Fitbit has retained its prevalence over the smart wearables category for many years now. Even with its recent acquisition by Google, it has still stuck to its core principles and design philosophies of creating easy-to-use, reasonably priced, intuitive products that help you remain fit and healthy.
With that said though, since the company offers both smartwatches and fitness trackers, it can get quite hard to differentiate between their relatively versatile product lineup. Therefore, we’ve compiled an ultimate buyer’s guide for you to go through that takes into account all the different reasons you might want to purchase a Fitbit!
Fitbit Trackers vs Smartwatches – What’s The Difference?
In essence, a Fitbit fitness tracker is a more cut-down version of a smartwatch. So, while you’ll be getting all of the fitness-related features, you do end up losing out on features like a larger screen, access to more applications, a better processor embedded inside amongst other use cases.
To make a decision between these two product types, you’ll need to take your use case into regard. If you are someone who needs a product that’s accessible, doesn’t require constant charging, and just needs to track your workouts – a fitness tracker from Fitbit is ideal.
However, if you are aiming to have a proper companion application for your smartphone and just can’t settle with seeing notifications but instead want to reply to them properly, then a smartwatch, obviously, is a much better choice.
Best Overall Fitbit Watch: Fitbit Sense
| Size | 40 mm |
| OS | Fitbit OS 5.1 |
| ROM | 4 GB |
| Water Resistance | IP68 |
| Additional Features | ECG, Heart Rate Sensor, Sleep Tracking, Blood Oxygen, Skin Temperature |
| Battery Life | 6 Days |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS |
It comes to no one’s surprise that the Fitbit Sense – the company’s latest product tops the chart when it comes to providing its users with the best overall package. Honestly, it checks off most of the boxes that you’d expect from a smartwatch at a very reasonable price point.
For starters, unlike its competition, it actually offers a decent battery for up to 6 days. This means that you can actually forget about bringing your charger to every trip and won’t need to worry about the watch dying out on you.
The overall aesthetic of the watch, the weirdly shaped bezels weren’t something we were very happy with. However, while the watch does run Fitbit’s proprietary OS, it still is quite smooth and we never really cared about its specifications after initial bootup.
In terms of navigation, the watch feels quite tedious at first. While notifications are integrated, they aren’t as nifty as what you’d see on an Apple Watch. For example, while you can reply with pre-made notifications, you can’t concoct your own on the fly. Besides that though, the inclusion of Google Assistant is a welcome addendum to the overall experience.
For fitness tracking, the watch is quite stellar! It has all the expected features which include tracking your steps, workouts, and providing you with accurate information about your heart rate. Besides that though, you can also gauge your skin temperature (a common Fitbit exclusive) and even use an ECG.
All in all, the Fitbit Sense is a great package and is wonderful for someone who’s just getting into the world of smartwatches.
Pros:
- Flagship model that’s also reasonably priced. That’s a rare find when it comes to smart wearables
- Has great fitness features all-round
- 6-day battery life is typically not found in smartwatches
Cons:
- Does not offer a lot of customization in terms of after-market / third-party bands
- Not a lot of apps available in the Fitbit gallery
- Falls short in terms of build quality as compared to other flagship models (Galaxy Watch, Apple Watch)
Best Casual Fitbit Watch: Fitbit Versa 3
| Size | 40 mm |
| OS | Fitbit OS 5.1 |
| ROM | 4 GB |
| Water Resistance | IP68 |
| Additional Features | Heart Rate Sensor, Sleep Tracking, Blood Oxygen, Skin Temperature |
| Battery Life | 6 Days |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS |
The Fitbit Versa 3 belongs to an awkward spot in this list. It isn’t a bad smartwatch by any means. But, the Sense seems to add more to the table while also being offered at the same price in most circumstances. While yes, technically, the sense is worth $50 more, you’ll often find it priced at the same point as the Versa 3.
Besides the addendum of a few fitness features like an ECG, there’s not much that differentiates the Versa 3 and the Sense other than the fact that the Sense is a fresher model. From what we’ve seen, battery life seems to be nearly identical and the UI is as slick as what you’d expect.
However, one particular advantage of purchasing a Sense over a Versa 3 is the promise of future updates. While we don’t expect multi-year software updates, it’s only logical to assume that a watch that’s released later would get more software support.
