First impressions about Sense 2 from IFA Berlin

[t.parker]

Not saying much (not in-depth reviews) and don't touch certain topics (maybe NDA? I find it hard to believe no reviewer asked about it). For example, nothing was mentioned about music features etc.

https://www.pocket-lint.com/smartwatches/reviews/fitbit/162514-fitbit-sense-2-review

https://uk.pcmag.com/migrated-99802-smartwatches/142451/hands-on-fitbits-sense-2-versa-4-smartwatche...

https://www.nextpit.com/fitbit-sense-2-review

It's really not much but the first impression seems to be kind of "meh". Complaining that many features are behind a paywall, smart features are more like sports watches with smart features (Garmin, Polar) rather than big smartwatches (Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch). What I mean is that I don't feel any excitement about the new product coming out of those reviews.

[N8teGee]

There is a video here showing a bit of the "new" UI (sorry if it was already in the links above).

https://youtu.be/Y1fde-zcvjA

I can't say I'm too impressed initially. It looks to be quite laggy, and it seems Fitbit have just moved everything out of the today screen (swipe up) to a single page for each item on the main UI. So it looks like swiping page after page instead of just scrolling on a single page. 

[--Smeagol--]

I'm guessing they must be using the same processor that is in the Sense/Versa 3, the lagginess looks absolutely terrible. 

I'm all for low power and battery saving, but not to the extent that the device looks almost unusable. I fear to think how Google maps will perform on these devices. 

[Dopovo]

I've spot another hands on video.

My impression is that these device look very very poor and definitely seem a big downgrade. 

In the video you can see the entire new list of exercises (where it looks they are just new labels) and you cant see any hint of a a possible music app (either in device nor as simple remote)

[t.parker]

@N8teGee the screen looks really laggy and unresponsive 😮. Sometimes there's a need for a repeated swipe before it responds. Looks like this is where the battery saving goes (Sense refresh rate was only 24fps, in here probably is no different).

@Dopovo in that video (I don't understand the language) the user goes also through all the apps and mentions "Alexa" several times. No trace of Google Assistant, no trace of anything related to the music. It looks like a very unfinished product.

My wife yesterday got her Galaxy Watch 5 and the quality of the screen (responsiveness, smooth animation 60FPS) is incredible, on top of that there's wireless charging, ECG, Blood Pressure, Body Composition (my wife hates that feature 🤣), SpO2, stress measuring and probably more but I haven't had chance to test it thoroughly (there are plenty of apps both from Samsung and Google store). I'm not a big fan of Galaxy watches (Galaxy Active was just bad, really bad) and I'm more into sports- than smartwatches but I must say I'm impressed. I realize battery life won't be days long (yet it's more than I expected from WearOS and it beats Apple Watch), but it has a lot to offer (Spotify support, YT music, and Google Maps - proper one, displaying an actual map). My wife charges it whenever she takes shower or prepares to work in the morning so there is enough battery to keep going with all the features. She doesn't look at battery life that much, I guess this is the very same approach Apple users have - features and look over battery life. (edit: since she owns that watch since yesterday, that charging strategy is yet to be proven). Now, seeing Sense 2 with a laggy interface is just sad and disappointing. Sense 2 is only £20 cheaper in the UK.

[livetaswim06]

I watched the 3 minute video and noticed zero lag? I am not sure if I watched the same video, but the watch looked incredibly responsive and quick.

[--Smeagol--]

@livetaswim06 Yes you definitely watched a different video if you think what you saw was responsive. Perhaps you have lower expectations than the rest of us. 

[t.parker]

@livetaswim06  @--Smeagol--  I think it really depends on what the point of reference is. If one compares the UI to devices like Garmin Fenix 6/7 then refresh rate (and screen quality) of Sense 2 (and Sense 1) is far superior but those watches are not meant to be smartwatches. On the other hand, Apple Watch 6 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 come with 60fps refresh rate and very responsive touch UI. Then, Sense 2 looks inferior. Sense 2 is advertised as a smartwatch hence we compare it with other smartwatches. I measured refresh rate of first Sense and it came up with 24fps. Animation isn't fluid smooth (and Sense 2 shows similar smootheness). The input however could be sampled with higher frequency than refresh rate which would provide greater responsiveness but there is a trade-off - battery life and this is where Fitbit seems to cut corners.

This is fine when such corners are cut but the device provides a lot more (that's why I don't mind Garmin's washed-out colors of transflective display) but so far the features I see are very basic.

[livetaswim06]

Yes I think my expectations were about met. I rarely if ever use the display on my watch. I hate the Samsung watch as it is huge and bulky while this is slim and perfect for forgetting you are wearing it. It's not even a proper smartwatch per se, it's more of a fitness tracker with some smartwatch features baked in. My fiancees Samsung watch does a whole lot more but it barely lasts a day and she never wears it at night as it gets stuck on stuff.

