Can a $99 fitness tracker actually keep up with a $400 Garmin or Apple Watch? That’s the question I spent three weeks trying to answer. I wore the Todo Smart Band 9 on my left wrist and rotated between a Garmin Vivosmart 5, a Fitbit Charge 6, and an Apple Watch SE on my right. I tracked gym sessions, outdoor runs along the Brisbane River, swim laps at the local pool, and even a weekend hike in the Blue Mountains.
Here’s the short version: the Todo tracker nails the basics better than anything else in its price range. But it has one serious flaw that might make you return it. I’ll get to that.
What the Todo Smart Band 9 Actually Gets Right (And Why It Matters)
Most budget fitness trackers fail because they try to do too much. They cram in features but execute none of them well. The Todo Smart Band 9 takes a different approach. It focuses on five core things: step counting, heart rate tracking, sleep monitoring, workout logging, and notifications. And it does those five things shockingly well.
The step counter is accurate to within 3% of my Garmin reference. Over a 10,000-step day, that’s a difference of 300 steps. For context, the Fitbit Charge 6 was off by about 5% on the same day. The heart rate sensor uses the same optical technology as the Amazfit Band 7, and during steady-state cardio it stayed within 2 beats per minute of my chest strap monitor.
Battery life is the headline feature. Todo claims 14 days. I got 12 days with continuous heart rate monitoring turned on and about 8 days with the always-on display enabled. That’s still better than the Apple Watch SE which needs charging every 18 hours in my testing.
Sleep Tracking That Doesn’t Insult Your Intelligence
Sleep tracking on budget devices is usually garbage. They guess. The Todo Smart Band 9 uses a combination of heart rate variability and movement data to estimate sleep stages. Compared to my Withings Sleep Analyzer under the mattress, the Todo tracker correctly identified when I fell asleep within 5 minutes on 8 of 10 nights. It also caught the two nights I woke up at 3am and couldn’t get back to sleep, which the Fitbit Charge 6 missed entirely.
The sleep score is useful without being preachy. It shows you a breakdown of deep sleep, light sleep, REM, and awake time. No subscription required, unlike Fitbit Premium which locks detailed sleep data behind a paywall.
Where the Todo Tracker Fails: The GPS Problem Nobody Mentions
Here’s the serious flaw I mentioned earlier. The Todo Smart Band 9 does not have built-in GPS. It relies on connected GPS from your phone. That means you need to carry your phone on every run or ride if you want accurate distance and pace data.
For a lot of people, that’s a dealbreaker. If you’re a runner who wants to leave the phone at home, this tracker won’t work for you. The Garmin Vivosmart 5 also lacks built-in GPS, but it costs $249 AUD and has Garmin’s superior training ecosystem. The Todo tracker costs $99 AUD and gives you basic pace and distance when connected to your phone.
During my testing, connected GPS was accurate to within 50 metres over a 5km run. That’s acceptable. But the connection dropped twice during a 10km trail run, and the tracker recorded a straight line between the drop points. If you run in areas with poor phone signal, expect gaps in your route data.
Who Should NOT Buy This Tracker
- Serious runners who train without a phone — you need built-in GPS. Look at the Garmin Forerunner 55 or Coros Pace 3 instead.
- Swimmers who want open water tracking — the Todo tracker handles pool laps but has no open water mode.
- Anyone who wants NFC payments — no contactless payment support. The Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Charge 6 both offer this.
- People who want third-party app integration — the Todo app doesn’t sync with Strava, MyFitnessPal, or Apple Health. This is a walled garden.
Todo Smart Band 9 vs Garmin Vivosmart 5 vs Fitbit Charge 6 vs Apple Watch SE: The Honest Comparison
I’ve tested all four of these devices side by side. Here’s the breakdown that actually matters for Australian buyers.
| Feature | Todo Smart Band 9 | Garmin Vivosmart 5 | Fitbit Charge 6 | Apple Watch SE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (AUD) | $99 | $249 | $249 | $399 |
| Battery Life | 12-14 days | 7 days | 7 days | 18 hours |
| Built-in GPS | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Heart Rate Accuracy | Excellent (2 bpm variance) | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Sleep Tracking | Very good | Good | Good (Premium locked) | Basic |
| NFC Payments | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Strava Sync | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
The pattern is clear. The Todo Smart Band 9 wins on price and battery life. It loses on ecosystem and connectivity. If you just want to track steps, sleep, and basic workouts without thinking about it, the Todo tracker is the best value in Australia right now. If you need GPS or app integration, spend more.
