Twelve South today unveiled its latest accessory, the ActionSleeve Armband for Apple Watch. The ActionSleeve is designed to move the Apple Watch from the wrist to the upper arm, keeping it out of the way during intense workouts while leaving all of its functionality intact.
Specifically designed for sports that require wrist gear like weightlifting, rock climbing, boxing, Kettlebell training, and CrossFit, the ActionSleeve protects the Apple Watch, keeps it out of the way, and securely holds it in place even during vigorous workouts.
The Apple Watch slips into the padded frame of the ActionSleeve, and then the ActionSleeve itself is strapped to the upper arm. The screen, Digital Crown, and side button remain accessible, and the heart rate monitor continues to work. According to Twelve South, the heart rate monitor may even perform better on the upper arm because of its tight fit.
ActionSleeve can actually improve Apple Watch's heart rate tracking. How? When you flex your wrist or your watch band isn't tight enough, it can cause inconsistent readings or drop outs. ActionSleeve holds Apple Watch tightly and securely to your upper arm - delivering more consistent skin contact and more accurate heart rate tracking. If you're serious about training or you've had trouble with the Apple Watch heart rate monitor in the past, ActionSleeve might just be the ticker-counting ticket you're looking for.
Priced at $29.99 and available in either red or black, there are ActionSleeves for both 38 and 42mm Apple Watch models. The 38mm ActionSleeve fits arms up to 15 inches, while the 42mm ActionSleeve fits arms up to 17 inches. There's also a 42mm "Slim" variant for the larger Apple Watch that fits smaller arms.
The ActionSleeve is available for purchase starting today from the Twelve South website.
Top Rated Comments
I actually just attended a kickboxing class this morning for the first time and not only was it difficult to adjust my watch to continue wearing it while I wrapped my hands, but also the big boxing gloves blocked the watch from view. Finally, when I took my gloves off at the end of the class my watch was absolutely swimming in sweat because it was tightly covered through the entire workout. Something like this would be fantastic for that use case.
Also, any time I use my watch to track a weight lifting workout, the HR monitor goes absolutely bonkers and is usually hovering in the 50's when my actual heart rate is much closer to the 150's. If this improves accuracy that'd be fantastic.
Lastly, my initial concern for something like this would be potential usability issues while on the arm. After watching the video and acting it out on myself, I've discovered that it should actually be pretty easy to use the watch in this orientation.
That being said, of course most people will likely only want to use this during a workout, so it might be slightly frustrating to have to swap the band out regularly. But then again, many people likely already do this. Perhaps I just happen to be one of the few who simply chooses to wear the sport band 24/7.