ measurement. It comes with over 150 sports modes also, to ensure effective activity tracking regardless of your preferred exercise routine.

Features 

• Display: 62-inch AMOLED display with 192 x 490 resolution, 326 ppi, 60Hz refresh rate, and 600 nits peak brightness.
• Build: A metallic mid-frame to improve durability
• Straps: It comes with quick-release straps that allow users to easily switch between different designs and materials like leather, braided, or chain straps.
• Watch Faces: Offers over 200 watch faces with an option for an always-on
• All-day monitoring: Tracks heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress levels throughout the
• Sleep monitoring: Automatically records sleep duration and provides daily sleep quality
• Sports modes: It supports over 150 sports
• Heart rate alerts: Provides vibration alerts for abnormal heart
• Women’s health: The smartwatch can help to track menstrual cycles and predict
• Water resistance: 5ATM water resistance for shallow water activities like
• App compatibility: Connects to the Mi Fitness app for Android and iOS
• Battery: Up to 16 days of normal use, depending on
• Price: N46,000 – N55,000

Samsung Galaxy Fit 3

Samsung brings its well known quality and ecosystem integration to the affordable fitness band market with the Galaxy Fit 3. This device would suit users who already own other devices from Samsung like smartphones, although it works well with other Android devices too.

The Galaxy Fit 2 comes with a full-color AMOLED screen that makes it easy to glance at stats in direct sunlight, and the lightweight and comfortable design makes it almost unnoticeable on the wrist.

Water resistance is one of the major advantages of owning this device, with the device capable of withstanding full immersion of up to 50 meters deep.

This makes it more ideal for serious swimmers and water sports enthusiasts. The automatic workout detection intelligently recognizes and records your exercises without the need for manual input.

This smartwatch is well integrated with Samsung’s Health platform and provides very accurate fitness tracking, sleep pattern monitoring, and detailed calorie tracking. The device can display incoming notifications, allows viewing of calls, and also enables quick replies to messages directly from the wrist, keeping users connected without the need to constantly reach for their phones.

Battery life extends to 15 days under intensive use, and the device pairs particularly well with Samsung Galaxy smartphones for more improved functionality.

Features

• Display: It comes with a large 1.6-inch, high-resolution AMOLED touchscreen for clear visibility and smooth touch.
• Build: Aluminum body with a removable, soft silicone
• Durability: Features 5ATM and IP68 water resistance, making it very suitable for swimming, as well as dust resistance.
• Sensors: comes with an accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, optical heart rate sensor, and light sensor.
• Workout tracking: Supports around 101 workout modes, and can automatically detect common activities.
• Advanced health: Tracks heart rate, sleep patterns, and SpO2, and can also detect
• Fall detection: The smartwatch can detect falls and quickly contact emergency
• Connectivity: It uses Bluetooth for connecting to
• Notifications: Displays calls, messages, and app alerts from a paired
• Messaging: Allows you to reply to messages with pre-set quick replies
• Battery life: It can last up to 13 days on a single charge under intensive use, thanks to its 208mAh battery
• Price: N75,000 – N85,000

Huawei Band 8

The Band 8 is Huawei’s offering in the budget fitness band market. It comes with a stylish look, premium health features and extensive battery life to suit the needs of the average user. It is perfect for users who want a mix of aesthetics and function in their wearables.

The Band 8 offers a sharp 1.47-inch AMOLED screen that supports TruSleep 3.0 for in-depth sleep insights, and provides over 100+ workout modes.

TruSleep 3.0 is one of the most sophisticated sleep analysis systems available in this price range, offering very detailed insights into sleep stages, breathing quality, and personalized recommendations for improving sleep habits.

The device can go 2 weeks on a single charge under normal usage conditions, and Huawei’s fast-charging technology can turn just 5 minutes of charging to 2 full days of use. This quick-charge capability can be very valuable for users who forget to charge overnight or need fast power before extensive activities.

Features

• Ultra-thin and lightweight: Weighs only
• Screen: comes with a 47-inch display with vivid colors and sharp details.
• Display features: 194 x 368 resolution, 282 PPI, 5D Glass lens.
• Heart rate monitoring: Continuous 24/7 tracking with accurate
• Blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring: Tracks oxygen saturation throughout the
• Tracking Features: For sleep tracking, it can provide scientific analysis including sleep structure, with sleep scores and tips. Can also monitor stress levels and offers various fitness tracking capabilities.
• Long battery life: Up to 14 days on a single charge under typical
• Fast charging: 5 minutes of charging provides up to two days of
• Bluetooth: Connects via Bluetooth 0.
• Notifications: Supports incoming call and message notifications, with quick replies for apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger.
• Call handling: Can answer or reject incoming calls from the
• Water resistance: 5ATM, suitable for shallow water activities like swimming in a pool or the sea.
• Compatibility: Compatible with both Android and iOS
• Price: N80,000

Oraimo Watch 5 Lite

For consumers who are very budget-conscious, the Oraimo Watch 5 Lite delivers essential functionalities at an entry-level price range. Although it may lack some premium features, it covers the basics very effectively.

This device comes in large a 2.01-inch HD display that provides an ample screen size for viewing notifications and fitness data.

Battery life can extend to approximately 7 days with regular use, requiring weekly charging. The IP68 water resistance rating ensures that the device is durable and resistant to splashes and rain exposure.

For fitness tracking, it comes with basic features such as step counting, heart rate monitoring, sleep analysis, and calorie tracking.

Multiple sports modes allow tracking of various activities, although the selection is more limited compared to premium models. Smart notifications for calls, messages, and app alerts keeps users connected, and the device can pair easily with Android and iOS smartphones.

Features

• Heart Rate Monitor: Provides 24/7 heart rate monitoring and alerts for high heart
• Blood Oxygen Monitor: Tracks blood oxygen
• Stress Measurement: Monitors psychological stress
• Sleep Monitor: Tracks sleep
• Sports Modes: Supports over 105 sports modes, including running, cycling, and
• Wireless HD Calling: Allows users to make and receive calls directly from the device
• Message and Call Reminders: Sends notifications for important calls and
• Useful Gadgets: Includes a range of tools like an alarm clock, stopwatch, calculator, flashlight, and music control.
• AI-Generated Watch Faces: Offers a wide selection of over 120 customizable watch faces through the Oraimo Health App.
• Screen: Features a 01-inch TFT HD display for clear and vivid visuals.
• Water and Dust Resistance: Rated IP68 for resistance to dust and water splashes, though not recommended for swimming or other water sports.
• Battery Life: Offers up to 7 days of usage time and over 28 days of standby time on a single charge.
• Price: N16,900 – N19,000

Conclusion: Choosing the Right One for You 

Selecting the best smartwatch or fitness band mainly depends on your specific requirements, your lifestyle, and budget constraints. The devices discussed in this article are excellent options within the sub N100,000 category, each offering unique advantages for different user types.

For users prioritizing battery life above everything else, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 or Band 8 give exceptional longevity, and can go for weeks of use before it needs charging.

Fitness enthusiasts who need accurate sports tracking will appreciate the extensive mode selections offered by Xiaomi and Huawei devices.

Those who are into the Samsung ecosystem will find the Galaxy Fit 3 more suitable for their daily needs with easy connectivity and improved features when paired with Samsung phones.

More budget-conscious consumers who want maximum value at an affordable price should consider the Oraimo Watch 5 Lite, which provides enough functionality for much smaller budgets.

Finally, remember that the best smartwatch or fitness band is not necessarily the most expensive or sophisticated option. Rather, it is the device that can perfectly suit your needs, and fits comfortably within your budget.