Advertisement

Review: Keep committed to your new year’s resolution with Fitbit Sense

Our editorial team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the products and deals we love. If you love them too and decide to purchase through the links below, we may receive a commission. Prices were correct at the time of publication.

By: Paolo Lacuna

The New Year has come and gone and with it a renewed desire to make a new year’s resolution! For most of us, losing weight (especially the holiday gains) and being more active will top the list. With a month done for 2021, are you keeping true to your resolutions?

There are some tools to keep you honest and encourage you to pursue your resolutions, and a smartwatch/fitness tracker is one of them. We’ve tested one of our favourite health watches, the Fitbit Sense, and here’s what we think.

Fitbit Sense. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Fitbit Sense. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

Fitbit’s most expensive health watch today, the Fitbit Sense is a head-turner, without being so bulky like other smartwatch brands. Its curvy squarish watch face is similar to the Fitbit Versa models and looks great on-wrist. Having no physical buttons just makes it look sleek. The health watch is wrapped with either Soft Gold or Graphite stainless steel, giving it a very premium look and finish.

Easy to release straps. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Easy to release straps. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

The Fitbit sense sees an improvement on the latch that locks the straps to the watch, where a small flat button helps with the release of the straps. This makes it easier to quickly switch straps to matching your full outfit.

Charging the Fitbit Sense improves on past Fitbit Versa model’s clamp, where it now connects to the charging port magnetically. It’s advertised to have six days worth of battery life, but I was getting 3-4 days, with notifications on. It’s still better than most smartwatches.

The Fitbit Sense uses the same 1.58-inch AMOLED screen, with a sharp resolution at 336x336 pixels. The screen is colourful and bright at 1,000 nits, enough for viewing outdoors under direct sunlight.

Fitbit no side button. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
Fitbit no side button. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

The Fitbit Sense does not have a physical button, giving it a sleek look. You’ll have to rely on the touchscreen and the indented touch button on the watch’s left side. There is haptic feedback to the pressure-sensitive button, which can give some assurance when clicking. The touchscreen works for the most part, but it can be unresponsive or inaccurate sometimes.

The smartwatch features of the Fitbit Sense includes much of what you want from a premium smartwatch today. Voice control works with both Alexa and Google Assistant. Notifications also include text messages and calls, and you can also respond to text messages with voice dictation, although it’s not quite accurate yet. I found myself reading notifications, but still going back to my phone to respond. The UI is modernised and easy to understand, but you’ll have to deal with some apps like the Today app being a bit slow to open.

All the sensors. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
All the sensors. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

The Fitbit Sense wins with the basic health and fitness features, and this could be the most health-focused smartwatch today. The usual steps, calorie burned, heart rate, floors climbed, and distance travelled are tracked throughout the day. The watch will also remind you to stand and be active every hour and do some steps. Keeping you active all day.

The step and calorie burn counters coupled with GPS and heart-rate monitor works really well on my outdoor runs, accurately showing my activity around my condo’s jogging path. For those who do many cardio activities, you can take advantage of the V02 Max and ECG sensors in the Fitbit Sense to maximise your workouts. According to Fitbit, the VO2 Max is a measurement of how well your body uses oxygen when you’re working out at your hardest.

EDA Scanning. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)
EDA Scanning. (PHOTO: Paolo Lacuna/Yahoo Lifestyle SEA)

Detailed sleep tracking is still a win for the Fitbit sense. And now, coupled with stress management and Electrodermal activity (EDA) scan, you could get more insights on your rest time and patterns. But only if you take the time to read into the data (which is a lot). The EDA scan works simply by covering the watch with your other palm, making sure there’s skin contact with the watch’s rim. It takes about two or so minutes, and after the scan, you’ll get a sense of your stress levels.

Something new is the skin temperature sensor, which can track your skin temperature and even nightly temperature changes. It’ll be good to track if you’re running a fever or overheating. The same temperature sensors can be used to keep track of estimated fertility dates for women.

The Fitbit Sense is a feature-packed health watch wrapped in a sleek design that looks better than most smartwatches today. The Fitbit Sense wins with a great battery, bright and vibrant screen, and all the necessary activity sensors to keep you moving. The more advanced health trackers can also give you a lot of insights to your health and wellness, as long as you take the time to read them.

The Fitbit Sense’s a great aid for keeping true to your commitment to live a healthier and more active 2021. With a choice between Carbon/Graphite Stainless Steel and Lunar White/Soft Gold Stainless Steel, the Fitbit Sense is on sale till the 14th of February 2020, in its official shops at Lazada and Shopee for S$428 (regular price of S$488).

More shopping deals:

Last minute prep for CNY you can have delivered to your home

The best bulk buys from Amazon Singapore to stock up now

13 Bridgerton-inspired dresses to add to your wardrobe

Support local: 7 romantic and fun candles for Valentine's Day

Auspicious Chinese New Year hampers to gift this year

Michael Kors is slashing their prices on hundreds of items - starting as low as S$89

Microsoft’s newest Surface Laptop Go is lightweight and great for those on the go

REVIEW: Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold is for the bold

Now's your chance to own the DIY beauty device celebs are crazy about

YahooSGShopping
YahooSGShopping