We’ve long held the impression that wearables could change the health landscape. In fact, some companies like Fitbit have built businesses focusing on this promise. However, over the past decade, while we’ve seen numerous wearables drive an increased awareness of the importance of health and deliver tonnes of data to the consumer, we haven’t seen that dramatic shift that has been promised. That may change with the upcoming entries to the Samsung Galaxy Watch line up.
Rumours coming from Korean news outlet ET News are pointing to the upcoming Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch Active 3 and Apple Watch having a glucose monitor. This could revolutionize how the medical community looks to monitor and treat patients with diabetes. According to the report, the Galaxy Watch 4 will come with an optical sensor that will be able to detect the glucose levels in the user’s blood. This is done without the need to break the skin and by using a technique called Raman’s spectroscopy.
How Will It Work?
Let’s take a look at how this would work. We’re all used to the myriad of sensors on the back of a wearable now. We have one that measures the users heart rate, blood oxygenation and stress levels; and in newer wearables like the Fitbit Sense, Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 6, we also have sensors for an ECG. In addition to this, the new watch would include an additional sensor that would be able to detect the sugars in the blood vessels.
It achieves this by using a precise spectrum of light and sends it into the vessels where it comes into contact with glucose molecules. These molecules then produce a scatter which is unique to glucose which is then read by the sensor. This information is used in tandem with other relevant molecular concentrations in the blood will be able to give you a reading on the glucose levels in blood.
Why is Glucose Monitoring in Wearables Important?
So, it’s just another sensor – you might be saying. Yes, it’s another sensor in a piece of tech that seems filled to the brim with sensors. However, the fact that it allows a crucial bit of information to be available to patients is how it will revolutionize diabetic healthcare.
At the current time, the only way feasible way for diabetics to get glucose readings is by pricking themselves on a daily basis. This comes on top of the multiple pricks they have to endure to administer insulin subcutaneously. An average diabetic patient on insulin would need to prick themselves at least twice a day for glucose monitoring and administration of insulin. However, with this technology, they would only need to prick themselves once. This not only improves their quality of life; it makes sure that they aren’t needlessly building up scar tissue.
Another big jump in management comes with the fact that this technology also allows patients to monitor their blood sugar levels continuously. The only way this is feasible currently is if patients opt for a continuous glucose monitor. Using this will entail placing a probe under the skin. This is usually a plastic needle which takes blood samples at regular intervals. While this seems harmless, it presents its own set of challenges when it comes to maintenance and sterility. In fact, these probes can be the source of infections if not maintained well. What’s more, this method of monitoring isn’t widely adopted.
The fact that the new line up of Galaxy Watches could make continuous glucose monitoring more readily accessible will ensure diabetic patients have more granular information. Using this information, both doctors and patients will have more granular insights into the glucose tolerance of different types of foods by patients. This could lead to better diabetic management and even reversal in some cases.
Start of a New Wave of Health-centric Wearbles with Medically Actionable Insights
The new wave of wearbles starting with the next generation Samsung Galaxy Watches and Apple Watch could finally be medically relevant. The new features that will come in these wearables will allow access to more actionable insights when it comes to managing disease.
In fact, with more countries approving the ECG function in the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2, the wearable category may become a requirement instead of an option for more chronically afflicted patients – fulfilling a promise that was made at the inception of the category.
CES 2021 is well under way. But we are not talking about CES at this point. No, we are talking about the merging of giants.
Google is undoubtedly one of the most successful tech companies you will ever see in your lifetime, beside Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. They started out in the Search Engine industry in the midst of the MSN and Yahoo! boom. They bloomed and grew to surpass two of their biggest competition at the time and now they are in everything. They are in applied sciences, corporate backend solutions, automotive, smartphones, computing, and even your homes.
They are also on your wrists with the guise of Android Wear. They do not make any watch hardware on their own though. They have always relied on their partners like Fossil, Motorola, OPPO, and even Vivo to design and create their own iteration of what an Android Wear watch should look like. This situation might change soon though.
As per Google’s Blog post alongside Fitbit’s one in their own blogs too, Fitbit is now a part of Google. As of the 14th of January 2021, Google and Fitbit finally concludes their deal. Google has officially acquired Fitbit.
As we mentioned also, Fitbit is also a giant. They are a giant in their field, the fitness tracker and smart wear field. They have revolutionised the smart wearable devices market in more ways than one.
They are, technically, the largest standalone smartwatch making company in the world currently. They have a more complete product range than any other smartwatch maker in the world right now too. They have simple fitness trackers that look like wristbands and can be easily hidden. They also have full on smartwatches now in their Fitbit Versa line-up. The Versa and Sense watches are clearly also a side effect of them acquiring Pebble a while ago.
Now though, they are a part of Google. What does this mean for you Fitbit users?
On the surface, Google says that this acquisition has always been more about hardware instead of software. They want Fitbit watches and wrist bands. They basically wanted to experiment making their own smart wearable in the future, like how they experimented with smartphone manufacturing when they acquired HTC years ago. They are still making their own hardware today with the Pixel line-up. They have an amazing line-up of Chromebooks too.
The only thing they have not been making on their own then, are smart watches and smart wearables. With Fitbit as part of Google, now they can. So, according to Google, it is not about software and data.
In terms of software though, Google has a thing or two to learn from Fitbit and vice versa. We at techENT love our Fitbit Versa devices because they are so simple to work with. Their interface is easy to understand and navigate it becomes second nature when you acclimatise with them.
We also think that the Fitbit line-up could use a little bit of Google’s magic touch. In that case, they will be easier to pair with Android smartphones, faster too, and probably even more intuitive to connect. We find that these are our biggest pain points using the Fitbit devices. Of course, there is the subject of software integration too. Currently Fitbit’s collected data does not sync to Google’s own fitness app. Maybe we might see a merging of the two apps. At the same time, we doubt we will see that integration happening too soon because Fitbit also has the premium subscription segment.
