Fitbit Sense (Carbon/Graphite)

I have had this watch for over a year and a half. The only thing it is good for at all is telling the time.... It does okay tracking your workout on runs, but is almost never accurately checking your heartrate, and can be up to an 1/8th of a mile off on tracking distance. Not good when you're trying to track your pace. For workouts (I use it to lift weights), it is useless. It barely reads any heart rate increases ever. This makes it impossible (and frustrating) to try to track calorie intake vs output. The customer service is even worse. I've reached out and was told verbatim that they would not have a fix for the heart rate issue anytime soon. Over a year later I tried reaching out again (I could tell because I used their Twitter customer service, and could see my ... MoreI have had this watch for over a year and a half. The only thing it is good for at all is telling the time.... It does okay tracking your workout on runs, but is almost never accurately checking your heartrate, and can be up to an 1/8th of a mile off on tracking distance. Not good when you're trying to track your pace. For workouts (I use it to lift weights), it is useless. It barely reads any heart rate increases ever. This makes it impossible (and frustrating) to try to track calorie intake vs output. The customer service is even worse. I've reached out and was told verbatim that they would not have a fix for the heart rate issue anytime soon. Over a year later I tried reaching out again (I could tell because I used their Twitter customer service, and could see my previous message) and got the same response. They have done nothing to appease or fix this issue and there are posts all over forums complaining about this. They don't seem to care. No plan to correct or provide retribution. It's infuriating. My fitbit Ionic (half the price) worked better at tracking. Don't waste your money. Also, I'll do you a favor and save you the research: the Sense 2 has the same issue, is made of poorer quality material, and they removed some functions (including Google assistant)... get a Garmin or Samsung. Or Apple if that's your thing.

An excellent watch with useful features!

This is a fine watch with useful features. In that respect it is much like my Withings, which I also bought at Best Buy. I have worn both at the same time on either arm and compared their readings and initially found that the FitBit seems to count more steps than does my Withings. The same is true with calories burned. Hmmmm...After a couple of weeks the FitBit seemed to "learn" my movements and began to come closer to the Withings, which I have owned and used a bit longer and even the sleep measurements are closer in their measurements now.Pulse rate varies wildly with both watches and seems dependent upon the placement of the watch on your forearm/wrist. The FitBit has a Weather feature that is nice. Via the GPS on my Motorola phone (also purchased at Best ... MoreThis is a fine watch with useful features. In that respect it is much like my Withings, which I also bought at Best Buy. I have worn both at the same time on either arm and compared their readings and initially found that the FitBit seems to count more steps than does my Withings. The same is true with calories burned. Hmmmm...After a couple of weeks the FitBit seemed to "learn" my movements and began to come closer to the Withings, which I have owned and used a bit longer and even the sleep measurements are closer in their measurements now.Pulse rate varies wildly with both watches and seems dependent upon the placement of the watch on your forearm/wrist. The FitBit has a Weather feature that is nice. Via the GPS on my Motorola phone (also purchased at Best Buy,,,A trend is beginning to show, LOL!) and will keep track of at least two geographical areas. Home and work or wherever I happen to go throughout my day. It was reading Celsius until I changed it in the Application on my phone.I am very pleased with all aspects of the FitBit except the battery life which is roughly a week. Compared to the Withings 30 days, that is a bit weak but overall both watches have their + and - factors and are more than adequate for my needs and I think my needs are honest and reasonable: Accurate time and date, BPM pulse rate, calories burned and given my age (I am a seasoned citizen!), the ECG found on both watches.You can also enter into the Application on your phone how much water you have drank throughout your day and there is an entry for food consumed. I have used the water feature but not the one for food. Perhaps one day but I tend to eat the same items every day and as such find it unnecessary.The Exercise mode on the FitBit is quite useful and I primarily use the weight training feature as I have been a physical culturist (a healthy bodybuilder!) for decades now and it keeps track of my pulse, time training and steps. The goal for my pusle is 100 BPM and I rarely make that but it could be my heart is more efficient that some folks my age?The charging cable is rather short so I will be looking for a longer one soon. Also, the FitBit and the Withings both seen to collect sweat and dirt on the underside of their bands and the watch body, so be certain to keep them clean as the backside of the watch is where the charging contacts are and they must have a clean surface to make a good connection. Both of these watches need that so this is not a negative, just a real world observation that should be noted!All in all, I recommend the FitBit without reservation, As I said, I also have and to be honest, also recommend the Withings. Both are great at what they do and I expect that with time and technology advances, features will become more accurate and when they do so I will upgrade one or both watches to fit my wants and more importantly, my needs.Trust me. I know what I'm doin' when I'm reviewin'!

