Supported in 2008, Fitbit is a consumer electronics company that's second-best known for its line of smartwatches and seaworthiness trackers.

The Fitbit Sensation is currently the brand's most expensive and sophisticated smartwatch.

It's also the only Fitbit to monitor stress through an electrodermal (EDA) scan, and the first model to offer EKG (EKG) bosom rate monitoring.

Additionally, the twist keeps tabs on your workouts, stress levels, sleep, menstrual cycles, so much more.

However, you may wonder whether the Horse sense is worth purchasing.

To test the product, the Fitbit transmitted Pine Tree State a Sense to endeavor, and while I've only when had IT for a few months, it's the first smartwatch that I've gotten into a steady habit of wearing.

This article provides a comprehensive review of the Fitbit Gumption, including my honest opinion on whether IT's Charles Frederick Worth purchasing.

Earlier diving into the features and design of the twist, here are some key specs to be awake of:

  • Price: $299.95
  • Display: color AMOLED touch screen with a tactual clit
  • Screen size: 1.58 inches (3.8 cm)
  • Battery spirit: up to 6 years with lax use of goods and services, 12 hours with continuous GPS
  • Raincoat rating: water-resistant to capable 164 feet (50 meters)
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS (doesn't support cellular)

Overall design

The Fitbit Sensory faculty features a square face with rounded corners and a crisp, clear display.

While the screen is made with Gorilla Methamphetamine 3, which is supposed to be many durable, I concluded up with a smallish crack in my screen after falling it on a hardwood floor from about 3 feet (91.4 cm) up.

The watch present is easy customizable using the Fitbit app. I deliver the "Hawaiian Punch" screen currently.

Connected the watch itself, you can set the display to "Ever On" (this, I lettered, drains the battery very quickly), or you can hardening it to "Automatic Heat," which automatically turns on the screen when you tilt the screen out toward your face.

Otherwise, you tail end simply turn on the screen by pressing the button on the left field side of the device.

The Sense is available in 2 styles, including a black silicone band with a graphite unblemished steel bezel, or a white band with a gold stainless brand bezel. The section of the face that touches the wrist is aluminum.

If you prefer a different colouring material, you can easily swap the band verboten with the push of a button. The company offers several accessory bands that are purchased one by one, including leather, nylon, steel, silicone, and sport options.

There's also an infinity circle, which comes in a variety of colours, including pink and navy.

The eternity band is a rowlock and loop settlement that loops under the wrist, so no strap hangs out. I find that my wrist is between sizes for the stoppage holes, making the device cumbersome to put on.

The band also bothers ME when tipsy, but I imagine that would atomic number 4 the case with any watch.

Getting started with the Fitbit Sense

The Fitbit Sense is straightforward to set upbound once you have the Fitbit app on your phone.

First, you'll need to charge the watch. Once charged, it will ask to pair with a nearby WiFi network, which requires your WiFi password.

Next, you'll be able to customize your watch, including downloading apps and creating a user profile.

The whole process, including downloading the apps I wanted (like Spotify and Weather), took about 30 minutes.

When making your substance abuser profile, you arse share as much Oregon as little information about yourself equally you like. I chose to input my name, birthday, sex, pinnacle, weight, and details on my menstrual cycle.

The Fitbit Sense has a sensitive touch silver screen similar to that of a smartphone. To access features and widgets, you simply swipe up, thrown, near, or right.

Another similarity to many smartphones is that instead of a physical button, the left side of the watch has a haptic button — an indenture that gives vibrational feedback when pressed — which helps pee-pee the watch more water-repellent.

The lack of an actual button does take a little bit of getting victimised to, but it becomes intuitive one of these days.

Pressing the push button once turns on the screen, double pressing brings up shortcuts, and one long-handled press out brings dormie the voice assistant, though you can customize the long press to do what you'd like (mine brings up my Now stats).

When setting up your device, there's as wel an option to colligate the watch to either Amazon River Alexa surgery Google Low-level, though I don't have that specific feature turned connected.

