The Luna Band is a screenless fitness tracker that sells for $149 and doesn’t charge a monthly fee. I wore it for two weeks in place of my Apple Watch Ultra, and the thing I expected to miss most turned out to be the thing I like best.

The band weighs just 24 grams, and my first reaction was a little disappointment. I was used to the Ultra, which feels solid and substantial on the wrist. After two weeks with the Luna Band, though, the Apple Watch started to feel heavy and cumbersome.

Light enough to forget you’re wearing it

Going without a screen took some getting used to. For the first few days I kept turning my wrist to check it, a habit left over from years of wearing smartwatches. Eventually that faded, and honestly, it felt nice not having my wrist buzz all day with notifications.

The small size also makes it easy to sleep in. I don’t like having things in my ears, on my face or on my wrist at night. The band is light enough that I never noticed it. That’s a big plus for sleep tracking, since a tracker only helps if you’re willing to wear it to bed. Luna recommends its smart ring for the most precise sleep tracking, but I was happy with the band overnight.

You can also leave your phone behind. The band keeps recording on its own and syncs the next time it connects to your phone. All you need for a workout is the Luna Band and yourself, and maybe a bottle of water. The trade-off is that the band has no GPS of its own. Maps and distances for outdoor runs depend on your phone, and so does starting a workout by hand.

A smart app, with a few gaps

What I like most about the Luna Band is its app. It’s nicely designed and feels proactive. Based on your sleep and other numbers, it suggests what to do that day to bring your scores up. For the most part, the suggestions are very doable. Nothing crazy, just things like going for a walk.

Luna also advertises “micro apps,” which are small add-on tools inside the app. Many of them are still marked “coming soon,” and there aren’t many useful ones to choose from yet. Honestly, that didn’t really bother me too much because most of the core features are built into the tracker itself. It’s good to go right out of the box. Instead, think of the micro apps as a bonus feature that lets you expand on the capabilities of the band. But if you’re after a straightforward fitness tracker, you’re good to go out of the box.

The downsides are small. The band detects walks, runs and a few other workouts on its own, and you can start others manually from the Luna app. That option wasn’t obvious to me at first, so it’s easy to miss. The band is water resistant, but the nylon strap and hook-and-loop closure make it pretty clear this isn’t built for swimming. Swimmers will probably need to find a different wearable.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the light design and the missing screen sold me. The lack of a subscription is another major selling point. Some competitors charge monthly fees on top of the price of the hardware. The Luna Band also joins a growing list of display-free trackers, including a screenless Fitbit from Google. If you need notifications on your wrist or a screen to glance at, look elsewhere. If you’re tired of a heavy watch, the Luna Band is worth a look.

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