Source: TechPP
Google has ensured that they will not touch Fitbit’s data pool at this time. They also confirmed that Fitbit’s user data will not be used for Google Ads purposes at this time. From the blog posts from both sides too, it seems that Fitbit will continue business as usual at this time. Which also means that Fitbit devices will remain Fitbit devices for a little longer.
In Google’s blog post, Rick Osterloh’s statement also reads, “the combination of Fitbit’s leading technology, product expertise and health and wellness innovation with the best of Google’s AI, software and hardware will drive more competition in wearables and make the next generation of devices better and more affordable”. We are more excited about this than anything. It means that you can start expecting Google smartwatches soon. You might want to expect some changes in Fitbit’s software approach now too. We hope that it is for the better on both parties. You might even get an Android Wear update for your Fitbit Sense.
Still, we see this as a win-win situation. At this time anyway, the acquisition and merging of the two giants in their space may prove to be just what both companies needed for the uncertain times ahead. For us consumers, we only care about their upcoming devices, and we are expecting them to be miles better than what we have now. Google Watch anyone?
Fitbit launched the Fitbit Versa series a few years ago. The first Fitbit Versa looked a lot like a now-defunct Pebble watch. There is a good reason to that, but we are not going to get into it.
All I wanted to say there is that I personally really wanted a Pebble smartwatch when they existed. Their smartwatch is unlike whatever smartwatch that was available at the time. They were not running any fancy Operating System (OS) that overcomplicates a smartwatch at the time and either slowed down the watch, or even reduce its battery life by half. They actually look very pretty as well, in my opinion anyway.
When they came up with the Versa 2, Fitbit pushed a few more upgrades to it. It had Fitbit Pay too, which is technically an e-wallet solution by Fitbit themselves. They said that they will be working with local banks and merchants to make the feature available, we have not seen much from that yet. We are still waiting for a wider adoption by merchants. Gyms and fitness centres, in our minds, would be the perfect places to start.
Design wise though, it looked slightly more modern than the first Versa with rounded of corners on the display. It maintained a physical button, we liked that. The display looks a little sharper and better too, for some reason.
Then they introduced the Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense in 2020. To be fair, both are very similarly designed. If you do not know Fitbit devices, you might mistake them as the same smartwatch.
The Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense are not that dissimilar in terms of function and features too. It is to the point that the website for both devices tell you pretty much the same things. They are a little different though, the two.
Unlike the Versa 2 as well, the two new devices from Fitbit comes with a new generation strap that is not interchangeable with the older wrist straps. So, if you upgraded from a Versa 2, you have to retire the older straps you might have bought as well.
What is the difference between the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3 though? Which is the smartwatch for you? Could you still walk away with a Fitbit Versa 2 at this point and be happy? We tested the MYR 1,498 Fitbit Sense to tell you.
Design
As we mentioned earlier, the Fitbit Sense has a very similar design language to the Fitbit Versa 3, save for the glossy bezel top of the case surrounding the glass that houses a 1.58-inch AMOLED display. The body, according to Fitbit at least, is premium stainless steel. That explains its glossy exterior.
The unit we have is the black colour option with black strap. You can opt for a Soft Gold option with a Lunar White strap. To be honest, the Soft Gold looks better in photos or renders. When we unboxed the Black on Black variant though, we found that we liked the finish more than we thought.
The design language is technically just an evolution of the Versa series from Fitbit, rather than a complete redesign. It is a little more rounded off in the corners of both the body and the display. It is still a square-ish design, not quite rounded. In a sense (no pun intended), the new Fitbit still looks very much like it is part of the Versa line-up.
The added curves though make the device look a little more modern than before. The Sense looks more at home and more subtle than the older devices. Of course, the black finish does help it blend into the wrist a little bit more.
The glossy rings surrounding the display is what differentiates it from the regular Fitbit Sense. The Gloss finish is only interrupted by two small plastic looking bars on both sides of the smartwatch though. We suspect that the plastic inserts are important for the Sense to receive GPS signals properly, or even for a more stable Bluetooth connection.
The biggest noticeable difference when you pick up the device though is the missing physical button. The Fitbit Sense, as well as the Versa 3 is now relying on a haptic button on the left side of the smartwatch. The ‘button’ does not even look like a normal button, it looks like a dimple, or recess on the flush body of the Sense. Not that we are saying it is an odd-looking thing.
In our opinion, the buttonless approach keeps the body look a bit tighter. We think that it looks good to without a physical button on the side. It keeps the body look flush without interruptions in its lines.
You find that the Fitbit Sense also retains a mic hole that you notice on the Versa 2 on the back plate (or at least part of it). But there is an additional recess on the body that houses two additional holes, one larger than the other. The holes look like they house an additional mic and a loudspeaker unit.
The Fitbit Sense’s speaker unit and mics work with Amazon’s Alexa and supposedly Google Assistant. For now, only Amazon Alexa activation is available for the wristwatch. Google Assistant should be available later in the year, according to Fitbit. The speaker and mic units also indicate that the Fitbit Sense is built with a capability to answer phone calls directly on the wrist. As of now though, we could not get the function to work yet. We are told that the feature will be available in a later update.
Then there is the shiny reflective silver plate that covers the bottom with Fitbit’s new type of 4-pin magnetic charger. This also means you cannot use your older Versa or Versa 2 chargers to charge your Fitbit Sense, although they have similar designs. To be fair the Fitbit Versa, Versa Lite, and Versa 2 has more in common with each other than the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3, in terms of design.
The shiny reflective plate that is also stainless-steel houses the heart rate sensor that scans your heart rate in real time as you wear the device. It also houses a built-in blood oxygen sensor now, something that the older Versa does not have. But the Sense is also supposed to come with an EKG sensor, which explains the shiny metal surface. Sadly, the feature is not yet available in Malaysia, because of that, you cannot access the EKG function of the Fitbit Sense yet.