As for apps, there are many to choose from. In fact, several brands, including Uber, Greater New York Times, and Coalescent Airlines, have also apps made for the Sense, though there aren't as many options available compared with the Apple watch.

Finally, while some of the data is displayed on the watch itself, you'll need the Fitbit app on your smartphone to memory access more detailed reports.

What information technology's like to utilize

Fitbit Sense Metrics Tracked

The Sense itself is reasonably easy and unlogical to use, though you'll lack to tether it to your sound via Bluetooth to ensure that your information is tracked in good order.

Swiping up and pour down reveals your Core Stats for the day, including calories burned, steps taken, floors climbed, and Active District minutes (more connected this further toss off).

I have my watch configured so that in addition to Core Stats, swiping down also brings up the weather, data on my menstrual hertz, water intake (which needs to cost logged manually), quick access to guided breathing, and the EDA skim.

How manage you charge the Fitbit Sense?

The Fitbit Good sense comes with a proprietorship charger that fits into a USB port (not included) and magnetizes onto the back of the watch.

While the charger itself is included, you can buy out an superfluous or replacement cord for $19.95 on the company's website.

Charging the watch fully takes 1–2 hours and should give you up to 6 days of barrage fire life. Even so, if you keep your GPS on, you'll likely need to recharge your device later 12 hours.

If you're short not delayed, the Sense can get enough power to last round the clock after just 12 minutes of charging.

The Fitbit Sense tracks a wide variety of metrics to ply deeper brainstorm into your general wellness.

These prosody include:

  • Fighting Zone minutes
  • breathing rate
  • calories burned
  • cardio fitness make
  • distance
  • floors climbed
  • food intake
  • spunk rate
  • menstrual cycle
  • sleep stages
  • SpO2 (oxygen saturation)
  • stairs
  • stress
  • temperature
  • water consumption
  • free weight

Suppress in mind that while many of these are recorded automatically, such As your heart range, others need to be entered manually, including your water and food uptake.

The Fitbit Sense has several sensors, many of which are used for fitness trailing.

It also features three sensors that are geared more toward wellness data, including the Pure Heart rate 2.0, SpO2, and temperature sensors.

Heart rate

The Sense calibrates your heart rate approximately every 5 seconds using a Pure Pulse 2.0 sensor on the back of the device.

However, some reviewers mention that the heart rate varan ISN't as exact as Malus pumila or Garmin's.

SpO2

SpO2 measures stoc oxygen saturation.

To receive an SpO2 reading through the Sensory faculty, you bequeath either need to download a clockface with SpO2 tracking Oregon download the SpO2 Tracker app.

Just keep in mind that while some smartwatches offer on-demand tracking, the Sense only monitors SpO2 while you sleep.

Temperature

Unlike else Fitbit models, the Sense has a dedicated temperature tracker that measures your skin's temperature while you sleep.

Depending happening whether you're above or below your service line temperature, this data may indicate whether you're dormancy thoroughly operating room you whitethorn be start to father sick.

Temperature is also old to help calculate your EDA focus score.

Between the Sense and the Fitbit app, there are many great features to know approximately, including:

  • ECG scan
  • EDA scan
  • workout tracking
  • sleep tracking
  • smartphone notifications
  • ethnical functions
  • music
  • Fitbit Pay

Below is a breakdown of these key features.

ECG Glance over

One of the main features that sets the Sense apart from both competitors and other Fitbit devices is its ability to perform a quick EKG CAT scan to service keep a closer eye on your wellness.

The rake can also alert you to potential signs of atrial fibrillation (Afib) — a grave condition that should be discussed with a healthcare pro.

To enjoyment the feature, start past enabling the Electrocardiogram widget in the phone app. Next, open the widget on your watch.

From there, you'll be prompted to hold back the corners of the watch and keep your hand and arm still for 30 seconds. Your reading will then pop immediately on the Sense.

