Professional’s Ranking
Professionals
- Improved software program
- Deep metric monitoring
- Strong battery life
Cons
- Clunky person expertise
- No music controls
- No third celebration apps
Our Verdict
The Fitbit Sense 2 is beneficial for health monitoring and mindfulness, but it surely has fewer smartwatch options than the older mannequin and isn’t as polished as equally priced Apple or Samsung alternate options.
Fitbit is rightly thought of one of many leaders of the exercise tracker market due to early mover benefit and slim, well-featured merchandise just like the Cost 5.
The model has had a more durable time making an attempt to make a killer smartwatch. 2017’s Ionic felt like a prototype, and it even obtained recalled just lately and each buyer refunded after a battery defect.
The Versa watches have been barely higher however have felt like exercise trackers that appear like watches. 2020’s Versa 3 and Sense watches had been the most effective Fitbit smartwatches but, although related, and provided music management, choose third celebration apps, and stable battery life.
Now owned by Google, Fitbit has launched the Sense 2, which I’ve had strapped to my wrist for a number of days. It’s a well-made product, however I hesitate to name it a smartwatch as a result of Fitbit has taken away the on-wrist music controls and all third-party apps, together with Google Assistant.
I think about it’s because Google needs these options to be unique to its new Pixel Watch, which itself makes use of the Fitbit app to trace well being metrics. The Sense 2 suffers due to its existence.
The primary draw of the Sense 2 over the also-new Versa 4 is the Sense 2’s physique response sensor, which collates a number of knowledge factors to provide you suggestions in your stress ranges. The thought is to spotlight your triggers that will help you perceive what stresses you, and coach you to handle these triggers higher.
It’s a effective thought, however the execution is clunky. The Sense 2 nonetheless feels prefer it isn’t fairly completed, and at $299.95/£269.99/€299.95, it’s onerous to suggest it over an Apple Watch SE or Samsung Galaxy Watch 5.
Design and construct
- Slim on the wrist
- Simple to detach bands
- One bodily button
The Sense 2 is probably the most premium feeling Fitbit you will get, although it’s not as high-end as the unique Sense, which had a chrome steel end and a metal ring across the edges of the display screen. This was used to take sensor readings to measure stress.
As a substitute, the Sense 2 has an aluminium body and overlays the sensors on high of the black bezels across the show. No fancy metal right here, but it surely’s nonetheless an excellent trying watch.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
My brushed gold mannequin seemed good although, with a lightweight gray strap. It’s comfy and comes with small and enormous sizes within the field together with a charging cable.
The pebble form of the physique is similar to the Versa sequence and it’s onerous to inform them aside. A clue that it’s the Sense 2 is on the underside that sits in your wrist as you put on it, with a curved metallic design indicating the inclusion of the brand new physique response sensor that you could’t get on any Fitbit.
Fortunately the corporate has ditched the unreliable contact sensor button of the primary Sense in favour of a bodily button on the Sense 2. It’s a lot simpler to push and works higher when sporting gloves. There’s additionally a single speaker slit on the precise edge for taking calls and speaking to Amazon’s Alexa assistant.
Although a full dimension watch, it’s comfy to put on all day and evening to trace steps, coronary heart charge, and sleep constantly. It might constantly monitor your blood oxygen ranges whilst you sleep, and Fitbit’s monitoring of sleep usually stays top-of-the-line within the recreation, with clear metrics and options like snore detection in case you pay for Fitbit Premium.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Health and sports activities monitoring
- Tracks a number of workouts and sports activities
- Strong out of doors GPS
- Create many knowledge units
As ever, this Fitbit is at its greatest when monitoring health exercise. From strolling to working, swimming to biking, and a load of different sports activities, the Sense 2 does a stable job of recording all of them.
Fitbit’s software program has been up to date from the unique Sense, and it’s a lot better for it. I discovered the Sense 2 fairly responsive, with menus flowing and buttons reacting instantly – a low bar, however older Fitbit watches have been very laggy.
