Fitbit Sense Review

The Fitbit Sense is out and it’s had a lot of attention from those in the know. It’s been put on a pedestal as the most advanced fitness and health tracker we’ve seen on the market yet.

Let’s have a look at everything it has to offer.

Stress management

There are lots of trackers offering stress management, simply by monitoring your heart rate with accompanied recovery data. Very few can actually help you to understand it. The Fitbit Sense has an electrodermal activity sensor (a world-first). This measures minute changes to the sweat levels found on your skin. This is only surpassed in the charge 5 which features a similar EDA sensor.

This isn’t automatic. You have to undergo a ‘Quick Scan’ on the device, which takes two minutes. Otherwise, you’ll need to go through one of their guided mindfulness sessions, accessed via the Fitbit app. You’ll need somewhere quiet and to start you’ll have to press one palm over the watch face.

Once this is completed, Fitbit uses that information to calculate a Stress Management Score from zero – 100. You want a higher score. This means your body isn’t showing too many signs of stress.

It works the score out based on how much strain your heart is under, the variability of your heart, electrodermal activity, exertion levels and sleep quality.

If you’re a Fitbit Premium user, you can go further into this data by seeing what might be having an influence on your score.

Fitbit and Incident Detection

The Fitbit Sense is a popular smartwatch option from the fitness-based tech company, but how do their safety features measure up? Incident detection is a popular smartwatch feature that knows when wearers have fallen over and can instantly call emergency contacts or the authorities if the wearer is unresponsive.

Can We Expect Fall Detection On Future Fitbit Devices?

The Fitbit Sense 2 doesn’t have a definite launch date, but it’s speculated to drop in the mid to late months of 2022. This coincides with the Google Wear OS 3 update, so perhaps we’ll also see a switch to this operating software too. Though we don’t have any cement proof that the next Sense watch will include this software, it’s a long-overdue update as many competitor brands have been offering it for years.

Alternative Watches With Incident Detection

Apple watch calling emergency services — Apple Watch 7

Though Fitbit doesn’t currently offer incident detection, there are alternative watches that do. For example, Apple has been using fall detection software and SOS calls for years now, and rumors state that they’re considering an extra “crash detection” feature soon too. Garmin also offers fall detection on the Forerunner and Fenix ranges and the Galaxy Watch 3 and 4 also include this safety feature too.

SpO2 Clock face

Fitbit Sense oxygen saturation with app screenshot — App screenshot from Fitbit.com

This is one of the most eagerly-anticipated features for the Apple Watch Series 6. But, the Fitbit Sense has one, too! This tracks your oxygen sat levels (essentially, how much oxygen is in your blood). It’ll do this as you sleep and will tell you how easy or difficult you found it to breathe whilst you slept.

It’s not identical to the Apple version, though. Fitbit uses it purely as a sleep metric. To use this feature, there’s a clock face you have to use and cannot tailor.

Compare prices and choose your favorite supplier from this list:

Product	Supplier
Fitbit Sense	Amazon	View offer
Fitbit Sense	eBay	View offer
Fitbit Sense	Fitbit	View offer
Fitbit Sense	Target	View offer

More Fitbit Sense Offers…

Check your temperature

We all know that it’s invaluable to be able to quickly check your temperature at the moment. Fitbit didn’t plan to help out during these unprecedented times; it’s just a lucky accident. A new temperature sensor sits in the Fitbit Sense and can be handy for illnesses or for women tracking their ovulation cycles…

Knowing what your baseline temperature is (typically taken when you first wake up) is useful for period tracking. Hormone changes cause ovulation and this is usually accompanied by a slight rise in your temperature.

Fitness tracking

Fitbit hasn’t forgotten its roots. The Fitbit sense comes with all the features you’ve come to know and love. This iteration carries a more advanced heart rate monitor, the Pulse 2.0 as well as more workout modes. You can count your calories burned, steps and distance as normal.

You’ll find running, hiking and biking are tracked better thanks to the on-board GPS. This has been previously used on the Fitbit Charge 4, Versa 3 and Ionic. The new Charge 5 also boasts a built in GPS. It’ll give you a GPS map of your heart rate zones after you’re done on your adventure. This will help you to understand where you need more or less effort in your training.

Other cool features

Active Minutes – a handy metric which compares your activity (fat burning, cardio and peak) against government recommendations.
Cardio Fitness Score
Always-On display
Compatibility with Alex and Google Assistant
Accurate sleep tracking
Spotify controls
On-board storage for Deezer and Pandora
Built-in speaker (if you wait for the update later this year, you’ll be able to use this for calls)
Menstrual cycle tracking

The verdict

Advantages of the Fitbit Sense

Lightweight, sleek and premium aesthetic
Improved heart rate monitoring through Pulse 2.0
On-board GPS
Free Fitbit Premium subscription for 6 months
Controls for Spotify
On-board music storage for Deezer and Pandora
6 days battery life and faster charging

Disadvantages of the Fitbit Sense

SpO2 sensor works with only one clock face
Screen sensitivity could be better for responsiveness

The Fitbit Sense is really nipping at the heels of the Apple Watch Series 6. It offers more holistic health tracking than any other predecessor. It’s comprehensive, yet easy to understand.

The best part is that it doesn’t just collect and pump out data, it tells you what to do with it and how. It offers a genuine lifestyle improvement.

A lot of these features are only accessible via Fitbit Premium. However, to get a taste of it, you do get 6 months free when you buy a Sense.

At $329.95, it’s on par with the new Apple Watch SE (albeit the latter is cheaper at $279).

If you want a decent fitness tracker without the mindfulness bells and whistles, you might be more interested in the Versa 3 (we’ve compared the two, here). If you’re looking to control your stress, the Sense might be just perfect for you. However, if you’re looking for a Fitbit that will keep going on land or in water then check out our waterproof Fitbit watches.