Buyer Beware! Crystal cant be replaced

I purchased my Sense in November 2021 while on vacation due to my Versa3 getting wet and dying on me. I like the features and functions of the watch and app but the quality of the crystal is abysmal! I noticed my crystal was cracked last month and searched for a repair shop to replace it. Apparently no one does so I contacted Fitbit. Since the watch was out of warranty, they offered me a 35% discount to purchase another watch on their site. This excluded the new Sense 2 and Versa 4. Problem is that the original Sense and Versa 3 are not available on their site, so while a 35% discount sounds good, it is worthless. Looking through the Sense forums, this appears to be a common problem and many are unhappy with Fitbit customer service.To get less than a years use out ... MoreI purchased my Sense in November 2021 while on vacation due to my Versa3 getting wet and dying on me. I like the features and functions of the watch and app but the quality of the crystal is abysmal! I noticed my crystal was cracked last month and searched for a repair shop to replace it. Apparently no one does so I contacted Fitbit. Since the watch was out of warranty, they offered me a 35% discount to purchase another watch on their site. This excluded the new Sense 2 and Versa 4. Problem is that the original Sense and Versa 3 are not available on their site, so while a 35% discount sounds good, it is worthless. Looking through the Sense forums, this appears to be a common problem and many are unhappy with Fitbit customer service.To get less than a years use out of a watch that cost more than $200 is ridiculous. I don't abuse my watches and have been wearing one for over 60 years. This is the first time I have had a crystal crack in all those years and I can't pinpoint when it happened...just seemed to appear one day. One woman on the forum said that hers cracked while she was sleeping.

Fitbit, it’s over! I’m ending this.

Too many issues for the given price point.1. Very short battery life (even when not in use for days). I usually got about 4 days of active use before I could put off charging for fear it would die in the middle of the next day. The battery would only reach 6 days if I hadn’t used it for 6 days.2. Difficult to charge.Fitbit is very aware that their poorly designed charger is faulty but they’re fine still selling it so you can waste your time trying to get it to charge. Could never be sure if the Fitbit was charging and drove myself crazy and wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. It wasn’t me. It was the charger, which now doesn’t work at all because pins are stuck pushed in. This Fitbit has to be charged way too often to be ... MoreToo many issues for the given price point.1. Very short battery life (even when not in use for days). I usually got about 4 days of active use before I could put off charging for fear it would die in the middle of the next day. The battery would only reach 6 days if I hadn’t used it for 6 days.2. Difficult to charge.Fitbit is very aware that their poorly designed charger is faulty but they’re fine still selling it so you can waste your time trying to get it to charge. Could never be sure if the Fitbit was charging and drove myself crazy and wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. It wasn’t me. It was the charger, which now doesn’t work at all because pins are stuck pushed in. This Fitbit has to be charged way too often to be accompanied with a faulty charger.I will be requesting a replacement charger from Fitbit. Then I am passing along this crap to someone else and will let them know what they’re getting.3. Uncomfortable due to sizeUnfortunately, if you want all the health info available, you have to settle for one of the giant Fitbits. Couldn’t find a way to make it comfortable on my smaller wrists. I loved my Alta and hung on to it for a long time due to its size. Even went back to my more comfortable Alta after trying 2 newer Fitbit models. Then finally purchased the Sense and had to take it off several times a day because it was just too uncomfortable. Was never able to obtain a sleep score. I couldn’t sleep with it for the consecutive number of days required.4. Fitbit PremiumMeh! I like the challenges. Notifications don’t always work properly. You should be able to easily access the videos on a big screen. It just isn’t motivating trying to follow along on your phone.Going to explore other fitness tracker brands. Plan to make a purchase today.

Frustrating to use this watch.

