Fitbit vs Apple Watch

[honglong1976]

After owning a Fitbit Zip, HR, Charge, Flex, Surge and Blaze I thought it was now time to upgrade to an:

Apple Watch.

I liked my Fitbit but build quality was awful, each one felt like they were made by Fisher Price and only used to last a few months before dying.

I traded my Fitbit Blaze and Flex for an Apple Watch Stainless Steel (S0 model) at CEX.

The Apple Watch build quality is at least 200 times better than any Fitbit. Battery life is over 2 days. I can track my sleep, compete with friends, HR, steps, etc.

With the share price going down lower every time I looked I felt Fitbit wasn't the company it was 1 year ago, definately not 2 years ago.

Shame really!

Good Luck to Fitbit in the future! I will still use MobileTrack and if they bring out a decent device! Who knows? I may go for it, but for now it's adios!

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[Rich_Laue]

Ive got seversl froemds that sold their Apple 1 watches simply because it offered more than what they needed, and they hated tobcharge every day. One froend gave up on his Apple 2 after having to Charge it 21 times in two weeks. It seems if your a long distance runner,  the heartrate needs to be turned off for the watch to go the distance. Then when through with the run, he has to put it on the charger. Unlike the Surge which still goes 10 with heartrate on and gps. Speaking of heartrate, it seems the Apple has problems here, at least if you believe what the reviewers say. Then also many complain of steps while traveling. Doesn't seem much of an improvement. 

Disclaimer: I can only go by what my friends, and commercial reviewers say.

In my opinion both Apple and Wondows are to limited in what they let the user do. To expensive, now you dont even buy software, you lease it for a year, come on

[MFairley]

I have had no charging issues with the Apple Watch 2. I  charge each night anyway (I'm not a sleep tracker). During my half marathons I run the MapMyRun app along with my Music playlist; by the end of the race I still have over 60% battery. The Apple Watch 2 has taken care of what I was missing with the Blaze and it is more accurate on steps and miles. 

[bbarrera]

Hilarious. I have zero friends that have sold their Apple Watch. I have more friends complaining about charging their Dell laptop, or Android/iPhone than complain about a short Watch quick charge while they spend time in the bathroom in morning or at night. Trying to turn Watch battery life into a problem for the vast majority of use cases is not credible.

Heart rate accuracy vs EKG:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Blaze/Cleveland-Clinic-HRM-accuracy-study/m-p/1876071

Apple Watch beats Blaze on accuracy when tested against EKG. I've got a couple other links, that one has the most detail and a couple of other trackers for comparison.

If you are a long distance runner go straight to Garmin. The older 920XT and latest Forerunner 935 have 24 hour battery life at 1 second GPS sampling, and 50 hours in UltraTrac mode. 

Surge? Abandoned and classified as a legacy product by Fitbit, but still for sale. It has several design defects which have not been corrected. And no firmware updates in over a year.

Blaze? Report after report after report of tracking issues. Its been out for a year and still doesn't use GPS for distance while walking.

p.s. if I want the most accurate HR, say when traveling, I use Wahoo TICKR+ bluetooth HRM and connect to Watch. And for fitness I want to track my weight lifting, road bike, and hikes/walks. Only the Apple Watch lets me track everything including the amount of weight, sets, and reps. Thats one reason I don't have a Garmin sportwatch.

[honglong1976]

Sure the Apple Watch is very good but until it tracks my sleep I will use the Blaze (which is superb at tracking sleep, especially with sleep stages).

But as soon as apple adds sleep, it going 🙂

[bcalvanese]

The Apple Watch is a great smart watch, but for fitness it falls way short compared to fitbit.

Fitness metrics are very basic & inaccurate. I have had the original and the series 1.

Guess it depends on if you want a fitness watch or a smart watch.

[bbarrera]

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@bcalvanese wrote:

The Apple Watch is a great smart watch, but for fitness it falls way short compared to fitbit.

Fitness metrics are very basic & inaccurate. I have had the original and the series 1.

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I don't agree... surprise! Its Friday and Cinco de Mayo, just trying to inject some humor ha ha 🙂

Seriously, I find Apple Watch and Fitbit:

- similar in step counting accuracy, and HR accuracy

- similar in health related goals: encouraging people to move more

so right away we don't agree on accuracy. I've posted on the accuracy subject many times, and provided links and data. Wrist trackers have limitations, and they are mostly similar in terms of accuracy.

and again, in all seriousness for "fitness" I find both Fitbit and Apple Watch fall short. Where are the metrics that tell me if I'm gaining or losing fitness? Here are a few examples that I track - total weight bench press, 20-minute power on bike, heart-rate decoupling, and how hard to train and how long to recover.

