Live Science Verdict
Fitbit ’s most expensive smartwatch is also its finest , but only if you ’re likely to enjoy the extra sensors . If not , the Versa 3 is a cheaper alternative .
Nice , understate design .
brilliant presentation
Stress Score could be really helpful
costly than any other Fitbit
No offline audio recording unless you ’re on Deezer or Pandora
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The Fitbit Sense is the company ’s previous in high spirits - end intersection , come in at a high price than anything in its Versa lineup . give that the Fitbit empire is somewhat much built upon the winner of inexpensive trackers , this £ 219/$229.95 modeling feel like a play for the Apple Watch grocery store .
And yet , the Fitbit Sense is really its own thing . It takes much of what ’s find on the Versa ( a rounded hearty design , 1.58 - inch display ) and repurposes it slightly , with a larger number of detector . Both the Versa 3 and the Sense can track your heart rate , temperature , blood O levels , and more , but you ’ll need a Fitbit Sense to carry out a portable ECG , and it also offers high and low ticker - pace alerts .
Software : Fitbit OSCompatibility : iOS and Android phonesBattery life : Around six daysMemory size:4GBDisplay type and screen size:1.58 ” OLEDGPS : YesWater resistance : Up to 50 metresHeart rate tracker : YesSleep tracker : YesMusic : Offline audio only available via Deezer and Pandora
The bountiful push , though , is n’t solely for your physical wellness at all – it ’s for your mental wellness . The Fitbit Sense offers the EDA Scan , a elbow room to scan your stress levels through – get this – the sweatiness of your hand . That ’s a very simplified direction of putting it , but by range your manus over the watch , it ’ll differentiate you how your body has react to any current accent you may be dealing with . It ’s been seen in the Fitbit Charge 5 , but at the time of piece of writing , is the key discriminator between the Sense and the Versa 3 .
All of this is combine with other metric to assign a Stress Score , blurring the lines between physical and mental wellbeing chase after to spot physiological tells .
On top of that , the lookout is comfortable and lasts for a while , pip around five and a half days in our testing , making the Fitbit Sense the unspoiled Fitbit you’re able to buy right now . We actually range it as one of thebest fitness trackersoverall , thanks to its many features and easy - to - operate conception – and we rank it among one of thebest Fitbitsyou can purchase aright now .
Price and release date
The Fitbit Sense was launched in September 2020 . It retails for £ 299.99 in the UK , and $ 299.95 in the US , but can on a regular basis be found discounted – you should n’t really ever pay more than £ 219/ $ 229.95 for the model . It come with a six - calendar month free trial of Fitbit Premium , which we ’ll excuse shortly .
Design and display
As we alluded to sooner , the Fitbit Sense is very standardized to the Fitbit Versa 3 . In fact , they ’re near - identical , both with rounded square designs .
The case is made of untarnished steel , but you wo n’t find any strong-arm button anywhere . rather , on the left-hand side , there ’s a touch - sensitive release that will bring up Alexa by default . A double - strike will give access to a foursome of shortcuts .
The show is 1.58 - inches diagonally , and that ’s plenty large enough to show your apps , notification , and everything else . If you ’re coming from the the likes of of aFitbit Charge 5 , it ’ll experience monolithic at first , but it never feels too enceinte to feel well-heeled . It also skylark a Gorilla Glass blanket , meaning it ’s tougher than you ’d gestate for such a slimline design , too .
The Fitbit Sense ’s video display is also AMOLED . That mean textual matter and icons stand out advantageously on its pitch-dark setting , but also stand for it ’s much more easy to read in direct sunlight .
When it comes to the dance orchestra , the Fitbit Sense ’s “ Infinity dance orchestra ” is more close compare to the Apple Watch “ Sport band ” , with a silicone texture . Unlike that strap , though , there are no metallic moving pieces – it shut down over on itself neatly , and it ’s comfortable enough to feel like you ’re not really wearing anything on your wrist at all . As with most smartwatches , there are two sizes included , too , and you could swap with third - party or alternative pick from Fitbit with ease .
Fitbit gumption offer customizable watch faces that you may flip between with a few tap , meaning you may set them for the occasion or to check your mood .
The Fitbit Sense is available in Soft Gold ( as seen in our review unit , image below ) , Graphite Stainless Steel ( dark ) , and Silver Stainless Steel .
Features
Despite the Fitbit Sense ’s polished variety - divisor , it ’s packing mint of sensor and gizmos under the exhaust hood . As you ’d expect from a forward-looking smartwatch , Fitbit Pay permit you compensate without needing your wallet , while all of the data point is relayed to your earpiece via the Fitbit app for iOS or Android . You ’ll also find both Alexa and Google Assistant uncommitted as options .
