A bit fit with FitBit
THE RANGE OF SMART WATCHES AND FITNESS TRACKERS HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THREE NEW DEVICES
AT the moment there’s only one king of the smartwatches and the crown belongs to the Apple Watch.
But for an awful lot of people there’s a big drawback to the Apple Watch – you need to own an iPhone to use one. Where does that leave Android users?
Well, Samsung obviously has its so-far underwhelming Galaxy Watch, while Google is about to launch its own Pixel Watch. Hopes are high for that.
But there’s already a clutch of smartwatches and trackers from a Google-owned company that might just fit the bill. And they are, of course, compatible with the iPhone, too.
FitBit’s been around for ages, of course, and has a mature ecosystem with devices at a broad range of price-points.
It might be surprising that these watches don’t run Google’s own Wear OS, but that might be an advantage – the FitBit system they do run is tried and tested and has already proved itself fit for purpose.
The FitBit line-up has just been updated with three new smartwatches – for those who don’t want to wait for the Pixel Watch and don’t want to go down the Apple Watch road.
Sense 2
The Sense 2 is the most featurerich watch in the new autumn line-up.
It has heart-tracking capabilities, as well as a built-in body temperature sensor. But what sets it apart is a new Body Response sensor to track continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) for all-day stress management.
The watch will monitor all sensors to provide a notification when stress levels are high, followed by a recommendation about what to do next.
That might be some breathing exercises or mood-logging, but all the information is gathered within the FitBit app on your phone to build up a picture of your stress triggers so you can better manage them and keep stress at bay.
The Sense 2 is also good for workout sessions, featuring more than 40 workout types to choose from right on your wrist.
All the new watches come with six months of FitBit’s premium service, which costs £7.99/ month or £79.99/year thereafter.
Premium brings additional features like the Daily Readiness Score, which assesses your fitness to tackle your day head, access to guided workout and mindfulness video and audio sessions, and a deeper analysis of sleep data.
The Sense 2 is not only a fitness and health powerhouse, it has also been redesigned for a sleeker look, and can be accessorised with some cool straps.
One of its best features contrasts very strongly with the Apple Watch – you can go six days without recharging the Sense 2. Apple Watch needs recharging daily.
Versa 4
The Versa 4 is a more affordable way to track the health and fitness metrics that you care about most. You can more or less think of it as a Sense 2 without the cEDA sensor… but it does everything else.
There’s the tracking of more than 40 workout types, GPS for outdoor workouts, and advanced sleep tracking. Crucially, you also get the six-day battery life.
The Versa even looks like the Sense 2 with the redesigned thinner case, and a wide range of straps to accessorise with.
Inspire 3
The smallest and cheapest device in the FitBit autumn line-up is the Inspire 3 – an entry level tracker that captures the core set of data needed to properly analyse your well-being.
There’s a 24-hour heart-rate monitor, step counting, sleep tracking, and a system that nudges you to move more if you’ve been inactive.
If you’re looking to get into tracking your activity and health, you could do a lot worse than start here – the advantages of tracking your progress and setting goals for improvements will soon become clear. In addition, the Inspire is a small cool-looking watch that comes with coloured bands to fit your mood. Somehow it also manages better battery life than the Sense 2 or Versa 4 – this watch can last 10 days on one charge.
Sense 2 is £269.99, the Versa 4 is £199.99, and the Inspire 3 is £84.99. More at fitbit.com