This tracker will get you Fit in style
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is small, light – and it’s affordable
Fitbit Inspire 3 From €100, fitbit..com
Smart watches are getting smarter and smarter, and they’re also becoming a key part of the ecosystem of the companies that make them. If a company makes a phone, like Apple or Samsung, they’d have us believe that adding their watch to the setup keeps us more connected and productive with the added benefit of health and fitness monitoring.
Fitbit trackers though, are agnostic to the phone you use, and as the company that pioneered the fitness tracker, they still have the broadest offering with pricing for all buyers.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the new version of their entry level tracker for adults. It’s an appealing proposition, because of its price and also because it serves as a good entry point for those dipping their toe in to wearable technology.
The Inspire 3 is smaller and lighter than many watches, making it easy to wear. At 39.3mm x 18.6mm it’s really slim and superlightweight and it really is almost unnoticeable on your wrist.
There are two bands in the box, the standard or ‘Classic’ band in a large and small size.
The small fits wrists 137 to 193mm in circumference, while the large fits wrists 193 to 221mm. It’s not too long ago many bands were shipped with one size, and while it’s a small thing, it’s nice to see Fitbit considering that a band may have more than one user over time.
The standard bands are made of a premium, comfortable silicone and are available in three colours. There’s a neutral black colour, a nice lilac and a really attractive light orange called Morning Glow – and the sturdy tracker itself is swim-proof and is water resistant to fifty metres.
Using the Inspire 3 requires setup using the Fitbit app for iOS or Android. While lots of data is accessible on the screen of the tracker, the Fitbit app remains one of the most user-friendly fitness apps.
The app is comprehensive in the data recorded but it also lays it out really well, and even for those new to fitness or sleep tracking, it’s easy to read and to understand. Despite the entry-level price, there’s extensive tracking tech in the Inspire 3.
For health tracking, it monitors blood oxygen and skin temperature variations. It also keeps pace of heart-rate variability and breathing rate. Those features combined can help give you a good overall view of your general wellbeing, and even alert you if you may be coming down with something.
There’s a glucose level logging function and extensive female health features and you can get a PDF of key health and wellness statistics over a few months that can be shared with a healthcare professional. The tracker also monitors resting heart-rate and there are alerts via the Fitbit app if your resting heart rate is above or below your usual range.
The device’s exercise and fitness tracking is also comprehensive with a lot more than the standard steps, distance and calories.
It will track your favourite exercises like runs, bike rides, weights
THE APP FOR FITBIT IS ONE OF THE MOST USER-FRIENDLY
YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE QUALITY OF YOUR SLEEP TOO
and even yoga and you get live data on your wrist. For cyclists or trail runners, it connects to your phone’s GPS so you can see pace and distance. It automatically tracks how long you sleep each night and the time spent in light, deep and REM sleep stages. Then you can learn about the quality of your previous night’s sleep with a personalised Sleep Score.
While the colour touchscreen is bright and sharp, if you wear glasses for reading, you may need them, because the Inspire 3’s trim dimensions do mean that the screen is small. However, it’s hard to find much else to complain about here. Its size – and its ease of use – are attractive for those new to fitness trackers, and ideal for those who want a discreet device.
Sleep, health and fitness monitoring are excellent. The battery life, robust build and swim-proofing are nice extras and it integrates well with iOS and Android. At this price, it’s a great tracker at an exceptionally good price.