Fitbit Sense 2 review: A fantastic wearable that straddles the line between two worlds - XDA Developers

Fitbit is 1 of the astir well-known brands erstwhile it comes to fittingness and health-related wearables — and it has been for years. Google purchased Fitbit backmost successful 2019, though it wasn't finalized until 2021, and had stated that Fitbit would merchandise a Wear OS watch. However, that inactive hasn't happened. The Fitbit Sense 2 is the latest smartwatch from the brand, and it does person shades of Wear OS, but not completely. This puts the wearable successful a unusual spot betwixt existent smartwatches and a fittingness tracker.

I've ne'er owned a Fitbit myself, arsenic I person preferred a much implicit smartwatch acquisition that includes much apps that coordinate with my smartphone. But the Sense 2 is an intriguing instrumentality that offers shades of a Wear OS instrumentality but with amended artillery life, dedicated fittingness features, and a ample assemblage of chap Fitbit users. So, aft a week of utilizing the device, is it going to propulsion maine distant from my beloved smartwatches permanently? Let's get into it.

Fitbit is 1 of the astir well-known brands erstwhile it comes to fittingness and health-related wearables — and it has been for years. Google purchased Fitbit backmost successful 2019, though it wasn't finalized until 2021, and had stated that Fitbit would merchandise a Wear OS watch. The Fitbit Sense 2 is the latest smartwatch from the brand, and it doesn't tally Wear OS. Instead, it uses a refreshed mentation of Fitbit OS. Though I've ne'er owned a Fitbit, I person preferred a much implicit smartwatch acquisition that includes an expansive app catalog that coordinates with my smartphone. But the Sense 2 is an intriguing instrumentality that offers shades of a Wear OS instrumentality but with amended artillery life, dedicated fittingness features, and a ample assemblage of chap Fitbit users.

So, aft a week of utilizing the device, volition it permanently propulsion maine distant from my beloved smartwatches? No. But that doesn't mean it is simply a nonaccomplishment of the Sense 2, astatine slightest not entirely. While the instrumentality does person immoderate stutters successful performance, lacks immoderate app integrations I bask from Wear OS, and is missing Google Assistant, it is simply a coagulated fittingness tracker that tin beryllium the cleanable wellness and fittingness companion for some. But it apt isn't going to triumph implicit a smartwatch fan.

Fitbit Sense 2: Price and availability

• The afloat retail terms of the Fitbit Sense 2 is $299.95

Fitbit announced the Sense 2 successful August 2022, with the merchandise pursuing up successful September 2022. The wearable launched with a $299.95 terms tag but has seen a fewer income since dropping it to $199.95 astatine galore retailers similar Best Buy, Target, Fitbit, and more. You tin find the Sense 2 successful 3 colour options — Shadow Grey set with Graphite Aluminum case, Lunar White set with Platinum Aluminum case, and Blue Mist set with Soft Gold Aluminum case, each successful a azygous lawsuit size.

Fitbit Sense 2: Design

• The Fitbit Sense 2 uses aluminum for the ticker lawsuit alternatively of the stainless alloy from the erstwhile exemplary
• Wearing the Sense 2 is comfy for agelong periods acknowledgment to the debased illustration and lightweight
• There is simply a multitude of wellness sensors, including bosom rate, ECG, EDA, bloody oxygen, and somesthesia

In its 2nd iteration, the Fitbit Sense 2 refines the plan of the archetypal variation of the wearable and aims to enactment successful the contention for the best fittingness trackers available. The lawsuit is much rounded and introduces a carnal fastener connected the near broadside of the instrumentality successful favour of the capacitive fastener recovered connected the original. Another alteration to the lawsuit is the worldly it's made from. The archetypal Sense was offered successful stainless steel, whereas the Sense 2 opts for aluminum. While this alteration reduces the device's wide value and theoretically cost, the terms isn't overmuch reflecting that. It besides makes the lawsuit little durable.

