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Fitbit is a real guarantee among the brands that produce smartwatches and smart bands for sportsmen. The San Francisco-based company was among the first to understand in 2007 that wearables would be an important part of the consumer technology business.
Now, with the latest arrival, the Sense , we go far beyond
what was once "just" a small band with pedometer: from GPS to ECG,
passing through the skin temperature sensor, the stress level detector, the
integrated controls for music and voice assistants, the Sense is one of the
most complete and elegant smartwatches currently on the market.
Design
The design of the Sense is very similar to that of the
Fitbit Versa 3, with a steel dial in the shape of a beveled square, while the
back of the case has a pleasant satin effect and is made of plastic. Like the
Versa 3 it doesn't have a physical button , just a sensor that detects when the
finger is placed for activation. If from an aesthetic points of view this is
certainly an advantage, the same cannot be said on the practical front, given
that the lack of a physical button could be uncomfortable in some situations,
for example during sports.
The supplied strap is very pleasant to the touch, available
in two sizes directly in the sales package, small and large, which remains
firmly fixed on the wrist even during a run or swim, without causing any
discomfort. Fitbit is available in two colors, graphite black with
steel-colored edges and "lunar white" with rose gold-effect edges,
very elegant.
The small dimensions, substantially similar to those of the
Versa 3, make the Sense perfect for any wrist, thanks also to its weight of
only 45 grams with the strap.
Technical features
Moving on to the technical part, the Sense has a 1.58
"AMOLED display, protected by a Gorilla Glass 3 glass, with Always On
functionality and a resolution of 336x336 pixels: the colors are vivid and the
black is deep, with a maximum brightness also ideal outdoors in direct
sunlight. The range of sensors is impressive : gyroscope, altimeter, 3-axis
accelerometer, GPS, ambient light sensor, optical heartbeat sensor, electrical
sensors for electrocardiogram and EDA and skin temperature sensor. It also has
a microphone, for now only usable for activating voice assistants and not for
answering calls(which will come via update in the future), and a 75 dB speaker,
plus of course the vibration motor.
The best innovation of this model is undoubtedly the battery
life of 6 days. Obviously a lot depends on the type of use: if you often start
workouts that involve the use of GPS and other sensors or if you activate the
always on display, the duration is lowered.
The possibility of fast charging is interesting: in 12
minutes it is possible to charge the Sense enough to face the whole day.
NFC is also available , useful for paying with FitBit Pay:
the payment service of the American house works well, too bad only for the
limited number of banks that support it in Italy.
Practice Test
How did the new Fitbit Sense perform? After a first initial
difficulty, due to some problems solved with a software update, we can say that
the Sense works really well as regards the tracking of workouts. GPS is
accurate, as is the heart rate sensor, while accelerometers accurately detect
movements, such as stroke style while swimming.
Certainly not essential, but potentially interesting, the
EDA Scan detection functions, which analyzes electrodermal activity and
measures stress, and the skin temperature sensor, which monitors any changes in
temperature during the night. The real innovation compared to the Versa 3,
however, is the integration of sensors for the electrocardiogram, tested in a
clinical study to give more accurate results.
As we have already said, the absence of a physical button
makes itself felt, especially during sports activities: instead, the
possibility of setting quick functions according to the different pressures of
the sensor is convenient. The music control also works excellently with Apple
Music and Spotify, while the ability to activate Alexa is interesting, even if
still poorly integrated with the internal software. The sore point of the
Fitibit Sense is unfortunately the touch screen , which for now is very
unresponsive, causing an annoying lag when you touch the screen and you have to
wait a few moments before it updates. The problem is already known to the
developers, who are working to solve it thanks to a software update, which we
hope will also improve the fluidity of the operating system.
The notifications, once the Sense is connected via Bluetooth
to the smartphone, arrive in a precise and immediate way both for messages and
for calls, even if unfortunately there is currently no possibility to answer in
any way.
As for the App, Fitbit has kept the one already used in the
past, thanks to which it is possible to monitor almost every parameter of your
daily activity, from steps to sleep, up to the menstrual cycle and mood
changes. Convenient the ability to connect other accounts for sports, such as
Endomondo.
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