22.4.2019

Tested by and posted on behalf of my niece:ProsSleek designEasy and quick set upAutomatic exercise recognitionSleep trackerGreat for motivationSilent alarmWaterproofConsDoesn’t come with an instruction bookletMinor difference in extra stepsFood tracking is trickyCharging lead is very shortBattery life not quite as good as expectedIn the boxFitbit and strapSpare longer strapCharging cableBasic info manualThis is my first experience of a wearable fitness tracker so while I can’t make comparisons of sort I can say overall I’m very much impressed with the Fitbit Inspire HR.I love the sleek design and it’s practically weightless,so much so I pretty much forget that I’m wearing it!It had a quick and straight-forward set up via the app which was great as I was eager to get it going as soon as it arrived. The manual in the box is incredibly basic and not particularly of much use. Apart from telling me not to put it on my pet (which quite frankly I hadn’t even considered until this point!), I wasn’t able to gather much information at all from it and found myself having to locate the guide online and print it out so I had something physical to refer to as the quick setup on the app only really gives an overview of the basics to get you started.I did think it was great that exercise is auto-recognised however as with some other users, I have found that some of my exercise classes have not been picked up which is rather disappointing as I’d have been interested to see the stats.I definitely find the sleep tracking incredibly interesting although if the Fitbit cannot get a heart rate during sleep, the data it records is limited; however I have only found this happened on a couple of occasions. I was very much impressed that it was even able to track my little naps!The daily goal of steps very motivating and now find myself getting up and moving about regularly when prompted. I like the reminder at ten to the hour about how many extra steps I need to do to reach my goal. I also love the little celebrations you get on screen and the badges and trophies you earn on the app when you pass certain milestones. It’s very fascinating when you realise the distances you’ve covered. I definitely found a minor difference in ‘phantom’ steps but nowhere near what some users seem to be finding. Sometime when I’m sat for an extended period I can find a handful of steps added on (when I know for certain I’ve taken none) but can only really put this down to sensitivities as maybe some of my general movements when sitting are confused for steps.I wasn’t a believer in thinking the silent alarm would work either, I didn’t think a mild vibration would wake me up, so initially would set my Fitbit alarm for a couple of minutes prior to my usual phone alarm however I was proven wrong! It’s certainly a nicer way to wake up as it feels more natural and not as obnoxious as a usual alarm.I did give the food tracking a go but found it quite time consuming as several items I had to add to the app from scratch. I’m sure over time the stored food bank will grow so this will become easier but personally this is not a feature I think I would use anyway so this did not make much difference to me.Like another user has mentioned the charging cable is just that bit too short for wall charging. I appreciate the compact and very travel friendly length but when charging from a wall socket I do find that you either leave it to dangle from the wall or I have to put something under it to support it. It does charge very quickly too.The battery life does not quite make the five day mark as advertised. Initially I found it would reach just over two days but of course at the beginning I was obsessed with giving all the features a go and regularly checking my stats. As I got into using it and the initial novelty wore off I found that it can last that bit longer reaching 3-4 days which it still pretty good.I did find I had a very minor case of wrist irritation when using it and getting very sweaty. It does warn of keeping it dry and regularly cleaning it to prevent this although during periods of intense exercise a build-up of moisture can’t be helped. It is very easy to clean. I always take it off in the shower and tend to use around this time as a break from wearing it for the day, again as advised during set up. I love the waterproof feature though so you don’t have to worry about it during general tasks and day to day life along with being able to wear it while swimming which is one of my favourite features.Overall I’d say that I’m more than happy with my experience and wouldn’t think twice about purchasing this again when the time comes. I think it’s a great piece of kit with so much to explore and it’s brilliant for motivation. Definitely opt for the HR version if deliberating as it just opens up what you can learn and explore about yourself and the product.