Besides that though, the Versa 3 is a great pickup. However, we always recommend checking whether the Sense is at a discounted price or not at the time of purchase. Otherwise, the Versa 3 brings everything you’d expect from a smartwatch to the table including GPS, navigation, offline playback, great fitness tracking, and a sleek design.
Pros:
- Great smartwatch for the price
- Amazing battery life as compared to the competition
Cons:
- Superseded by the Sense that often is priced the same
Best Battery Life Fitbit Watch: Fitbit Inspire 2
| Size | 20 mm |
| OS | Proprietary |
| ROM | – |
| Water Resistance | 50 Meters (Unrated) |
| Additional Features | Heart Rate Sensor, Sleep Tracking, Blood Oxygen |
| Battery Life | 10 Days |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS |
If you are looking for great battery life, the Fitbit Inspire 2 is your best bet. While products like the Huawei Band 4 bring in more functionality to the table, the monochrome OLED display the Fitbit Inspire 2 provides is enough to last you through an entire week and then some.
In terms of fitness tracking, you have all the essentials baked in. From fitness tracking to getting an idea of your heart rate at all times, the Inspire 2 does it all. Anything other than viewing your notifications or keeping a track of your steps is out of the question, though.
So, while you get insanely good battery life, you do lose out on some vital features. However, as we mentioned, for a fitness tracker, that’s all it needs to do at the end of the day, right? At the end of the day, if there’s no real way to bifurcate between a smartwatch and a tracker other than their difference in size, why would you go for one or the other?
The Inspire 2 comes in an extremely inexpensive package, nails the basics, and provides an unobtrusive experience that’ll surely keep the athlete inside you hooked.
Pros:
- Extremely lightweight and unobtrusive
- Great battery life
Cons:
- Lacklustre features for the price
- The monochromatic display feels quite dull
Best Fitbit Watch For Women: Fitbit Luxe Special Edition
| Size | 20 mm |
| OS | Proprietary |
| ROM | 4 GB |
| Water Resistance | IP68 |
| Additional Features | Heart Rate Sensor, Sleep Tracking, Blood Oxygen, Skin Temperature |
| Battery Life | 7 Days |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS |
The Fitbit Luxe Special Edition is perhaps one of the most aesthetically pleasing fitness trackers we’ve seen to date. While the Luxe lineup in essence remains the same with a few touchups and changes here and there to the physical appearance; the Special Edition – well, feels special.
You are greeted with a stainless steel case that’s concocted with an extremely beautiful gold plated bracelet that is certain to make a statement. With its thin design, it is perfect for smaller wrists which is why it earns the reward for the best Fitbit Watch for women. Due to its overall aesthetic, it also acts as a great gift for your significant other!
In terms of functionality, the fitness tracker does it all – albeit with a cramped screen. If you have perfect vision, reading your notifications won’t really feel all that difficult. However, for us, the thinness of the watch ended up turning into its biggest caveat as it was genuinely hard to read notifications on the extremely thin screen.
However, if we focused on it to a great extent or used the app instead for most of our vital readings, the tracker provided an extremely stable experience and we had no qualms with the overall tracking or anything of the sort. After all, if a tracker like the Inspire 2 which is priced much lower provides us with a great experience, why won’t the Luxe Special Edition?
So, for women, this turns out to be the best fitness tracker both in terms of aesthetics and the amount of space it occupies on your wrist. And, since it doesn’t really cut on any corners in terms of features, you end up getting a great package at a somewhat reasonable price.
Pros:
- Great design and build quality
- Features a plethora of fitness/activity tracking features
Cons:
- Extremely small display
Best Kids Fitbit Watch: Fitbit Ace 3
| Size | 20 mm |
| OS | Proprietary |
| ROM | 4 GB |
| Water Resistance | IP68 |
| Additional Features | Heart Rate Sensor, Sleep Tracking, |
| Battery Life | 8 Days |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS |
The Fitbit Ace 3 is Fitbit’s way of appealing to a demographic that generally does not like fitness trackers. Kids. The Ace 3 has a cool, chic aesthetic and is meant for 6+ year-olds. Unlike its predecessor, the Ace 2, it makes up most of the caveats that we often saw. For example, it has a much better battery life rated for eight days and also has a water resistance of 50 meters.
