The Thermos Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid helps you track how much water you drink, but it's a pricey way to establish good habits.
You should drink eight glasses of water a day. Although there's no scientific proof to this theory, that seems like a reasonable precaution to take in the name of good health. But unless you record every single glass of water you drink, how do you know that you're actually reaching this goal each day? The Thermos Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid solves this quandary by keeping track for you. The Thermos is a 24-ounce bottle with a Bluetooth-connected lid that automatically measures your liquid intake. For serious quantification junkies with $59.99 to spare, it's the ultimate water bottle. For everyone else willing to live dangerously (as well as Android users, who aren't supported), a plain old cup should be just fine.
Design and Features The Thermos is a cylindrical 24-ounce container that comes in one of two translucent colors, black or teal. The lid for either color is white. It measures 10.6 by 3.1 by 3.1 inches (HWD), which is about the size of any standard water bottle. The bottle is made of BPA-free plastic and weighs 7.36 ounces when empty, and 1.87 pounds when full of water. There's not much else to the design except for a Thermos logo near the bottom of the bottle, and on the side of the lid.
This would be just another plastic bottle if not for the Smart Lid. A latch is used to keep the clear plastic dome on top closed. An adjustable plastic loop hangs off the lid at the opposite end for carrying. Here you'll also find a micro USB port for charging. The lid's lithium polymer battery is good for up to 12 days of battery life. And considering there's a battery in there, the lid is not meant for dishwashers; you're best off cleaning the exterior with a dry cloth. It's also worth mentioning that the Thermos is not meant for hot liquids.
The smart part is the tube you drink through, which has sensors that connect with the bottom of the lid. These sensors measure water temperature and how much you drink. The accompanying free app displays this information so you can monitor your drinking habits.
Pairing, App, and Performance The Thermos only works with devices running iOS 7 or later, so Android users need not apply. To get started, you need to download the Thermos Smart Lid app from the Apple App Store. I connected the Smart Lid to an Apple iPhone 6 in a few seconds without issue and performed a calibration test, in which I had to wipe the smart tube with a cloth.
Once paired, you can set up a new profile or connect the Smart Lid app to your Fitbit account if you have one. To complete your profile, you set up an intake goal by entering your age, gender, height, weight, and the daily average of minutes you're active, as well as the activity intensity. The app will then suggest a number of ounces to reach as a daily drinking goal, or you can simply choose a goal for yourself. You can adjust these parameters at any time by tapping on the Profile tab.
On the app's main screen, you'll see one large circle with three smaller circles beneath it. The large circle shows the water temperature and indicates how much is left. A snowflake icon at the top indicates whether the water is cold or not. The circles below tell you the number of ounces you've consumed, the total number of minutes since the bottle's last refill, and the number of sips you've taken. Each of these numbers reset every time you refill the water bottle.
Below the circles is a progress bar that displays how far along you are toward reaching your daily goal. Beneath that bar is each instance you have refilled the bottle. And at the very bottom of the screen you can tap to view your weekly or monthly activity, complete with graphs for each day, week, or month. You can share all of this information to email or social media by tapping a Share icon at the top of the screen. You can also view your current location and weather info in the upper left corner. A Device Settings page, accessible via an icon in the upper right corner, shows you how much battery life the lid has left, and your total number of refills. You can also rename the bottle here.
As mentioned, info from the Smart Lid app will automatically sync to your Fitbit app each time you finish a bottle of water. In testing, the Fitbit app often needed to be restarted for the Smart Lid's water data to appear. And don't expect anything too substantial; the Fitbit app only displays the daily number of ounces you drink.
In testing, I noticed that the number of sips taken was sometimes inaccurate. There were two distinct instances that the counter didn't increase after I took a swig. As for actually drinking from the bottle: It's basically just a plastic water bottle. There was nary a dribble or embarrassing squeaky opening sound like you can sometimes get with other water bottles. It also fit perfectly fine in my bag and never once leaked.
Conclusions You almost certainly don't need the Thermos Connected Hydration Bottle. It's rather pricey, and the lack of Android support is frustating. But if you're a health and fitness junkie with an eye on self quantification, the Thermos basically works as advertised. It might miss a sip here and there, but it will provide you with a detailed look at your daily water intake, and measure it out over time. So while the need to drink eight glasses remains debatable, the Thermos will make sure you have no problem getting there.
The Thermos Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid helps you track how much water you drink, but it's a pricey way to establish good habits.
Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Timothy Torres is a Junior Analyst on PCMag's consumer electronics team. He covers wearables, digital home, and various cool gadgets including the occasional video game. He has written all manner of copy for Computer Shopper, The Jersey Journal, Radio One, Random House, and 2D-X. Before entering the tech world, he attended New York University and worked in education as an art instructor. In his spare time he dabbles in theater, sketches comics, eats a lot of sushi and watches too many movies. Twitter: @pleasedtomeetya
PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
© 1996-2022 Ziff Davis. PCMag Digital Group
PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.