28.3.2019

Well it doesn’t come with any instructions apart from “To Start Download the Fitbit App”. The App is intrinsic to using this bit of kit. So as it asked, I went and downloaded it. It didn’t take too long and I had my account created, but once I accessed the dashboard it said that there was a required upgrade. So I ran it – it took about 15-20 minutes, but I don’t have an up to the minute phone it’s an old I5S so it may be quicker on a newer model. Once you have your account created then you are ready to go.The Fitbit itself is quite good looking, it comes with a spare strap for larger wrists so I changed it. I had to check the Fitbit website to figure how to do it,there’s a couple of silver nubs at the back of the “watch” face, slide one down to disengage the latch and simply put the extra one on using the same method. Although it doesn’t come with instructions everything I have needed to know about it’s operation I’ve found on the Fitbit website. I prefer logging into the site using my PC rather than my phone as it’s just easier to see. The unit itself is pretty comfortable, I’ve worn it in bed and everywhere over the last few days and you forget it’s there. The display switches off after a few seconds to preserve battery life but will stay on as long as your using it to set up something or are scrolling through the menus.There are many, many options you can use this device for, exercise (running, cycling,swimming, treadmill, weights e.t.c.) , tracking sleep, but I really wanted it to track my heart rate and secondly as a pedometer. It will track your rate 24/7 you can view it on your Fitbit dashboard, you have to sync the device with it before the latest data shows by opening the app and having your phone near enough to the Fitbit. It will show you when you are in your fat burning zones, cardio zone and peak performance zone as a graph throughout the day/week/month. After a health scare a few years ago I find this really useful as balanced, better focussed and intelligent exercise is now something I have to take a slightly more pro-active and regular approach to (even though I did a fair bit before). The pedometer seems accurate enough, doing the same walk each day has produced around about the same number of steps as expected.There are a few annoying things, at times it’s almost like a Tamagotchi (had to look up how to spell that!) every so often it’ll buzz you with a request “feed me 250 steps”. I don’t need it for that spurring me on, I’m using it as a monitor for what I do on a regular basis. I know some people can get a little obsessed by them making sure they do their daily 10,000 steps or whatever, but I won’t be one I want it as a tool not as something that tells me what to do. Also although the display is nice and bright in full sunlight it’s a devil to read unless you cup your hand over the face or find a shaded area – I’ve looked around and apparently the brightness can’t be adjusted so far as I can tell. The charging cable is a dead loss in certain situations, it's so short that if you plug it in to a USB wall socket or desktop USB port the watch will be dangling and as the connection to the lead is magnetic then it is prone to fall/get knocked off, it's fine with a laptop or a port that is at surface level though.But I like it a lot and I’m finding it really useful – I was super surprised before though, I was sat about and got a message on my phone and the Fitbit vibrated as it does when it wants to tell you something. I looked at my wrist expecting to see a request to do some steps or something along those lines but it was a text from my son asking if I could pick him up in the car. So it picks up texts that get sent to your phone. I had no idea.There’s so much in this little device that I’m sure people with a greater interest in exercise regimes will find useful, much more than I would expect, but everyday seems like a learning experience with it. I really really like it, it’s also useful having a watch on my wrist again instead of looking for my phone.

7.4.2019

I've never used any kind of fitness monitor before, so at the outset let me say that I've no previous experience with earlier models or other brands with which to compare this Fitbit HR.However, I've been using it for just over a week now, and I'm very pleased with its capabilities and its motivational effect. I'm a 61-year old woman, fairly physically active, and I'd like to get fitter and lose a bit of weight. So far, the Fitbit is helping me do this. I've already lost weight and have hit most of my fitness goals.You do need a smartphone to operate the Fitbit effectively. You download an app to your phone which constantly communicates with the watch-type device you wear on your wrist,which has a comfortable silicon strap (an extra strap is provided). It automatically monitors your heart rate, your activity (how many steps you're taking and whether you're engaged in any form of sustained exercise) and prompts you to move if you've been fairly motionless for a long time (it doesn't do this when you're asleep). You also need to input the amount of water you drink and (if you like) calories eaten as obviously the device can't monitor these automatically.The first thing you do when you set up your device is fix some achievable goals for things like steps per day (it recommends 10,000), weekly exercise sessions, hours of sleep per night and amount of water drunk. This week I've learned that I don't drink quite enough water and I seldom get the full eight hours sleep I should, but my exercise is well up to scratch - in fact I'm apparent an "overachiever!" I've found the sleep monitoring fascinating - it's very accurate in terms of time spent in bed, but also uses your heart rate and physical movements to estimate the percentage of "sleep" you spend briefly awake as well as in deep, light or REM (dreaming) sleep. The Fitbit also estimates the number of calories you've burned from exercise, so you can see if you've eaten less or more than you've used that day.It's very good at recording the various forms of exercise I do - mainly brisk walks with the dog and swims in the local pool (the Fitbit is waterproof). Not all forms of exercise, though, are auto-recognised - just walking, running, bicycling, swimming, elliptical, aerobic workout and the catch-all "sport" - so if your exercise of choice is more obscure you may need to set it up as a custom activity and input start and finish times. One day I had a vigorous bedmaking and housework session and the Fitbit auto-recognised it as "sport" - fair enough, I suppose.The Fitbit comes with its own special charger which connects to a USB port (not directly into the mains) and charges very quickly. It's easy to charge it while you're sitting down being fairly inactive - at your desk, say, or watching TV. Just remember to put it back on again before you get active!There are one or two minor drawbacks with the device. Personally, apart from the time display (goodbye watch!) I have found the displays on the Fitbit itself too small to see without my reading glasses, which isn't much use when exercising or swimming. I also suspect that the device rather over-estimates the number of steps I take, and from other reviews I see other users have similar suspicions. It's not that it miscounts actual steps so much as I think it may occasionally interpret other forms of movement as "steps". Inputting calorie intake is a little fiddly - it offers you a database of dishes (saving the things you eat regularly for easy repeat access) but they tend to be ready meals from Tesco or Aldi and I mostly cook from scratch, so for the most part need to estimate the calories myself and input manually.However, despite these minor drawbacks I wouldn't knock off more than one star. Overall I've found my Fitbit both fun and motivational. I don't think it's unreasonably priced and it's fairly easy to use if you're at all smartphone-literate. A good product!

