Thoughts between Sense or Sense 2

[bobby2478]

For those who have owned both the original Sense and the new Sense 2, is the new Sense 2 a worthy upgrade compared to the original Sense?

I went swimming with my Sense and it died. Fitbit gave me 35% off promo for new Fitbit. I'm on the fence about whether to buy a new Fitbit Sense 2 or to go on Facebook Marketplace and try to find an original Sense. Looks to be about a $100 difference between getting a new Sense 2 or a possibly lightly used Sense 1.

I wasn't sure what's new on the Sense 2 besides all day stress tracking, new side button design and removal of 3rd party apps, google assistant and adding google maps. Any other meaningful differences? Are watch faces selection as bad with Sense 2 as original Sense? Or are there more options?

I'd also consider the Charge 6, but have read a lot of complaints about issues with Charge 6 longevity, the screen is small, and it is missing altimeter for floors.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[alexthecat]

@bobby2478 I would probably go with the Sense 2.

The original Sense was discontinued in September 2022. If you buy one now, you may not have warranty protection.

Also, as you know, rechargeable batteries have a finite lifetime, even if they are not used. The battery in a Sense is going to be at least 2.5 years old. It is not possible to replace Fitbit batteries, so the longevity of a new-to-you Sense may be less than you would like. 

[bobby2478]

Looks like new Sense 2 is about $175 with discount, where a new/used Sense 1 is only $70. From reading the community there appears to be a common view that the Sense 1 is better with all of the features removed from the Sense 2.

One possible exception would be watch faces as the Sense 1 watch faces are pretty old and the Sense 2 might have better options available.

I'm aware the Sense 1 would have no warranty and battery life might not be as good. But I was perfectly fine with my original Sense that was 3 years old until it died, so I don't see this as an issue.

[Guy_]

Hi @bobby2478 - the Sense 1 is a much better watch for independent use as the info in the core stats expands and doesn't on the Sense 2, you are dependent on what still displays in the Fitbit App which is more limited.

There are probably more clock faces available for the Sense 1 because there is no SDK [development kit] so nothing new [functionality wise] is available for the Sense 2 whose navigation and stability isn't as good.

But bear in mind, if you live in the EEA you will only be able to install Fitbit stuff on either watch.

At that price you could buy 2 Sense 1, in case anything goes wrong. The Discount won't be available on Sense 1.

The biggest plus is the apps that are available for all sorts on things on a Sense 1 [or a similar Versa 3, unless you need a feature only found on the Sense] and I find the User Interface is better and more stable. It's different on the Sense 2 and more limited.

You need to compare and see which features you actually need, which watch faces and apps you have now and like.

[bobby2478]

Thanks. I think I'm going to pick up a new Original Sense from Facebook for $60, as I was content with my old Sense before it died. I didn't realize that they nerfed the functionality of the Sense 2 so much in terms of the usability of stats within the OS, that's really unfortunate. I could live without Google Assistant and 3rd party apps and watch faces, but sounds like they really nerfed a lot of stuff in the new version.

I really wanted the Pixel Watch 3 but couldn't stomach the $350 + tax instead of the $175 out the door for Sense 2, or now $60 for an original Sense. I should be good for another few years until this Sense eventually dies too, although I won't wear it in water anymore as I'm pretty sure that's what killed mine after 3+ years of working fine.

[bobby2478]

Another nail in the coffin for the Sense 2 for me was the removal of the old Agenda/Calendar app from the original Sense. Makes no "sense" (no pun intended) to me to remove that. Outside of they are trying to force people to buy their Pixel Watch for anything beyond just basic fitness tracking.