The strap is a new type of strap that Fitbit calls an infinity band. It is very different from the older quick release strap that you see on the Fitbit Versa 2 and older. They claim that the material should feel better on the skin too, more comfortable. We do have to admit that the new band is slightly softer than before.
The latch mechanism on the older Versa smartwatches are very similar with the quick release straps of regular watches, which opens up possibilities for third-party strap makers to convert their straps into a Fitbit strap. Thing is, the lugs on the Fitbit Versa has a very unique shape to it that might not play nice with general watch straps.
On the Sense, they turned away from the general quick release mechanism and went back to their own quick release design that has worked in their own favour for the longest time. That also reduces the amount of ‘affordable’ or third-party options that you can find on the likes of Shopee or Lazada. Instead, now you have to go back to Fitbit for a different coloured or types of strap for your Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 that properly fits. Spoiler alert, they are not exactly cheap.
The Infinity Band that you get when you buy the Fitbit Sense has an incredibly unique latch mechanism that really secures the watch to your wrist. It only has a small metal latch part that inserts into the pre-made holes in the silicon strap. Once that is latched, you insert the extra ‘tail’ to the other hole on the strap, to keep things nice and tidy. That also means that there is no annoying metal latch that might catch on fabrics or cut into your skin if you strap your Sense too tightly. You still can go for the traditional type of metal buckle strap though; you just have to head to Fitbit’s website (or Official Online Store on Lazada) for different options. Again, you must get it from Fitbit to make sure that the strap actually fits. There is not much in choices yet though in terms of straps for the Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense.
The new lug mechanism is a clever one though. It is much easier to work with than the regular quick release lug. That also means that detaching and changing straps is a 5-second job. All you need to do to take the straps off is just push the tabs slightly and pull the straps away from the Sense. To attach a new strap is even easier than that, just push a new strap in and you are done. The new proprietary lugs also allow the straps to open wider on your wrist, which also means that it should fit bigger wrists better and more comfortably.
Features
Of course, when you buy a smartwatch you want it packed to the brim with different functions and features. Other than packing many watch faces you can choose from, the watch should tell you information like your heart rate, your breathing patterns, where you are, your past, your future, and even what you eat (we are exaggerating on some of these of course). It should be your secondary smartphone that you plonk on your wrist. You should not need to take out your smartphone to see what is on your smartphone.
Notifications
With the Fitbit Sense, you do not really need to take out your smartphone to know what is on your smartphone. Everything that your smartphone gets, your Fitbit Sense can get also. We are talking in terms of notifications, as per the subheading.
We said ‘can’, and not ‘will’. That is because you can choose what notifications the Fitbit Sense takes and which notifications to ignore. You can just set the watch to vibrate and notify you when emails come in, for example. If you wish to ignore Whatsapp for that entire day, you can even turn notification off for Whatsapp.
All these are done through Fitbit’s app. You do not have to dig around to find the notification settings too. You just enter the app, click on your Fitbit device from the app, and the notification settings should be right in that home screen.
Notifications are quite instant too, meaning you will not be missing important calls even if your device is on silent. Notifications are also very dependent on your device though. If you have turned off notification of an app on your smartphone, the notification will most likely not reach your Fitbit Sense as well, by default.
Having notifications on your smartwatch is quite a standard affair these days though. Most smartwatches will also continue to give you vibrate notifications throughout the night if you let it. This is one of those.
Unlike the Fitbit Versa 2 that I personally had, the Fitbit Sense does not automatically turn to sleep mode at your set bedtime. You need to turn the smartwatch on and turn it to sleep mode manually instead. Sleep mode also means that your Always-On Display is turned off to save battery and to allow you to sleep in complete darkness. That, while muting all kinds of notifications, except for the alarms already set on your Fitbit.
Rather than violently shaking your wrist to bits with the alarm function, the watch also has something called Smart Alarm. This is a technology unique to Fitbit watches too. The watch learns your sleep patterns and wakes you up at the most appropriate time before the set alarm time. The most appropriate time also means when you are in the ‘light sleep’ stage of your sleep. That is also not to interfere with your sleep patterns, and you wake up easier, and less grumpy
Fitbit App
The Fitbit App has evolved to one of the best smart wear companion apps available today. It has evolved from just being a smart fitness tracker to an integrated smart wear app. You can track your activities on it. Fitbit is also one of the brands to integrate real-time heart rate monitoring in their smartwatches and that translates to the app as well. It is also your sleep tracker, and your daily organiser, sort of.
In that regards, we would like to see some integration between the Fitbit app with the clock app on your smartphone. The current app does not keep track of the alarms you have on your smartphone, which also means that you have to manually set the alarm on the Fitbit Sense yourself. While the Fitbit app allows you to input your own bedtime and your wake-up time, it does not share that information with the smartwatch to automatically set an alarm for you to wake up. It does remind you that it is nearing your bedtime though, via your smartwatch and smartphone.
You can have an integrated calendar though, via the Agenda App by Fitbit. The Agenda app automatically syncs with any calendar app you have on your smartphone. That also means that you can keep track of your events, or meetings, or appointments from your wrist as well. If you set your calendar app to notify you on an event, you can get that same notification on your Fitbit Sense. The Agenda app itself too will notify you of an appointment.
Of course, the Fitbit app is more than just about managing your Fitbit Sense, or just controlling notifications. It is also your sleep tracker, and everything about your fitness fit into one. Technically it is your Today app that is also on your Fitbit Sense.
Of course, the information available to you is very dependent on the hardware on your wrist. The Fitbit Sense is a unique smartwatch in the range of Fitbit smartwatches because it has a skin temperature sensor for when you sleep, and something called an EDA (Electrodermal Activity) scanner. The Fitbit Sense also has an EKG sensor which is not really used or activated in Malaysia yet.
