Best Fitbit
- sep
- 20
There are many Fitbits, and finding one that's right for you is easy. But the Charge 2 is the best Fitbit for most people.
Fitbit is an interesting company. Like Apple, it keeps a number of its products on the market after the new ones have been announced. In this case, however, Fitbit still sells some of the very first trackers it introduced more than five years ago. And why not? The idea of counting your steps and quantifying your life is still the foremost value proposition of wearing a Fitbit.
Best overall
Fitbit Charge 2
The Fitbit Charge 2 is the best Fitbit for more people (and the best fitness tracker in general) because it does almost everything well, and is comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Like all Fitbit products, it tracks steps, sleep and, if you want, workouts, but the Charge 2 does it in style. Not only does it improve upon its predecessor with a relatively high-density OLED display, but because it's not a touchscreen, it will operate properly when wet or sweaty. Its always-on heart rate sensor is accurate, and doesn't eat into the battery, which, in our tests, lasted longer than the the advertised five days.
Bottom line: The Fitbit Charge 2 strikes the right balance of style, performance, accuracy, features, and price, and is the best option for those who don't require smart watch features.
One more thing: It may not be a smartwatch, but the Charge 2 can display incoming call and text notifications from the iPhone.
Why the Fitbit Charge 2 is the best
I've often heard that people love their Fitbits — until they break, or stop working. It's often something to do with the band, or the charger, or both, and with the Charge 2, Fitbit is addressing those two major issues.
The Charge 2 tracks steps, sleep, workouts and food through its excellent iOS app, automatically adding them to the cloud through a sustained Bluetooth connection that, like the heart rate monitor, doesn't seem to negatively affect battery life. But the main improvements in the Charge 2 come from the replaceable straps, which range from sporty rubber to elegant leather and stainless steel, along with the much more robust claw charger — of which I was admittedly skeptical at first.
It also lasts more than the company's advertised five days of battery life, going as long as seven days in my tests. And while it's not totally waterproof, it never balked at my sweaty fingers or wrist after a workout, and a damp cloth cleaned the top and bottom of the core charger with no ill effects. And how 'bout those workouts? The Charge 2 accurately detected walking, running and biking, and let me easily correct it when it couldn't tell my downward dog was a poor attempt at yoga.
For most people, the Charge 2 will be sufficient on its own, but for those who want to dress it up, the leather bands are lovely, and not too expensive.
Best for runners
Fitbit Surge
The Fitbit Surge may not be the best-looking product in the company's lineup, but it has one major advantage none of the others do: a GPS chip. Specifically, the Surge, which has an enormous battery that lasts more than seven days when the GPS isn't engaged (and 10 hours when it is), can be used to track long runs without a phone, uploading accurate location data to the iOS app.
Like the Charge 2, the Surge 2 opts for a non-touch monochrome OLED panel that is navigated through the three buttons on the side. Its heart rate monitor is always on, tracking resting and peak heart rates throughout the day and during workouts, and is super comfortable to wear despite its relatively large size.
At $249.95, the Fitbit Surge goes up against proper training wearables from TomTom, Polar, and Garmin, but has one major advantage: its iOS app, which is far ahead of anything from those companies. And like the Charge 2, the Surge's screen can show text messages and notifications, and control supported music apps straight from the wrist.
Bottom line: A phenomenal fitness wearable for long-distance athletes and marathoners.
One more thing: The Surge has been constantly updated since its release two years ago, and I expect that trend will continue.
Best for beginners
Fitbit Flex 2
The Flex 2 is Fitbit's sequel to its most popular fitness band ever, and it's a huge improvement in almost every way. It still doesn't have a display — five LEDs, now colored, convey the number of steps taken during a day — but it is waterproof, allowing (for the first time) a Fitbit to be used while swimming.
While the Flex 2 is still a tiny module that fits into a small "pouch" in a replaceable band, Fitbit has augmented the standard rubber sports bands with metal bangle and necklace options, giving the wearable an aesthetic diversity it lacked in the previous version. And then there are the standard features: step and exercise tracking; sleep tracking; reminders to move every hour; and automatic synchronization to an excellent iOS, along with ample five-day battery. All it lacks is a heart rate monitor.
At just under $100, the Flex 2 is a great way to get indoctrinated into Fitbit's excellent ecosystem and popular social network, and is comfortable to wear all day. Even better, even though it supports call and text notifications (though without a screen you can't see who it is or what they're saying), it can be worn alongside another smartwatch or analog timepiece. Best of both worlds.
Bottom line: A fantastic entry into the fitness wearable world, and one of the best deals around.
One more thing: Flex 2 is the first Fitbit that's completely waterproof, so you can wear it in the shower or take it swimming.
Best for smartwatch fans
Fitbit Blaze
Not quite a smartwatch, not quite a fitness wearable, the Blaze is Fitbit's attempt at a "smart fitness watch," and it mostly works. It's the only Fitbit with a color capacitive touchscreen, and though you won't be downloading apps and games like you can with the Apple Watch, there's enough functionality built in to satisfy most people.
Like the Charge 2, the Blaze offers replaceable straps in all sorts of materials, from rubber to nylon to leather and stainless steel. Its five-day battery life, which is more than double most smartwatches, is what will get you in the door, but Fitbit's excellent FitStar guides workouts (a company it bought a few years ago) will keep you coming back every day.
Bottom line: A great almost-smartwatch at a price below most real smartwatches.
One more thing: The Blaze's leather and metal replacement straps are of very high quality and are definitely worth a look.
Best overall
Fitbit Charge 2
The Fitbit Charge 2 is the best Fitbit for more people (and the best fitness tracker in general) because it does almost everything well, and is comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Like all Fitbit products, it tracks steps, sleep and, if you want, workouts, but the Charge 2 does it in style. Not only does it improve upon its predecessor with a relatively high-density OLED display, but because it's not a touchscreen it will operate properly when wet or sweaty. Its always-on heart rate sensor is accurate, and doesn't eat into the battery, which in our tests lasted longer than the the advertised five days.
Bottom line: The Fitbit Charge 2 strikes the right balance of style, performance, accuracy, features, and price, and is the best option for those who don't require smart watch features.
One more thing: It may not be a smartwatch, but the Charge 2 can display incoming call and text notifications from the iPhone.