Apple Watch Series 6 vs. Fitbit Sense: Top smartwatches go head to head

The Apple Watch Collection 6 and Fitbit Sense are high smartwatches that may assist regulate your fitness ranges and act as a cellphone different in your wrist. Each even have an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG — Apple makes use of ECG) app, monitor exercises, sleep and blood oxygen ranges, however they’re completely different in the way in which they go about doing this stuff. That will help you determine which is best for you, I’ve in contrast them on every little thing from health monitoring to battery life and total efficiency.

In case you have an Android cellphone, the Fitbit is your solely possibility, however each work with iOS gadgets, making the choice trickier in case you have an iPhone. After two weeks of sporting these watches, I can inform you that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all possibility. If you need the most effective total smartwatch, with seamless health monitoring and security options, get the $399 (£379, AU$599) Apple Watch. If you need probably the most sturdy sleep monitoring, temperature sensor and the most effective battery life, get the $329 (£299, AU$499) Fitbit Sense.

Lexy Savvides/CNET

The most recent Apple Watch has a strong set of health monitoring options, an FDA-cleared ECG, blood oxygen monitoring and all of the responsiveness you may need from a smartwatch. It is also the higher possibility if you happen to want built-in LTE to make use of your watch with out your iPhone close by.

Read the Apple Watch review.

Lexy Savvides/CNET

The Fitbit Sense additionally affords an FDA-cleared ECG, sturdy sleep monitoring, a temperature sensor and a stress monitoring sensor. In contrast to the Apple Watch, it additionally works with Android, has loads of third-party watch faces to select from, and affords the higher battery lifetime of the 2 watches.

Read the Fitbit Sense review.

Each are snug to put on, with acquainted designs

The Collection 6 appears to be like like each different Apple Watch that has come earlier than it, with a sq. face obtainable in two sizes (both 40 or 44mm) plus a digital crown and aspect button. The Sense appears to be like like a higher-end Versa and is available in only one 40mm measurement with a stainless-steel rim across the sq. face, however as a substitute of a bodily button, it has an indentation on the aspect that vibrates when pressed and can be utilized to regulate the display screen. Whereas the Fitbit is bodily bigger than the 40mm Apple Watch, the precise display screen measurement is just a hair larger than the Apple Watch due to the bezels. The Apple Watch additionally has bezels across the display screen, though they’re slimmer than these on the Sense.

Every watch has a shade, always-on display screen that is simple to see in broad daylight, though I discovered the Apple Watch takes the sting for total brightness when glancing down at my wrist throughout an outside exercise. 

The Sense has many extra watch faces to select from than the Apple Watch, together with third-party ones. Nevertheless, you may additional customise some Apple Watch faces to incorporate issues, that are just like shortcuts: They’ll show data resembling climate or calendar appointments at a look. Each even have completely different colours and {hardware} finishes to select from.

Straps on each are simple to swap out and in with fast launch buttons and you may change up the look with all kinds of bands together with leather-based, woven and silicone choices.

Fitbit has added sensors, however it’s possible you’ll not want them

Every watch can scan for potential indicators of a coronary heart situation known as atrial fibrillation or aFib with their ECG apps. Place your finger on the digital crown for 30 seconds on the Apple Watch, when you place your index and thumb on the alternative corners of the Fitbit Sense for a similar period of time to take a studying. 

You possibly can share outcomes from each along with your physician. See the place the ECG is available around the world on the Apple Watch and on the Fitbit Sense. Every watch also can monitor for indicators of excessive or low coronary heart charge and notify you accordingly.

Each also can monitor SpO2, or blood oxygen saturation, when you sleep. Test ranges within the Well being app in your iPhone for the Apple Watch, or await the Fitbit to calculate your nightly common on the SpO2 watch-face about an hour after waking up. It is also displayed within the sleep part throughout the Fitbit app as a graph, however will solely present variations all through the night time and never actual percentages. The Apple Watch additionally enables you to take a spot test of SpO2 and takes background readings all through the day — the Fitbit would not have an on-demand studying. Neither one in all these watches are meant for use as medical gadgets and might not be as correct as a standard pulse oximeter which is what docs use to measure SpO2. 

Fitbit’s watch has two extra sensors that the Apple Watch lacks: a temperature sensor that measures variations in pores and skin temperature all through the night time, and an EDA or electrodermal exercise sensor that makes use of sweat to find out stress ranges. Adjustments in baseline temperature (like what’s monitored with the Sense) can point out quite a few completely different situations just like the onset of a fever or modifications in menstrual cycle. 

However as attention-grabbing as having all this information is, stress detection on the Sense specifically appears extra like a piece in progress than a completely fledged well being characteristic in the meanwhile. To take a measurement you first place your palm over the watch face for two minutes whereas the EDA sensor analyzes sweat ranges. The watch then makes use of this metric, together with sleep, exercise and coronary heart charge variability information to calculate a stress rating that can provide you perception into how your physique responds to emphasize. The issue is the Sense would not offer you any indication of what to do with a excessive or low stress administration rating, like getting extra sleep or holding off on a strenuous exercise. There are some guided meditations within the Fitbit app, however I am undecided how efficient they have been at decreasing my stress ranges. 

To entry these guided meditations, in addition to guided exercises, extra nuanced well being information sleep and temperature variations you will have to pay $10 a month for a Fitbit Premium account. Apple will quickly roll out its $10 a month Health Plus service that provides exercise lessons to solid in your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV and sync on to your Apple Watch.

