Fitbit offers multiple devices inits recently updated portfolio, but it’s the new Sense 2 that sits at the top of proceedings. There’s arguably theGoogle Pixel Watchtoo, 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 2theFitbit to buy? Here is our full review.
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 tothe 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 theApple Watch Series 8for 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 aFitbit 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 anSpO2 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.
Fitness and smartwatch performance
If you want asmartwatchfirst and foremost though, then the Fitbit Sense 2 isn’t the one we would recommend because while you get smartphone notifications, you can’t do a great deal with them, like you can with theApple Watch SEorSamsung Galaxy Watch 5.
You can read messages, and see calls coming through, but at the moment, you can’t answer calls or reply to messages on the Sense 2, especially not on iOS. Android users have Quick Replies but that’s not an option for iPhone users and on-wrist calls are coming soon but they aren’t here yet.
The Fitbit Sense 2 will eventually support Google Wallet and Google Maps, which will make it more useful as a smartwatch, especially asGoogle Payis more widely supported by banks thanFitbit Pay- especially in the UK - but at the time of review, these features aren’t available.Alexais supported - strangely rather thanGoogle Assistant- but this is more of a nice-to-have than an essential feature.
The Fitbit Sense 2 is a solid performer when it comes to activity tracking performance however. The Sense 2 offers a range of workouts, from the common options like walking, running and yoga to more specific workouts like Crossfit, Indoor Climbing, Kickboxing and Paddleboarding. The variety is great.
Step tracking is accurate,sleep trackingis excellent and the Sense 2 is pretty much on par with the Apple Watch Series 8 when it comes toheart rate tracking, at least it is once it gets going.
We did notice that it was a little slow to respond in the first 10 minutes of HIIT workouts, with it showing a lower heart rate than the Apple Watch Series 8 on our other wrist for the first 7-8 minutes, but after that initial period, the heart rate reading was pretty much the same, occasionally a couple of beats per minute lower.
The average heart rate reading would result in the same as the Apple Watch Series 8 after each workout though, and the top and bottom readings would be the same too - it just takes a little longer to get started in the first place.
Health features performance
While the Sense 2 may not be the perfect smartwatch mainly down to its lack of functionality compared to competing devices like the Apple Watch SE, as a health watch, it is excellent and the reason you would choose this device over a smartwatch.
Its stress monitoring feature using the cEDA sensor is spot on in our experience. It often picked up when we had felt stress throughout a day - whether that was trying to meet a certain deadline, receiving a stressful message, or trying to make a train. The thing we loved most though was that the Sense 2 encourages you to not only recognise these moments, but take action too, whether that’s a breathing session or reflecting.
As with the original Sense, you may also perform an EDA Scan on the Sense 2 and there’s an ECG app too, both of which are easy to do and give you extra data if you want it.
On the whole, there’s so much data available from the Sense 2, which is one of the best things about this device. There’s breathing rate, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, skin temperature and oxygen saturation too and you may see trends for all of them, though unlike the stress notifications, the Sense 2 won’t alert you if the trends in this other data changes.
Battery life
When it comes to battery life, the Fitbit Sense 2 shines here too. We got between six and seven days when we had the Always On Display feature turned off, which is excellent compared to what smartwatches offer. The Google Pixel Watch will give you a day for example, so will the Apple Watch Series 8.
Turn the Always On Display on and the Sense 2 will last around three days so there’s a significant reduction and if you use built-in GPS, you’ll see the battery take a hit there too. Overall though, the Sense 2 is much better in this department than its smartwatch rivals.
It supports fast charging too so even if you do have to charge it every few days, charging is nice and speedy. Charging takes place with a dedicated charger that snaps onto the underside of the device. It’s much better designed than the cradles that Fitbit previously used on the likes of the Versa 2 and its older fitness trackers, but it’s still another cable you’ll need to carry around. It will only fit one way - the lead comes out to the right of the display - but you get a very reassuring snap when it’s in place and charging.
The Fitbit Sense 2 runs on Fitbit’s own software rather than opts forWear OS. It’s been redesigned compared to previous devices, but those who have had a Fitbit Versa or original Sense in the past will find the interface of the Sense 2 familiar. Equally, those who haven’t will find it easy enough to navigate once they establish what gestures take you where.
A swipe up from the bottom of the home screen shows your notifications. A swipe down from the top gives you access to quick settings like Do Not Disturb mode and Always On Display. A swipe right-to-left will give you a breakdown of your daily stats, while a swipe left-to-right takes you to things like weather and alarms.
Pressing the button on the left of the display will take you to apps, like the Exercise Shortcut, Alarms, EDA Scan and ECG app. Pressing and holding the button,sv meanwhile, will launch Alexa.
In terms of the Fitbit app, it’s the same experience as always, which for those new to the platform is a great one. It’s a simple-to-use app with plenty of data broken down in a user-friendly format. You canread our Fitbit tips and tricksto find out more about the service.
There’s also the option of subscribing to the Fitbit Premium service, which is a paid subscription service designed to enhance your Fitbit experience with more data and advanced insights that are more tailored to you. It’s in the Premium service you will find data like the Stress Score and Sleep Profile. You canread more about Fitbit Premium in our separate feature.
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.
