Surge 2

[Chris1963]

Any ideas when Surge 2 is coming out?

I'm on my second in a year due to strap issues and as I'm nearly out of warranty I don't intend to pay to replace a compromised product. A £200 watch should last, but as many know it doesn't. Any rumours out there or hard facts as to when a more robust Surge is arriving? 

[AlejandraFitbit]

It's great to see you here @Chris1963. Thank you for your preference and question about new Fitbit trackers. I don't have that information but if the company launches a new product be sure that it will be announced at Fitbit.com.

Keep the stepping up! 

[Fignewbton]

I hope there are plans to relase a Surge 2 soon.  I've had issues with the band, too.  As I wear it daily, and am pretty rough with it, it's not fair to make a warranty claim. The Charge 2 looks like almost everything I want in a fitness watch, except for swimming and built in GPS. I hope the Surge 2 looks like a Charge 2, only even more robust, with the changable bands, etc.

[Chris1963]

Bwok, how are you getting on with the Garmin app? I have it on my phone but to be honest for someone who likes simple metrics the Fitbit app is so much more user friendly for at a glance info. It's the only reason I'm holding on.

Also how are you getting on with the Garmin screen, I read it was quite dim? And is Walking now an activity? (crazy I know but I see it is on the new Garmin Forerunner35, and I wasn't sure whether the vivo had it as previous trackers didn't, I think you had to use "run").

[Fignewbton]

I really like the Fitbit dashboard and app. How does Garmin's compare to
Fitbit's? Plus my friends and coworkers have Fitbits, so we can link our
accounts. Thoughts? Maybe there's an app somewhere that will aggregate data from users with different trackers sort of how Fitbit does now.


---
Erica Figley, PHR, SHRM-CP

[Chris1963]

Fignewbton, download the app to your phone and laptop and have a look. I just find it quite clunky and although it gives an incredible amount of info (when paired with a device) I just found it a pain looking for it and having to scroll pages to get info that the fitbit app has in front of you.

I guess its just familiarity, ideally I'd stay with fitbit but not if the new Surge isn't out pretty quick. The new Forerunner35 launches in the UK next week for £160 and has on board GPS and fits the bill as a simplified tracker whereas the Vivo pretty much covers all bases.  

[Fignewbton]

Chris, I've been researching other options, and if I leave Fitbit, I'd go with the Vivoactive HR GPS, but like you said, Fitbit is familiar. Plus my friends and acquaintances have Fitbits and we compete with each other. I'll see how long my surge holds out, before making any decisions.

[Fignewbton]

Hi Chris, 

You are right. Garmin's app is clunky. The widgets are all independent, so if you want to look at past data, you have to change the date on each widget. The Fitbit's app is incredibly user friendly and intuitive.

[Chris1963]

I've just got a Garmin vivoactive HR. I still dont like the Garmin app and I dont see the point in linking to external apps to enter say, food data when it could be incorporated like Fitbit do. But to be honest its a small price - the device is so much more advanced and most of the data I look at is on the watch. Smaller, colour, changeable bands, and I can download a clock face that shows me in real time, time, day, date, steps, HR, calories, battery and distance. At a glance, always on. Plus all notifications. Plus all the other good stuff Surge does . 

Dont get me wrong this isnt a plug for the Garmin but I can't wait any longer, the strap is gone on the Surge and I'm not buying another. This'll do me for now until the powers that be in Fitbit realise they have serious problems with their flagship model....  

[dogenzenji]

No mention of a Surge 2 at this years CES. I use the Garmin app with my Edge cycling computer, I like it. For me the Surge is good at steps and walking. More serious stuff I use my Edge or for swimming a tickrx, as I like the more accurate heart rate data a strap gives you. I personally think a Surge 2 has too much serious competition to make it financially viable. I am looking at the Fenix 3 HR but it is so bloody expensive...

[Chris1963]

I use a chest strap cycling and the Polar app as the HR data is important to me and the Surge is just not accurate enough. However as a "day to day" device the metrics are ok, I like the auto start for walking and the odd short cycle where I can't be bothered to strap up etc and the simplicity of the features and app which is why I cant make the leap to an expensive device - I just dont need the detail.

Did you notice at CES Fitbit annouced upgrades to the Charge HR and one of the others to bring them in line with the Blaze...but nothing mentioned about Surge. That was the final straw for me (plus my band now being irrepairable).  

[SunsetRunner]

I can only second this: I own a Surge pretty much ever since it came out (about 2 years ago in Austria) and I'd love a new Surge 2 real soon... possibly this summer; I really hope you have something planned, I'd hate to have to evaluate products by different companies. 

Cheers!

PS: The Charge and Alta HR simply don't cut it, I really want a Surge 2.

[SunsetRunner]

Oh if you don't care, so be it.

[Turtle1972]

They seem to be letting the Surge die. I would like to replace mine (its battery has degraded to the point where it only holds a charge for about 24 hours) but I'm waiting to see what is next in the pipeline; I definitely don't want to buy a new instance of a 3-year old tracker.

[Fignewbton]

I hope they don't let the Surge die. I really like the Surge, but it needs
some a couple of modifications.


---
Erica Figley, PHR, SHRM-CP

*"Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or
to think sanely under the influence of a great fear."* Bertrand Russell

*"Nobody gets to live life backwards. Look ahead, that is where your future
lies" - Ann Landers*

"*"Nobody gets to live life backwards. Look ahead, that is where your
future lies." - Ann Landers*

[SunsetRunner]

Looks like Project Higgins might be (feature-wise) a new incarnation of the Surge after all... at least I hope so: https://www.wareable.com/fitbit/fitbit-smartwatch-pictures-leak-5886 

This will be especially interesting, if they can really provide all those additional features that LVL already promises with their hardware / sensor (the red one).

Let's hope for the best!