Skin temperature apparently plays quite an important role in your health. Your skin temperature should typically reflect your core internal temperature with minimal variations. Variations in your skin temperature can determine your health status. That is also why it is important to keep the variation pattern of your skin temperature. The measurements are done mostly when you sleep though, with the Fitbit Sense. The issue is, if you want access to the variation data it is behind Fitbit Premium paywall. If you opt not to pay the MYR 43.99 a month fee, you only get a daily average data.
EDA meanwhile is a measurement of your skin perspiration corelating to your heart rate too. This is a measure of stress levels, technically speaking. So yes, the watch tells you if you are stressed our or not. It even helps you ‘relax’ with some basic meditation programs. Mental health is important too, you know.
Before we forget, the Fitbit App only allows you to have one Fitbit Versa or Sense device paired to the app. That means if you have a Versa 2, you might want to think of selling it or giving it away to your loved ones.
Fitbit Premium
If you pay the MYR 43.99 a month for Fitbit premium, you get more than just daily average readings of your skin temperature. You get to find out what it means too. You also get access to a more comprehensive sleep and heart rate data instead of the basic average tracking that you get.
Perhaps the biggest push for you to get a Fitbit premium subscription though is daily exercise recommendations and regimes. Those might prove useful in this work from home situation. But you get a more in-depth analysis of your sleep patterns too, which might be useful the next time you see your doctor. Exclusive to the Fitbit Sense, you get even meditation recommendations and programs on top of exercise regimes and recommendations.
While subscription-based services are a norm these days, there are certain things that we thought should not be behind a paywall. Yes, Apple does charge for more functionalities and services for their Apple Watch, but they do not hold information back. You still get all the data that the Apple Watch could track for you, whether you pay for it or not.
The Fitbit Premium subscription forces Fitbit’s customers to pay for data that users might want or need for their own analysis. Things like heart rate during sleep, or even movement data when you sleep is not something that you should keep behind your pay wall, in our opinions. You could, however, access your heart rate data during your sleep by just heading to your heart rate monitor though. In that case, why not just make the collected data available to your sleep analysis in the first place?
Once you start paying for the subscription though, you get access to more than just data. You can get access to a personal health or fitness advisor. You get access to Fitbit’s tailored health, diet, and fitness programmes via Fitbit Coach. Some of them are genuinely great programs to get active with in this pandemic situation. On that front, we can agree on the subscription. We still do not see the point of paying just for accessing that little bit more data though. You might as well spend your money on something like a Samsung Galaxy Watch for that.
The Non-Button
Before I go on and mislead you, there is still a button on the Fitbit Sense, I am not contradicting myself. The Fitbit Sense has a button still, a regular single button like the older Fitbit Versa. It is not a regular button with spring mechanism though. It is a haptic touch button, like the ones you might be used to with the Fitbit Charge, for example.
The only thing is that I do find that kind of button on a wristwatch quite annoying. With a regular button, while it does spoil the clean lines a little bit, you get a tactile feedback of knowing when the button is pressed. With a touch button, you hardly know.
The only good thing is that the touch button on the Fitbit Sense is a pressure sensitive button. That also means that you have to press the button like you mean it for it to respond. It even works with a glove; just in case you are curious. But that also means that just a small pressure on the button might turn the watch on. It even triggers if you push it against your own wrist.
While that is not perfect, it is the same set of problems you are presented with when there is a traditional button in the way too. While the traditional button is gone to be replace with this pressure sensitive sensor thing, it is still placed at the left side of the device like any Fitbit fitness tracker does. That little dimple too is helpful since it is deep enough that your thumb or finger can feel it when you reach for it. Then again, you cannot go wrong with placing your thumb in the middle of the left section of the Fitbit Sense.
Charge Quickly and Openly
The new charger is not the clamp style charging dock that you are used with traditional Fitbit fitness trackers anymore. That also means that you cannot be re-using your old Fitbit Versa or Versa 2 charger. Even the Versa 3 has moved away from that old clamp style charger, by the way.
The charging dock is a much smaller package now that you can fit in your electronic pouch in an instant. Smaller also means that it is easier to lose, so you might want to keep that in mind. But smaller is also better for travels and convenience.
Because the charger does not clamp either side of the Fitbit smartwatch anymore, the buttons are now exposed. The exposed button helps with setting up the device for the first time. You need the charger to get your device up and running anyway. But with the buttons exposed, you can get the screen to work without moving your watch around without looking like a crazy person too.
Once you set it up, you might still want to look at the watch when it is charging to check if it is fully charged and even check the time of day. The exposed button is a great improvement in that aspect. When you pick it up too, you will still be charging your device, because magnet.
The new charger is a magnetic charger so it will automatically stick to your device to charge when you place the Sense near it, neat. But the magnetic charger also means that the charging pins are put in a completely different layout compared to the older Versa devices (it does not have to, but why not). That also means that you cannot use this charger to charge your older devices. In that case, make sure you find the old charger if you want to pass on the older device to your family or friends. In this pandemic situation also, we encourage you to give the older device a thorough clean before passing it on.
The new charger is also even faster than before. If you managed to get the battery flat on the Fitbit Sense, the charger gets you up and running again in 12 minutes, provided you have the right charger. This is also part of their marketing blurb; “a full day’s charge in 12 minutes”. That is not full charge though.
We do find this claim to be quite true. If you find that your smartwatch battery has dwindled a little bit to near empty, you get it plugged to the charger, get changed, do your quick toilet break, wear your shoe, tie it down, and you are ready to get going again for a whole day technically. A full charge will typically take about an hour or so too, which also means that you might want to include a quick shower and grooming into that routine before heading out and you are ready to take on even more days with the Fitbit Sense. We will talk more about the battery life later though
OLED Display
We usually include this section in performance. The issue here is, on a smartwatch, the display is more of a feature to have than a performance gauge. Most smartwatch displays are not high-resolution, high-speed, ultra-bright displays that you use to perform digital magic with anyway.
