After the Sony Smart Sensor and Babolat PLAY, now a smart sensor that can be used on all rackets. This is the Zepp Tennis Sensor!
Electronics and tennis seem to go hand in hand these days. More and more technical gadgets ensure that you can extract all kinds of data from your training session. In that sense, the Zepp Tennis Sensor is nothing new. However, the Sony Smart Sensor cannot be used on all rackets, or you have to 'rebuild' your racket by placing a new buttcap (the plastic cap at the bottom of the grip). PLAY by Babolat (an extensive review of this will follow soon) can only be used if you purchase an expensive Babolat PLAY racket for €300 or €350, depending on the model. In that sense, the Zepp Tennis Sensor is unique: you can place it on virtually any racket, old or new. And the price? At around €150, it is quite reasonable. The product has been on the market for a while, but has recently had a good update, hence this review.
Confirm Zepp Tennis Sensor and Features
There are two ways to attach the Zepp Tennis Sensor, with the Pro Mount or the Flex Mount. The Pro Mount can be attached to the current racket cap with a super strong adhesive strip and weighs 4 grams. You can then click the sensor into this mount. The sensor itself weighs 8 grams. The total extra weight at the bottom of the racket is therefore 12 grams. The Flex Mount is the easiest option if you want to use the Zepp Tennis Sensor on multiple rackets. You can easily pull the flexible rubber around the racket cap. It is recommended to then turn an overgrip around it. This way you have little to no idea of the sensor on your racket. The disadvantage is the weight, the Flex Mount weighs 12 grams. With the 8 grams of the sensor added, this amounts to 20 grams of extra weight at the bottom of the racket.
On the left the Zepp Flex Mount and on the right the Pro Mount
The Zepp Tennis Sensor Flex Mount in full regalia. Advice is to place an overgrip over this.
App and support The application is free to download for your smartphone. It is available for both iOS and Android. It is recommended to calibrate your racket and sensor with the app before starting your session. Then, for example, as a trainer, it is possible to do real-time data tracking via Bluetooth, with a range of 20 to 30 meters. The memory of the sensor is up to 2000 strokes. What does this sensor measure?
- Shot type: forehand, backhand and serve
- Per shot type: topspin, flat or slice
- Power/Speed per stroke: average and maximum speed
- Contact area of the ball in the blade
- 3D service tracker: 3D breakdown of your serve: this includes racket head speed or blade speed, estimated ball speed, amount of spin/slice, backswing time and ball impact time on blade
The Zepp Tennis Sensor versus the Sony Smart Sensor and Babolat PLAY
The big advantage of the Zepp Tennis Sensor is that you can use it on virtually any racket, where the Babolat PLAY technology is only in the Babolat PLAY rackets and the Sony Smart Sensor can only be used in the latest models of rackets from Head, Prince, Wilson and Yonex (unless you do a small conversion to your racket by mounting a new racket cap on your current racket). The disadvantage of the Zepp Tennis Sensor is its weight: 12 or 20 grams of extra weight, depending on the type of 'mount' you use, is quite a lot compared to the 8 grams of the Sony Smart Sensor and no extra weight with Babolat PLAY, where the electronics are already in the racket itself. The price of around €150,- is more than fine, compared to the €200,- for the Sony Smart Sensor and €300,- to €350,- for a Babolat PLAY racket.
In short
The Zepp Tennis Sensor is a great training tool, so it is super easy to use on any type of racket, old or new. Via the data tracking you can easily compare new data with older data, so you can see for example whether your new string really offers much more spin potential. The 3D service tracker, with which you can analyze your entire service movement, is also a nice extra tool. The disadvantage of the Zepp Tennis Sensor is however the 'high' weight compared to the competition. In addition, the Pro Mount does not stay in place forever and can come loose at some point. All in all a nice training tool that can be used by the whole family or tennis class.