And thats why I like Apple Watch - excellent smart watch and it plays well with best-in-class fitness apps like Strong for weight lifting. And those apps tell me if I'm gaining or losing fitness.

I like the Fitbit app, its nice looking and makes some health related data easily accessible. However it doesn't tell me if I'm gaining or losing fitness, just like the AW (without apps).

[bcalvanese]

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@bbarrera wrote:

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@bcalvanese wrote:

The Apple Watch is a great smart watch, but for fitness it falls way short compared to fitbit.

Fitness metrics are very basic & inaccurate. I have had the original and the series 1.

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I don't agree... surprise! Its Friday and Cinco de Mayo, just trying to inject some humor ha ha 🙂

Seriously, I find Apple Watch and Fitbit:

- similar in step counting accuracy, and HR accuracy

- similar in health related goals: encouraging people to move more

so right away we don't agree on accuracy. I've posted on the accuracy subject many times, and provided links and data. Wrist trackers have limitations, and they are mostly similar in terms of accuracy.

and again, in all seriousness for "fitness" I find both Fitbit and Apple Watch fall short. Where are the metrics that tell me if I'm gaining or losing fitness? Here are a few examples that I track - total weight bench press, 20-minute power on bike, heart-rate decoupling, and how hard to train and how long to recover.

And thats why I like Apple Watch - excellent smart watch and it plays well with best-in-class fitness apps like Strong for weight lifting. And those apps tell me if I'm gaining or losing fitness.

I like the Fitbit app, its nice looking and makes some health related data easily accessible. However it doesn't tell me if I'm gaining or losing fitness, just like the AW (without apps).

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I have owned the Apple watch original and series 1. The heart rate monitor was way off on both of them compared to my chest strap monitors (Suunto, Garmin, Polar).

The connected GPS was way off as well by up to a half mile on a 5 mile power walk or run.

Step tracking was decent though.

I have owned the fitbit Blaze and the Charge 2 also. Fitbit heart rate is among the best I have seen when comparing to the same chest strap monitors. No optical heart rate monitor is going to give good results with exercise that requires wrist flexion, but they do work pretty well for cycling and power walking/running activities.

Step counting on the fitbits are good if you walk at a normal pace. If you walk at a fast pace they tend to only count about half the steps. I power walk at a 4.5 mph pace and have found that if I swing my arms like a power walker it will count all the steps, so that's what I do.

I also own devices that have advanced metrics as well.

Garmin fenix3 HR

Suunto Ambit 3 Peak

Suunto Spartan Ultra

Polar V800

Garmin's are very buggy devices IMO, and the advanced metrics are not very accurate. Again IMO.

Suunto devices are very reliable and accurate IMO, and many ultra marathoner's use them for that reason. They just keep working and the advanced metrics are consistent and accurate.

I have been using my fitbit Blaze lately, and I gotta say fitbit has the best all around experience out of them all, and with the latest update it does calculate your fitness score now.

I have owned apple watches, several garmin's, Microsoft band, tomtom, polar, suunto, and several fitbit's, so I do know a few things about fitness devices.

[bbarrera]

Go read DCRainmaker, he puts on 2-4 wearables on at the same time and does head-to-head testing. The Fenix 5 and 935 are just fine in the accuracy department. 

I've tested Apple Watch and Blaze against chest strap, on spin bike and road bike. Then I extracted TCX files and wrote an app for my MacBook Pro to compare to chest strap worn at same time. I've done that for over 20 rides, involving interval training where HR goes up 40bpm and then drops 40bpm. This isn't just visually looking at graphs, or comparing average HR for a ride, it's a program to align timestamped HR data points and comparing differences and calculate statistics on accuracy. In my testing the AW does a little better vs Blaze, just like in Cleveland Clinic study where they compared AW/Blaze/etc to EKG. 

The problem with the Blaze - can't pair it to chest strap if you want more accurate HR. 

[Rich_Laue]

The problem with a chest strap, they are uncomfortable need electrical gel, and for me i would have to shave my chest. They also can not be worn 24/7

 "Thats why many have given up on the chest strep for the more comfortable wrist or finger based HR uninits.

[bbarrera]

@bcalvanese seriously your response to calling you on Garmin accuracy statement is to provide a YouTube video of Apple Watch? Strange. While he doesn't have a sensationalist video, DCRainmaker finds plenty to fault Fitbit, like HRM during cycling is a fail with Fitbit.

@Rich_Laue Ok, sounds like you avoid chest straps let me clue you in... The rest of the chest strap wearing world, when noticing the occasional wacky reading at the start of a workout, utilizes the far easier workaround of wetting the contacts (water bottle, or licking), or knowing that within 5-10 minutes of warming up that a bit of sweat will get things back on track. That happens to me a couple times a year even though I ride my bike 5 times a week and log 6000-8000 miles a year.  I guess if you really hairy and have trouble getting an accurate HR reading with a chest strap, or just plain refuse to wear one, then for accuracy reasons you are probably far better off with an Scosche arm band or Mio optical wrist HRM. 