The display on the Fitbit Sense though is still a very pretty display that we have expected since the Versa 2. Like the Versa 2 as well it has an OLED display with super black blacks and vivid colours. Fitbit did not officially mention the resolution of the display because it is truly unimportant.
The OLED display is also bright enough under direct sunlight which is brilliant because you still can see it when you are out and about, at least I can. You might want to choose watch faces that has plenty of blacks too though. The reason for that is so that the Fitbit Sense does not blind you when you are trying to see it in the middle of the night, or when you are in a movie theatre. It also ensures that you do not disturb other people in the theatre, or your partner who is most likely fast asleep.
But OLED displays has more things going for it. For example, because it is more power efficient, your battery life is extended compared to normal smartwatches. That, or you can make your package a lot smaller than necessary packing smaller sized batteries. Thanks to that too, Always-on Display is possible, and looks great because the colours are so vivid.
Performance
The performance of a smartwatch is determined mostly by the virtues of its functions though. To us, the experience that you are going to have with the smartwatch is more important that how fast it churns numbers. So, what if the watch packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series (it does not), It is not like I can play games on the watch anyway (there are no games in the Fitbit app market). What is important then is how fast we can work with it, and how much more convenience we get with the watch.
User Interface
The Fitbit Sense comes with Fitbit’s own User Interface (UI) and Operating System (OS). It is an interface unique to Fitbit’s smartwatches and we foresee it in future smartwatches. They did not mention what sort of hardware the Fitbit Sense comes with to run the OS, just that it runs.
We like the layout of the Fitbit OS very much on the Versa and the Versa 2. They make plenty of sense with big icons occupying the display as you scroll through the interface. Looking at notification is as straightforward as pulling the display down as well, very sensible. While scrolling from bottom to up gives you up to date information from weather, to your heart rate and what not. On the left of the watch face screen is your quick settings like sleep mode or Always-on Display mode.
Everything is where they are meant to be and very intuitive after the first minutes of use. The icons are big and easy to read on the tiny display that is the smartwatch. What we find very annoying on most smartwatches is that the icons for apps or functions are very small on the display. That also means that you need a high degree of precision to make the watch work. Fitbit’s OS only allows you to display four app icons on one menu scree, which also means that you most likely will get the right apps to launch the first touch. Even the quick settings menu only has six big buttons on the screen. The only issue then is that you have to do a bit more scrolling that usual. Not a deal breaker still.
The UI can lag a little sometimes. We actually hoped that Fitbit improved their OS a little bit or put something a little more powerful to accommodate the sensors and make the UI feel a little smoother. Instead, the same lag when you input and when changing screen that the Versa 2 had can also be seen here. Even opening apps can be quite slow with the Fitbt Sense. There is just no sense of consistency in that too, one app opens in an instant, and another app takes forever to open and load.
Still, at least the app layout looks consistent most of the time. There are plenty of blacks that is used on the UI, which is also good because it makes the whole top looks like the display. Of course, the information screen is shown in a certain area of the display with quite large bezels (for smartwatches).
Most of Fitbit’s app screens has a center background glow too to add some flair and visual drama to the app. When the app is open, the app is laid out like a list, which also makes plenty of sense. It helps you comb through all the important information quickly and makes everything looks bigger and more accessible. The only issue is that scrolling through can be a bit of a pain sometimes because the display registers your touch as a press rather than scroll from time to time. So, you need to be a bit more precise here.
Navigating through the watch is also easy enough. You click to open an app, you click through again to access a specific information, and you press the single button on the side to get it out to the home screen. To go back to the previous screen, simply swipe from the left to right of the display. The button can also have a programmable long-press function. We set ours to launch Music, but you can easily set it to do other things like launch an app on your Fitbit Sense.
Yes, you can control the music app on your smartphone with the watch as well. With the Spotify app you can control Spotify on any device that is playing music with your Spotify account. But the Music app allows you to control the music that you play through your Bluetooth paired smartphone device regardless of the app you use (Tidal is not on Fitbit’s app store). Of course, to enable this you would have to dig into the settings a little bit and allow Sense Control under Music Control. This is a definite improvement over the previous Versa 2 and Versa music control. We also find the Spotify App to be a little finnicky for our liking, working 80% of the time and not working for the remainder of the time because it cannot detect any devices playing on your device for some reason.
You can easily load up music into the device too though via the app if you have Deezer. We do not have Deezer, which also means that it is quite pointless for us to try connecting our Bluetooth earphones to Fitbit Sense also at this point. Fitbit says that the Sense can connect up to eight Bluetooth devices, including a Bluetooth speaker. Still, if you have Deezer, you might want to do that so that you do not have to bring your smartphone out for a quick run.
There are also plenty of watch faces you can choose from in their app market too. While you cannot find the same faces as the Apple Watch or Samsung’s Galaxy Watch, or even stuff from Android Wear, there are plenty of selections from Fitbit’s app market that you will not be bored with the watch face. Either that, or you will find one that suits you in terms of visuals and information load.
Exercise mode
According to Fitbit’s website, the Fitbit Sense has over 20 exercise modes with SmartTrack. You can set your own exercises and set your own goals based on all the exercises. You can go as basic as a simple running, bikes, circuit training, hiking, HIIT, Golf, and even martial arts. Kickboxing is even put into its own category here. The only thing we have done with the watch is go for a quick run though (I am not very fit).
In some of these exercise modes, like running and bike mode, the Fitbit Sense is connected to GPS to track your location and creates a pathway. Of course, the GPS data is also used to measure the distance you have travelled, and even your pace. You can refer to all these data collected on your Fitbit app too, to make life easier.
Of course, like any other modern Fitbit devices, the Fitbit Sense also automatically jumps into exercise mode when it detects your heart rate spiking above a certain rate for a prolonged period. In that sense, you do not need to go into individual exercise modes all the time just to get your Fitbit to log data. The only issue is, it might not detect the sport that accurately, which also means you might need to go back into the watch to get it into the correct mode.
