Difference between Aria and Aria 2

[palerose2014]

Hi

Apart from the price point, what is the difference between the Aria and Aria 2? I can't see any enhancements in the specs to warrant considering an upgrade.

Thanks

[Esya]

They say it is more accurate than the Aria, however to buy a new one for that is not something I am going to do. Next to that it works with newer WiFi and now has bluetooth.

[SunsetRunner]

From what I've read, the main differences are, <drum roll>, easier setup via WiFi app and slightly bigger and brighter display.

Yay! 

[Esya]

@SunsetRunner

Don't forget the added bluetooth. I think that is the biggest difference.

[KateFitbit]

@Esya @SunsetRunner Good points, bluetooth setup, and better wifi compatibility are a big difference. 

@palerose2014 - Good question!

Aria 2 has been re-engineered for greater accuracy, improved design, and easy Bluetooth setup. It also offers personalized icons and greetings, compatibility with more Wi-Fi networks, and has an increased weight limit up to 400 lbs. Another feature I like is that there is an option to display your BMI on the scale versus just the app.  

We’re very excited for the release of Aria 2, the most accurate Wi-Fi Smart Scale in the U.S.*

Hope this helps! 

*for weight measurement among comparable wi-fi capable scales with FDA premarketing 510(k) clearance as of 6/1/2017

[TwoBit]

The new features are nice for new users but I see no reason to upgrade from the Aria.

My Aria is already set up and working on my WiFi. Any improvement in these areas do not provide a reason to upgrade because not having to do the setup again is infinitely easier. I don't need face icons and greetings on a scale.

[petitmiam]

I'm torn. I got my Aria for nothing using my credit card points, but that's no longer an option.  I suppose the Aria is accurate enough?  Except I do wonder about the body fat, I've lost 10kg and 4 BMI points recently, I'd be very surprised if none of that was fat, like the Aria is telling me.  I've noticed a lot of fat deposits I had are now gone. I presume it's the same technology for body fat estimation on both scales.

Also the Aria setup is a real pain, and the person here who says keeping their Aria will ensure they never have to do setup again is lying to themselves.  Replacing the batteries or upgrading your wifi, both of which I've done lately require you to setup the scale again, I believe.

On another note, I recently updated my Charge HR to a Charge 2, with no great reason for doing so, and I'm very pleasantly surprised.  It is such a massive step up, no more irreplaceable straps falling apart, also I get calendar reminders and texts from my phone, I can do guided breathing exercises, can set and cancel alarms from the Fitbit itself.  So many new things, oh and also detailed sleep analysis, and ability to see how full the battery is, and not just minutes before it runs out.  So I'm wondering if I would feel this way about Aria 2 also if I got one, although I watched the ad and didn't notice any differences, although Bluetooth could be handy?

[LovesterUK]

I've had my Aria scale 2 and a half years and only had to change the batteries on it a couple of months ago. I didn't have to reset my Aria back-up. Changed the batteries, and it was still connected to my WiFi and when I weighed myself on it, it found displayed my name and synced without issue.

Until my current Aria gives up the ghost, I can't warrant the purchase of the Aria 2 - especially with there not being that much of a difference.

[toliman]

Well, as long as it's improved, and the 2017 version doesn't:

*Consume 6 new AA batteries every 2-5 weeks, or require flipping over and recharging the batteries every weekend.

*Think i'm a guest, despite being the only person who uses it, since i bought it in 2012 along with the Ultra Clip-on tracker.

Everyone else gave up on it in 2013 and uses an analog one instead.

* Forgets who I am every 3 weeks, despite flipping all of the "Guests" weigh ins to my own profile.

* And if it does recognise me, the BF reading decides to work.

* Display ERR for no particular reason if it's nudged awake, or

* Forgets how to measure when it detects someone standing on it without having to step on, off, on and wait 12-18 seconds while it wakes up.

* Jump between 1-6kg on measurements within 3-10 minutes of each other. In the same location on a tile floor.

