Product review: Dr. Viva P1C Power Sports Watch fitness tracker

The Dr. Viva P1C Power Sports Watch

iWownFit (currently changing their branding to Dr. Viva) recently sent me a review unit of the new Dr. Viva P1C Power Sports Watch fitness tracker in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I’ve been wearing it for the past 10 days and am ready to share my thoughts.

First of all, for a sub-$100 fitness tracker this device is attractive and packs a lot of punch when it comes to features.

It does the normal stuff you expect, like tracking heart rate, steps and calorie burn, but it also incorporates GPS, VO2 max, ECG and a unique implementation of heart rate variability (HRV) in the form of Fatigue Index and it is waterproof and counts paddle strokes as steps.

The Dr. Viva P1C as it comes in the box to the left and its charging cradle on the right

My immediate thought out-of-the box was how attractive it looks for a supposed running or sports watch.  It is good looking and I have have already worn it in business settings because it looks so polished and professional.

The band is the typical fitness tracker band, however, it is replaceable, so if you don’t like it, get a different one that better suits your personal style.

I’ve taken the device kayaking and it performs very well.  It counts paddle strokes as steps and it keeps your GPS tracks so you can review the map and a number of other parameters when you are done.  Yes, it takes a few minutes to lock onto the satellites before you start, but once it does it vibrates to let you know it is OK to get started and you are off.

Example of GPS tracks map along with various parameters during a hike

The sleep tracking seems accurate but what makes it stand apart from other devices are the HRV (Fatigue Index) feature and the ability to estimate VO2 max.

If you recall, I first experimented with HRV back in the days of Amiigo and have been waiting ever since for some other device in the market to incorporate the measurement.

While this device does not really give you HRV in terms of beat-to-beat interval in milliseconds, it does make a measurement or estimation of HRV in the background and then uses that to calculate a fatigue Index that is just as good.  The higher the score the less fatigued you are; the lower it is, the more consistent the heart beat and the more stressed you are.

I use HRV in my training to let me know when I’ve overdone it in the gym so I can go easier next time or throw in an extra rest day for recovery and it is great to now have such a simple device to provide me insights into HRV.

From left to right: The iWownFit P1, The Dr. Viva P1C and the Amazfit Bip

In terms of size and feel, the P1C is significantly smaller than the P1 and I think the P1C is slightly smaller than the Bip but it feels much sleeker and more comfortable in comparison.

I used the device for 5 days before I put it back on the charger and even then it still had 40% battery life left so battery life is above average in the category and that is somewhat amazing when you consider how bright the screen is.  (It should be noted that I had the auto light-up with a turn of the wrist turned off during testing.)

I go into more detail in my review video below, but my bottom line is that it is an excellent device and I plan on wearing it as my daily tracker.

Once you have some measure of HRV it is hard to go back.

Currently selling on Amazon for around $75, I consider it a solid value and highly recommend it.

Buy the Dr. Viva P1C right now through my affiliate’s link on Amazon.  Use promo code TXNE-YLUBKJ-F2UBHZ  before the end of the month for an additional discount.