It's important to bank note that if your heart rate is low-level 50, the ECG scan won't be capable to get a understand, rendering the feature unserviceable.

EDA run down

The EDA scan is a stress management puppet on the Sense.

The read full treatmen by measuring electrodermal activity in your palm while you go through a guided mindfulness seance.

During the session, you'll be instructed to sit down still and take deep breaths for 2 minutes. Afterward, you'll be asked to log how you feel after completing the exercise.

The EDA app will then chart your EDA responses over time.

Generally, the calmer you feel, the fewer EDA responses you'll have.

While I like the idea of this feature article, 2 minutes of sitting still lavatory flavor like a long time in the middle of a hectic day.

Sleep

Sleep late tracking is one of my favorite features of the Sense.

Using a combination of your breathing and motion patterns, the device senses when you drowse of and tracks your sleep stages passim the night.

In the cockcro, you seat access a full breakdown of how the night went, including your metre asleep, meter spent in in depth and REM sleep, and restoration level.

All of these factors are combined into an overall score from 1–100, with 100 indicating peak quality sleep.

Another useable feature is the Wise Wake alarm clock, which wakes you at the best time during your sleep bicycle within 30 minutes of your set alarm time.

Workout tracking

The Sense toilet raceway over 20 types of activities, including running, swimming, yoga, weightlifting, hike, and spinning using the practise widget.

Patc I want to love this feature, several aspects of the exercise widget experience could be improved.

For example, connecting to the Sense's built-in GPS for the firstly time took nearly 5 minutes. Looking at in the Fitbit Community forums, others have had similar issues.

While subsequent times have been faster, I still feel that its Global Positioning System connection could constitute finer.

Another slight downside is that unlike new watches, there isn't an option to dictated a tempo alarm — an alert that informs you if you're non tossing fixed sufficient to meet your set training goals.

The third reason that I'm not a larger fan of the Exercise function is that it takes risen the full silver screen of the watch.

As a result, you can't see your other widgets during your exercising, unless you press pause.

That aforementioned, I do appreciate that you lav swipe justly to interpret the time, time elapsed, steps, pulse rate, calories burned, pace, outstrip, average hotfoot, and Active Zone minutes.

Speaking of Active Zone minutes, these metrics are customized based on your ideal eye range and age.

At the end of your workout, the Busy Zones graph shows you how much time you spent in the fat burning, cardio, and elevation zones.

While I don't expend the Exercise function during my workouts, which are usually barre or yoga classes, the watch nonmoving tracks my time in the Live Zones, and I savour being able to glance down and regard my pith rate.

Nevertheless, if I was a Thomas More enthusiastic runner, walker, or cyclist, I could see the Exercise run being more reclaimable.

Smartphone notifications

Using Bluetooth, the Common sense can receive smartphone notifications, including calls, text, and calendar event reminders.

However, it cannot download images sent in text, and you bum only answer with quick replies if you have an Android phone.

I induce an iPhone and decided not to enable text notifications because I don't want the beguilement.

However, I make out appreciate that the watch silently vibrates when I'm acquiring a holler, as my sound is almost e'er on silent. The calendar reminders are also helpful.

Social functions

Patc I don't personally use the social functions on the Fitbit app, you can easily ADHD friends from either your contacts operating theatre Facebook account.

For friends with Fitbit profiles, you derriere besides add them to your friends number past inquiring for their username in the Community tabloid of the app.

Adding friends is a great way to stay affiliated, as you can take part in natural process challenges unitedly, such as World Health Organization bottom get the most steps in a day, as well as sunniness on one other to stay on motivated.

The app also features a leaderboard, which displays the number every week steps taken by your friends.

Music

The Fitbit Sense is compatible with several euphony apps, including Spotify, Pandora, and Deezer.

While you'll still need your phone to play music, you can pause, rewind, or fast-headfirst on your watch.

You can also choose from recently played songs and playlists, which I've found to be particularly recyclable when I don't want to hold my phone or take IT out of an armband while exercising.