It’s now primarily based on clearer ‘tiles’ you possibly can swipe by means of utilizing the touchscreen. They’re devoted screens for data on coronary heart charge, steps, exercise, sleep, train, and physique responses.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The core Fitbit expertise remains to be glorious. With built-in GPS, the Sense 2 simply and precisely tracked my out of doors run routes, even once I left my telephone at residence.
I do know my means across the Fitbit app after a number of years, however it’s nonetheless not very person pleasant. You need to dive into menus a number of layers deep to vary the watch face (which you’ll’t do on the watch) or discover methods so as to add associates. The latter helps you to hold a frontrunner board of steps in opposition to your mates if you’d like some wholesome competitors.
The app can also be the place you possibly can monitor your interval by letting you manually enter your final begin date into the calendar. It might then assist you to predict your subsequent interval, and ship you notifications to remind you while you may get your subsequent.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
Physique response and different sensors
- Tracks adjustments in temper
- ECG operate
- Options restricted to paid Premium
‘Physique response’ is new to Fitbit and unique to the Sense 2. Fitbit says the brand new physique response sensor measures steady electrodermal exercise (cEDA) to detect adjustments in your physique. Mixed with coronary heart charge, coronary heart charge variability, and pores and skin temperature, the watch can immediate you when it measures a change and asks you to log tour temper: confused, unhappy, calm, completely happy, annoyed, and different moods.
On the unique Sense, you needed to resolve to take a temper studying by deciding on the app and inserting your palm over the display screen, touching the sensors round it. It took two minutes to take a studying and also you needed to keep in mind to do it ceaselessly to assemble knowledge.
Now, the cEDA system can monitor your alleged temper on a regular basis utilizing its electrodermal sensor so that you don’t have to recollect to do a spot-check studying (which you continue to can if you’d like). It additionally means you’re much less more likely to solely take readings while you’re actually wired and serious about it.
The continual monitoring is nice insofar that it flags obvious adjustments in your temper, however I can’t assist however really feel a watch that buzzes me on a regular basis to ask how I’m feeling and if that feeling is stress is tense. You’ll be able to flip off the physique response notifications and can even obtain a weekly abstract in case you desire.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The app spits out a stress administration rating, however it’s a must to take no less than 500 steps, put on the Sense 2 for no less than 14 hours, and put on it to mattress on a given day to get it. Considered one of my scores was 76/100, the upper the quantity the higher you’ve managed stress. The rating is damaged down by responsiveness to stressors, exertion from train, and sleep patterns.
There’s a truthful stage of element in case you dig into the app, however as with different Fitbit gadgets, you’ll solely get the deepest element in case you fork out for the paid Fitbit Premium service. This prices $9.99/£7.99/€8.99 per 30 days or for an annual charge.
Fitbit is likely one of the few health tracker manufacturers that expenses a subscription charge to get knowledge insights. Purchase an Apple Watch or a Garmin or Polar health watch and also you get these insights free bar the price of the watch itself. It’s a draw back to purchasing a Fitbit, particularly one as costly because the Sense 2.
You do get some genuinely helpful mindfulness audio classes in case you fork out although, in addition to entry to tons of exercise courses. In the event you can afford the subscription, it’s price it – but it surely irks that it’s paid within the first place. One of the helpful metrics, your Day by day Readiness rating that assesses in case you’re able to train once more, is locked behind Premium’s wall
Another non-Premium however key options on the Sense 2 aren’t turned on by default, and aren’t surfaced properly on the watch or within the app. There’s a ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor on the watch to search for indicators of atrial fibrillation (Afib).
However I didn’t realise the Afib characteristic was off for almost every week – I discovered it by tapping on the center charge tile within the In the present day view, then swiping by means of to a second display screen and noticed a pop as much as ‘Be taught extra’ about it, the place I might flip it on. This isn’t good app design!
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Smartwatch options
- No music controls or playback
- No third celebration apps
- Hobbled notification interplay
The Sense 2 has misplaced some smartwatch performance in comparison with the unique Sense. Though there’s built-in GPS that recorded my run routes, the Sense 2 annoyingly now not helps and sort of on-board music playback, so I needed to take my telephone with me to take heed to music.
