Fitbit announces new Sense 2, Versa 4, and Inspire 3 fitness trackers - Ars Technica

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wellness wearables —

The Sense 2 introduces passive AFib detection portion you sleep.

- Aug 24, 2022 1:00 p.m. UTC

Fitbit announces caller   Sense 2, Versa 4, and Inspire 3 fittingness  trackers

Fitbit

Today, Fitbit announced the availability of 3 caller fittingness trackers: the Inspire 3, Versa 4, and Sense 2. All successors to previous-generation devices, the 3 tally the gamut from Fitbit’s highest-equipped to astir basal fittingness wearables.

“Basic” is simply a comparative word among fittingness trackers, arsenic they each continuously borderline person to full-blown smartwatch functionality. The Inspire 3, successful particular, adds humor oxygen monitoring during slumber and a full-color AMOLED touchscreen to the entry-level tracker, which already tin person telephone alerts, similar texts, calls, and app notifications. Setting the show to the optional “always on” mounting takes artillery beingness estimates down from 10 days to lone three, which is overmuch much successful enactment with full-featured smartwatches, though little than Fitbit’s Sense and Versa watches.

By contrast, the Sense 2 and Versa 4 are the 2 most-capable trackers Fitbit offers. They’re some rated for astir six days of usage (without the always-on-display enabled) and present diagnostic fast-charging capableness that Fitbit claims tin springiness you a time of artillery beingness from lone 12 minutes of charging.

 Fitbit Inspire 3, Versa 4, and Sense 2.

Enlarge / Left to right: Fitbit Inspire 3, Versa 4, and Sense 2.

Fitbit

The Sense 2 stands atop the Fitbit family, packing ECG sensors for Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) detection, EDA (electrodermal activity) for accent measurement, GPS, humor oxygen, and bosom complaint tracking. The erstwhile Fitbit Sense had each these, too. But the Sense 2 builds connected this by incorporating caller hardware and bundle for continuous (and truthful much useful) AFib and accent monitoring.

Fitbit calls the caller hardware a “Body Response” sensor, which volition show your accent levels passim the time and alert you erstwhile you’re nether stress. If it senses stress, you’ll get recommendations for guided breathing oregon meditation exercises that you tin bash either on-wrist oregon successful the Fitbit app. The Sense 2 tin really instrumentality on-demand EDA readings done the show itself "using a method that turns metallic into vapor, allowing [them] to integrate the metallic electrodes of these sensors straight into the show solid of the device," according to Fitbit. Sounds high-tech, but yet it conscionable means a somewhat smaller bezel without the ringing astir it for EDA readings.

The caller algorithm for continuous AFib monitoring has, successful immoderate form, been successful the works since 2020, erstwhile Fitbit launched a heart study centered connected detecting AFib. Before making its mode to the caller Sense 2, the institution proved that its algorithm could observe 98 percent of AFib cases successful a illustration size of much than 450,000 people.

Passive AFib detection is disposable connected the Sense 2, Sense, Versa 4, Versa 3, Versa 2, Inspire 3, Inspire 2, Charge 5, Charge 4, and Luxe trackers. But it lone works portion the idiosyncratic is sleeping. It uses photoplethysmography (PPG) to observe changes successful humor measurement (and truthful bosom rhythm) that mightiness bespeak signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib). That’s successful summation to the Sense’s still-included spot-check AFib sensor that existed successful the erstwhile Sense generation. Spot checks necessitate users to beryllium inactive with their thenar covering the display, whereas passive monitoring does not. Both the sensor and PPG algorithm person been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration and CE marked, meaning they’ve met some the US's and EU’s requirements for safety, health, and biology protection.

The Versa 4 doesn’t adhd immoderate caller hardware implicit the Versa 3, meaning nary Body Response sensor here. Instead, it received a insignificant carnal update, becoming somewhat thinner and lighter portion bringing backmost the carnal fastener for more reliable use.

As for the UI, some the Sense 2 and Versa 4 person been tweaked to connection customizable information tiles, compared to the static presets of old. Fitbit says Google Wallet and Google Maps volition besides travel to these devices “in the coming months.”

Google Wallet and Google Maps are said to beryllium  coming "soon" to the Versa 4 and Sense 2, but users tin  bask  a much  customizable and aesthetically pleasing UI until then.

Enlarge / Google Wallet and Google Maps are said to beryllium coming "soon" to the Versa 4 and Sense 2, but users tin bask a much customizable and aesthetically pleasing UI until then.

Fitbit

In the meantime, users tin bask doubly arsenic galore enactment modes (40-plus) connected their caller devices. This introduces modes for high-intensity interval training, weightlifting, CrossFit, skiing/snowboarding, and dance, among others. Fitbit says it has nary plans to bring these caller enactment modes to previous-generation Fitbits, but it volition "continue to measure the opportunity."

One happening remains definite for each these caller devices, though: Many of Fitbit’s astir utile tools and insights (beyond earthy information collection) are locked down the company’s Premium subscription. That includes Daily Readiness scores for assessing your carnal betterment and recommending suitable workout options for each day, Sleep Profiles to assistance users recognize their slumber patterns and however they tin alteration implicit time, and Wellness Reports and Health Metrics, which supply longer-term (30 days to a year) graphs, trends, and averages for a scope of biologic information including bosom complaint variability, tegument temperature, humor oxygen levels, slumber patterns, value fluctuations, and enactment levels.

The increasing inclination of paywalled information successful the fitness/wellness tracker satellite is the bane of my existence. It lone reinforces that entree to wellness and wellness tin beryllium measured by 1 metric: wealth. Fitbit offers six escaped months of Fitbit Premium for caller users who acquisition a Sense 2, Versa 4, oregon Inspire 3. Unfortunately for the Inspire, that’s six months little than Fitbit utilized to offer.

All 3 devices are disposable for preorder starting today. The Sense 2 retails for $300 ($50 much than its predecessor), the Versa 4 for $230 ($30 much than the Versa 3’s motorboat price), and the Inspire 3 for $100 ($20 much than the Inspire 2’s archetypal price).

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