* Wake up at 1am when the bathroom is unoccupied, lighting up the hallway outside the bathroom at night.

I've reset it a few times, left the batteries out, cleaned the glass a few hundred times, and the battery contacts, given it's exposed to indecent humidity on a regular basis, etc. to no avail. It's been out of warranty longer than it was in warranty. I'll miss the old "features", but not by much. 

Hopefully this one is improved internally, or has a rechargeable battery/AC adapter pack.

Maybe Fitbit can do a deal with Eneloop and sell a panasonic 4-cell charger under the FitBit branding...

[Esya]

---

@TwoBit wrote:

The new features are nice for new users but I see no reason to upgrade from the Aria.

My Aria is already set up and working on my WiFi. Any improvement in these areas do not provide a reason to upgrade because not having to do the setup again is infinitely easier. I don't need face icons and greetings on a scale.

---

I agree, if you already have the Aria and set it up to work on your WiFi there is no need to upgrade to the Aria 2. I think it is interesting for people who don't have a smart scale yet or need to replace an old one.

[Dominique]

@petitmiam: I’ve been using rechargeable batteries in my Aria every since the original batteries died. Like @LovesterUK, I haven’t had to go through the setup again when recharging the batteries (which obviously requires taking them out for a few hours).

As to accuracy, see my comment about it in this other post. So for both aspects, it seems it’s a case of YMMV.

The Aria 2 still relies on bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for estimating (stress on "estimating") body fat. That method has known limitations. Again, it seems it works well for some people and less so for other. So again a case of YMMV. What I know from observing longer term trends over 4+ years of use is my BF% has always been at its highest when my weight was also at its highest, the reverse being true. Over shorter periods of time (a few days to a couple of weeks), they have sometimes moved in opposite directions.

[splinkydog]

I don't understand the need for a new aria. I have the original and it still works just fine. I love it. With the addition of this new one, will my original one stop working in the future??

[wmchapman]

Very doubtful, mine is trouble free as well.  Wi-fi has gotten pretty crowded over the last few years so I'm confident the make over was to include more channels and options for those that had difficulty with overcrowded home stations.  I'm with you, Aria is dependable, only needs a fresh set of batteries each year and extremely convenient.  Welcome to forums and thanks for sharing a positive experience!

The biggest differences are an enhanced feedback screen and more wi-fi band (channels) capability, also adds a bluetooth setup capability to ease setup by a mobile rather than limited to using wi-fi to create a wifi network and switch back to wi-fi, got confusing around the "are you connected" part of setup for those that weren't monitoring actual connection  😉

[TwoBit]

---

@Dominique wrote:

@petitmiam: I’ve been using rechargeable batteries in my Aria every since the original batteries died. Like @LovesterUK, I haven’t had to go through the setup again when recharging the batteries (which obviously requires taking them out for a few hours).

---

@Dominique it's interesting that you can leave the Aria without batteries for a couple of hours and still retain the WiFi settings. There are many users complaining about having to redo the WiFi setup when they change batteries. I swapped the batteries quickly, one at a time instead of all at once, and that worked for me but perhaps I didn't need to do that.
Do you wait for the low battery email or the low battery indicator on the scale? I noticed that the email was sent before the scale indicator was triggered so that may be the key. If one waits for the scale battery indicator then it's too late to save the WiFi settings. I suspect there may be a capacitor in the scale to supply enough power to retain settings in volatile memory. If the batteries drain to the point where it can't maintain charge in the capacitor the settings are lost when the batteries are pulled.

[Tex-US-ARMY-13F]

@Moderator - maybe if Fitbit had a trade-in program, I'd upgrade to the Aria 2; then they could resell those Arias or donate them for a tax write-off.

Until then, I own a fully functional Aria and Withings. The Aria gets used due to its accuracy and the Withings horrible inaccuracy, like most of their troubled products. (I've been testing and reviewing products since 1984, so I often have comparative collections of fitness tech toys in particular.)

