The Jaybird Reign ($199) is a modern wristband activity tracker with some neat features for not only keeping tabs on how much exercise you get, but also prompting you to improve your habits. It can tell you, for example, how much sleep you got last night plus how much sleep you should get tonight. Another interesting feature is that it reads heart rate variability (HRV), which is an indicator of whether your body can handle the stress of a workout today or if you need a of rest. While those features are interesting, the Jaybird Reign is missing several basic features found in similarly priced competing fitness trackers and their companion apps that make them much more usable on a day-to-day basis. Until it incorporates those other aspects, there are simply better options on the market, including the Basis Peak, which is our current Editors' Choice.

A clock on the display, for example, gives the Peak more reason to be on your wrist at all times, not to mention the fact that it takes your heart rate continuously throughout the day and night. Oddly, the Jaybird Reign doesn't even read resting heart rate or elevated heart rate during exercise, but only HRV.

The aspects of the Jaybird Reign that captured my attention are unique. I don't know of other fitness trackers that recommend how much you should sleep tonight to make up for sleep deficits from previous nights. That's neat. And HRV isn't really used anywhere at all except among athletes, although it's gaining a lot of attention lately, and I suspect we'll see it incorporated into more fitness trackers next year. If you care about HRV, however, you could just buy a separate device that measures only that, such as the Ithlete finger sensor, because it's a one-time reading rather than a continuous reading, the way daily step counts or heart rate should be. For the nearly $200 price, the Jaybird Reign doesn't seem to be the best option yet for anyone.

Design, Compatibility, and Use

The tracker device in the Jaybird Reign wristband measures about 0.5 by 1.5 by 0.5 inches (HWD). The band that comes included has three straps of different lengths that connect to a central piece, which houses the tracker, or "pod." In addition to the tracker and bands, you also get a USB charger, two sport bands, an ankle strap, and a clip cleaner, which is nothing more than a tiny pipe cleaner. The Jaybird Reign sells in two sizes: small and medium. It's available in black, white, and yellow. You'll need an Android or iOS device for the mobile app, and while a Web app is expected by the end of the year, it's not available now.

As with most activity trackers, you put the Jaybird Reign on and it counts how many steps you take in a day, how much sleep you get at night, and how much activity you get, such as running or swimming. Reign is fully waterproof and safe for swimming, but not for deep-water activities, like diving. (See my list of nine waterproof activity trackers for other options.) You see your data in the mobile app. I'll explain more about the activities in a moment.

There's a metal clasp, and it's hard to explain exactly how it fastens, so see the image below. The clasp is secure, which is great, but it's also difficult to close one-handed. 

The top of the pod has a row of LEDs only, no display. It reminds me of the Misfit Flash. Both of these devices use indicator lights to show progress toward your goal, as well as the time. Learning to read the time on both devices is tricky because they don't use a conventional watch display. With some training, I figured it on the Flash, but I never got the hang of the Reign. There's a help screen in the app that explains how to read the time, but I maintain that it's absolutely baffling to do in real life. Figuring out what the green and red lights mean when you're in a rush and just want to know the time isn't intuitive and becomes frustrating quickly. It also seems more forgivable in the $49 Flash than in the $199 Reign.

The LEDs only light up when you tap the Jaybird Reign, although the action might be more accurately described as manhandle. I'll tap it, and nothing happens. I'll hit it harder, and still nothing. I'll bang on the dang thing like Donkey Kong, and then sometimes it'll light up, and sometimes it won't. The most reliable way to turn on those LEDs is to drop the Reign on the floor. It's super durable! How's that for a mixed blessing?

The sensor pops out so you can move it between the wristband and ankle strap if you like. You have to make the wrist band pretty snug—otherwise the pod might fall out. It doesn't snap in very securely. If you've ever seen the Fitbit Flex, that device also pops out of its band for charging, and I've heard from numerous users that it was disastrously easy to lose. The Reign tracker is bigger than the Flex, but it sits even looser in its band.

At least the band is relative sleek. It's slimmer than the Basis Peak, closer in size to the Garmin Vivosmart or Bowflex Boost.

Activities and Data Accuracy

One of the Reign's signature features is that it will automatically detect a handful of activities: walking, running, sleeping, and a few others. You see the activities and data associated with them, like how long you ran and how many calories you burned doing so, in the mobile app. In my testing, I noticed a lot of inaccuracies and bad data. I never swam while wearing the Reign, but a swimming icon showed up in my app more than once. When I scrolled through my day's timeline to see when the Reign thought I was in the pool, I couldn't actually pinpoint it because the report just said "sport" and in more than one place.