[livetaswim06]

I think that is the frame of reference that is a little different for me. The display can barely respond for all I care, I just need it to be light and have a long battery life. It's aimed at people who don't use the screen as much. My top 3 priorities would be battery life, 24/7 fitness tracking, comfort. It's silly to compare to a Apple watch as they are going for completely different customers. Kind of like comparing a 2 seat sports car with no AC to a family sized SUV. 

[--Smeagol--]

@livetaswim06 Then it begs the question, why the Sense 2 and not one of the fitness trackers that Fitbit offer? Would the profile/footprint of the tracker not suit your needs better? 

[t.parker]

@livetaswim06 Sense, Versa and old Ionic are more like "smartwatch-wannabe" products rather than proper smartwatches but Fitbit says they are then let it be so. About Galaxy Watch 5 it slowly starts growing on me (despite it's not my kind of device and it belongs to my wife). There is lot less bulkiness in this model, it's ligher and has more sleek design than predecessors. Isn't as small as Galaxy Active but from what I see, the battery life is quite good. My wife charged it slightly in the morning when was preparing for work, now it still has 83% and seems like it will easily last night and more. So even Samsung seems to be improving here. May not live 5 days+ without charging but long enough to find a little time to top-up battery. On top of that, I managed to connect my Stryd foot pod and PolarH10 chest strap to it (and use it, Samsung Health can't see new metrics but exports to TrainingPeaks and it shows running power 😁). I don't know which model your fiancee has but considering battery life probably older (with bezel?). Comparing Galaxy Active (got it for free and good because I would be mad at myself if I paid for it), Galaxy 3 (had it only briefly borrowed) and now Galaxy 5 the changes are clearly visible both in hardware and software side. This is something I don't see in Sense/Versa family. What I find ironic I seem to be more excited about Galaxy watch even if it isn't for me (I need lot more sports features and sensor support must be fully native, always-on display 24/7, long battery life on GPS etc. - can't get that with Galaxy) and I have rather poor experience with older models. This is kind of excitement I expected when Fitbit told me on IG that upcoming announcement will "blow my mind" (that reminds me what John Romero said before releasing Daikatana 🤣). Well, it didn't and those videos and initial reviews just confirm it. 

[livetaswim06]

I have the charge 4, but it looks cheap on the wrist. I need something a little nicer without breaking the bank. Honestly I wish fitbit would do some collabs with higher end watch makers. Ideally you would have 2, one for going out and one to sleep with. For now the Sense 2 seems to fit the bill.

[N8teGee]

The user manuals are now live - no mention of Google assistant or music controls.

https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/manuals.htm 

[Dopovo]

Great finding @N8teGee .

I would propose to start a new topic with this link to direct the discussion now with actual facts.

[t.parker]

@N8teGee😯i know it's just manual but that looks bit poor. Anyway, I found this in the manual which contradicts what Spec website says:

This clam is similar to first Sense.

Edit: this frame seems to be just copy-paste from Sense manual (same layout, same words) with adding 2 to the model name. Now this gets confusing. Only one number may be true.

[N8teGee]

From memory the exact same thing happened with the Sense. Fitbit seem to have a habit of getting the support material wrong. In the case of the Sense it was corrected and we ended up with the 12hrs figure. 

[--Smeagol--]

Well I'm calling it now for the next release "Fitbit Sense 3". This will give the users the chance to assemble their own watch from a box of parts.... Seeing as each release is more incomplete from the last, I don't think this prediction is too far off! 

[Dopovo]

I'm really confused about this Sense 2, I'm not sure what Fitbit wants to sell and probably they don't even know.

What is certain is that they didn't listen at all what users wanted but this very common from Fitbit looking at the recent record of feature request section in this forum.

I think the idea would be to differentite the Fitbit lineup from the Pixel watch making the former some real health watch and the second the smartwatch to compete with Apple watch and probably leave the scene of dedicated sport watches to Garmin/Polar/Coros and so on..

And I think the idea wouldn't be bad, the competion in terms of pure real health devices is quite limited with Whoop/Oura ring/ Withings.

So if they took Sense, retained the function it has, fix that terrible HR sensor, fix the altimeter bug (?), add SpO2 on demand and add limited smart functionalities such as Google Wallet (in place of Fitbit Pay) add proper music support (forget the personal file, just add open access to any music streaming service) and remove the restriction to your own data being behind the paywall then I think the product would have had a sense (look what I did here).

Instead what we have a Sense 2 with a cEDA that no-one asked for, Google Assistant removed (seriously Fitbit, it was a working feature not something that didn't work properly), Music support removed, Agenda removed, some features coming in the future (when? I speak about Google Wallet, in-call call, and Google Maps), I'm not even sure you will be able to install addition apps. So essentially we have a non smartwatch with a Google Map indications app that I don't know who could use it, and we only hope that HR sensor and altimeter are fixed. Frankly speaking it's not a successor, it should have had a different name. So in essence a watch that shine for what it misses, rather what it offers and really I can't understand its place in the market.

Let's wait for the reviews but I'm afraid they will be very negative.

The above are my sole opinions.