HUME Band 2.0 - Do NOT Get It! (Scientific Initial Review)
In a Nutshell
The Human Band 2.0 fails core performance tests: heart rate correlation with ECG reference is only 0.92 with frequent under-reading, while sleep stage agreement with EEG is poor (35% deep sleep, 40% REM). The app provides sparse data exports, lacks Strava integration, and shows suspiciously stable 120/70 blood pressure readings. At €230, it costs more than superior alternatives like Fitbit Air or Amazfit Helios Strap, with questionable company practices including declined GDPR data requests and previous fake marketing.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
The Human Band 2.0 has been released as a competitor to the Fitbit Air, Whoop Strap, and Amazfit Helios Strap. This initial review examines whether the second version shows improvement over the original device, which was promoted by fake stock model scientists and lacked substantial data in previous testing. The reviewer, Rob, is a post-doctoral scientist specializing in biological data analysis, with the main focus being data quality assessment.
The build quality is definitely better than the original, feeling more solid and looking more polished. However, significant concerns exist about the company's priorities, as substantial advertising investment appears to have come at the expense of app development and infrastructure maturity. The app feels like an initial release rather than a mature product.
The home screen features metabolic momentum overview, metabolic capacity, and recovery metrics, which the reviewer finds confusing and not front-and-center appropriate. The Human Body Pod measures fat percentage and similar metrics, though accuracy cannot be verified. The band connects to show traditional metrics including steps, sleep, and blood pressure, with improved battery life over the original model.
Blood pressure readings consistently show 120/70, which seems suspiciously stable and unlikely to represent normal variation. No official testing was conducted for this feature in this initial review.
Despite potential improvements, the device is considered a bad deal compared to competition. The reviewer recommends alternative devices including the Fitbit Air, Whoop Strap, and Amazfit Helios Strap as superior options.
Without premium subscription, activity tracking is limited to beta settings for running, walking, and weightlifting only. Completed activities appear in the overview but lack detailed heart rate pattern information. The device failed to connect during one session, showing 0 BPM despite actual activity occurring. Average heart rate of 134 BPM was recorded during one session, though accuracy cannot be verified.
No integration with Strava or other platforms exists. The app connects to Apple Health, which provided the data for analysis. Data exported to Apple Health is severely limited, providing values every minute at maximum, typically every 3 minutes.
Heart rate was tested against the Polar H10 ECG chest strap as reference. Combined data from multiple exercises showed 0.92 correlation with very few data points. Multiple instances showed the device detecting too-low heart rates compared to the reference. The limited data points across all activity types should have produced optimal correlations due to both very low heart rates during weightlifting and high heart rates during running and indoor cycling.
Polar H10 provides detailed interval data during indoor cycling, while the Human Band 2.0 shows only sparse measurements connected by red lines. Indoor cycling represents one of the easiest exercises for accurate tracking, yet the app and data access remain severely limited. A second spinning session showed even less synced data with additional instances of too-low heart rate detection.
The $100 Fitbit Air offers superior accuracy, a much better app experience, and comprehensive data access with reliable connectivity. The Human Band 2.0 was shipped directly from China, potentially incurring extra import fees, particularly in Europe after July 1st with €3 per package charges or after August 1st with additional per-item fees and possible import tax.
The device is officially priced at approximately €230. The reviewer purchased with personal funds without manufacturer influence. The company offered sponsorship money and lucrative affiliate links, which were declined.
During weightlifting, the device failed to detect heart rate peaks or export data during peak moments. Additional cycling and exercise data points existed but were insufficient for the reviewer's analysis scripts, which require substantial data volumes to generate plots.
The reviewer contacted the company attempting a GDPR request but received no response. GDPR regulation requires companies to provide all personal data upon request. Previous requests for the Human Band 1.0 data also went unfulfilled.
Sleep stage patterns appear super repetitive. Expected patterns show light sleep transitioning to deep sleep, REM sleep, then cycling through these stages. However, the device shows excessive deep sleep near night end when it should be minimal, and fails to show increasing REM sleep toward morning as expected.
EEG served as reference for sleep stage tracking, measuring brain electrical activity as a silver standard. Only two nights of data were usable where both reference and Human Band 2.0 provided reliable data, despite four nights of sleep data and five days of blood pressure measurements being recorded.
Perfect agreement would show 100% on the diagonal of comparison matrices. Deep sleep agreement reached only 35%, light sleep agreement 59%, and REM sleep agreement 40%. Substantial REM sleep was incorrectly classified as light sleep by the device.
The reviewer requests support through Amazon affiliate links that don't cost users extra. Specific affiliate links exist for Oura Ring, Whoop Strap, and Amazfit Helios Strap on Amazon, providing best available discounts while supporting the channel.
EEG reference showed clear sleep cycles with deep sleep marked in blue-purple. The Human Band 2.0 detected some matching deep sleep initially but missed portions and detected additional deep sleep that didn't occur. REM sleep cycles clearly visible in EEG data were not fully detected by the device.
Sleep stage tracking performance places devices on a sensitivity matrix, with top-right positioning indicating best reference device agreement. Top performers include Fitbit Air (bicep placement), Whoop Strap, Google devices, Fitbit, Pixel Watch 4, Apple Watch, Oura Ring, and Eight Sleep Pod. The Human Band 2.0 ranked among the worst devices alongside the Human Band 1.0, followed by old Huawei algorithm, Coros Pace 4, older Amazfit and Garmin algorithms, Polar devices, mid-tier devices including Amazfit and Galaxy watches.
At over 200 euros or dollars, the device is not competitive. Amazfit Helios Strap and Fitbit Air can both be obtained for less money with individually superior performance. The combination of both alternatives costs less than the Human Band 2.0 while providing better performance and superior apps. The app experience is described as "meh at best" with no compelling reason to choose this device over alternatives.
Users with the Human Body Pod might consider connecting its output to Apple or Google Health rather than using the Human Band 2.0, then porting data to preferred apps. The device appears to be a relatively cheap product that is overpriced for delivered value.
The company appears to be paying influencers substantial money for positive reviews. Previous website featured fake scientists, now removed, suggesting slight improvement in honesty. The device still feels like dropshipping similar to the original, which appeared to be a copy of a cheap Chinese device. Questions remain about whether the company developed the product independently.
The reviewer used only the free app version, avoiding premium subscription due to concerns about forgetting to cancel trial periods. This decision was personal preference rather than definitive advice.
Keep The Quantified Scientist in your library
Save the videos and channels worth coming back to, and find them again in one place.
