The Mio Fuse is the latest in The Line of Mio fitness trackers. It is bears striking similarities to the Mio Link and Mio Alpha before it. In that regard the Fuse is basically an upgraded version of the Link, with an accelerometer thrown in.
Also, the 2 units also share many similarities when it comes to looks and features. The most noticeable difference is the inclusion of a heads up display that will show vital statistics such as pulse and steps taken.
And once again the LED light that indicated heart rate zone is present but only works when tracking mode is enabled. The Mio Fuse heart rate monitor has a light that will change color to indicate your beats per minute: blue for 95-110, yellow for 110-120, and red for 130-150. While this is a neat feature, it does not allow for any customization. Heart rate zones tend to vary greatly between individuals, so being able to customize this a little would have been nice.
Functionality
The Fuse tracker has brought a few interesting new functions to the table. The first being a slightly modified heads up display. With the addition of the screen brings 3 buttons: 2 on each side to scroll between the various settings and one on the far right for selecting and turning on tracking mode. The screen will auto lock after 5 seconds and the left and right buttons need to be held for a brief moment to unlock it again.
In terms of clarity, the screen is vivid and we had no trouble reading it in direct sunlight.
The heads up display is also fairly customizable with a step, calorie, and distance function. Almost any setting can be turned on or off to suit the user, although the Mio Fuse manual doesn't do such a good job of telling you this.
Additionally, the Fuse has all of the standard tracking features that come with accelerometer based fitness trackers: steps, calories, and distance. It also includes an embedded heart rate monitor as well; however it will only kick in when the unit is in exercise mode. And the Mio Fuse heart rate monitor is pretty accurate. We tested it against some of our Fitbits and the readings were pretty close all around.
Battery Life
The charging unit is magnetic, similar to a MacBook charger. Once again, Mio has decided to change the charging unit. The pin out is different so if you have 2 Mio devices the charger will not be interchangeable.
As for longevity, Mio claims the unit has a 1 week battery life with the exception of the heart rate monitoring, where they only allot for about 1 hour a day. This is no surprise, as heart rate tracking has historically been a high drain function. Our tests showed about the same results: the unit lasted about 7 days with very minimal heart rate monitoring. With the heart rate function turned on all day you can expect to have to recharge after 8 hours or so.
Aesthetics
The Mio Fuse fitness tracker is a little big on the bulky side, there is no denying that. It is a little wider than the Mio link and about the same height. It is about a half an inch thick, which isn’t too bad. This feels more like a large watch than a fitness tracker.
The wrists straps are similar to other Mio units and are very comfortable. Mio utilizes a soft type of rubber instead of hard plastic which allows for a tighter grip for more accurate heart rate readings. The sensor on this unit is unfortunately not removable. The device comes in 2 different colors: Mio Fuse aqua, for smaller wrists, and Mio Fuse red for larger wrists.
The Mio Fuse watch (like all of the other Mio trackers) comes with an embedded optical heart rate sensor, which means you can ditch that bulky chest strap.
Water Resistance
With a rating of only 3ATM, the Fuse is not the most suitable device for swimming. You’ll want to shoot for a product with at least 5+ ATM in that regard. We did in fact verify that the unit is submersible but we did not test it for swimming.
Also, if you are looking for a water based fitness tracker, feel free to check out our guide here.
Dual Broadcast
The Fuse is another of Mio’s dual broadcast units that has support for Bluetooth and ANT+. This is a handy feature if you use a bike computer or smart watch. The device will be able to receive date from these devices and send them to any Bluetooth enabled phone or pc.
App Support
The Mio Go app is a breeze to set up- simply download it, create an account, fill out some basic information about yourself, and sync it to your device. We had zero problems syncing the Mio Fuse activity tracker to our android and apple devices and no dropped sync whatsoever. Additionally, the Fuse supports many other apps for paring with bike computers or smart watches. The app supports multiple devices, and you can select which one by a small heart icon in the top right corner.
You’ll be able to track your average heart rate, speed, and pace. The app will graph these statistics into an easy to read format. The app is capable of tracking most cardio activities, such as: swimming, running, cycling, power walking, kayaking, or hiking.
We found the Mio Fuse heart rate monitoring to be very accurate, and the app will display many detailed statistics. The app allows you to set a target zone, which is a way of keep track of your workout intensity.
Conclusion
The Mio Fuse watch is an all-around solid fitness tracker that has all of the basic functions covered. This is one of the few Mio units with a display, so that is an added benefit. Unfortunately that comes at the cost of some added bulk. While not unmanageable, this can be a hindrance if you are the type of person who doesn’t want their tracker to stand out much. And the dual broadcast function is great for pairing with more advanced devices.
The app is detailed but lacks a lot of the bells and whistles fund on many other fitness tracking apps. We would have liked to be able to create a training plan or set up workout alerts.
This particular Mio Fuse watch has has a heads up display, which is a rarity when it comes to Mio products. All in all, we would have to say that the Mio Fuse heart rate training + activity tracker is a great device for the price.
For some more in depth reviews and guides check out the links below.
Home - Mio Velo Review - Mio Alpha Review - Mio Alpha 2 Review - Mio Link Review