Wellness
I Usually Don’t Fall For Water Bottle Hype But This Smart Bottle Changed My Mind
It reminds you to drink.
Why wait in a long line for the latest Stanley when there are other water bottles that don’t just keep your beverages icy cold, but also track how much water you drink in a day?
Staying hydrated is, after all, one of the greatest things you can do for your overall wellness. The trouble is, even if you buy the cutest water bottle in the world, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll take the necessary amount of sips. And before you know it, it’s 8 p.m. and all you’ve had to drink is one Diet Coke and a cold brew to get you through the day.
This is 100% me, BTW. I’ll fill up my Nalgene, keep it by my side, and still not drink the recommended amount of liquid, which is about 11.5 cups or 2.7 liters of fluids a day. It’s so easy to forget to sip, and even easier to get bored with your beverages halfway through.
That’s why I was so intrigued by the idea of using a smart water bottle that would connect to an app, remind me to drink, and keep track of my water intake. Keep reading below for my honest review of the WaterH smart water bottle.
Fast Facts
- Price: $59.99
- Best for: Drinking more water, tracking hydration
- My rating: 4/5
- What we like: Easy to use, simple app, inspires you to drink, charge lasts 30 days
- What we don't like: Not budget-friendly, slightly heavy
What To Know About The WaterH Water Bottle
At first glance, the WaterH looks like your average water bottle. It’s cupholder compatible, it has dual-walled stainless steel to keep your drink cold, and it has a matte exterior that comes in white and two pretty shades of blue. There’s also a BPA-free sippy straw and a loop holder so that you can tote it around.
Beyond that, things get techy. The WaterH charges up in a base and connects to an app via Bluetooth that allows you to track your water intake. The bottle also has a smart AI sensor inside that detects when you’re drinking and then syncs to the app, so you can see how much you’ve consumed throughout the day. This allows you to track your fluids, as well as your hydration habits so you can learn more about yourself.
The app lets you choose how much you want to drink each day, so you can set goals that work for your lifestyle. Once you program the bottle within the app, you’ll get Hydration Reminders sent to your phone or smartwatch. LED lights on the base of the water bottle also glow when it’s time to glug.
The bottle has a built-in sensor, too, that measures all the microscopic Total Dissolve Solids (TDS) in your water so that you always know what you’re drinking, whether you’re getting water from a fridge, sink, fountain, or what have you. If you want, you can add a filter straw (for an additional $19.99) to clean your water on-the-go as well.
My Experience
While the WaterH isn’t quite as cute as a pink Stanley or as nostalgic as a teal Nalgene, I appreciated that it has its own sleek look going on. I appreciated even more, though, that it was easy to set up.
All I had to do was download the app and input some info, like my age, height, and weekly activity level so that the app could calculate how much water I needed to drink daily. For me, it came out to 74 fluid ounces.
The app then prompted me to set alerts, so I went ahead and programmed a reminder to pop up every hour. From there, all I had to do was fill up the water bottle, leave it on my desk, and go about my day. (Thankfully, the water from my sink wasn’t too horrible in terms of TDS. Phew.)
Every hour, I’d see the alert pop up and just like that, I’d reach over and take a sip. The glow of the bottle snapped me out of several intensely focused work modes, which would normally prevent me from hydrating. I mean, would you ignore a cute glowing water bottle? I think not.
For a week, I toted the WaterH around to coffee shops, the gym, friends’ houses, and more. And I found myself sipping on the regular. The app has a little graphic that fills up as you drink throughout the day, and there’s something so satisfying about reaching your goal.
The Verdict
If your water bottle has turned into more of a decoration on your desk than an actual drinking vessel, consider getting a smart version instead.
The WaterH sends handy reminders that inspire you to keep drinking, and it’s helpful to see your drinking data add up in real-time. If you’re grossed out by the thought of sediment in your H2o, then you’ll like that you can test your water, too.
After using it for a week, I can already tell that I’m a lot more hydrated than usual. It’s also been fun to gamify my hydration goals by watching my sips add up. If you’re perpetually thirsty, or if you could use a little techy nudge, I highly recommend giving this bottle a try.
Studies referenced:
Nakamura, Y. (2020). Effect of Increased Daily Water Intake and Hydration on Health in Japanese Adults. Nutrients. doi: 10.3390/nu12041191.