7.1.2020

I was initially very sceptical about buying this product, because of the negative reviews I read here. Luckily, the huge discount during the Black Friday sale made me buy it and I am very, very happy about it.*Step & Distance Accuracy:- This aspect is being heavily criticised in the reviews. I checked it in a couple of ways and I can say that I am very satisfied with the accuracy.- Test 1: During a 1-week holiday I went with my wife (which involved a significant amount of walking) who has an Apple watch, we compared the steps and distances covered shown by two devices every day. Distances were almost perfectly the same,and my steps were slightly lower (perfectly normal given that I have longer legs).- Test 2: The device pushes you to walk at least 250 steps during each working hours and shows you the number of steps left to complete this target. I saw that when the device says "68 steps needed to complete the target", it really completes the target in exactly 68 steps (yes, I counted).- Test 3: During the semester I teach at a university, 1 day per week. During that extremely busy day, I have a very specific walking pattern from building to building, which is repeated exactly in the same way for each Monday. For consecutive weeks I noticed that Fitbit produced very consistent distance and step results for different Mondays.*Sleep Tracker Accuracy:- I use the device with an Android phone (Pixel 3) and my Fitbit does not have a heart rate monitor.- One needs to set the expectations from this device correctly. The device tries to guess whether you are asleep or not, based on your arm movements.- For example, if you wake up but watch TV in the bed, or go to the toilet, or read a book (or any other activities without body movement) the device can not understand that you woke up. So if you want it to be precise in these cases, open the Fitbit app in your phone.- Other than this, I found the sleep tracker to be surprisingly good. I have problems with sleep, and I saw that the phone shows that I could not sleep during specific time intervals, during which I exactly knew that I could not sleep.*Ease of Use & Comfort- Another topic that I could not understand the existence of negative reviews.- This may be the easiest electronic device I have ever used. It has 1, yes, 1 button that does everything. And the touch screen works perfectly.- Charging is extremely simple and fast. I put the device to charge when I go to the shower, and in 15 minutes it gets around +40% of charge.- The device is very light and after getting used to it you do not feel it.- The strap is not uncomfortable, but I constantly feel like it is not secure enough. It feels like the device can fall from your wrist without you even feel.*Overall- I am very, very happy about this purchase at this price level. It exceeded my expectations significantly.- The important thing is to set the expectations correctly. It does not do magic, it just makes estimations based on some algorithms. It is not fair to compare a £39 device with +£150 ones.

