Review | Fitbit Sense 2: a smartwatch that stumbles

Fitbit is a well-known brand of aptitude and technology. Or rather, as its founder and CEO, James Park, put it, a “digital health company”. In 2019, they were crowned the fifth largest digital apparel or accessories company in the world, with over 120 million items sold in over 100 countries. Also that year, Fitbit was acquired by Google, in a tightly regulated purchase over access to personal data held by the company. Today, they have a varied portfolio of smart wearables dedicated to health.

Exactly, Sense is his line of smart watches which rolls more on the side of the aptitude that the design, its physical activity counter and its body monitoring software being its best feature, in addition to having, natively, compatibility with Google Wallet for wireless payments, and Alexa, the digital assistant of Amazon (and not with the Google platform? Curious).

In mid-2021, we reviewed the first iteration of this line on these same pages. We highlighted it as “an excellent health and stress monitor” and that, except for the details, it was a very good alternative for those who wanted to have a discreet but very detailed smartwatch in the delivery of information personal, thanks to a series of innovative measurement sensors. .

I would even say that at the time, the Fitbit Sense was an ambitious model. The Sense 2 certainly brings some new features, but not much more either. In reality, the impression remains of having rested on its laurels. Or that, more than a smartwatch, we are facing a wearable health meter prime.

In this sense, despite the price range, there is not really any reason to compare this type of smart watch with an Apple, Samsung or Garmin. This is another category (hybrid?), of more or less average range in terms of functionality and design, which for a certain segment of users can be very attractive as a more discreet gateway. Although its price means otherwise.

In addition, there are other important details that hold the splendor of the Sense 2 and that prevent recommending it at all. Let’s take a closer look.

• Dimensions : 40.5 x 40.5 x 11.2mm.
• lester : 37.6 grams. (without leash)
• Filter : OLED 1.58″
• Raincoat : 5 ATM (up to 50 meters)
• sensors : Accelerometer / Altimeter / Ambient light / ECG / Cardiac MBitpr / SpO2 / Skin and temperature monitoring
• connectivity : Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
• GPS : Yes (GPS + GLONASS)
• While speaking : Yeah
• Microphone : Yeah
• Battery : Up to six days of battery life (depending on the manufacturer)

In the box we can find the watch itself, which is nothing more than a 40 millimeter square with rounded edges which, to be honest, does not look very attractive, beyond the fact that it comes in three colors (black, silver and gold). It’s a matter of taste, but personally I prefer the smart watches which are similar in size to traditional wristwatches.

But that wasn’t the case: the Sense 2 felt too small on the wrist to be really comfortable. Charging cable and strap are also included.

With the latter, there was a specific problem. The strap that came in the box just didn’t work for me. Fortunately, the pack we tested came with an extra box with straps. There we save However, the new bracelet was different: instead of silicone, it was made of a thin, patterned vegan leather. I liked the other one much better, although it didn’t shut me down, it looked more comfortable and sophisticated.

Unlike the first Sense, this one comes with a physical button on its left side, which is welcome. It’s a power button which allows, in addition to turning it on, to grant it a personalized shortcut, either to start a routine or to enter the settings and activities of the day.

Other than that, we don’t see much innovation compared to the previous model, where basically the same design, weight and size features are retained, with a 1.58-inch touchscreen, i.e. i.e. smaller than an Apple Watch or smartphone. smart watch traditional, but bigger than a smart band.

Behind it we have a cEDA sensor that constantly monitors body activity. Everything is a bit more polished and thinner than before (the Fitbit Sense 2 is just 11.2mm thick). This spartan and ultra-light design – it weighs only 38 grams, or 12 grams less than the previous Sense – has the advantage of not being felt during the day, and at night of being able to sleep with it without major discomfort. Something that is recommended, as the Sense includes a very good tracker sleep cycles. Of course, for this it is necessary to have a premium subscription (which the purchase includes for only six months).

After the initial issue with the strap, I have to say the fit was comfortable and light. The OLED screen, keeping the same size, is still a bit small to display all the information. Some screw-tightening they gave to the native software – the Fitbit OS – is reminiscent of some dynamics of Wear OS, Google’s operating system, although nothing about how it worked was very complex.

Its automatic brightness works quite well, it adjusts quickly and allows you to see the screen even in direct sunlight. Although it can be adjusted manually, the automatic adjustment is convenient because it saves battery power.

We slide from above and we have settings, battery life and other customizations. Different information boxes appear when you swipe it sideways and only notification visibility, when you swipe it up. Limited for your expense, if you hurry me.

After the corresponding customization, first through the app from the mobile phone, then through the clock settings, the first thing I looked for was to associate it with a music service — like Spotify, Deezer or Apple Music — so you can comfortably control it from the clock, like most smart watches let them. But after a fruitless search, I realized that there was simply nothing about it.

That is, the Sense 2 is not able to have a music manager, neither native nor third-party, to control the songs we want to listen to. Very strange, because the system does not have an application store, except for the possibility of changing the clock face.

I also wanted to change the time display format, to 24 hour mode, but I couldn’t find the section to do so. Curious.

Another detail: pairing the device with iOS was much easier than with Android. In this last operating system, I tried to pair it with two phones of different brands, and in both the same problem occurred: the connection with the Bluetooth of the device failed. On the iPhone, on the other hand, the installation was done in the blink of an eye. One more point against.

Then came the issue of notifications. Many consumers worry about the possible number of notifications they may receive on their watches, sometimes endless. That’s understandable, but note that pretty much every system lets you customize this to only give you access to certain apps, in addition to phone calls.

After giving myself the task of choosing each of the applications, during the day I noticed that the notifications generally arrived quite late. Nothing special, perhaps, but the Sense 2 also doesn’t allow much interaction with them, other than deleting them. The theme clever here is something waiting

Regarding the activation and measurement of physical activity, there were no problems. He software it is user-friendly and varied, with the possibility of measuring all the measures imaginable and having a detailed report of these, whether it is the daily jogging or the sleep cycles of the user. It also has a varied gallery of sports and physical activity metrics, and the ability to have continuous daily stress tracking.

In general, all measurement sections work very well and with great detail, especially topics related to stress, sleep and daily mood management, either with direct notifications or summaries.

At this point, after the strong performance of the original model, one would expect a new generation to have more noticeable improvements. But no: the battery has more or less the same lifespan as the original, which translates to almost a week of “normal” use. Because when you use GPS or mode always on —with the screen always on— the battery drains much faster.

Not like the others smart watches, the screen cannot be turned off with the already universal gesture of placing the palm of the hand on it. The only way to restore black to the glass is to make the gesture of looking at the time but upside down, a sort of twist something awkward and strange wrist.

The total charge didn’t exceed two hours from its charging cradle, although in my experience I found myself needing to recharge the watch on the fourth day of use. True, the battery was not completely drained, but it had already reached 20% with the mode always on activated. So, considering all of its benefits, we’d say the battery life isn’t as remarkable as it used to be.

In short, an interesting alternative, with good health and sports data collection, but no more than that: it is a discreet model that does not fit with a second generation which, added to its price, should have been much more attractive in its proposal.

Almost two years after its first iteration, Fitbit presents its Sense 2 with few innovations compared to the original model. Resting on its laurels meant the rest of the industry was catching up. So what the Sense 2 offers today is very, very similar to, if not less than, what many other brands in the range can offer.

not a bad thing smart watch, but its high price is not compatible with the advantages or the design that one would expect to obtain in this range and these characteristics. Especially from a second generation. Let’s be honest: it was a disappointment.

Note: ⭐⭐⭐★★

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of February 21, 2023. Values ​​and availability may change.