The Fitbit Sense is the company‘s most advanced health smartwatch to date. Packed with sensors and features to help monitor your wellbeing 24/7, it goes far beyond basic activity tracking.
After over a month of hands-on testing, I believe the Sense lives up to its promise of providing detailed health insights. However, its high price tag may make it out of reach for some. Read on for my full review.
Release Date, Pricing and Models
Fitbit released the Sense on August 25, 2020. It launched with a price of $329.95, making it one of Fitbit‘s most expensive devices yet.
As of January 2023, Fitbit has only released one model of the Sense to date. However it‘s available in three color options: Carbon/Graphite, Sage Grey/Silver, White/Gold.
Fitbit Sense Features and Specs
The Sense builds on Fitbit‘s strengths in activity and sleep tracking, while introducing sensors and features focused squarely on health monitoring. Here are some highlights:
Stress Tracking with EDA Scan: Uses sensors to monitor electrodermal activity for insights into your body‘s response to stress.
On-Wrist Skin Temperature: Tracks changes in your skin temperature each night while you sleep.
Heart Health Features: Take on-demand ECG readings to check for heart rhythm irregularities indicating atrial fibrillation. Also monitors for high or low heart rates.
SpO2 Monitoring: Measures blood oxygen saturation levels at night. Low levels may indicate issues like sleep apnea.
Detailed Sleep Tracking: Breaks down your sleep stages (Light, Deep, REM), along with breathing disturbances and blood oxygen levels.
Built-in GPS: Leave your phone behind to map outdoor activity routes.
6+ Day Battery Life: Lasts longer between charges to keep tracking your health 24/7.
Active Zone Minutes: Personalized target heart rate zones to help optimize workouts.
Water Resistant Design: Safe to wear in the pool or shower to keep tracking activity.
For a full list of specs, see the table below:
| Specs | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 1.58" AMOLED touchscreen, 336 x 336 pixels |
| Battery Life | 6+ days; 12 hours w/GPS |
| Sensors | Optical heart rate monitor, EDA, Skin temp, SpO2 |
| Water Resistance | Up to 50 meters |
| Onboard GPS | Yes |
| Onboard Music Storage | 2.5 GB (~300 songs) |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
Hands-On Review and Testing
Over the past month, I‘ve been rigorously testing the Fitbit Sense to evaluate how well all its sensors and features actually perform for health and activity tracking.
Stress Monitoring
One unique aspect of the Sense is its focus on tracking your body‘s physical response to stress using its EDA scan app.
Placing my palm over the watch‘s face for a 2 minute scan, I could see my electrodermal activity (basically sweat gland activity tied to stress/emotions) measured on the app‘s graph in real-time.
It then asks how you feel (Very calm to Very stressed) to correlate your subjective feelings with the EDA measurements. Over time, you can see your trends and get monthly stress management scores.
I found this data fairly insightful in linking physical stress reactions with events going on in my life. The convenience of having quick EDA scans always available right on your wrist makes the feature easy to use anytime.
Heart Health Features
The Sense aims to provide more holistic heart health monitoring beyond just day-to-day heart rate tracking.
The on-demand ECG app can detect signs of atrial fibrilation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat. To take a reading, you place your fingers on the watch‘s stainless steel ring for 30 seconds as it monitors for AFib.
During my testing, I got clear readings letting me know my results appeared normal and I could easily share a PDF report with my doctor if needed. This could provide valuable early detection of AFib before serious complications arise.
The Sense also monitors for high or low hear rates outside your fat burn, cardio and peak heart rate zones. I liked getting alerts when unusual heart rate activity was noticed during the day or night.
Sleep Tracking
I‘ve used Fitbits to track my sleep for years now, but the Sense takes the insights up another level.
In the morning, you can review your sleep stages throughout the night to see how much time you spent in Light, Deep and crucial REM sleep. It also rated my sleep consistency on a scale of 1 to 100 based on my patterns for the week.
The blood oxygen reading (SpO2) helps identify breathing disturbances, while the skin temperature log can reveal how factors like alcohol, late meals or room temperature affect your slumber.
I found this wealth of data helped me dial in better sleep habits tailored to my patterns instead of general sleep advice you find elsewhere. The Sense let‘s you know exactly what‘s impacting your shut-eye.
Workout Tracking with GPS
Whether it was strength training at the gym or running local trails, the Sense proved itself as capable workout companion packed with stats.
The built-in GPS mapped my outdoor runs without needing my phone handy. It accurately provided the route, pace, heart rate zone info and other metrics to evaluate my performance.
Auto-recognition notices when you start common activities like walking, running or biking. Or you can manually choose from over 20 exercise modes.
Seeing my heart rate trends during workouts alongside my Active Zone Minutes helped me optimize my pacing and intensity for different goals.
I do wish the Sense had more customizable settings during exercise mode – like alerts based on pace or heart rate zones. But overall it tracks most workout data you‘ll want to know.
Battery Life
Despite packing in all these advanced sensors, the Sense still delivered solid battery life during my testing.
It reliably lasted 5 full days while keeping settings like always-on display and nighttime SpO2 tracking enabled. Quick charges give you a full day‘s use after just 12 minutes of charging.
So keeping it powered was no problem for 24/7 health monitoring and daily hour-plus workouts. However, long GPS-tracked outdoor adventures will require more frequent charging.
Fitbit Sense Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very detailed health insights | High price at $329.95 |
| Up to 6 day battery life | Monthly Fitbit Premium subs. required for some data |
| EDA Scan provides innovative stress tracking | Can trigger accidental touch responses due to missing physical buttons |
| Robust sleep tracking with blood oxygen & skin temp data | App can have slow load times at first sync |
| On-demand ECG, heart rate alerts | Limited workout settings/customization |
| Fast charging support |
Who Should Buy the Fitbit Sense
The Sense is ultimately for people who want maximum insights into their health around the clock – not just daily step counting and basic activity stats.
Its wealth of sensors let you dive deep into heart health, sleep quality, stress patterns and more. Making it invaluable for identifying health issues early or improving wellbeing habits.
Just keep in mind the steep $329 starting price. And serious health users will want a $9.99 per month Fitbit Premium subscription to access extra data analysis tools, health reports to share and customized insights.
So while not cheap, it can provide serious value for users invested in monitoring overall well-being.
The Best Fitbit Sense Alternative: Garmin Vivosmart 5
For those turned off by the Sense‘s price tag, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 makes for an affordable alternative at around $150 retail price.
The Vivosmart 5 crosses over from just fitness to health tracking similar to the Sense. It adds sensors for blood oxygen, all-day stress, advanced sleep and respiration tracking. Plus you get a slim, swim-proof design with always-on display option lasting up to 7 days per charge.
This Garmin Vivosmart 5 vs Fitbit Sense comparison explores the key differences if you‘re weighing the two options. But in short – the Vivosmart 5 gives you robust health metrics for hundreds less than the Sense.
Fitbit Sense Review – The Verdict
In the end, the Fitbit Sense stands out for packing multiple cutting-edge health sensors into one sleek smartwatch design you can wear all day and night.
Its excellent stress and sleep tracking features alone can provide game-changing insights for improving personal wellness. Factor in continuous heart rate monitoring, on-demand ECG readings, skin temperature sensor and blood oxygen levels – and you have an incredibly powerful health tracker compared to standard fitness bands.
Sure I‘d love to see lower pricing, added workout customization and a few minor tweaks. But for those able to afford it, the Sense provides unmatched 24/7 insights into your health. It earns its spot as Fitbit‘s most advanced health smartwatch yet.
