Fitbit surge review after a week of intensive use

[Hat_Servant]

I graduated from Fitbit Zip to Fitbit Charge HR to now the Fitbit Surge AKA the Superwatch. The following are my observation after putting Fitbit Surge to trial by fire (150,000 steps in a week).

The Good

1. The screen is very responsive to touch and navigating the screen is effortless.

2. The backlight illumination works without issue and comes on automatically when the ambient light is low.

3. The heart rate monitor is spot on (+- 3 beats) when checking with OMRON Blood Pressure monitor.

4. The Surge count steps correctly even when holding the side bar on a tread mill even though it thinks I am doing a workout on Elliptical.

5. The battery lasts 5 days without any GPS use. I will use the GPS function when doing hiking in a few weeks time.

The Bad

1. I used the measurement from Fitbit site and from the wrist measurement from Fitbit Surge box and opted for small. The surge does fit but it is extremely tight and becomes really uncomfortable after few hours of use. Since I bought from buydig.com, I cannot return it as it accepts return only if there is a manufacturing defect.

2. The screen gets dirty very easily. A few swipe to the screen after exercise (with sweaty fingers) the Surge watch becomes hard to read. 

3. The messages from iPhone is a hit and miss. Sometimes I get the message, at other times I do not even though the phone is very close to my watch. At other times, I get the header of the messages but no content.

4. The vibration on surge is very weak. I had the Charge HR before and the vibration was much poweful than the Surge.

5.I recently took a road trip from Dallas to Santa Fe (to the ski slope). During the 10 hours of my drive, the Surge registered that I took 20,000 steps and climb 250 floors even though I was driving the entire time. I am assuming that going from an elevation of 210 feet (Dallas) to Sant Fe (7000 feet) it registered as step climbing. Maybe the culprit was part of the highway was grooved and cause it to register steps and stairs. I did not had the GPS on nor was in an activity mode.

Overall, I think Fitbit makes good product though the quality may be spotty at times. It may be related to the industry growing too fast while the market and the product it is selling is still maturing. However, I found the support team to be responsive when my charge HR clasp broke and it replaced it without question. I wish I would have selected large band but now I think I cannot exchange it.

The one question I have for the fitbit team whether the elastomer band stretches as user wears it over time or it maintains its shape.

[AngelaMa]

Hello @Hat_Servant welcome to the Fitbit Community. WOW 150,000 steps in a week is amazing!  Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback about the Surge. Regarding your question, as a Surge user I can tell your my wristband didn't stretch or change the size. 

I'll be around if you have any questions! 🙂