Bafflingly, Fitbit has additionally eliminated any form of music controls too, so you possibly can’t pause or change monitor out of your wrist.
To high it off, the Sense 2 additionally now not helps any third-party apps. There weren’t many obtainable on the Fitbit platform, however one of many good ones was Spotify. It’s gone now, and Fitbit confirmed to Tech Advisor they aren’t coming again.
It would properly be as a result of Google needs to maintain its music and smartwatch options unique to its new Pixel Watch, which has Fitbit health options, and hold the Fitbit model as health solely. Nevertheless it’s galling that the Sense 2 is much less succesful than its two 12 months outdated predecessor for music playback.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Maybe even weirder is the absence of Google Assistant on this Google-made Fitbit. On older fashions you can select between Assistant and Amazon Alexa, whereas on the Sense 2 you possibly can solely use the latter.
Fitbit says the Sense 2 will sooner or later achieve help for Google Maps flip by flip navigation and Google Pockets for contactless NFC funds, however I couldn’t check them because it’s launching with out each.
Fitbit Pay doesn’t help both of my UK banks (and barely any main UK banks usually) so I used to be not in a position to check Fitbit Pay, both.
The one remotely smartwatch factor the Sense 2 can do is take calls in your wrist by means of the speaker and ship you notifications you get in your telephone. The previous works, however the speaker distorts fairly a bit and isn’t enjoyable to make use of. Notifications work properly and are constant, however you possibly can solely reply to them on the watch if you’re utilizing an Android telephone – iPhone is view solely.
If you would like a Fitbit with first rate smartwatch options, you’re higher off hopping on Amazon and shopping for an older Fitbit Sense or Versa 3 – which is disappointing.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Battery life and charging
- Multi-day battery life, if erratic
- At all times-on show dents longevity
- Fast charging
Battery life on the Sense 2 was erratic however typically stable. Even with the always-on show (AOD) turned on (it’s off by default) I obtained three days between expenses utilizing the watch 24/7 for GPS runs and to trace my sleep.
With the AOD off, it ought to final you 4 or 5 days. This is likely one of the greatest causes to purchase a Sense over the equally priced Apple Watch SE – you get multi-day battery life and the choice for an AOD. Most Apple Watches usually solely final a day at greatest.
Charging is by way of the together with USB-A cable with a proprietary finish that clips magnetically to the again of the watch. It takes about an hour to totally cost, and Fitbit says a 12 minute cost will get you an additional day of energy, which is about proper.
Worth and availability
The Fitbit Sense 2 is out there now globally and prices $299.95/£269.99/€299.95 for a Bluetooth model. There’s no 4G mannequin.
This places it in the identical ballpark because the Apple Watch SE 2 at $249/£259/€299 or the $279/£269/€299 Samsung Galaxy Watch 5.
In the event you use an iPhone, I like to recommend shopping for the SE as an alternative of the Sense 2. It should work higher along with your telephone, although it doesn’t have the blood oxygen or ECG options of the Sense 2. The identical applies if you’re on Android – go for the Galaxy Watch.
In case you are a eager runner, you may desire a watch that you could load music onto, because the Sense 2 has now misplaced this characteristic. Paradoxically, the unique Sense may even be the higher purchase on this case, or the even cheaper Versa 3.
The Polar Pacer is a good, cheaper possibility if you’d like a slew of health monitoring options with no subscription wanted.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Verdict
The Fitbit Sense 2 is a stable product that does what it units out to do fairly properly, however its stress administration options are extra area of interest than the Google Assistant and music playback options which were stripped from it in comparison with the unique.
If you wish to depend steps, monitor all method of train, monitor sleep, and try to work out why you’re so confused, then it’s a good selection – if slightly costly. The watch has virtually no smartwatch options in any respect save for replying to texts in case you use Android and is greatest considered a health tracker within the form of a watch.
It’s loads to pay for a watch that holds again options the {hardware} can deal with, after which makes you pay a subscription to see all of your knowledge and insights. In case you are already all-in on Fitbit (or wish to be) it’s a sensible choice, however Apple individuals ought to get an Apple Watch and Android individuals can be higher served by an alternate health watch from Polar or Garmin.