At its most basic level , it ’ll track your steps , aloofness walked , and calorie count by default , giving you an “ at a glimpse ” look at your goals throughout the daytime , while also track sleep .
Unlike theApple Watch Series 7 , you wo n’t need to charge it overnight , so you’re able to take vantage of sleep - tracking insights . That ’s thanks to its six - day battery life , although you ’ll see less of a return on a single charge if you wish to prod the twist on a regular basis and run ECGs and more .
It ’s also waterproof up to a deepness of 50 meters , and extend blood atomic number 8 measurements . So far , so Fitbit , but the Sense can now put up an ECG to assess atrial fibrillation , which mean you may get gamey and broken marrow rate notifications .
As we mentioned earlier , the big boon of the Sense is the EDA scan which help you make a note of your current stress storey . This ties in with other data points , including a speedy questionnaire and continual trailing of your body temperature and warmness rate to construct a picture of your focus and assigns a Stress Score .
It ’s not the only Fitbit to do this , but it is the cardinal note between the feature readiness of the Versa 3 and the Sense , so it ’s worth mentioning – specially since it ’s expected to bridge the price gap between the two . It ’s tie to Mindfulness , and so the Sense will paint a picture meditation option or mindfulness exercises if your strain is high .
Using a smartwatch wo n’t cut tension from your life , but it ’s a handy room to collate the data and allow you to absorb your own conclusions for what amplifies accentuate .
Speaking of exercise , the mother wit offers enough the right way out of the box , but you ’ll bump plenty more as part of the bundled six months of Fitbit Premium .
Not only does this append additional data , but it offers feature like Guided Programs that wind plenty of metric into one . call up of it as a modest personal trainer that survive on your radiocarpal joint , give advice to facilitate maximise your eternal rest , exercise , and dieting metrics .
It ’ll also calculate a Daily Readiness grudge base on that datum , helping answer the immortal question of “ do I rest , or is it time for a physical exertion ? ” After an initial period where it determine your body ’s rhythms ( and your agenda ) , the idea is to help maximise the hours in your Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ( and those that you log Z’s ) to ensure you ’re quick for anything .
While the Sense is great without Fitbit Premium , it ’s still deserving considering as an option if you ’re serious about fitness .
Performance
While the Fitbit Sense is never going to be as precise as a consecrate GPS watch , we tested it alongside both an Apple Watch Series 7 and the Fitbit Versa 3 and are proud of to say all three connection up nicely .
If you ’re looking to shave off some metre on your favorite 5 klick route , it ’ll forge just fine , and the physical exertion display on the lookout itself is clear and easy to read whether you ’re running , cycling , or anything else .
When it comes to heart - rate tracking , we found both received tracking and the ECG to cope with up to the Apple Watch Series 7 in terms of accuracy .
Sadly , the Sense falls into the same booby trap as the Fitbit accusation 5 : No offline music playback from services other than Deezer and Pandora . If you prefer medicine or podcasts on your physical exertion , the best you could do is to take your phone with you and pullulate music from there .
That ’s a big young woman for a smartwatch that offers almost everything else , and at this monetary value head it feels conspicuous by its absence . you could , however , habituate your Fitbit Sense to control audio playback from your iPhone or Android machine , so at least if your phone is in your pocket you wo n’t be reaching for it constantly . Still , if you ’re using Deezer or Pandora , you ’ll have more selection .
As we ’ve touched upon a couple of time in this review , the Fitbit Sense ’s barrage life-time is excellent . While Fitbit read it offers a six - day battery life , we got it to give-up the ghost just after five days – largely through testing , using its sensors , and trailing eternal sleep . Considering the Apple Watch costs more and wo n’t hit one-half of that , it ’s an telling feat even with that increase custom .
Verdict
While we ’d have bonk to have stack away a playlist or two on it , the Fitbit Sense is a smashing bright watch . Its assault and battery is long - lasting , it ’s full of gravid features , and gain a substantial effort to aid supply users with the data point needed to improve their mental health – be that due to stresses at work or at home .
The only dubiousness is just how many of those additional feature you ’re likely to use . If you ’re not keen on the EDA scan , the Versa 3 is a reasonable bit bum , and matches the Sense pound sterling for hammering in almost every path .
If this isn’t for you
As noted above , the EDA away , the Sense is very standardised to the Versa 3 . That ’s no bad matter , though . If you are keen on the stress - bust characteristic , but less so on the price , the Fitbit Charge 5 is also great , but does lose the larger showing in favor of a slimline one .
If you ’re an iOS user , you ’re not too far from the Apple Watch Series 7 , but you may also get the fantabulous Apple Watch SE for less – but this occur with its own drawback , noticeably a shorter battery life .