Each additionally supply native sleep monitoring, however the Fitbit Sense has much more information about your sleep than the Apple Watch. Premium subscribers can get a breakdown of their sleep levels — like deep, REM and lightweight — respiration charge, SpO2 and temperature variations culminating in a sleep rating within the morning. The Apple Watch focuses extra on establishing a wholesome bedtime routine and largely appears to be like at length of sleep which reveals intervals of awake time throughout the night time in addition to coronary heart charge and SpO2 information. 

The Apple Watch additionally has a fall detection characteristic that may name emergency companies and contacts if you happen to stay immobile after a tough fall. It additionally has noise degree alerts, irregular coronary heart charge alerts, VO2 max measurements and mobility metrics. And it is also the one one you can doubtlessly give to children or aged family to regulate their each day well being information with Family Setup.

Nice health trackers, however HR is extra correct on the Apple Watch

Every watch has a spread of various workouts that it may possibly monitor, on high of normal metrics like steps and energy. The Apple Watch has over 40 completely different exercises to select from whereas Fitbit has over 20 obtainable that cowl all the primary choices. Each watches additionally robotically detect sure exercises together with walks and runs, so that you get credit score in your effort even if you happen to neglect to start out a exercise manually. They’re additionally waterproof, permitting them to trace swims.

Each have built-in GPS so you may monitor the route of your out of doors exercises with out bringing your cellphone, however the Sense takes round 10 seconds to amass a sign outside whereas the Apple Watch is inside 1 to 2 seconds. I did a 4-kilometer out of doors run on each and the space and route have been just about the identical after I in contrast the Sense and Apple Watch outcomes on a map.

The Sense additionally reveals you coronary heart charge zones resembling cardio, fats burn and peak, on the display screen in actual time. It could actually buzz as you enter completely different coronary heart charge zones, which can be useful if you happen to’re making an attempt to coach at a specific depth. 

Nevertheless, after I in contrast the center charge monitoring on the Apple Watch and Sense for an outside run in opposition to a chest strap, the usual for the sort of metric throughout exercises, I observed the Apple Watch stored up whereas the Sense typically lagged behind by about 20 to 30 beats per minute. After round 10 to fifteen minutes, the Sense caught as much as the strap’s readings.

After your exercise, the watches break down your metrics in both the iPhone Health app (Apple Watch), or the Fitbit app (Sense). I really like how clearly the Fitbit app presents your exercise information, together with splits and coronary heart charge zones. The Apple Watch solely provides you your vary, splits and coronary heart charge on a graph reasonably than breaking it down into zones.

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The Apple Watch has more smart features 

While the Fitbit focuses on health tracking, the Apple Watch is the better package if you also want a designated smartwatch. You’ll get more third-party apps, much tighter integration with the iPhone and faster performance overall. On the Fitbit Sense, even minor tasks like changing watch faces or syncing apps can take 30 seconds or more to complete, whereas on the Apple Watch it’s almost instantaneous.

Responding to notifications or text messages is easy on the Apple Watch: dictate, send a quick canned response, or scribble on the keyboard. You can also take calls from your wrist because the mic and speaker are decent quality. If you have an iPhone, the Sense won’t let you respond to notifications, but if you’re on Android you can either send a quick response or dictate a message. The same goes for phone calls — only Android users can make or answer calls from their wrist with the Sense as long as it’s in range of the phone. 

The Apple Watch is the only one that has an LTE option for $100 more than the Wi-Fi only model (it costs $499 in the US) to take calls and stay connected without your phone nearby.

Each has the option to use a voice assistant: Siri on the Apple Watch, or Alexa on the Fitbit Sense. Google Assistant support is coming at some stage on the Sense, although at the time of this review it hasn’t been activated on my watch. Put simply, Siri can do a lot more on the Apple Watch than Alexa on the Sense, like start a workout, send a text message or start a timer. Alexa is limited in what it can do, and it’s a lot slower, but it does let you control smart home devices if you have any. The Apple Watch also lets you control smart home devices with Siri.

Finally, you can’t store your own music on the Fitbit Sense. Instead, you’re limited to downloading music for offline listening from Deezer or Pandora with a premium subscription. The Apple Watch on the other hand lets you store your own music (it has 32GB of storage) or download music from Apple Music for offline listening with a subscription.

Battery life is a clear win for the Fitbit Sense

With notifications from your phone, sleep tracking and the always-on display active, I was able to get a day and change out of the 40mm Apple Watch Series 6. You’ll need at least 30% battery remaining to track your sleep, so you’ll probably need to charge this watch every day to keep it topped up, unless you turn off the always-on display which can extend the battery life to almost two days. 

The Fitbit Sense lasts two full days with notifications, always-on display and sleep tracking and  can extend it to almost 5 full days by turning off the always-on display.

Each watch charges with a proprietary magnetic puck that snaps on to the back. The Apple Watch charger is forwards and backwards-compatible with earlier Apple Watches, while the Fitbit Sense charger is designed specifically for the watch (so you can’t use earlier Fitbit chargers from the Versa, for example, with the Sense). Both charge to 100% in about an hour and a half. 

Which is the better smartwatch?

The Apple Watch is the stronger overall smartwatch that blends fitness tracking with an ECG and SpO2 sensor, but only if you have an iPhone. The Fitbit Sense has a lot to offer for Android users, specifically if you want an ECG, robust sleep tracking and are intrigued by stress and temperature tracking.

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