Overall the Sense 2 has a precise debased illustration that makes it comfy to deterioration for agelong periods, including during the nighttime erstwhile tracking your sleep. In the box, you get 2 antithetic size straps, tiny and large, to accommodate different-sized wrists. The set attaches to the Sense 2 with proprietary, quick-release clips. But determination are a batch of large options for replacements, some from Fitbit and 3rd parties.

As for the display, it is simply a vibrant 1.58-inch AMOLED surface that does a beauteous bully occupation of staying disposable successful agleam environments. There is an ambient airy sensor to set the brightness levels automatically, but you tin usage the speedy toggle to marque adjustments if you privation quickly. When looking astatine the display, you tin spot what looks similar antenna bands astir the screen. These are sensors for taking an electrocardiogram (ECG) and electrodermal enactment (EDA) readings.

If you're unfamiliar, ECG is simply a trial to assistance observe irregular bosom rhythms and atrial fibrillation (AFib), and according to Fitbit, an EDA scan "tracks changes successful bosom complaint and electrodermal responses—tiny electrical changes connected your skin—so you tin spot however your assemblage responds during mindfulness sessions." These scans, on with bosom rate, humor oxygen saturation, and tracking changes successful your skin's aboveground temperature, enactment unneurotic successful bid to supply a much implicit presumption of your health.

Battery life

• Battery beingness is rated for 6+ days but with each forms of wellness monitoring enabled, the artillery lone lasted astir 3 days.

If determination is 1 country that fittingness trackers person been capable to bushed adjacent the best smartwatches consistently is successful artillery life. Fitbit claims the Sense 2 is rated for six-plus days of usage betwixt charges. With each the wellness tracking features enabled, always-on display, slumber tracking, and taking periodic ECG and EDA readings, I consistently got astir 3 and a fractional days earlier needing to complaint the watch. While that is inactive amended than galore of the smartwatches connected the market, speech from possibly the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, it isn't rather what I was hoping for. When it is clip to recharge the Sense 2, you'll usage the USB-A to magnetic POGO pin charger that connects to the device's back. Again, according to Fitbit, you'll get a day's worthy of artillery successful conscionable 12 minutes of charging. I managed to spell from 20% to 35% successful sixteen minutes and 100% successful conscionable implicit an hour. Not excessively bad, but besides not great, considering the Google Pixel Watch volition get you from zero to 50% successful astir 30 minutes.

Software

• Fitbit's refreshed Fitbit OS is cleanable and casual to larn
• Android users person entree to Google Wallet and Google Maps, but iOS users won't get Google Maps until Spring 2023
• Notification replies are constricted to Android users
• Sometimes the UI would beryllium sluggish to respond to interactions

As always, the Sense 2 runs Fitbit OS, but the latest mentation includes immoderate Google apps similar Wallet and Maps. However, astatine the clip of publication, Google Maps is lone disposable for those pairing the instrumentality to an Android telephone — iOS users volition summation entree successful Spring 2024.

Navigating the interface is akin to Wear OS watches with a swipe down offering speedy toggles, swiping up shows you immoderate notifications, swiping near oregon close lets you presumption your tiles for a speedy glimpse astatine your stats, and finally, pressing the carnal fastener brings up your app list. While I'd similar the enactment of Google Assistant entree connected the Fitbit Sense 2, particularly with Google owning Fitbit and all, instead, we person Amazon Alexa connected the device. You tin entree the integer adjunct either by opening the app oregon mounting it to a long-press utilizing the fastener connected the side. A treble property volition bring up a shortcut to your favourite 4 apps.

I mostly enjoyed the bundle acquisition connected the Sense 2. As I mentioned before, I've ne'er been drawn to fittingness trackers, adjacent those claiming to beryllium a smartwatch, due to the fact that I privation to person entree to immoderate apps and the quality to enactment connected notifications if I take to. That's each been imaginable connected the Sense 2, well, astir of it. The indispensable apps I would privation are available, and connected Android, I tin respond to messages that travel successful with either a speedy response, emoji, oregon by voice.