My wife doesn't understand the Fitbit craze, and frankly once I became active must say that I agree. She goes to the gym twice a week for group strength training, throws in some treadmill work after class, and we go on walks. No problem hitting government recommended weekly strength training and cardio minimums.

I'm the same, for me tracking specific fitness metrics is done to minimize risk of injury, maximize training results, monitor training progress, and plan to 'peak' before a big event like the double century (200 mile) ride that I'm doing in two weeks. Does VO2max aka Cardio Score matter? No, mine has been nearly constant for months even though I continue to ride faster and longer. What about steps, sleep, calories, resting heart rate, etc? My sleep schedule is fixed, RHR fluctuates in the 60s (measured when I wake up), and calories adjusted based on the number burned riding my bike. Part of being a good engineer is determining the data that is worthy of attention.

[honglong1976]

Best combination I found is my Apple Watch and Fitbit Flex 2. The best Fitbit in my opinion. Light, vibration actually works well (unlike the Blaze) and you can't feel it's on when sleeping.

[dcpollak]

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@SpinSpinSugar69 wrote:

I have an Apple Watch and I have a Fitbit Blaze and love them both . However, my issue with the Apple Watch is battery life,how are you getting 2 days? Also I wish the competitive friends were better on the Apple Watch,it doesn't even compare with Fibit on that front. I also get info and stats on Fibit I don't find easy to access on Apple Watch.

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Hmmm.... I have a different, less complicated solution to extending battery life on my AW Series 2. First disable the "Wake Screen on Wrist Raise" and enable the "Wake Screen on Crown Up" options. These are found under: Setting>General>Wake Screen. Personally, I found it annoying when the wrist raise option was enabled, as it seemed like it was ALWAYS waking. This was just the opposite of my experience with the Fitbit Charge HR that I replaced with the AW. Even with a really exaggerated motion, it NEVER seemed to want to wake. So I just got in the habit of either tapping the face (with a fairly sharp tap) or pressing the (kinda small, and for me, awkwardly located) button on the Fitbit. I find the AW to far more sensitive to face taps and the crown to be not only larger, but better placed (towards the hand instead of the elbow since I'm right-handed).

But I digress.

I also use my AW for sleep tracking, altho it requires a 3rd Party App. I use AutoSleep ($2.99), which seems to be pretty accurate. Why a $400 Smart Watch doesn't come with this standard is a head scratching question. But again, I digress.

So with settings changed, and app added, I simply charge my Watch twice a day. I know, I know, a Fitbit goes up to 5 days between charges. On the other hand (pun intended) the AW is a full featured Smart Watch and the Fitbit is a non-extendable Fitness Tracker. Big difference, folks. And by charging twice a day, the charge times are easily incorporated into my daily wake-up and prepare for bed routines. Oh... and... did I mention that charging an AW is a thing of joy while the Fitbit cable was a constant source of frustration. Well, now I have.

In closing, I can (and sometime have) let 24+ hours elapse between charges on my AW, far longer than Apple's claim of 18. But then instead of 15-30 (probably an average of 20) minutes twice a day (when I'm doing other stuff anyway) I need to charge for a considerably longer period and, personally, I start to Jones when I have go too long without my AW. 

That said, if all you really want is a Fitness Tracker, then by all means get a Fitness Tracker. Helluva lot less expensive, for sure. But if what you want is wearable technology that will become an integral part of you daily life – in ways you can't even imagine – and does a decent enough job at fitness tracking, then the Apple Watch Series2 is, in my own so humble opinion, the only way to go.

[Rich_Laue]

I along with most people find that a very slight tap at the lower edge of the screen where the band connects is extremely resposive. 

When it comes to quick view, make sure that the arm is somewhat with the floor before rotating the arm. 

[bbarrera]

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@dcpollak wrote:
Hmmm.... I have a different, less complicated solution to extending battery life on my AW Series 2.

...

...

Oh... and... did I mention that charging an AW is a thing of joy while the Fitbit cable was a constant source of frustration. Well, now I have.

...

...

In closing, I can (and sometime have) let 24+ hours elapse between charges on my AW, far longer than Apple's claim of 18.

... 

That said, if all you really want is a Fitness Tracker, then by all means get a Fitness Tracker. Helluva lot less expensive, for sure. But if what you want is wearable technology that will become an integral part of you daily life – in ways you can't even imagine – and does a decent enough job at fitness tracking, then the Apple Watch Series2 is, in my own so humble opinion, the only way to go.

