Fitbit Sense 2 review: Excellent health watch
(Pocket-lint) - Fitbit offers multiple devices in its recently updated portfolio, but it's the new Sense 2 that sits at the top of proceedings. There's arguably the Google Pixel Watch too, which has some Fitbit features built in, but if you want all the features that Fitbit itself has to offer, it's the Sense 2 that will give you them.
It succeeds the original Fitbit Sense with a new design, physical button and a couple of extra features - whilst also removing a couple too. But is Fitbit Sense 2 the Fitbit to buy? Here is our full review.
Our quick take
The Fitbit Sense 2 offers a lovely simple and sophisticated design that is subtle and comfortable to wear, with a plethora of features on board. Its heart rate tracking could be faster to respond, the display could make better use of the space available and it's not the best device out there in terms of smartwatch capabilities - though more features are coming to improve this, but the Fitbit Sense 2 is excellent as a health watch.
If you want an all-rounder device that combines smartwatch and fitness features, then the Apple Watch SE or Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 are better in their delivery and have better third-party app support.
If you're after a device that tracks activity accurately, offers excellent sleep tracking and has a range of health features like superb stress tracking, with some basic smartwatch functionality, the Fitbit Sense 2 is fantastic and in a world of its own.
Design
- Rounded square or 'squircle' case design
- 40.5 x 40.5 x 12.3mm, aluminium
- 50m water resistance
- Shadow Grey/Graphite, Lunar White/Platinum, Blue Mist/Soft Gold
- Features
- Built-in GPS, Smartphone notifications, Amazon Alexa
- cEDA sensor, all day body-response tracking
- Skin temperature sensor
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
The Fitbit Sense 2 has a lovely, solid design with rounded edges, rounded corners and a rounded back. It's more streamlined than its predecessor - the Fitbit Sense - and less angles, delivering a softer approach overall.
The design is pretty much identical to the Versa 4, featuring a single physical button on the left edge and a speaker on the right edge. There's an AMOLED display that sits on the top of the device, with a bezel around the edge that features sensors within it. That means the display doesn't stretch to the edge of the casing, as you'll find on the Apple Watch Series 8 for example, so there feels like there's a lot of bezel compared to display on the Sense 2.
That said, the display on the Sense 2 is stunning. The colours really pop, and the black's are lovely and deep, delivering a lovely viewing experience overall. It's responsive too - most of the time anyway. If you have wet or sweaty hands, then it might take a few swipes, but that's the same for smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 8 too. The majority are waterproof but the reality is the touchscreens don't actually like being wet.
At the top and bottom of the Sense 2's display, there are slots for the straps built into the casing, making for a seamless design. The straps slot in with a reassuring click and are positioned in an optimal position that sees them sit flush with your wrist. There's no gap, which makes the Sense 2 lovely and comfortable to wear.
You can swap the straps out by pushing the clips on the underside of the casing towards the straps, which is very easy to do, though the clips are plastic, taking a little away from the premium feel of the rest of the device.
The Sense 2 comes in three colour options, with silicone straps as standard. There are other straps and accessories available, though the standard silicone strap is lovely and soft. It's also very secure, with a loop and fix mechanism.
On the underside of the Sense 2, there's a multitude of sensors, including an optical heart rate sensor. As mentioned above, the back of the Sense 2 is curved and the sensors sit flush with no protrusions, which wasn't the case in some older Fitbit models where the heart rate sensor was raised. Overall, the Sense 2 offers great design that is premium, waterproof, and most importantly, exceptionally comfortable.
The Fitbit Sense 2 comes with a plethora of features. As mentioned, it is the company's all-signing, all-dancing device and while the Google Pixel Watch is also part of the Fitbit portfolio, the Sense 2 is the one ticking all the health boxes.
Star of the show, is the all-day body-response tracking, which uses the cEDA sensor to help identify when your body is experiencing signs of stress. The Sense 2 will alert you when it notices a change and ask you to reflect on how you are feeling, with options such as Stressed, Sad, Excited and Calm.
There are also stress notifications, an EDA Scan app for stress management which sees you place your hand over the display - one of the reasons for the larger bezels around the screen - and there's a Stress Management Score feature too within the Fitbit app, though this needs a Fitbit Premium subscription.
Along with with stress management features, and general wellbeing features, the Sense 2 does everything else you would expect from a fitness watch too, from counting steps, distance and calories, to built-in GPS, advanced sleep tracking, blood oxygen tracking with an SpO2 sensor, and automatic exercise tracking.
There's also a skin temperature sensor, ECG app for heart rhythm assessment and call, text and app notifications, among plenty more, so the Sense 2 has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.