However, it does not contain all the right exercise modes too. One of the most popular past-times or sport in Malaysia is Badminton, which also happens to be my game of choice. That also means that the only mode I can set the Fitbit Sense to, in this sense, is either Tennis, or just let it go to regular sport mode, like I have done on the Fitbit Versa 2.
In those modes it accurately tracks your heart rate and puts it in a nice chart for you to look at after your exercise. It even tells you when your heart rate is at a fat burning stage and what not. Thankfully, in regular sport mode, not much information is hidden behind Fitbit’s Paywall.
Most of the exercise modes can also be tweaked a little bit before you set off on your exercises. You can set them to collect all sorts of data like lap times, number of steps, average speeds, calories burnt, target heart rate, target time, and what not. All the exercise mode can have largely the same data sets too. Of course, not all the data that is being collected are useful to the exercise you are doing at that time. For example, lap times and lap count data are a little pointless in Tennis.
Battery Life
We touched a little bit on the new fast-charging dock. We touched a little bit also on how fast it charges. In all our tests, the Fitbit Sense charges in about an hour if you plug it to the right power source. Of course, Fitbit does not include their own power brick for the charger. They only give the dock with an open USB Type-A end.
This practice is not new for Fitbit though. They have never (in our knowledge) included a power brick to charge your device with. While it is quite unthinkable, it is not such a crazy idea. When you have decided to buy a Fitbit device today, you would already be using a smartphone that comes with a power brick with a USB Type-A port to charge your smartphones. If not, you would also have an extra OEM power brick lying somewhere. If you do not even have that you can plug your charging dock into a PC’s USB port, and it will still charge the Fitbit Sense with a slightly lower charge speed, but it will still charge.
While observing its charge speed (yes, we actually put a stopwatch while watching the charge on the Fitbit Sense go up), we found that the Fitbit Sense will charge fully in about an hour no matter the charge state of the battery. The Fitbit Sense will charge very quickly when there is little to no charge in the Fitbit Sense (with a dedicated charger). The charging speed slows down after a while though, we suspect to extend the battery shelf life. But we also notice that fast charging the device accumulates a heap of heat on the Fitbit Sense, which might not be too comfortable on your wrist right after the charge.
That also means that charges will take about an hour or so before the display lights up to tell you that it is fully charged. Once charged, the Fitbit Sense is quoted to last about 6 full days (a full day for their claim is 24 hours). Keep in mind that the quoted battery life does not consider Always-on Display, which we are using. In our use case we get about four to five days in battery life. It also depends if the watch is constantly on your wrist all-day. A typical use case in my personal experience is wearing the watch only when I am going to bed, heading out, or going for an exercise (at home or out).
Of course, you could save battery by turning off Always-on Display. Your choice of watch face could also dramatically affect its battery life. More blacks, for example, on your watch face uses less resources on the display and therefore consumes less battery life.
While we never got six days out of the Fitbit Sense, it does not mean that the battery life is less than average. The last time we got battery life longer than the Fitbit Sense was from a Garmin smartwatch without a touch sensitive LCD as its main interaction interface. To be fair, those Garmin devices are in their own class as adventure and fitness focused smartwatches.
That said though, even 4 days in battery life is already at least twice or three times more than what you can get from an Apple Watch and most Android Wear devices these days. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 could hold itself up to about 3 days at a maximum with all its function on. In that sense, for something that you rely on inside and outside your house, 4 days in battery life is nothing short of amazing and something anyone can appreciate. Of course, Fitbit devices have always been known to have an exceptionally long battery life from a package no bigger than your automatic watch at home.
We also appreciate how small and compact the charging dock is. We mentioned this earlier, we know, but bear with us a little bit here. The charger can be easily packed into my electronics pouch for a quick trip to a foreign land; Singapore let us say. The charger could be easily left at home though if I am only abroad for two nights since the battery holds a charge for about four days for me. Packing the charger for a ‘just-in-case’ situation though is easy enough and does not add bulk and weight to our bags. We like this even better than the older clamp style charging dock that does not sit properly anywhere.
The Fitbit Sense – Sensible All-Rounder
The Fitbit Sense is not just a small improvement over the older Versa line-up though. It is not a Versa+, not really. It may look and feel similar, but I think that it sits in a slightly different category. It technically is a more premium Fitbit Versa 3 in a sense, I admit. But the whole form factor and functionality is a big improvement over the Versa 2. The newer ergonomics slightly more rounded and softer shape of the Fitbit Sense makes it look more modern, more ‘stealth’. It looks like it belongs on the wrist as a fashion item now. It is stylish.
Then there is the same great UI that we are very easily used to from the Versa series. The OLED display makes everything looks sharper than before and better. We may not agree too much with their shift to a proprietary strap lugs, but it is much easier to work with compared the Versa 2. In that sense, it is a big sensible upgrade.
All these things are packaged in a body that holds a speaker and mic that can theoretically work with phone calls, and even Google Assistant. It already works with Amazon’s Alexa, so the other two should work nicely too. Inside the body is also a potentially game changing feature that is disabled only because of regulation irregularities in the country. Once it is available though, it would be an especially important feature.
You also get more than 2 days of battery life with it, which also means you need not worry about its charge or whether or not it will faithfully serve you through the day without dying. You do not need to carry its charger everywhere you go to0, you do not even need to take it off at work. Even if you need to carry its charger, it is so small and light that you can throw it in your gear bag quickly without adding bulk.
We admit though that we are not in total agreement of the paywall that Fitbit puts up for certain extra information from their trackers. You are already paying a premium for these items. The Fitbit Sense will set you back MYR 1,498, more expensive than any other Fitbit that you can buy today. The most expensive Fitbit in the range of Fitbit fitness trackers only comes with 6 months of Fitbit Premium trial, not even one year. We think that this is a little ridiculous given the timing of its launch too.