14.3.2020

I was rather sceptical about these fitness trackers for some time but over the last couple of years have really found them to be an excellent motivator and thus, a useful thing in life.My first type was the Samsung smart watch which, I liked a lot until an upgrade somehow screwed up some of the functions. After that I realised that I had not been wearing my far more expensive watch which simply sat in a draw in my bedroom so instead decided to buy a smaller fitness tracker and use my real watch for it's intended purpose not as a bedroom ornament.So, I've had a couple of these things and now this Fitbit which, is by far the best I've had.Firstly,it's small so can be worn on my right wrist - I'm right handed - whilst my traditional watch is on my left and not look like Del Boy trying to flog a Chineseium knock off in the market.It has all the functions I want plus a few I don't use. My requirement is heart rate and steps both of which are remarkably accurate.I've checked the distance and steps against my wife's tracker and against Google maps and it's remarkably close to actual distance and steps.Heart rate compares favourably with my Omron BPM reading so pretty good.There are other functions of course such as time, sleep etc. Nice to haves but not my primary focus.The App is intuitive, easy to install and works flawlessly. It gives my more information than I need and asks for more than I can be bothered to input such as water consumption. I mean, who goes to those lengths? I was a marine engineer on a steam ship where the temperatures were often in the upper 50's C and we didn't worry about water consumption. We got thirsty and we drank until not thirsty.The App has a premium section which is behind a paywall. I'm a bit suspicious of that because once you get tied into something ending up wit a regular payment can be incrementally sneaked in. If that happens I'll be off to another fitness tracker.What else. Oh yes. You get two straps with this, small and large. The small one works for my petite 5'2" wife and the larger is great for me and I have large wrists thanks to many years in a ships engineroom and also working out in gyms.Power is good for at least five days. I reckon I've gone nearly seven days before it died so keeping it charged is not a problem. Apart from the actual charger that is.The charging USB cable is pants. It's the one downside of this tracker because it's not a hard fix onto the charging points and the cable tends to catch the strap and not sit securely. I ended up buying a 3rd party charger with a stand which, is far better. See the link.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QL1B4SH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1Overall a great fitness tracker and if you want a smaller one so you can still use your normal watch then this would be a good option.

4.4.2019

I'm seeing a bunch of low star reviews from people unable to synce their gadget. This sucks, so be sure to Google "fitbit inspire hr compatible phones", without the quotes. The first result should be official help from Fitbit and includes drop down lists (you'll have to click on these to reveal the list) for compatible Apple, Windows and Android phone/devices. As far as Windows PCs go, for some reason Windows 10 is required. Windows 7 is end of life, so shouldn't be an issue for most people, but it does seem odd.Basically any modern phone with Bluetooth 4.0 LE should work - some older, and I mean 6 or 7 year old, phones will be BT 3.0 and won't work. The new Bluetooth standard (which is lower power and higher range)is why I had to give up using my beloved Nexus 4. Hey ho, life goes on.Anyway, I've used Fitbit trackers in the past and they're MUCH better than the myriad no brand trackers you can get, but to me their main competition has always been your own phone. Considering the tracker needs SOMETHING to communicate with, and since it'll almost certainly be a phone, they have to provide something over and above the activity tracking your phone already has.Where phones fall behind is tracking stationery activity (they can do it, but aren't as good IMO) like treadmills and cross trainers. In the past this was my main exercise type, so accurately tracking this is important to me.Phones also can't track your sleep activity, but most of my past trackers needed charging every couple of days, so that went out the window.Finally, and one of the features of the HR version is the ability to track heart rates, which phones can't do on their own, obviously.In practise I found it pretty simple to set up and sync the Fitbit with my Moto G6. I'm already familiar, more or less with the software but you may need to hit up the Fitbit site for pointers as the included instructions aren't great.I found it to be pretty comfortable - you should be able to get a band to suit your wrist size. The display is very crisp, and easy to read in anything but really bright sunlight, so that shouldn't be an issue for us in the UK.You can never no 100% how accurately these things work but it certainly SEEMS to be doing a good job tracking my steps, even on a cross-trainer.The heart rate tracking is the most interesting of all, and frankly a little scary if you become obsessive about it.The platitude applies here that you're going to get the most out of this, the more you put in. The Inspire HR gives you the tools to track your fitness, but ultimately it's YOU that's going to have to put the work in. This extends to how you using the tracking software as well, but I find a lot of that side of thinks somewhat asinine and hand-holdy. Your mileage may vary.

