Fitbit Sense: A Comprehensive Review of the Advanced Health Smartwatch

In the realm of fitness trackers, the Fitbit Sense smartwatch stands out with its advanced features and comprehensive health monitoring capabilities. It goes beyond the standard fitness tracking features, offering tools for mental health and sleep cycle monitoring. This review delves into the specifics of the Fitbit Sense, providing an in-depth look at its features, pros, cons, and overall performance.

Fitbit Sense: A New Level of Health Monitoring

The Fitbit Sense is more than just a fitness tracker. It’s a comprehensive health monitoring device that keeps tabs on your physical activity, sleep cycles, and even your mental health by measuring stress levels. It’s like having a personal wellness coach right on your wrist.

 

Design and Build Quality

The Fitbit Sense is built to last with a stainless-steel frame, Gorilla Glass 3 display, and an innovative biosensor core. The watch screen measures 1.59-inches across and .49-inches thick, making it a comfortable fit for most wrist sizes. The design is intuitive, with a rounded-square touchscreen similar to a smartphone, allowing easy access to apps, metrics, and tools.

Advanced Health Metrics

The Fitbit Sense is equipped to track a multitude of metrics, providing you with detailed insight into your overall well-being. Some metrics like your heart rate will track automatically, while others you can enter manually. Standout metrics include all four sleep stages (awake, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM) with a subsequent sleep score, breathing rate, steps taken, floors climbed, menstrual cycle tracker, food and water intake, oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, skin temperature sensor, stress management, active zone minutes, and calories burned.

 

Pros of the Fitbit Sense

The Fitbit Sense is the first model to offer electrocardiogram (ECG) heart rate monitoring, allowing you to record your heart’s rhythm and assess your heart for atrial fibrillation (Afib). The device also monitors stress through a sensor that calculates heart rate and electrodermal (EDA) data to see if your body is showing a “fight or flight” response. The temperature tracker keeps tabs on your skin’s temps while you sleep—data that can indicate if you’re getting sick. The Smart Wake feature senses the optimal wake time of your sleep cycle and wakes you within 30 minutes of your alarm.

Cons of the Fitbit Sense

While the Fitbit Sense offers a buffet of features, its higher price point can be overwhelming if you’re just looking for a basic, budget-friendly fitness tracker. Some users have reported issues with Bluetooth connection delays and GPS functionality. The haptic indent on the left side of the watch can also be a learning curve for some users.

 

Fitbit Sense vs Garmin Venu® Sq

When compared to the Garmin Venu® Sq, the Fitbit Sense stands out with its advanced health data features, including ECG and EDA scans, as well as the temperature sensor. However, if you’re primarily interested in tracking workout performance metrics, the Venu Sq could be a better choice if you don’t care as much about smartphone accessibility.

Customer Experience and Fitbit Premium

Your initial purchase of the Fitbit Sense includes a free 6-month trial of Fitbit Premium, which offers access to personalized data insights plus workout videos, wellness tips, and recipes. You can also download a wellness report with your data in 1-year, 6-month, 3-month, and 30-day increments. After six months, you can opt to purchase Premium for $9.99 per month. Your Fitbit Sense also includes a 1-year limited warranty, and you can purchase a 2-year protection plan for $59.99 that covers accidental damage.

 

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