While it is still meant for kids, it isn’t obscenely kiddish. So, you can expect a minimal design language with some bright colors and some child-oriented watch faces. What separates the Ace 3 is the fact that while it has all the necessary sensors, it doesn’t necessarily display complex data like calories burnt. However. You do have the option to create a standard Fitbit account for children above 13 and track all that information too.
Parents have the ability to monitor their kid’s health and see how many steps they’ve gotten in throughout the day. You can also set up goals that your children can compete which resemble mini-games as well.
Our take on the watch is simple. If you want your kids to get into fitness tracking without going for an extremely expensive product and want them to get a flavor of what it is like to wear a fitness tracker every day, there’s no better product.
Pros:
- Kid-friendly design that can take a beating if needed
- Themes and mini-goals keep children occupied and engaged
Cons:
- Comes in only a few colors (lack of customization)
- The monochrome screen can feel a bit underwhelming in 2022
Best Budget Fitbit Watch: Fitbit Versa 2
| Size | 40 mm |
| OS | Proprietary |
| ROM | 4 GB |
| Water Resistance | IP68 |
| Additional Features | Heart Rate Sensor, Sleep Tracking, Blood Oxygen, Skin Temperature |
| Battery Life | 6 Days |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS |
Alright, so hear us out with this one. When it comes to less expensive watches, the Inspire 2 or other fitness trackers definitely take the cake in terms of price. However, the Versa series from Fitbit is iconic in its own right.
For starters, when Fitbit was on the verge of bankruptcy, the jump into the smartwatch space ended up being the sole savior for the entire company. While the watch has been superseded by the previously mentioned Fitbit Versa 3, we feel like the Versa 2 still packs a bit of a punch and is great enough for it to be a daily driver for most.
Unlike say – an Apple Watch with LTE that can truly replace your phone, the Versa 2 doesn’t aim to do any of that. In fact, it acts as a dumber companion and that really doesn’t take away from all the perks that it brings. You gain access to a relatively decently sized screen, great UI, and the ability to move away from your phone to do the most menial of tasks and only open it up when it matters.
In fact, the ability to not need to check your phone whenever it vibrates and instead glance at your watch might be all that someone needs to go through their days. Comparing it to the Versa 3 or any other smartwatch is a betrayal of the core essence of what makes the Versa 2 great.
Yes, it lacks GPS, yes it won’t give you an ECG rating, yes it doesn’t have thousands of applications to pick from. But, does that even matter in the long run? If you feel like it doesn’t, then the Versa 2 is perfect for you.
Pros:
- Reasonably priced – has all the features most need
- Great battery life with the inclusion of an Always-On Display
Cons:
- No LTE and GPS
- Does not work with Google Fit or support offline playback (Spotify)
Best Activity Tracking Fitbit Watch: Fitbit Charge 5
| Size | 20 mm |
| OS | Proprietary |
| ROM | 4 GB |
| Water Resistance | IP68 |
| Additional Features | ECG, Heart Rate Sensor, Sleep Tracking, Blood Oxygen, Skin Temperature |
| Battery Life | 6 Days |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS |
The Fitbit Charge 5 is the most expensive fitness tracker on this list and for good reason. It has all the features that made the Sense great except the fact that you can’t store music on it, have a voice assistant, or a large screen (duh)
The thing with fitness trackers is – they are extremely comfortable. And, we mean super comfortable! In fact, we weren’t really noticing the Fitbit Charge 5 on our wrists by the end of the day. Plus, it has some great improvements over the Luxe’s monochrome display or the Charge 4’s low brightness.
You won’t really need to use any buttons on the Charge 5. All you need to do is swipe around to get to where you want to be. The UI is quick and responsive, and the fact that you have access to more advanced features such as the ability to conduct an ECG right from your tracker on such a thin package is a feature we just can’t get enough of!
Just like any other Fitbit, you’ll be able to respond to messages on an Android using their quick reply (iPhone users sadly cant). Moreover, you’ll also gain access to Fitbit Pay alongside the ability to download a few applications.
So, while the watch isn’t as smart as the Sense, if it’s complete fitness tracking with a solid build quality what you are after, then the Fitbit Charge 5 checks all boxes. However, we were quite disappointed with the fact that it featured no music playback and even couldn’t let you control your tunes. Not sure why that wasn’t implemented.