The Fitbit Sense is an MYR 350 premium over the Fitbit Versa 3, though. In a lot of sense, they are the same sort of smartwatches with one or two differences in material choice and sensors packed in. They offer the same battery life too, with also over 20 exercise modes. The display is technically similar, alongside the very familiar UI from Fitbit. That also means you can get the same watch faces.
At this point, because the Fitbit Sense is a little crippled by certain restrictions, the Fitbit Versa 3 would seem like a better buy since it is cheaper. We agree with that too. You get a less flashy matte finish case too, which contributes to the ‘stealth’ look better. You do not get unnecessary functions with the Versa 3 too, so that is that. With those out of the way, it should be quite a straightforward choice for you at this point.
Fitbit is a name that comes to mind when you’re thinking of wearables which put fitness at the forefront. The company has been actively developing a platform that gives users actionable data on their health. What’s more, Fitbit has even taken steps to help their community better cope with these unprecedented times.
Malaysia is the latest country getting an infusion of Fitbit. The company has announced the local availability of its three new wearables: the Fitbit Sense, the Fitbit Versa 3 and the Fitbit Inspire 2. The three new devices mark the start of a new generation of wearables for Fitbit featuring new technology that gives users even more actionable health data. It is excited to see what is inside about it. Some call the app “ECG” and it allows users to gain insight into their heart performance and possible conditions, like irregular or erratic heartbeats.
The Fitbit Sense made its debut in August as the company’s new flagship smartwatch with brand new technology which allows users to monitor their heart’s rhythm via an ECG monitor. The Fitbit Sense is currently the most advanced health smartwatch available in the market for only RM1,498 with 6-months complementary access to Fitbit Premium. The Sense also features the world’s first electrodermal activity(EDA) sensor on a smartwatch to help users monitor stress levels. The Sense touts up to 7 days battery life depending on how you use it.
From the cutting edge to the accessible, Fitbit isn’t leaving anyone behind. The Fitbit Inspire 2 joins the foray with a price tag of only MYR498. It is designed to be slim and comes with a brighter screen and the longest battery life of any Fitbit device at 10 days. Purchases of the FitBit Inspire 2 also comes with a one year free trial of Fitbit Premium.
Together with the Sense and Inspire 2, Fitbit is also bringing the updated Versa 3. The Versa line up is their first smartwatch line up which marries Fitbit technology with the growing demand for smartwatches. The Versa 3 brings enhanced features including GPD tracking, wireless music and more. However, pricing and availability for the Versa 3 will be announced at a later date.
Fitness is a journey of a thousand steps and it usually begins with the first one. If you’re like me, that journey usually gets started and then quickly falls by the sidelines when visible results begin to plateau. I was pretty adamant in losing weight this round and then came a little angel who told me to try using the new Fitbit Charge 4 and passed me one for review.
The Fitbit Charge 4 was released not too long ago and comes with a very minor, but significant update to the Charge 3 – GPS tracking. This isn’t the first time I was using fitness bands or smartwatches; in fact, I use a Galaxy Watch daily and was using the Charge 3 before. But after a while, they became watches more than fitness trackers; a problem I’m pretty sure many others face. That brings up the question – why not buy a regular analogue watch? So, this time, I decided to pay closer attention to the features that the Fitbit Charge 4 offers and figure out how to effectively use them to help achieve my goals.
Setting up the Fitbit Charge 4 & Making Sense of Metrics
As always, the first thing you do with a new fitness tracker is to pair it with your phone. Like all other Fitbit devices, I plugged in the Charge 4 to get things powered up and started. I was pleasantly greeted by a smile and a prompt to continue the setup process on my smartphone – a Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. The setup process was pretty straight forward but I was more impressed with the ease of setup. In the past, with the Charge 3 and even the Versa before, the setup process was rather painful with the devices not being detected and even disconnecting midway. The Charge 4 was a breeze, no issues at all.
Once it was setup, I glanced through the app looking at the many features which come in the Charge 4. You’ve got everything from the basic tracking of steps to sleep tracking and even GPS tracking. Fitbit has put a lot into making sure that you have everything you need to quantify your fitness journey in the Charge 4. However, it was quite daunting to be facing metric after metric after metric after metric. It wouldn’t be too farfetched to say that many people wouldn’t be able to make heads or tail of the many metrics that the Charge 4 can track. After some research and looking into the metrics, I realised that the biggest challenge any fitness newbie would face is the eventual plateau which I mentioned in the beginning. So, looking at the metrics that the Charge 4 could give me, I decided that the best thing to do is work towards overcoming that plateau.
The Charge 4 is able to track sleep, steps taken, distance travelled while walking, heart rate, calories burnt and a new metric called the Active Zone minutes. Other metrics such as weight, calories consumed, and hydration can also be measured but involve manually inputting the data into the app. With all of these available, I looked into creating a baseline for myself before I decide to make changes. After monitoring my metrics for about three days, I realised that I may not need to use all the metrics available – at least not initially. I looked at which areas I need to improve and realised that, for me at least, I needed to start looking into getting better sleep, being less sedentary and getting enough hydration.
The Fitbit App’s heart rate monitor screen helps you monitor your fitness level with you resting heart rate
Fitbit’s new Active Zone minutes feature allows you to set how many active minutes you want to cover a day
The Fitbit App also gives you weekly summaries and suggestions which can help you do better
This narrowed down my focus to three main metrics: sleep, steps taken or active zone and hydration. With my main focus set, I had the trusty Charge 4 to help me make small changes that can help me with my fitness.
Using the Charge 4 to Make Small, Meaningful Changes for Better Health
Using the Fitbit Charge 4 to track your steps, sleep and active zone is pretty straight forward – just wear the Fitbit. So, wear the Charge 4 I did. Keeping up with the metrics is a lot of work. You have to open the app to check up on yourself on a daily basis. However, the array of widgets that the Fitbit app helps ever so much in helping you keep track and making changes.
