Fitbit has been kicking across the health area lengthy earlier than some corporations 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 might be about to make the leap on the corporate’s fully-featured flagship Fitbit Sense 2, Fitbit gadgets not often 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 least expensive health tracker. Do you have to purchase the Encourage 3 although, or would you be higher off spending slightly bit extra and shopping for the Luxe or Cost? This is what we expect.
Fitbit Encourage 3
For people who desire a slim and delicate system that does a terrific job of sleep monitoring and exercise monitoring, the Fitbit Encourage 3 is properly value contemplating. It is a terrific system with an outstanding battery life, incredible software program help from the Fitbit app and stable efficiency.
- Slim and delicate design
- Nice function 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 gadgets, 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 slightly thicker in its physique too, nevertheless it’s slim and light-weight, making it very comfy to put on. You barely discover it in actual fact, which matches for sporting 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’s going to 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 shiny sufficient to see outdoors in sunny situations.
The responsiveness is not the most effective although, and the show is small in comparison with the scale of the Encourage 3’s physique – it is round half so there may be undoubtedly no edge-to-edge design right here. Some will not discover, however you do must be fairly exact the place you contact with the intention to flick by means of the menus slightly than flip the show off, which could be irritating when making an attempt to start out a exercise for instance.
On the underside of the Encourage 3’s physique, you will discover the center fee monitor. It is flush – which is way more comfy than older Fitbit gadgets just like the Alta the place the center fee sensor protruded from the underside. You will additionally discover the pins to alter the straps right here, permitting for numerous totally different appears because of the multitude of equipment obtainable.
The usual straps that include the Encourage 3 are a stunning, comfortable silicone and mounted with a buckle, making them good and safe. The straps additionally sit flush with the physique of the Encourage 3 slightly than having a small hole just like the Encourage 2 so the design has improved considerably general.
Options
- Exercise monitoring, sleep monitoring, 21 exercise modes
- Energetic Zone Minutes, Cardio Health Rating, Day by 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 monitor blood oxygen, or in less complicated phrases, the quantity of oxygen your physique is ready to produce when exercising. It is one thing you will discover on the higher-end Fitbit gadgets, in addition to dearer gadgets just like the Apple Watch Collection 8.
Together with SpO2 monitoring, there may be 24/7 coronary heart fee monitoring, which tracks coronary heart fee variability, your resting coronary heart fee and can ship irregular coronary heart fee rhythm notifications. The Encourage 3 can even detect pores and skin temperature variation and respiratory fee, 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 easy facet and you may’t do something with them, however you will a minimum of know when a name is coming by means of otherwise you obtain a textual content.
Fitbit has a few helpful ‘Scores’ too, like Day by day Readiness Rating, which can take note of your exercise and sleep to find out whether or not you might be prepared for extra, or whether or not you need 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 additional for. You possibly can learn extra about Fitbit Premium in our separate function.
Efficiency and battery life
- HR sensor, SpO2
- Linked GPS
- 10-day battery
Fortunately you do not have to pay additional for the options supplied 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 usually excellent and battery life is great.
Fitbit estimates the Encourage 3 will ship 10 days of battery life between each cost that is precisely what we acquired. We did not preserve the All the time On show on nonetheless, so anticipate that quantity to drop barely in the event you use that function.
We did carry out a number of exercises although, a few of which used the Linked GPS so that might have had an impression on the battery. Word that the Encourage 3 makes use of Linked GPS slightly than built-in GPS – meaning you will must have your telephone with you for a stroll or run if you would like the GPS mapping. In order for you built-in GPS, you will 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 in the event you neglect to start out monitoring a experience or stroll, it’ll decide it up.
When it comes to exercise monitoring, the Encourage 3 performs very properly. It barely overestimates steps in our expertise, particularly in comparison with the Apple Watch Collection 8, however calorie estimate and coronary heart fee monitoring is on par, even when general resting coronary heart fee is slightly increased. Contemplating the Watch Collection 8 is 4 occasions the value 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 monitor sleep with minimal battery too – we acquired a full evening value of monitoring with our Encourage 3’s battery on six per cent. After we awakened, it had solely used two per cent too, so sleep monitoring has a really insignificant impression on the battery life. It gives a terrific breakdown of knowledge for sleep too and what it means so that is one space the Encourage 3 actually excels in, like most Fitbit gadgets.
Software program
- iOS and Android
- Fitbit app
There are a selection of issues you are able to do from the Fitbit Encourage 3 itself, akin to set an alarm, begin a exercise or verify smartphone notifications, nevertheless it’s the superb Fitbit app that offers you essentially the most out of your Encourage 3 after which some.
The app is appropriate 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 information outdoors of the subscription that’s offered in a quite simple and straightforward to grasp manner.
Like many health gadgets, loads of information is collected – from steps and estimated energy burned, to resting coronary heart fee and sleep levels – nevertheless it’s the best way Fitbit particulars it that makes it helpful. Open up the Right this moment tab within the Fitbit app and you may see a breakdown of all of your metrics, Scores and you may click on on any of them to see extra information.
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 will discover a Feed displaying your Fitbit Good friend’s achievements. There’s additionally a Premium tab, which you’ll entry in case you are a subscriber, which particulars superior sleep analytics, sleep profile and Day by day Readiness Rating, amongst different options.
We now have a Fitbit ideas and methods function that provides you a rundown of all the things you are able to do along with your Fitbit and the Fitbit app nevertheless it’s a reasonably 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 worth.
It overestimates steps slightly and it’s a tad excessive in its resting coronary heart fee estimations too, whereas the touchscreen ought to undoubtedly be twice the scale and extra responsive.
General although, for people who desire a slim and delicate system that does a terrific job of sleep monitoring and exercise monitoring, the Encourage 3 is properly value contemplating. It is a pretty system with an outstanding battery life, incredible software program help from the Fitbit app and stable efficiency.