Besides that though, the fitness tracker is an absolute steal for its price, and its battery life, coming in at 6 days, makes it a great choice for anyone who loves to travel and doesn’t like wearing a large watch around them constantly.
Pros:
- A bright screen that works even in the sunlight
- Features ECG in such a small package!
Cons:
- Cannot control music directly from the tracker
- The screen feels cramped in some cases
Why Is The Fitbit Sense Is Better Than The Fitbit Inspire 2
The reason why Fitbit Sense ranks higher than every other Fitbit-related product is simple. It is a flagship device, is released recently, and, also includes tons of features. However, the reason goes much beyond that.
In essence, Versa 3 and Versa 2 were both extensions of Fitbit’s dream of producing smartwatches that equated to the Apple Watch in terms of quality. While they aren’t quite there yet, they definitely have gotten closer with the Sense. With that said though, they’ve definitely cemented themselves as one of the de-facto standards when it comes to Android smartwatches.
While they still have a long way to go, they’ve definitely taken some great strides over time and the Sense is the culmination of all their hard work.
Final Verdict
Fitbit has definitely stepped up its game the past two years by producing watches that have great quality, and ones that are meant to last long. While they don’t compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple in terms of internal ecosystems, they definitely nail the basics.
One particular factor that we’ve always loved about Fitbit is their keen focus on providing their users with a fun way to work out. For example, their introduction of trophies and badges is extremely robust allowing users to make working out fun
Besides that though – while they’ve cemented themselves in the fitness tracker space, they have been met with fierce competition from the likes of Huawei and Xiaomi who are offering more features at a lesser price. In terms of smartwatches, no one has come close to the amount of battery life they can offer simply because they’ve opted to switch to their own proprietary OS in order to optimize it in the best way possible.
So, in our opinion, if you are in the market for a Fitbit smart wearable, the Fitbit Sense is your best choice. If caught in a discount, you are up for an absolute treat. At an extremely reasonable price, you’ll gain access to the Google Voice Assistant, great fitness tracking: from features like an ECG to sleep monitoring, the watch does it all.
Here’s our take on each Fitbit watch why you should buy it:
- Best Overall: Fitbit Sense
- Best Budget Watch: Fitbit Versa 2
- Best Casual Watch: Fitbit Versa 3
- Best Kids Watch: Fitbit Ace 3
- Best For Women: Fitbit Luxe Special Edition
- Best For Fitness: Fitbit Charge 5
FAQs
Does a Fitbit Watch Have LTE?
Sadly, no. There’s no Fitbit product, watch, or fitness tracker that supports LTE as of yet. However, with the recent acquisition, we can anticipate more products coming in that truly add more versatility to the lineup!
What Does A Fitbit Watch Do?
Just like any other smart wearable, a Fitbit Watch / Fitness Tracker acts as a companion to your phone. It reads you your notifications, answers your calls, helps you reply to texts, plays music for you, uses Google Voice Assistant, and tracks your health and fitness throughout the day.
What Is The Best Fitbit Watch For Woman?
As of yet, the Fitbit Luxe Special Edition remains the best fitness tracker for women, period. It fits smaller wrists, is quite thin, and looks aesthetically pleasing too! In terms of battery life, it lasts 6-7 days and also has all the fitness features you’d expect from a tracker alongside having the ability to reply to messages and track your notifications.
Does Fitbit Require A Monthly Subscription?
You can access all your Fitbit’s functionality without the need for a premium subscription. However, if you need access to more health data and statistics, that’s locked behind a 7.99$ monthly subscription. Case in point, you do get a free trial of the services when you purchase a new Fitbit.
Are Fitbit Watches Worth It In 2022?
In our opinion, yes they are! While they don’t compete with the integration of an Apple Watch and an iPhone and the plethora of features a Galaxy Watch provides, they don’t need to either! Fitbit watches are basic – but that isn’t a bad thing. They are functional, have great battery life, nail the fundamentals, and look great in terms of aesthetics, too.
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I bought my first smartwatch in 2018 and have been wearing one ever since. It might get frustrating at times to receive 100 notifications a day. That's why we need to know how to make the best of them and how to use them to improve our daily lives, not the other way around. I write about the newest smartwatches, I create top picks, and I write helpful guides and simply explain complicated things.