Fitbit has officially unveiled its latest line-up of smartwatches called the Sense and the Versa 3. While the newly announced smartwatches are quite similar to previous versions, the new wearable devices include the Google Assistant voice assistant. Fitbit’s new premium line-up of smartwatches is designed to compete against the big players in the market such as Apple and Samsung.
While both the smartwatches are quite similar, the Fitbit Sense is the expensive one out of the bunch. Along with the inclusion of Google Assistant, the Fitbit Sense also features the Amazon Alexa voice assistant. You can quickly check the weather, set important reminders for bedtime, take control of your smart home devices, and more with either of the voice assistants. Another first in a smartwatch is the inclusion of a sensor called the Electrodermal Activity Sensor (EDA) that helps to measure the sweat levels in your skin to check your stress levels. Fitbit mentions that by just covering the face-front of the Sense with your palm, the EDA app kicks in to measure the stress levels that your body responds, and shows a graf on the results.
The Sense also comes with an ECG application to scan your heart rate for assessing atrial fibrillation. There is a skin-based temperature sensor that can detect the possibilities of fever or even a menstrual cycle. The device is also able to calculate the breathing rate and in turn, check out the SpO2 (it means blood-oxygen saturation) readings. It appears so that Fitbit has focused on different sensors that can help during the pandemic. “Over 100,000 Fitbit users joined the study so far, and we’ve found that our algorithm can detect nearly 50 percent of COVID-19 cases a day before the onset of symptoms with 70 percent specificity,” said Eric Friedman, the co-founder, and the CTO of Fitbit.
Sense also allows users to choose between 20 different exercise modes and get real-time statistics during their workout sessions. The SmartTrack feature is capable of detecting the type of workout that you are doing and records information and stats based on each session. Fitbit Sense features a custom made AMOLED display with laser-bonded Corning Gorilla Glass 3, along with a biosensor core under its hood.
As for the memory capacity, the Sense can store up to 7 days of detailed motion data, daily totals for 30 days and can also store heart rate data at 1-second intervals during workouts and 5-second intervals during normal times. The device is also water-resistant up to 50m. However, Fitbit recommends drying the band to protect your skin. Speaking of which, the wrist bands come in two sizes to fit small and large wrists. Fitbit has also included a Lithium-Polymer battery that can last over 6 days, depending on the type of usage. The battery can reach 80% in just 40 minutes of charge. Fitbit mentions that by charging for just 12 minutes, the Sense can last for one day of use. There is also the Always-On display mode that helps users to see information at a glance. However, the battery will drain faster.
The Sense is also swim-proof and can track other information such as steps, distance, floor climbed, calories burned. There is also the sleep tracker that helps to get a daily sleep score on how well you sleep through the night by setting the sleep time in light, deep, and REM sleep. The Smart Wake alarm wakes you up gently with a quiet vibration so you wake up with a refreshed mind. The PurePulse 2.0 with its new multipath sensor can track your heart rate 24/7. The Sense supports NFC, GPS, GLONASS, WiFI. It also has its own microphone and a 75db speaker to use with Google Assistant.
On the other hand, the Fitbit Versa 3 cuts down in most of the advanced health sensors that the Fitbit Sense has but does have the all-day activity tracking, the 20+ exercise modes, Google and Alexa voice assistants, all the clock faces, the AMOLED display, GPS, GLONASS, microphone, speaker, skin temperature sensor (only with Premium subscription), menstrual health tracker, sleep stage tracking, PurePulse 2.0, Smart Wake, swim-proof resistance, same memory capacity to store health information, the same 6+ day battery life and more.
Both the Versa 3 and Sense also brings support for notifications regarding calls, texts, calendar events, and support for apps like Gmail and Facebook. The new wearables also allow for quick replies and voice replies. However, the quick reply function works with only Android smartphones. Oh, and by the way, both the new watches feature a new pressure-sensitive area that replaces the traditional buttons to navigate through the menu. The Fitbit Sense is priced at $330 dollars (approx. 1212 AED) and the Fitbit Versa 3 at $230 (approx. 844 AED). The Versa 3 body comes in black/black silicone band and soft aluminum model with either a pink clay or midnight colored band. The Fitbit Sense comes in a carbon or graphite stainless steel and a lunar white/ soft golden stainless steel variant. We will update you on when the new devices will hit the UAE market.