The vast majority of Fitbit owners don't need an eight-person scale and they're content with the Aria, so the market target is definitely new consumers, lured to Fitbit by the new watch and wireless headset.

I'm a huge Jaybird BlueBuds fan, so the new headset will have to live up to Triathlete use (in all events) and serious athlete use to even peak my interest in testing them. 

As for the watch, that's more interesting to me, but as a backer on a medical/fitness-community-developed smartwatch due for delivery this month, with every feature fitness buffs from the serious to the medically-challenged have wanted in ONE watch, I have to say that the new Fitbit offering falls well short of this user-based watch, and exceeds it significantly in price, while also looking a whole lot uglier at the same time.

Take a bunch of ticked off fitness consumers, who happen to be tech geeks, doctors and engineers, and what you get is what people want today, without the corporate piecemeal approach to products for long-term profit planning.

With things like Indiegogo and Kickstarter, companies, including Fitbit, need to realize that people don't necessarily need to wait on a company to hear customer wants and complaints, go through a discussion of whether it's profitable, and then wait for the design and production process before getting half of what they really wanted years later. Now, you're really competing with consumers who now have the means to make customers' dream tech toys a reality today... Not sometime in the scheduled products life cycle.

[Mark153]

@TwoBit - I was just messing around with mine as I had changed with wifi SSID.  I don't believe it matters how long the batteries are removed for, it will always retain the wifi settings.  What i noticed was when you take a battery out for more than 10 seconds and put it back in, the ARIA will tell you what your current wifi SSID is, and ask if you'd like to change it.  You confirm that by pressing the two bottom weight sensors which puts it into setup mode, you can press them at any time, even before it asks if you'd like to change the wifi.   What I suspect is happening to people is that they are putting the aria back on the floor after changing the batteries, which can trigger one of those sensors, unless you place it on the floor very very lightly, and that triggers setup mode making them think it lost it's settings.

So if it does that to you, just remove a battery again for 10 seconds, put it back in, don't place it on the floor and watch the screen until it's realized you don't want to change the wifi settings.

[Adrian80]

Hello,

My initial Aria had problems like low battery life (2 weeks). Had it replaced, and I have the same original set from more than 9 months now. All full, and the scale is used daily by more than 1 person. 

The Aria 2 is for me no reason to upgrade. K'mon Fitbit is allmoust 2018. Other scales has segmental analyse, watter/bone mass index and so on, and your new scale is a refurbised Aria ?!

[TeaAddictedGeek]

I bought my Aria scale two years ago, and now the bf % is all over the place, constantly tells me it's having a battery issue even when the batteries are new, and varies as much as 5-15 lbs. I no longer know how much I weigh and have had to use my analog scale as backup. That's insane.

I am really, really, really hoping that the Aria 2 is more reliable and worth the money to replace the scale I have, and won't have the weight be all over the place. I was in two Dietbets and had to give up and lose each of them because I can't give them a reliable measurement, so my current Aria scale is already costing me money.

[TTerrific]

Well, I guess I am stuck waiting for the Aria 2.   I bought my Aria in July 2016 and here we are Sept. 2017 - out of warranty with the same symptoms you indicate - my batteries only last about 4-5 days and the weight seems to vary 4 - 5 lbs. from measurement to measurement within a few seconds of each measurement not to mention it doesn't sense when I get off the scale.  I think there is something wrong with the strain gauges they use in the Aria that cause it to become erratic in measurement and battery "eating".  Fitbit says you just have to wait until the new scale comes out (no cost reduction etc.).

[Francesco10]

Why would you purchase another premium scale from Fitbit when the first one lasted barely longer than a year? It isn't a disposable product and should last much longer. If you check out he Aria 1 forum, you will find many users who have had their product fail over the last year, simply by changing the batteries. Time will tell if the Aria 2 is built with the same issues.

Buyer beware