I've got the original Apple Watch and end the day around 40-50% battery. Most people I know with the 2nd gen get up to 2 days. What I do to extend battery life when doing stuff that causes wrist raise to wake up the display (like bike riding) -- swipe up and turn on Theatre mode. Then turn off Theatre mode when I want wrist raise to work again (like when I'm at my desk).

Honestly every Fitbit I've owned is so hard to charge, and I had no habit of charging it like with my phone, that I routinely ran out of battery at least once every 2-3 months. I've only run out of batter once in 2 years with AW.

Agree with your last paragraph too.

[Rich_Laue]

The only Fitbit i havw problems charging is my Charge HR , received it 2 weeks after it was released, lost it for 6 months, found it a minth ago. I had to clean ut, leave it in its charger for about 10 hours before their was any life. I now have to ckean it everytime i charge it. My One, Blaze, Alta HR, Surge, Charge 2, and Flex 2 charge without any problems.

And i currentky have no desire for a smart watch, unless it can get 3+ days on a charge?

BTW: will the AW2 go 10 hours with GPS turned on like I can do with  my Surge?

[bbarrera]

Charging Fitbit trackers is a hassle, plain and simple. Every tracker has a different cable, then you have to carefully connect the cable to tracker. After connecting on my Flex and Force it often required carefully checking to make sure it was actually charging, and if not carefully reseating the cable - this is fairly common report from others on the forums. Blaze/Surge/Charge2 charging? All are a hassle.

AW charging? Just put it near my wood charging dock and it magnetically snaps to it and starts charging. About 1-2 seconds from taking off wrist to charging. Putting back on is just as easy, grab it and strap to wrist. Easy peasy. We all have cellphones that need charging on a daily basis... I don't even think twice about throwing AW onto charger its so easy. And honestly your wrist needs to breath, give it break and top off the charge.

Does your Surge last for 14+ hours with GPS turned on? Can your Surge take pictures and update family and friends? I've done a handful of 10-16 hour events on my bike in the last year, and my phone was doing backup GPS tracking. In airplane mode the phone ended with more than 50% battery, while doing GPS tracking using RideWithGPS app. And I took some pictures and texted to friends. And my phone is a great step tracker when outside hiking for 10+ hours.

You want HR too? Can your Surge last 24-50 hours? My Garmin 935 can, plus it will track swimming, skiing, cycling (including sensor support), and other fun stuff I do like stand-up paddle boarding. 

I currently have no desire for a multi-sport tracker that doesn't support swimming, skiing, bike sensors, SUP, etc. Or one that has an inferior band design that is prone to early failure requiring in-warranty and out of warranty replacement of the entire device.

Fitbit needs to step up its game (pardon the pun!).

[Rich_Laue]

At ten hours of gps i still have plenty of battery left, so yea it might, but i never have a reason to go 14 hours. The human body needs to eat and have some rest.

As for pictures, the Surge was not ment to be or compete with a smart watch. If the AW is so smart and has WiFi why does it need a phone to send or receive texts, why cant it just hook to the internet through wifi and browse the web, does it really need your phone nearby? I mean how do you call it a smartwatch when it needs to be near a phone for all of its functions to work. As one Apple employee told me, tye AW is really just a smart remote monitor for your watch.

[PureEvil]

I think to me the clincher is that if I have a Fitbit, I can move to practically any phone and may continue to use it without any glitches.  If I have an Apple Watch and move to anything other than an iPhone, I'll have a $400 paperweight.

I just don't care to have any watch/fitness device that will keep me locked to a platform.

[bbarrera]

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@PureEvil wrote:

I just don't care to have any watch/fitness device that will keep me locked to a platform.

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but its ok to be locked to the Fitbit platform? I can't import HR or GPS activities into the Fitbit world, I'd call that a closed ecosystem.

Go ahead and try to claim that Fitbit is open, I chose to use a chest strap for accuracy and bike computer for sensor (power meter, cadence, speed). And Fitbit doesn't allow that data into its platform. And even if you buy a Fitbit tracker, it is impossible to get power and cadence data into the platform. That is my friends is a closed and locked "fitness" platform.

My cycling data is easily exported to other fitness platforms. And some of those platforms feed into HeathKit, which fills my daily AW rings even if I don't wear the watch. Go ahead and try that with Fitbit.

[PureEvil]

@bbarrera,

Can you export from Health Kit (which is Apple only, I believe) into say...  Microsoft Health (which supports Windows, Android, and iOS)?  How well can you access Health Kit from a non-Apple device?

No, then Health Kit is also a closed platform, just in different ways.

At least if my phone fails, I don't need to make the decision of $400 phone and $400 unusable device.  Or $750 phone and continue to use $400 Apple Watch.