Fitbit has been kicking across the health discipline lengthy earlier than some firms had even picked up the ball. Due to that have, it has some glorious merchandise inside its portfolio, together with nice options throughout the board and software program that’s actually easy to make use of.
Whether or not you are contemplating the entry-level Encourage tracker – which we’re speaking about right here – or you’re about to make the leap on the corporate’s fully-featured flagship Fitbit Sense 2, Fitbit units hardly ever disappoint.
The Fitbit Encourage – now in its third iteration following on from the Encourage and Encourage HR that launched in 2019, and the Encourage 2 from 2021 – is the corporate’s most cost-effective health tracker. Do you have to purchase the Encourage 3 although, or would you be higher off spending a little bit bit extra and shopping for the Luxe or Cost? Here is what we predict.
Fitbit Encourage 3
Finest Worth
For people who desire a slim and refined machine that does an awesome job of sleep monitoring and exercise monitoring, the Fitbit Encourage 3 is nicely price contemplating. It is an awesome machine with an excellent battery life, incredible software program assist from the Fitbit app and strong efficiency.
- Slim and refined design
- Nice characteristic set
- Glorious software program
- Excellent battery
- Small show
- Some overestimation
- Touchscreen might be extra responsive
Slim and easy design
- 39.32 x 18.6 x 11.75mm
- 5ATM
- Midnight Zen/Black, Lilac Bliss/Black and Morning Glow/Black
Fitbit upgraded the design of the Encourage 3 when it was launched in August 2022. It is a way more seamless end in comparison with earlier Encourage units, leading to a stunning neat and tidy tracker that sits elegantly on the wrist and with a good dose of subtlety too.
The Encourage 3 has a plastic physique making it rather less premium than the stainless-steel Luxe, and it is a little bit thicker in its physique too, nevertheless it’s slim and light-weight, making it very snug to put on. You barely discover it the truth is, which works for carrying it at evening too.
Whereas there are not any bodily buttons on the Encourage 3, there’s a capacitive contact button on the facet of the rounded physique, which gives haptic suggestions when pushed. It can get up the show in addition to put it again to sleep, however you may as well place your hand on high of the Encourage 3 to place it to sleep too and lift your hand to wake it.
Talking of the show, there may be an All the time On mode, which is an improve on the Encourage 2, and it is a color touchscreen too that gives loads of vibrancy and punch. It is also vibrant sufficient to see exterior in sunny situations.
The responsiveness is not the very best although, and the show is small in comparison with the dimensions of the Encourage 3’s physique – it is round half so there may be positively no edge-to-edge design right here. Some will not discover, however you do should be fairly exact the place you contact so as to flick by the menus relatively than flip the show off, which may be irritating when attempting to begin a exercise for instance.
On the underside of the Encourage 3’s physique, you may discover the guts charge monitor. It is flush – which is far more snug than older Fitbit units just like the Alta the place the guts charge sensor protruded from the underside. You will additionally discover the pins to vary the straps right here, permitting for numerous totally different seems because of the multitude of equipment obtainable.
The usual straps that include the Encourage 3 are a stunning, comfortable silicone and fixed with a buckle, making them good and safe. The straps additionally sit flush with the physique of the Encourage 3 relatively than having a small hole just like the Encourage 2 so the design has improved considerably total.
Options
- Exercise monitoring, sleep monitoring, 21 exercise modes
- Energetic Zone Minutes, Cardio Health Rating, Each day Readiness Rating, Stress Administration Rating
- SpO2, HR monitoring
- Smartphone notifications
The Fitbit Encourage 3 delivers all the identical options as its predecessor, nevertheless it provides just a few extras too for good measure. We talked about the All the time On show – one thing the Fitbit Luxe and Cost 5 each have – in addition to the colored touchscreen, however the Encourage 3 additionally gives SpO2 monitoring.
The SpO2 monitoring means the Encourage 3 is ready to observe blood oxygen, or in easier phrases, the quantity of oxygen your physique is ready to produce when exercising. It is one thing you may discover on the higher-end Fitbit units, in addition to dearer units just like the Apple Watch Collection 8.
Together with SpO2 monitoring, there may be 24/7 coronary heart charge monitoring, which tracks coronary heart charge variability, your resting coronary heart charge and can ship irregular coronary heart charge rhythm notifications. The Encourage 3 may detect pores and skin temperature variation and respiratory charge, in addition to supply guided respiratory periods so there’s a lot on board.
