Which Fitbit is right for you? (September 2017)
Fitbit, currently one of the most well-known names in the fitness tracking world, has seven different trackers on sale right now. Which one is right for you? Should you pick up one of the new fashion-forward devices like the Alta or Blaze, or should you consider an older one like the Surge or Charge 2?
With devices ranging anywhere from $60-$250, there’s certainly a wide range of options from which to choose. So with that said, read on to find out which Fitbit is right for you.
Upcoming: Fitbit Ionic
After teasing its new smartwatch for what seems like ages, Fitbit has finally announced its new smartwatch, the Ionic.
The Fitbit Ionic is a smartwatch through and through, though it does bare a striking resemblance to the company’s “smart fitness watch”, the Fitbit Blaze. The Ionic, however, is powered by Fitbit’s new Ionic OS, which will support smartphone notifications, run its own apps (including third-party apps), and feature downloadable watch faces. Fitbit says it’ll release an SDK in September to allow any developer to make their own Ionic apps. Plus, the Ionic is the first device to usher in Fitbit Pay, the company’s contactless payment system. Fitbit Pay will allow Ionic owners to pay for things via NFC, even without a phone.
As for the under-the-hood goodies, the Ionic will sport a display that supports up to 1,000 nits of brightness (resolution is unknown), and also has a built-in GPS, 2.5 GB of on-board storage, optical heart rate sensor, as well as a battery that Fitbit says will last up to four days on a single charge. What’s more, the Ionic will be only the second Fitbit device to support a proper waterproof rating — 5 ATM to be exact.
The Fitbit Ionic is the fitness company’s first smartwatch
The Ionic is up for pre-order now for $299.95 and will arrive later this year. That’s a pretty steep price, but given the fact that there hasn’t been a Fitbit with GPS capabilities released in years, we’re sure plenty of Fitbit fans will stomach the asking price to get their wrists on this new device.
The best Fitbit device
Fitbit Charge 2
If you’re buying a fitness tracker in this price range, it’s hard not to consider the Charge 2.
It’s clear Fitbit really focused on design when making the Charge 2. This device not only looks more like a piece of jewelry and less like a standard fitness tracker this time around, you also have the option to change out the bands if you’d like.
The Charge 2 also has a bigger display this time, meaning you get more room for smartphone notifications. Plus, Fitbit also introduced a few new features to the Charge 2 that should help users stay healthy and relaxed overtime: Cardio Fitness Level, which will give you a cardiovascular rating based on an estimate of your VO2 Max, and Relax, a new on-device guided breathing feature that will walk you through short breathing exercises to help you lower blood pressure, reduce stress and lessen anxiety.
Overall, it’s an all-around great fitness tracker, especially considering its sub-$150 price point.
Best all-around Fitbit device (runner up)
Fitbit Alta HR
2016’s Fitbit Alta has been one of our favorite fitness trackers since launch, mainly due to the sleek, stylish design that many other Fitbit devices lack. But what if you’re looking for a device similar to the Alta, but can’t go without a heart rate sensor? You’ll want to check out the Fitbit Alta HR, the company’s slimmest activity tracker with a heart rate monitor.
The new Alta HR brings the company’s own PurePulse heart rate technology to a slimmer form factor. Fitbit supposedly developed a new chip for the Alta HR that reduced the size and number of components needed, allowing for a 25% slimmer design than the Charge 2. With a built-in heart rate sensor, you’ll be able to better track your calories burned, non-step exercises like yoga and spinning, and also see real-time heart rate zones on your wrist. Having a heart rate sensor on your activity tracker really does make a world of difference.
See also: Fitbit Alta HR review
Alongside the Alta HR, Fitbit also introduced two new sleeping features, Sleep Stages and Sleep Insights. Sleep Stages utilizes the heart rate sensor to estimate the amount of time you spend in light, deep and REM sleep, as well as the time you spend awake each night. Sleep Insights, on the other hand, uses all the data your Fitbit collects to provide personalized guidance on how to better improve your sleep. If you’re interested in learning more about Sleep Stages and Sleep Insights, more details can be found here.
If you need a slim fitness tracker that doesn’t skimp on the features, the Alta HR is for you.
Everything but the kitchen sink
Fitbit Surge
Need a Fitbit with GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring and much more? The Surge may be your best bet.
Instead of calling it a simple fitness tracker, Fitbit refers to the Surge as a fitness super watch… and that’s not actually too far off. It features a touchscreen display, continuous heart rate monitoring, GPS tracking capabilities, music control and notifications and all the other fitness tracking features other Fitbit devices have. It might be a little big for some folks out there, but if you want something with this many features and are serious about tracking your workouts, the Surge will definitely do the trick.
You can find the Fitbit Surge on Amazon for a little under $200 nowadays. And considering the price of other GPS-enabled devices out there, this is pretty much a steal.
Best for notifications
Fitbit Blaze
The Blaze might not be our favorite Fitbit device out there, but it’s still darn good at a handful of things.
This is Fitbit’s most smartwatch-y device on the market. It has a touchscreen display, interchangeable bands, and it arguably looks more like a smartwatch than it does a fitness tracker. It can also feed you notifications from your smartphone via Bluetooth. You can get call, text and calendar notifications, though you aren’t able to get Facebook, Twitter, email or basically anything else. Not that anyone needs Twitter mentions on their wrists when they’re on a run, but the option would be nice, at least.
More: Fitbit Blaze review
Other than notifications, the Blaze does a lot of other things right. It’ll get you 5 days of battery on a single charge, features a display that’s bright and clear enough to see outdoors, and it’s comfortable enough to wear all day. There are also leather and metal band options if you’re looking to wear it to work or out to dinner.
Best on a budget
Fitbit Flex 2
The Fitbit Flex 2 is a well-designed fitness tracker with a lot of neat features that serves as an introduction to Fitbit’s excellent software and ecosystem. It’s a small, convenient device that can take on any look to match your style and will easily survive a dip in the pool. While it might lack advanced features, it is nevertheless smarter than you might expect thanks to the highly capable app and brilliant activity autodetection.
This device isn’t perfect, though. Serious gym rats will be disappointed at the lack of tracking for strength workouts, battery life could be longer and the notifications are somewhat pointless in most situations.
Read and watch: Fitbit Flex 2 review
But if you like the svelte and versatile design and you’re just looking for something that will reliably track your steps and activity, then you might not need those extra features anyway. And in that case, the Fitbit Flex 2 is probably one of the best basic trackers available.
You can purchase it on Amazon in Black, Lavender and Magenta color options for just $59.95.
Fitbit One
Aren’t interested in a wrist-mounted Fitbit? The One is for you.
Announced way back in September 2012, the Fitbit One is definitely not the newest out there. It still has some notable features, though, and the price is under $100 — perfect for those interested in testing the fitness tracking waters. It sports a clip design that allows the device to be clipped pretty much anywhere. Whether it’s on your shirt, bra, in your pocket or on your belt, the One should stay put no matter what you do throughout the day.
The Fitbit One can track your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes and even your sleep. It has a built-in silent alarm, too.
It should also be noted that Fitbit also has another budget-friendly device called the Zip. The Zip is another clip on device, but doesn’t have sleep tracking, a silent alarm, nor can it track your floors climbed. It’s also not too much cheaper than the One, which is why we decided not to feature this device on our list.
So there you have it — our guide to all things Fitbit! Are we missing something? Have you tried Fitbit products in the past? If so, what are your experiences? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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