One of the areas that Fitbit has ever done a bully occupation astatine is encouraging community. Because Fitbit has been astir for truthful agelong and has been rather popular, determination are a batch of radical utilizing these devices. This, combined with Fitbit leaning into the thought of contention and sharing advancement successful the app, you tin link with friends and like-minded folks to assistance promote each different to scope your goals. You tin vie successful play measurement goals, virtual fittingness events, and much each by simply wearing your Sense 2 and joining others successful the Fitbit app.

All the wellness and fittingness readings automatically sync backmost to the Fitbit app connected your smartphone. Then, depending connected whether you are utilizing the escaped mentation oregon paying for a Fitbit Premium subscription, you'll get varying levels of penetration arsenic to the information your Sense 2 is gathering for you.

For example, Fitbit precocious added Sleep Profiles for Premium subscribers that springiness much in-depth info connected your slumber patterns and assigns an carnal to correspond your slumber style. But you besides get a Readiness Score, Wellness reports, precocious tegument somesthesia details, and more. It adjacent expands the fig of trackable workouts from astir 40 to implicit 200 types, on with much than 200 mindfulness sessions. Fitbit Premium is $9.99/month oregon $79.99/year. But you tin get a 90-day escaped proceedings to trial retired the work to determine if the added features are worthy it for you.

Fitbit has done a bully occupation of making the interface casual to usage and the wellness accusation digestible. Viewing it connected the ticker itself is easy, but to get the afloat breadth of the data, the Fitbit app is the mode to go. Each conception successful the app is expandable to amusement you much accusation that is accompanied by an mentation of what it means.

While it isn't hard to get astir the Sense 2's software, determination were galore times erstwhile swiping betwixt screens oregon opening an app would beryllium sluggish oregon instrumentality aggregate tries to get the ticker to respond. I don't cognize if this is owed to a bundle glitch oregon the hardware successful the Sense 2 not being almighty capable to support up. It wasn't unusable, but it is worthy knowing arsenic the instrumentality does outgo a beauteous penny.

Fitbit Sense 2: Should you bargain it?

Buy the Fitbit Sense 2 if:

• You privation a fitness-focused smartwatch.
• You privation multi-day artillery beingness from a ticker that isn't bulky.
• You privation entree to Google Maps, Google Wallet, and Amazon Alexa from your wrist.
• You privation to beryllium portion of like-minded radical with akin wellness and fittingness goals.

Don't bargain the Fitbit Sense 2 if:

• You request your ticker to past much than a week betwixt charges.
• You privation Google Maps entree now, and you are an iOS user.
• You usage iOS and privation to respond to messages.
• You privation Google Assistant connected your wrist.

For a idiosyncratic that has agelong preferred smartwatches to fittingness trackers, the Fitbit Sense 2 is simply a large instrumentality to span that gap. It decidedly leans much fittingness tracker than a smartwatch, but the Sense 2 offers capable features that it tin supply a akin acquisition and immoderate improvements implicit different smartwatches. Things similar deeper wellness and fittingness insights acknowledgment to not lone much sensors but the long-history Fitbit has successful the wearable space. You besides get longer artillery beingness than galore different smartwatches.

But if you are a "power smartwatch user," past you'll apt beryllium feeling similar you're missing retired connected immoderate features. The database of apps you tin download to the Sense 2 is precise short, and immoderate that are disposable don't enactment arsenic with iOS and Android. Even the seemingly basal quality to respond to a connection is missing for iOS users. The aforesaid goes for ticker faces. While determination are rather a fewer available, determination aren't astir arsenic galore arsenic Wear OS users person entree to.

In the end, I've precise overmuch enjoyed my clip utilizing the Fitbit Sense 2. Do I sometimes consciousness similar it's missing thing — yes. But I don't truly cognize what. Is it going to support maine from recommending it oregon utilizing it — no. That is unless you person circumstantial requirements for your wearables that conscionable aren't imaginable connected the Sense 2. So, if you privation a smartwatch-like fittingness tracker with an fantabulous suite of wellness features and a vibrant assemblage of users, I deliberation you'll beryllium rather blessed with this device.