Like many others here, I have found the button on the left side of the bezel much to sensitive to accidental input. I have only to flex my wrist and the watch is in exercise/GPS mode for no reason. This happens several times a day, and as a result, my exercise activity is inaccurate, my BMR is incorrect, and I have several GPS maps of my home to delete daily. I have had this watch for a little over a year and despite losing a great deal of weight, this is still problematic even with a very normal BMI. I thought it would resolve with less tissue near the switch. It hasn't. I get less than 36 hours of battery life.A second problem is the EKG function. I am a retired critical care nurse and because part of the reason I wear the Sense is to monitor my intermittent ... MoreLike many others here, I have found the button on the left side of the bezel much to sensitive to accidental input. I have only to flex my wrist and the watch is in exercise/GPS mode for no reason. This happens several times a day, and as a result, my exercise activity is inaccurate, my BMR is incorrect, and I have several GPS maps of my home to delete daily. I have had this watch for a little over a year and despite losing a great deal of weight, this is still problematic even with a very normal BMI. I thought it would resolve with less tissue near the switch. It hasn't. I get less than 36 hours of battery life.A second problem is the EKG function. I am a retired critical care nurse and because part of the reason I wear the Sense is to monitor my intermittent A-fib, I like to be able to read the EKG waveform as it is happening, as I've done for over 30 years. When one starts the EKG function, the timer face is directly over the center of the waveform-so I'm trying to catch the baseline, P and QRS complexes as it moves from left to right. Just frustrating!I like the sleep monitoring function. I have a history of sleep apnea, part of the reason for my deliberate weight loss. It has been helpful monitoring my SpO2 levels to see if there are excessive or abnormal variations. I'll be losing the CPAP and this is something I want to continue to monitor. But it will be with a different watch. I am looking the Garmin Venu 2s. Hopefully I won't be needing to charge it every day or have the battery die in the middle of the night.And about monitoring the battery-There needs to be an icon on the watch itself showing how much battery life is left! I have the watch on me, but the phone is either in my purse or in another part of the house.

Great upgrade from a FitBit Versa

I wore a Fitbit Versa (v1) for about 4 or 5 years and loved it. Finally, the battery started not to hold a charge and needed to upgrade. At that higher price of the Sense I looked at the Apple Watch and others but came back to FitBit mainly because of the battery life. I do really like some of the new features. It seems like the sleep monitor is more accurate as is the exercise monitor. Having built-in GPS is also really helpful for Hikes where I may not take my phone with me. Battery life is about 5 to 6 days depending on how I use it (obviously the always-on display does impact battery, but still 3+ days). FitBit Pay works well and I was able to setup two Debit Cards from some not so well-known banks which I worried about. It is just a hair bigger than my old ... MoreI wore a Fitbit Versa (v1) for about 4 or 5 years and loved it. Finally, the battery started not to hold a charge and needed to upgrade. At that higher price of the Sense I looked at the Apple Watch and others but came back to FitBit mainly because of the battery life. I do really like some of the new features. It seems like the sleep monitor is more accurate as is the exercise monitor. Having built-in GPS is also really helpful for Hikes where I may not take my phone with me. Battery life is about 5 to 6 days depending on how I use it (obviously the always-on display does impact battery, but still 3+ days). FitBit Pay works well and I was able to setup two Debit Cards from some not so well-known banks which I worried about. It is just a hair bigger than my old Versa and I did add a screen protector which I needed as I am pretty hard on the body of the watch. Overall I am very happy with the watch. My only complaint is the Haptic button is not great but I have gotten used to it. I can see why they have gone back to a real button in the new version, but once you get using the haptic button is works fine. It was just a little odd at first. I don't use the ECG stuff much but it seemed to work when I tested it. Oh finally I connected with my iPhone for calls and the other night I was clearing snow off my truck after work and my cell was already in my truck and I got a call that I had to take. I was so impressed with how clear the call was coming from my Sense and the caller said I was clear to them too. It was blowing and snowing and honestly, it was perfect to be able to answer the call in a pinch and complete the call without stopping what I was doing.

Nikki's review of Fitbit Sense Health Smartwatch - Sage Grey/Silver

Pros: I wanted to upgrade from my charge 4 and I’m not disappointed. The screen is a good side, the brightness is great even in sunlight and it’s got some great options for additional apps and clock faces. Some great shortcuts to things you use regularly, the apps for the calendar and weather are very useful. It’s a great upgrade from the charge series and the ability to see messages and take calls on the sense is just a brilliant feature. You cant reply to messages you receive on the sense but being the watch and your phone needs to be close over Bluetooth connection anyway who would need to reply from the sense? The ecg feature was a big plus I’m yet to try that out. And Fitbit pay is handy to use in future via the sense. Overall I’m delighted with this as an ... MorePros: I wanted to upgrade from my charge 4 and I’m not disappointed. The screen is a good side, the brightness is great even in sunlight and it’s got some great options for additional apps and clock faces. Some great shortcuts to things you use regularly, the apps for the calendar and weather are very useful. It’s a great upgrade from the charge series and the ability to see messages and take calls on the sense is just a brilliant feature. You cant reply to messages you receive on the sense but being the watch and your phone needs to be close over Bluetooth connection anyway who would need to reply from the sense? The ecg feature was a big plus I’m yet to try that out. And Fitbit pay is handy to use in future via the sense. Overall I’m delighted with this as an alternative to picking an Apple Watch. There are so many options and apps to choose from and the link to Fitbit app makes everything so easy.Cons: I bought protection insurance for this as I researched online and found Fitbit cannot often do much with regard to any potential problems with the sense? Repairs or replacement can be difficult, so my own 3 year insurance covers this. I spent out on some good screen covers too as it’s much easier to scratch the screen with such a bigger surface area that the charge 4 I had. But those covers are cheap and don’t affect the responsiveness of the screen much at all. Seems I can’t swipe left very easy on this screen, and though could be the screen protector, I just can’t seem to get the right pressure. So the side button comes to my rescue.

