Fitbit Sense – First Impressions

I've been thinking about getting a smartwatch/fitness tracker for a while, but have been put off by the cost and the difficulty I have in reading small screens. Earlier this month my doctor suggested that it might be a good idea to get one, especially if it had an ECG for AFib warnings. So I started looking for one.

Why I bought the Sense

I immediately wrote off the idea of getting an Apple watch. While some people consider them the gold standard for health monitoring, getting one would mean having to get an iPhone or iPad and potentially an Apple computer. That's not happening.

Given that I have a Pixel phone, a Google watch might make sense, but the first iteration of the watch has several version 1.0 issues. And I didn't want something that I'd have to charge every day. I also ruled out Samsung Galaxy watches. They're nice devices, but expensive and have limited battery life. 

That left Fitbit or Garmin. My wife has been using a Fitbit Versa 3 for a couple of years now and likes it, so I started looking closely at Fitbits. Since I wanted the ECG capability, that meant either a Charge or a Sense. The Charge is cheaper but the screen is too small. That left the Sense or the newer Sense 2.

My normal tendency when I buy tech is to get to the most recent iteration. That didn't make sense this time. Google bought Fitbit a while back and the Sense 2 is the first Google version of the Sense. Unfortunately, they've removed some key features from the Sense 2, for example, media controls and some third-party apps. There are other things that the Sense has that the Sense 2 doesn't, as described in this video. The addition of Google Maps and Google Wallet doesn't much matter to me. So given that the original Sense was still available and cheaper than the new version, I went for that.

What I like

The Sense is reasonably comfortable. It comes with two bands, one longer than the other. I'm using the shorter band right now but may switch to the other as I'm right at the end of the band. Most of the time I don't notice I'm wearing it.

The display is easier to read than I thought it might be. Because of my issues with low contrast small type, I have to keep the brightness at maximum. Most of the time I can get by without my reading glasses.

For a complex device, the Sense is easy to use. I tweaked a few of the defaults and am still exploring the options. There are many more health and fitness tracking features than I am likely to use. Right now, as long as I can monitor my heart rate, number of steps, and sleep patterns, I am happy.

The watch features are basic. It comes with a few faces installed and you can get more, free and paid for, in Fitbit's Gallery. There are alarms and a timer. As for smartwatch features, you have voice control through Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, a calendar, and Fitbit Pay for contactless payments. There are many more apps that you can add from the Fitbit Gallery. 

Most of the customization is done through the Fitbit app or through the  fitbit.com website. You can change some things directly in the watch, but I find it's generally easier to use the app or the website. 

There's also a Premium tier, which adds more tracking and reporting features. The watch comes with a free 6-month subscription to Premium. I'm not sure if I'll keep it after that; I need to use it more to see if it's worthwhile.

What I don't like

While the watch's interface is clean and easy to use, the app is quite complex. It's taken me a while to find a few things (like how to add and remove apps and clock faces and how to customize them.) There's even more on the website, which is easier to use than the app. Yes, I still have to read through all of the manual. I was a technical writer. I write manuals; I don't read them.

While using the app to set up one of the features, I ran into an interesting bug. I had reached the final screen, which wanted me to scroll down to read some legal boilerplate before I could tap the Accept button. It wouldn't scroll. I called Fitbit's support line (which connected me to a human in about 1 minute - I was impressed) and while I was talking to the rep, I figured out what the problem was. I have my font size set to maximum. Reducing the font size to the smaller default revealed the top of the pane containing the text that I needed to scroll through. It wasn't just my phone either; my wife reproduced the problem on her Samsung phone. So Fitbit has another item for their support knowledge base and perhaps a QA ticket for the app.

I've noticed some lag when trying to access things on the watch. It's not severe but it is noticeable. From reviews I've read, it appears that the Sense 2 is faster.

Today, the Sense wouldn't sync to the app after I came back from a walk. I fiddled with it for quite a while before finally finding the solution online. Basically, it boiled down to turning everything off and back on again. I have no idea why it happened and will keep an eye out for it to see if it happens again. 

Finally, one thing to note about the Sense, Sense 2, and other recent Fitbit devices. Google is deprecating features, probably to push people to the Pixel Watch. Over the weekend, I read that they are removing the Pandora and Deezer apps from the Sense after March 31. That's bad enough, but even worse, if you have downloaded music from those apps, you'll lose the ability to play it. That's bad, Google, just plain bad. Spotify is still available for the Sense, but I wonder for how much longer. 

That's it for now. So far I'm happy with my purchase.