Setting Goals within the app will help with making meaningful changes to help you achieve your fitness goals
The multiple widgets on my home screen for Fitbit’s app. There isn’t a compact, integrated one. You have to place each toggle on its own.
For me, because one of my goals was to get enough sleep, the daily reminders and nudges to prepare for bed were a godsend. It has allowed me to get into a wind-down routine and put away my tech when the nudges come. This has actually translated into better sleep overall. However, – and this is a BIG one – the sleep tracking has been hit or miss for me. So, I’ve been using my smartwatch to get a more accurate picture of how I’ve been sleeping on a daily basis.
The Fitbit Charge 4 has also been breaking up my daily 10,000 steps into smaller, more achievable goals throughout the day. To help me achieve this goal, it nudges me every hour to get up and get some steps in. Believe it or not? This small adjustment also helps me get more productive throughout the day. I’ve been able to get more done in a day than before without feeling drained midway.
Fitbit’s sleep monitoring screen gives you a lot of useful information when it works. Otherwise it’s just a missed opportunity
Monitoring is easy with the overview the app gives you but you have to open the app to get it.
The hardest adjustment for me is the monitoring of my water intake. Since it’s done manually, I have to remember to turn on the phone and record the amount of water I’m consuming. As you can tell, this also means that I might miss recording a few glasses of water here and there. But, more hydration is a good thing.
Fitness Isn’t Just about the Aesthetics
Overall, my first week with the Charge 4 has thought me one big lesson – fitness isn’t just about looking good. It’s about the small changes that eventually lead to being more “fit” overall; aesthetics is just a result of you feeling better about yourself and overall, your body coping better with the stresses you face on a day to day basis. As the Malay saying goes, “sikit-sikit, lama-lama menjadi bukit” ; roughly translated: bit by bit, over time it will become a hill.
While the Charge 4 isn’t a magically genie that grants wishes, it’s given a health-science degree holding, obese person a new, quantifiable approach to dealing with the extra kilos. If you’re looking at the scale continuously, you’ll get demotivated over time especially when the reading starts to nag the same digits over and over again. Start with small changes like getting enough sleep and drinking enough water – the rest will come naturally. Getting the Charge 4 or something similar that fits your needs and budget will also help you get there.
The techENT Download is back for another exciting week in tech! This week’s tech news round up has everything from dramatic reveals, painful hacks to sad cancellations!
Not too long ago, we covered a call to arms by a few governments across the world to develop and produce ventilator devices to help with the current shortage across many countries due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Health and wearables company, Fitbit, was one of the companies that rose to the task and are announcing the fruits of their labour – the Fitbit Flow.
The Fitbit Flow builds upon the automatic resuscitator design of the MIT E-Vent Design Toolbox and complies with the specifications for Rapidly Manufactured Ventilation Systems put forth by the government of the United Kingdom. The Flow was developed in close consultation with Oregon Health & Scince University (OHSU) emergency medicine clinicians who were caring for COVID-19 patients at OHSU Hospital and the MassGeneralBrigham Center for COVID Innovation workgroup to meet the needs of medical practitioners.
The design of the Fitbit Flow builds on the standard resuscitator bags similar to the ones used by paramedics. However, the company has equipped the Flow with an array of sensors, sophisticated instruments and alarms that work together to automate compressions and regulate the flow of air into the patients lungs to help with respiration and blood oxygenation. It is also touted to be designed to be user friendly to reduce the strain on specialised staff typically needed to perform and operate other ventilators. Fitbit is also touting that the Flow is priced lower than other ventilators on the market.
“Fitbit Flow is a great example of the incredible innovation that emerges when academia and industry employ problem-based innovation to respond quickly to an important need. COVID-19 is a new illness and we still have much to learn about the progression, treatment, and potential recurrence of this disease. It’s critical that we develop solutions that can help ensure our health systems have the equipment they need now, and in the future if we do see a resurgence of COVID-19.”
David Sheridan, MD, MCR, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Co-Director of Emergency Clinical Innovation Oregon Health & Science University
The Flow is the latest in a series of efforts and collaborations by Fitbit with academia to help advance the health industry. With the announcement of the Charge 4, the company also announced a collaboration to help increase the accuracy of sleep data to help make wearables more impactful. The company is aiming to use its facilities to help mass produce the Flow to be supplied to hospitals in dire need of ventilators.
Fitbit has become a brand synonymous with health and fitness. While the company has recently been acquired by Google, it doesn’t seem to have slowed them down. In fact, Fitbit has just announced a new entry to their Charge line up, the Charge 4.
The new Fitbit Charge 4 comes with all the features that made everyone fall in love with the previous Charge devices. However, it has a few upgrades. The Charge 4 is the first tracker in the line up to have GPS. This allows you to track where and how far you’ve gone on your runs. This comes as an enhancement to the now essential features of any fitness tracker including customisable watch faces, notifications and even sleep tracking.
The Fitbit Charge 4 introduces Active Zone Minutes. This is developed based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Heart Association. Both organisations recommend that everyone should have 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigourous activity weekly. Based on this recommendation, the Charge 4 will track your heart rate with Fitbit’s PurePulse 24/7 heart tracking. Using personalised data, it will determine how much effort you are exerting for an activity. This will allow for better tracking. In fact, the Charge 4 will be able to notify you each time you enter or exit zones. This will allow you to better optimise your workouts. If you want to get more detailed data, it’s accessible via the Fitbit App.
The Charge 4 comes with a promised 7 days battery life or 5 hours if you’re continuously using GPS. It is water resistant up to 50 metres and is swimproof. According to Fitbit the Charge 4 is able to operate between -20° to 60° C and up to an altitude of 8,535m.
Pricing & Availability
The Charge 4 will be available in stores starting late April. The regular version will retail for MYR 698. It will be available in black, rosewood and storm blue/black. The Special Edition will be available at MYR 798 in granite reflective/black wooven band. It will also come with a classic band for when you workout.