Several steps behind the competition

I purchased this for my wife to replace her Apple Watch series 6. She had some issues with the Apple Watch screen and wanted to try out the Fitbit, but after just one weekend returned it. Bottom line: For fitness tracking it just doesn't hold up to Apple's algorithms.She really wanted to like this watch, but unless you are walking with your hands free it can't calculate the steps, so forget about putting it in a walk mode and pushing a stroller or shopping cart. Apple's algorithms can be adjusted to compute this when in "outdoor exercise" mode.Furthermore, my wife noticed that it was less accurate with heart rate monitoring. She knows her typical resting heartrate and this watch's systems detected it as noticeably faster, even when at rest. She actually took it ... MoreI purchased this for my wife to replace her Apple Watch series 6. She had some issues with the Apple Watch screen and wanted to try out the Fitbit, but after just one weekend returned it. Bottom line: For fitness tracking it just doesn't hold up to Apple's algorithms.She really wanted to like this watch, but unless you are walking with your hands free it can't calculate the steps, so forget about putting it in a walk mode and pushing a stroller or shopping cart. Apple's algorithms can be adjusted to compute this when in "outdoor exercise" mode.Furthermore, my wife noticed that it was less accurate with heart rate monitoring. She knows her typical resting heartrate and this watch's systems detected it as noticeably faster, even when at rest. She actually took it herself one evening and found the watch to be about 20 bpm faster than her actual heartrate.Another use that was important to her was having a second hand as she sometimes needs one to time patients at work. She had to hunt to find a watch face with a second hand.One thing that my wife did like was the longer battery life, but this was not enough to compensate for the deficiencies.

Too many flaws especially for the price

Even for serious Fitbit fans the Sense makes little sense, especially at its $300 price point, As a smartwatch the Sense is laggy, often loses connection to its paired phone, has very few apps beyond watch faces (many of which are extra cost) and has very limited options for music. Voice assistant works about half the time due to lost connection with paired phone, and it is far too easy to accidentally trigger the side 'button' but oddly difficult to trigger it intentionally. Fitbit pay works with fewer banks than Apple Pay or Samsung pay.As a fitness tracker it has a very unreliable heart rate monitor (often wildly varying from actual heart rate), its SpO2 monitor cannot be viewed on demand. Exerciae autodetection is unreliable, and it has fewer activity types ... MoreEven for serious Fitbit fans the Sense makes little sense, especially at its $300 price point, As a smartwatch the Sense is laggy, often loses connection to its paired phone, has very few apps beyond watch faces (many of which are extra cost) and has very limited options for music. Voice assistant works about half the time due to lost connection with paired phone, and it is far too easy to accidentally trigger the side 'button' but oddly difficult to trigger it intentionally. Fitbit pay works with fewer banks than Apple Pay or Samsung pay.As a fitness tracker it has a very unreliable heart rate monitor (often wildly varying from actual heart rate), its SpO2 monitor cannot be viewed on demand. Exerciae autodetection is unreliable, and it has fewer activity types than Apple Watch. The EDA scan seems like a gimmick. Skin temperature is also not available on demand and can only be seen in a nightly average. Sleep tracking is not consistent either.Finally, some of its most insightful data (including health data) and fitness features (like challenges) are only available with Fitbit Premium which increaes the total cost of the watch significantly.It isnt all bad. The battery life is much better than other similar smartwatches and I ¹it charges quickly with a smart charger design. There are some very nice watch faces. The Band replacement mechanism is very clever and easy to use. It looks premium with stainless steel bezel and a pleasing screen.If the Sense was $199 it would be easier to overlook some of these flaws but for $300 Apple and Samsung both offer superior options. If you like the fitbit ecosystem the Charge 4 offers simular capabilities to the Sense for less than half the price (no ecg or color screen) and if you want a more robust smartwatch Samsung and Apple have superiority.