To listen to music, you'll ask Bluetooth headphones or speakers to pair with your see.

Payments

The Sense comes with the Wallet app that supports Fitbit Pay — a cardless defrayal system that you can use anywhere that accepts contactless payment methods.

Fitbit Pay functions almost identically to Google or Apple Compensate, though the latter options are not supported on the Sense.

I don't use this feature, as I prefer to carry a card. All the same, I've heard that the app is simple to use.

Plus, you can summate adequate six credit cards, and most major banks are based.

To add a card, open the Today tab connected the app and pilot to the wallet division, where you'll be asked to enter your tease details.

The Wallet app requires a four-fingerbreadth pin to assailable, so your recognition bill information should be secure even if you misplace your Sensory faculty or information technology's taken.

The Fitbit Sense retails for $299.95.

Your purchase includes the watch face, a urine-resistant infinity band with a curl and peg closedown, and one charger.

If you purchase the Sense directly from the brand's website, you potty also choose to check out with QuadPay, which allows you to compensate the determine in 4 interest-free payments over 6 weeks.

If you wish to restoration your Fitbit device for any grounds, you'll need to request a counte say-so within 45 days of your shipment date.

The device comes with a 1-year limited product warranty. Though, for $59.99, you lav buy up a 2-yr protection architectural plan that covers accidental damage.

If you plan on wearing the sentry regularly or have a habit of dropping things, I highly recommend buying the extra insurance coverage.

American Samoa I was gifted the watch, this wasn't an option. However, the added protection would accept come in handy since my watch already has a slight crack in it.

Fitbit Agio

Each purchase includes a free 6-calendar month trial of Fitbit Premium — an app that offers personalized insights, a breakdown of your rest score, exercise videos, wellness tips, recipes, and more.

It also gives you the option to download a wellness report, which tracks totally your data over 1-twelvemonth, 6-calendar month, 3-month, and 30-daylight increments.

After 6 months, access to Premium costs $9.99 per month.

I'm still in my tryout period, but I plan on paying for the Premium app because I wish having access to more robust data, especially the elaborated sleep trailing.

In many ways, the Sense is like to both the Apple Watch and the Garmin Venu Sq.

Present's a side-by-side comparison of these tercet smartwatches:

Overall, the Fitbit Common sense is competitively priced and offers many of the same features as the Orchard apple tree Watch 6 and Garmin Venu Sq.

However, compared with the Venu Sq, the Sense is a better option if you're interested in health information, every bit it includes ECG and EDA scans, atomic number 3 intimately as a inbuilt temperature sensing element.

On the other hand, if you're primarily interested in tracking performance metrics during your workouts, the Venu Sq is the better choice.

At last, the Orchard apple tree Find out 6 offers a just mix of both health and recitation information, though IT's the most expensive alternative out of the three.

The Fitbit Sense is easily to use and jam-packed with features.

In fact, my biggest subject with the watch is that the number of features is consuming. Eastern Samoa a result, while the first apparatus is easy, you'll deman to expend time researching to fully take advantage of everything that the Sense has to whir.

That said, the watch is still a great alternative if you'Ra interested in tracking aspects of your health.

In fact, I've found that the best and almost adjuvant features of the gimmick are the fondness rate monitoring and sleep trailing — though, the Find My Phone app and smartphone notifications have also come in handy.

Spell the watch offers practice session tracking and Active Zone information, other smartwatches on the marketplace provide more than stout and sport-limited exercising data.

The Fitbit Sense is a sleek smartwatch that's unchaste to say and offers a gross ton of core features.

Information technology's also little overpriced than many similar smartwatches and extraordinary of the few to offer ECG and EDA monitoring.

Overall, the Fitbit Sense is ideal if you'Ra interested in keeping tabs on your wellness, peculiarly your sleep late habits and heart rate.

Notwithstandin, if you're looking for a simple, streamlined smartwatch operating theatre tracking sport-specific performance metrics, IT's Charles Frederick Worth shopping around to observe a better suited.