Setting Up the Todo Tracker in Australia: What the Manual Doesn’t Tell You
Setup takes about 10 minutes. Download the Todo Health app from the App Store or Google Play. Create an account. The app asks for your height, weight, age, and activity level. Be honest here — the calorie burn estimates depend on this data.
One thing the manual doesn’t mention: the tracker works best when worn two finger-widths above your wrist bone. Too tight and the heart rate sensor struggles. Too loose and it slides around, creating gaps in data. I found the sweet spot after three days of fiddling.
The app itself is basic but functional. It shows your daily stats on a clean dashboard. No ads, which is rare for a budget tracker. The app does push notifications about “activity goals” that get annoying after a while. You can turn these off in settings.
Australian-Specific Considerations
The Todo Smart Band 9 is available on Amazon Australia and at JB Hi-Fi. The price fluctuates between $89 and $119 AUD depending on sales. I’ve seen it drop to $79 during Black Friday. If you’re paying more than $110, wait for a sale.
Warranty is 12 months through the Australian distributor. Customer support is email-only, which is frustrating when you need quick help. The Garmin and Fitbit both have local phone support. That’s worth considering if you’re the type who needs help troubleshooting.
Three Months Later: Does the Todo Tracker Hold Up?
I’ve now used the Todo Smart Band 9 for over three months. The strap shows minor wear but no cracking. The screen has one small scratch from a gym session where I hit it against a dumbbell rack. The battery still lasts 11-12 days per charge.
The heart rate sensor accuracy hasn’t degraded. The step counter occasionally double-counts when I’m typing at my desk, but this is a problem with every wrist-worn tracker. The Apple Watch SE actually overcounted typing steps more than the Todo tracker did.
The biggest long-term frustration is the lack of Strava sync. I’ve stopped using the Todo tracker for runs because I want my data in Strava. For daily activity tracking and sleep monitoring, it’s still on my wrist every morning.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Todo Fitness Tracker in Australia
Does the Todo Smart Band 9 work with iPhone?
Yes. It works with iOS 14 and above. The Apple Health integration is limited — it only syncs steps, not heart rate or sleep data. Android users get slightly better integration with Google Fit.
Can I swim with the Todo tracker?
Yes. It’s rated 5 ATM, which means it handles pool swimming. I wore it for 45-minute lap sessions without issues. The swim tracking counts laps and estimates stroke type, but it’s not as accurate as the Garmin Vivosmart 5 for stroke detection.
Is the Todo Health app free?
Yes. There’s no subscription. All data is free. This is a major advantage over Fitbit, which locks advanced sleep metrics behind Fitbit Premium ($14.99 AUD per month).
Where can I buy the Todo Smart Band 9 in Australia?
Amazon Australia has the most reliable stock. JB Hi-Fi carries it in select stores. Kogan sometimes has it cheaper but check the seller rating before buying.
The Verdict: Is the Todo Fitness Tracker Worth $99 in Australia?
Yes, with one condition. If you want a no-fuss tracker for steps, sleep, and basic workouts — and you don’t care about GPS or Strava — the Todo Smart Band 9 is the best value in Australia right now. It’s $150 cheaper than the Fitbit Charge 6 and $300 cheaper than the Apple Watch SE, yet it matches or beats both on heart rate accuracy and battery life.
If you’re a runner who trains without a phone, buy the Garmin Forerunner 55 instead. If you want NFC payments, get the Fitbit Charge 6. But for everyone else who just wants to know how many steps they took and how well they slept, the Todo tracker does the job for less than a night out in Sydney.
That question I started with — can a $99 tracker keep up with a $400 watch? For the basics, yes. For everything else, no. And for most Australians, the basics are all they actually need.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health-related decisions.
