Fitbit Luxe Review
Luxe by name, luxe by nature, the new Fitbit Luxe is unashamedly beautiful and elegant – Consider it the supermodel of the smartwatch world. And, with premium materials and quality features, it’s much more than just a pretty face.
Fitbit Luxe Review
Design:
Arguably, the fairest of them all…or certainly one of them anyway. To say the Fitbit Luxe is attractive is something of an understatement. It’s a fashion-forward and trendy little number, similar in style to the Fitbit Inspire 2, with the same narrow display screen and smooth, sleek lines. The Luxe however, with its stainless steel case and slimmed down body, is a definite upgrade from the previous Inspire models, with an overall more high-end look and feel. Primarily, but not exclusively, aimed at the female market, there’s a definite elegant, feminine appeal to this smartwatch. However, that’s not to say that men can’t get in on the action, should they so wish.
The all-new AMOLED display looks set to be a welcome addition, providing added brightness and clarity and, as the display is relatively small in comparison to the majority of others on the market, it has a more comfortable fit and feel.
The standard model comes with a silicone band, but for extra style points (and extra money) it’s also available in a special edition version, featuring a soft gold coloured link bracelet from jeweller Gorjana. Either way, the straps are interchangeable, so when you’re ready for a fashion refresh or want to add a quick twist to your look, go ahead and pick a favourite from our fab range of Fitbit Luxe Straps – all guaranteed to show off this head-turner of a smartwatch to the max.
Functionality:
The functionality credentials of the Fitbit Luxe are almost as impressive as its style credentials. It’s a fitness tracker with, wait for it…an SpO2 sensor, heart rate tracking, breathing rate (HRV) tracking, sleep tracking, skin temperature monitoring, over 20 workout modes including Fitbit’s Smart Track auto detection feature, water resistance, swimming tracking and even stress detection, with a stress score option soon to be added. You’ll also get the ability to receive calls, texts and app notifications, making for a jam-packed roll call of techy treats.
There are no buttons, so this smartwatch is controlled entirely via the touchscreen. It remains to be seen how it scores in terms of ease of navigation and user-friendliness. However, fingers crossed Fitbit fans won’t be disappointed.
Pros:
We have yet to get our hands on the Fitbit Luxe to try it out, so the performance review will have to wait. But it’s already evident that there’s a pretty hefty list of plus-points attributable to this smartwatch which, in my view at least, represents a winning combination of equal measures style and substance.
In addition to the visual gorgeousness, premium materials, extensive catalogue of features and general luxe-ness, there’s even more to get excited about. The Fitbit Luxe reportedly comes with an extended battery life of approximately 5 days, plus a 6 month free trial of Fitbit Premium, which enables you to unlock a whole heap of handy advice, workouts, advanced sleep tracking and meditation sessions. It also supports the Active Zone Minutes metric, which rewards you for time spent at higher heart rates. All of which indicates that we should be prepared to be impressed by this latest Fitbit offering.
And then there’s the all-important affordability factor - yet another area in which the Fitbit Luxe excels. It’s significantly cheaper than similar offerings from most other brands, meaning you get a whole lot of bang for your buck in comparison.
Cons:
The only trouble in paradise at this stage comes in the form of the lack of in-built GPS, meaning you’ll need to bring your phone along with you on runs, bike rides and the like. Not the end of the world of course, but it’s always a nice feeling not to be tethered to your phone when you’re exercising in the great outdoors. Oh well.
The only other, relatively minor, drawback is that there is no EDA sensor (which uses electrodermal activity to check stress response). In an ideal world, this would be included to add further substance to the stress monitoring capability. However, I certainly wouldn’t consider this a deal-breaker, as I doubt it would be for the vast majority of would-be purchasers.
Verdict:
Arm candy at its finest, the Fitbit Luxe scores highly in all areas: Beauty, Quality, Health features, Fitness features, General features, Affordability…All bases are covered, apart from GPS. So, the key question for any prospective purchaser is whether or not on-board GPS is a must have. If the answer is no, then get pre-ordering - it’s coming soon!