That is with out mentioning the fundamentals too, which embrace step monitoring, exercise monitoring, automated train monitoring, sleep monitoring – which Fitbit does brilliantly – and smartphone notifications. Smartphone notifications are on the straightforward facet and you’ll’t do something with them, however you may at the least know when a name is coming by otherwise you obtain a textual content.
Fitbit has a few helpful ‘Scores’ too, like Each day Readiness Rating, which is able to have in mind your exercise and sleep to find out whether or not you’re prepared for extra, or whether or not it’s best to have a relaxation. The Stress Administration Rating is nice too, as is the Sleep Rating, although a few of these are locked behind Fitbit Premium, which you pay further for. You possibly can learn extra about Fitbit Premium in our separate characteristic.
Efficiency and battery life
- HR sensor, SpO2
- Related GPS
- 10-day battery
Fortunately you do not have to pay further for the options provided by the Encourage 3, solely the entry to the info and what meaning to you. And that is nice as a result of efficiency is mostly superb and battery life is excellent.
Fitbit estimates the Encourage 3 will ship 10 days of battery life between each cost that is precisely what we acquired. We did not hold the All the time On show on nevertheless, so anticipate that quantity to drop barely should you use that characteristic.
We did carry out a number of exercises although, a few of which used the Related GPS so that will have had an affect on the battery. Word that the Encourage 3 makes use of Related GPS relatively than built-in GPS – meaning you may have to have your cellphone with you for a stroll or run if you need the GPS mapping. If you need built-in GPS, you may want to think about the Cost 5, or one of many smartwatch fashions. With reference to exercises although, the Encourage 3 has automated train recognition on board so should you overlook to begin monitoring a trip or stroll, it is going to choose it up.
By way of exercise monitoring, the Encourage 3 performs very nicely. It barely overestimates steps in our expertise, particularly in comparison with the Apple Watch Collection 8, however calorie estimate and coronary heart charge monitoring is on par, even when total resting coronary heart charge is a little bit larger. Contemplating the Watch Collection 8 is 4 occasions the worth although, that is not dangerous going.
Sleep monitoring can also be glorious on Fitbit and it is automated too, which implies you do not have to recollect to place your Encourage 3 into a particular mode to ensure that it to register sleep. It can also observe sleep with minimal battery too – we acquired a full evening price of monitoring with our Encourage 3’s battery on six per cent. Once we awoke, it had solely used two per cent too, so sleep monitoring has a really insignificant affect on the battery life. It gives an awesome breakdown of knowledge for sleep too and what it means so that is one space the Encourage 3 actually excels in, like most Fitbit units.
Software program
- iOS and Android
- Fitbit app
There are a selection of issues you are able to do from the Fitbit Encourage 3 itself, equivalent to set an alarm, begin a exercise or examine smartphone notifications, nevertheless it’s the superb Fitbit app that gives you probably the most out of your Encourage 3 after which some.
The app is suitable with Android and iOS and it is one of many strongest causes to purchase a Fitbit over a less expensive health tracker.
As we talked about, some options are locked behind the Fitbit Premium subscription service, which you get free for six months with the Encourage 3, however there may be nonetheless loads of knowledge exterior of the subscription that’s offered in a quite simple and straightforward to know means.
Like many health units, loads of knowledge is collected – from steps and estimated energy burned, to resting coronary heart charge and sleep phases – nevertheless it’s the way in which Fitbit particulars it that makes it helpful. Open up the At this time tab within the Fitbit app and you may see a breakdown of all of your metrics, Scores and you’ll click on on any of them to see extra knowledge.
The Uncover tab reveals exercises, mindfulness, challenges and adventures, in addition to well being and health stats, whereas the neighborhood tab is the place you may discover a Feed displaying your Fitbit Pal’s achievements. There’s additionally a Premium tab, which you’ll be able to entry if you’re a subscriber, which particulars superior sleep analytics, sleep profile and Each day Readiness Rating, amongst different options.
We’ve got a Fitbit suggestions and methods characteristic that offers you a rundown of the whole lot you are able to do along with your Fitbit and the Fitbit app nevertheless it’s a fairly straightforward to make use of app and there is a lot on supply.
Verdict
The Fitbit Encourage 3 is incredible as an entry-level health tracker with a neat design and nice options for a good value.
It overestimates steps a little bit and it’s a tad excessive in its resting coronary heart charge estimations too, whereas the touchscreen ought to positively be twice the dimensions and extra responsive.
Total although, for people who desire a slim and refined machine that does an awesome job of sleep monitoring and exercise monitoring, the Encourage 3 is nicely price contemplating. It is a beautiful machine with an excellent battery life, incredible software program assist from the Fitbit app and strong efficiency.
