Smart water bottles have always seemed like an unnecessary expense to me. I assumed they were overpriced gadgets that didn’t offer enough value to justify their price tags. But after trying out the Water.io smart water bottle, I’m starting to change my tune. While I still don’t think everyone needs to rush out and buy one, they might be a good option for fitness enthusiasts or anyone trying to reduce their soft drink consumption.
Although they’re called smart water bottles, most of these products don’t actually integrate with smart home platforms like Google Home or Apple Home. Instead, they rely on a mobile app to provide their “smart” features. This is also true for the Water.io water bottle. The app requires you to input information like your height and weight, which helps the bottle set a personalized hydration goal for you. Once you’ve provided this basic information, setting up the Water.io is pretty straightforward.
The primary goal of this smart water bottle is to ensure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day. And to my surprise, I was impressed with how well it tracked my drinking habits. The bottle’s cap lights up in various colors to remind you to drink. It turns orange if you’re falling behind your goal and green when you’re on track. These visual cues effectively encourage you to take a break from your screen and grab a sip of water. They make drinking water more fun compared to a regular cup and have actually helped me reduce my sugary drink intake since I started using it.
The Water.io bottle excels at tracking water consumption, but my favorite feature is its integration with Garmin. This allows it to sync with my smartwatch and automatically adjust my hydration goal based on my workout. For instance, after a strenuous run, I’ll see my hydration goal increase significantly. This is the main reason I find the water bottle so valuable, as it ensures I don’t dehydrate after a long day of trail running, especially when it’s hot outside. And if I decide to drink something other than water, I can manually enter my beverage into the Water.io app to keep it updated on my hydration status. It would have been great if the bottle could sync with smart home platforms like Google Home, allowing me to quickly check my hydration stats without needing another app on my phone. However, the companion app is user-friendly and intuitive.
Smart water bottles are significantly more expensive than your typical HydroFlask, and they aren’t suitable for everyone. The Water.io bottle I tested comes in at a hefty $100, although it’s often on sale for $70. That’s a steep price for a water bottle, but its smart features have definitely helped me increase my water intake after workouts and reduce my soda consumption.
Besides tracking your water intake and adjusting your hydration goal based on your daily activities, this is a fairly standard water bottle. It feels as premium as “regular” high-end products like HydroFlask and Yeti, with double-walled stainless steel construction, a leak-resistant seal, and a BPA-free cap. Considering you can get a great “non-smart” water bottle for less than $40, I still see smart water bottles as a niche product. I definitely see their appeal, and I’ll be using one for the foreseeable future. However, if you don’t work out consistently or don’t need its fun features to help you cut down on sugary drinks, then you might be better off with a more affordable option.
