The Fitbit Alta (non-HR) is actually the same price point as the One (I see it sold for $99 regularly) and even the Charge2 has been on sale for $120 ... so those almost-equivalent wrist versions aren't $100s more. Unfortunately, there isn't a clip (other than etsy/homemade versions) for it being made for the Charge by Fitbit or 3rd parties. There is for the Alta.
I'm a One wearer, but have had a Charge2 that I wear on my wrist (I wanted the HR feature enough to do so - better than a chest strap!). As many have mentioned, it does come in lower on the step count almost always, even for individual exercise activities (running, walking, elliptical, zumba) -- all things I am using my arms for!
My son has an Alta that he hasn't been wearing, so I've been experimenting wearing it. While wearing it in a clip, it's generally been a bit over the One steps. Sometimes the "auto" recognition of exercise doesn't seem as accurate as the one day I wore it on my wrist (steps dropped that day with that placement - but it recognized elliptical instead of calling it walking).
Just for fun ... and because I'm a data geek, I bought a Garmin Vivofit 3 and a clip, as it was brought up as a One alternative. My experience with it hasn't been great though, many frustrations. Step count generally a bit under the One, estimated calorie burn WAY under (except for running, it seems to only reward you for running, any other exercise, walking/elliptical/zumba the calorie burn estimates are SO low). Only total steps for the day (can't see them for individual workouts, just "miles" and that only comes across sometimes), active minutes shown for the week only (not per workout/day, which I like to track). A backlit display is NOT the same thing as an illuminated display.
If someone makes a clip-option for the Charge2, while it's a bit more $$ than the One (just $20 though), it does have all the features, including stairs. The HR function goes to waste in a clip, and that's a shame (I love the HR feedback). Ironically, the Charge2 and the GarminVivofit3 are almost the same size, and I just tried the Charge2 in the aftermarket Garmin clip ... and it worked quite well. If you can live without stairs, then the Alta IS the same price as the One, the same size, and can be used the same for most things (no timer, but it does auto-recognize, and/or you can always input an activity if you want specific stats on a workout).
I've been collecting data for days now (total steps for the day, steps for individual workouts, burn estimates, active minutes) across all my devices and plan on doing a blog post to showcase the results.
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