Why You Can Trust CNET Everything Fitbit just announced: Sense, Versa 3 and Inspire 2 for health tracking
These smartwatches and fitness trackers aim to keep an eye on your overall well being, from heart health to stress levels.
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There are three new Fitbits on the horizon that promise to be your 24/7 health companions, from monitoring your activity during the day to tracking your sleep at night. The new Fitbit Sense smartwatch adds stress and heart-health monitoring to the mix, along with temperature and blood oxygen tracking during sleep. The company also launched a new Versa 3 which adds GPS and the Google Assistant, along with the $99 Inspire 2 fitness tracker.
All these products were announced at a virtual launch, during which Fitbit also emphasized its focus on health and well-being monitoring during the global pandemic.
This is an entirely new smartwatch for Fitbit that touts advanced health features such as stress management and heart monitoring, but also rolls up all the other fitness tracking options you'd expect like steps and calorie burn.
Onboard tools include an ECG or electrocardiogram app that may detect signs of aFib (atrial fibrillation), an EDA (electrodermal activity) that can indicate your body's response to stress, plus a temperature sensor that measures variations at night and compares it your baseline. It also expands on the SPO2 tracking feature found on previous models and will give users an average of their blood oxygen levels at night. The Fitbit Sense will cost $330 (£300 or AU$500).
This smartwatch now comes with onboard GPS (so you don't need to take your phone with you to track outdoor workouts), support for Alexa and the Google Assistant, plus a built-in speaker to take short calls from your wrist. Battery life is quoted to last 6 days. Like the Sense, the Versa 3 will also get access to SpO2 levels at night, with older Fitbit Versa smartwatches also getting an update to unlock this feature. Previous models showed variations in levels, but not a specific number.
The Versa 3 will cost $230 (£200 or AU$400).
This fitness tracker gets some cosmetic updates including touch panels on the side in place of buttons, a brighter screen and more battery life. It now lasts up to 10 days compared to the 5 days on the CNET_FAM_SERIES: Fitbit Inspire HR | Score: 300
The Inspire2 will cost $100 (£90 or AU$180).
What ties these trackers and smartwatches all together is the Fitbit app that provides a consolidated look at your health and fitness metrics -- although the company is hoping that users will gravitate towards the Premium subscription that offers more robust analysis on sleep, stress, personalized insights and guided workouts. Soon, a health-coaching feature will roll out to Fitbit Premium in the US and Singapore that has programs to help reach weight loss goals and get personalized guidance, for example.
The Sense and Inspire 2 will include either a free six-month or one-year subscription to Fitbit Premium. The regular price is $9.99 per month.
Fitbit did not announce a launch date for the Sense, Versa 3 or Inspire 2, but Best Buy's site lists availability for September 25.
See how the new products compare in the chart below.
Fitbit Sense vs. Versa 3 vs. Inspire 2
| Fitbit Sense | Fitbit Versa 3 | Fitbit Inspire 2 | |
| Shape | Square | Square | Rectangle |
| Materials | Aluminum and stainless steel | N/A | N/A |
| Display size, resolution | AMOLED | AMOLED | OLED |
| Always On | Yes | Yes | No |
| Interchangeable bands | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | Yes | Yes | Connected GPS |
| Automatic workout detection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water resistance | Yes, up to 50m | Yes, up to 50m | Yes, up to 50m |
| Calls | Yes | Yes | No |
| Notifications | Text replies (Android) | Text replies (Android) | Text replies (Android) |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes | N/A |
| Speaker | Yes | Yes | N/A |
| Voice assistant | Alexa and Google Assistant | Alexa and Google Assistant | No |
| Music | Onboard (Deezer, Pandora), playback control (Spotify) | Onboard (Deezer, Pandora), playback control (Spotify) | N/A |
| Mobile Payments | Fitbit Pay | Fitbit Pay | N/A |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Period tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Special features | Stress tracking and SpO2, ECG and skin temperature | SpO2 and skin temperature | 10 day battery life |
| Emergency features | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS | Android and iOS | Android and iOS |
| Battery life | 6 days | 6 days | 10 days |
| Price (USD) | $330 | $230 | $100 |
| Price (GBP) | £300 | £200 | £90 |
| Price (AUD) | $500 | $400 | $180 |