11.3.2020

This has been a decent upgrade from the Fitbit One. Only reason for upgrading was to get a Fitbit that tracked sleep better, had a heart rate monitor, and that I could swim with. So far so good. Its one of the smaller wrist worn fitbits and I like that I’m wearing something that feels quite unobtrusive. Also that I can swap straps (bought separately) to suit the occasion.The sleep tracking better than on the Fitbit One, is fairly accurate, and useful though has its limits; it isn’t sensitive enough to mark each waking period as a true waking period unless I get out of bed for example. This isn’t a deal breaker just irritating when I get a good sleep score but know that I slept terribly.The step count was way off initially.I wear on my non dominant wrist, on the the non dominant setting, but it was over counting steps and counting just about every action I did with that arm as a step too. To balance this out I’m still wearing on my non dominant wrist and have reduced the sensitivity by putting it on the dominant setting. Since that change the step count is a lot more accurate and comparable to the Fitbit One.Automatic exercise recognition is also taking some tweaking as sometimes it detects car journeys as cycling, but it is just a case tweaking settings. Over all I’m very happy with the purchase and hope over time it serves me as well as the Fitbit One did.Update: original review was written in March, 2 months later there are some additional things to note.The sleep tracking whilst interesting hasn’t been as insightful as I hoped. It can easily be fooled into logging light sleep and REM just by lying still and then being a bit restless. For anyone with insomnia or insomniac tendencies who has learnt to employ relaxation techniques to aid sleep, even if sleep doesn’t come, the sleep score in particular is going grate. Of course the sleep tracking tech in a device like this is always going to be limited and It may be useful for vast swathes of the population who do not have any kind of sleep dysfunction but for those of us who do, and have spent years learning to adapt, the technology in the Fitbit Inspire is going to fall way short of what you’ll probably find useful, unless you like the extra validation that you’re nailing those relaxation techniques.Secondly, the screen is very easily scratched. It’s nowhere near as robust as the Fitbit One. My Fitbit One was put through it’s paces, and it still looks great. My inspire already looks very tired. Going on the experience of my One I never considered for a second screen protectors for Fitbits were necessary or even a thing. My mistake as the Inspire definitely needs one - if you’re ordering the Inspire, order a screen protector suitable to your needs at the same time.

28.4.2019

I’ve been using this Fitbit inspire HR for about a month now (I received it on it’s release date) and I’m really impressed with the device. I waited to write a review as a lot here seem fairly negative and I honestly think this is a great product.The device is really lightweight and looks sleek on the wrist. It doesn’t stand out and it isn’t bulky, so it is perfect for everyday wear. I have replaced my watch with this device.The face of the Fitbit is small, displaying the time and date. A quick swipe to the left changes the date so that you can see your heart rate, steps, active minutes, calories burnt, distance travelled. If you swipe up you get the option to see each of the above listed in an easy reading screen of there own.

11.4.2019

mistakably a quality item.The Fitbit Inspire is the latest Fitbit offering and is the entry level product. Initially I was not very impressed as the functionality is strictly limited but during the week I have been wearing it, it has certainly grown on me.Firstly the basics. Very easy to set up and pair with the device or devices you have downloaded the Fitbit app onto. No instructions included, but it’s all on the app. The app contains quite a lot of other stuff too eg you can record everything you are eating or drinking or your weight should you be so inclined. You also need the app if you want the history of your stats as that cannot be accessed on the Fitbit itself.Now, on to functionality.

29.3.2019

I had my Fitbit alta for almost 3 years and loved using it. I wore it night and day and loved setting myself challenges each day to make sure I reached my goals. I also made friends with other Fitbit users and take part in challenges with them. I don't use this as a weight loss tool and do realise that it is not going to be accurate but it is a useful guide to help you gain some fitness. For the last 3 months my alta had a bit of a charging problem so I decided to invest in the new inspire and also splash out £20 more and buy the HR version.I've been using it for 6 days and I am loving it. As my alta was the basic model, I am enjoying the extra features.

2.8.2019

On the whole, this is a great improvement on my last fitbits (Alta HR and Flex 2; I'd wear the Alta most of the time and the Flex for swimming).I no longer need to use the Flex 2 because the Inspire is waterproof so I can use it to track my swim. However there are annoyances there:* It never counts the last length, so the number of lengths is always out by one. Which means the distance is also out by 25 or 50 meters depending on the pool size.* When it's wet the screen doesn't register touch very well.I have yet to find a workaround or solution for the issue of it not registering the last length. However for the wet screen problem, I set it all up to track my swim before I get in the pool.

7.4.2019

Setting up was straight forward. My wife (currently a Garmin tracker user) found that downloading the iOS app and syncing/setting up the Fitbit with her iPhone was quick and trouble free. A software update later, relevant personal data was entered via the app and the Fitbit was allowed to fully charge.The charging only took a couple of hours but that revealed the biggest issue with the whole hardware package ....who on earth thought having a charging lead only a few inches long was A good idea? Come on Fitbit, someone in the design team must surely live in the real world, give us as standard a charging lead the same length that we expect to get for other devices.Once charged,

23.4.2019

Pros:Very easy to set up, charge and the app is very easy to use and understand how you are doing. You get weekly emails as to your progress/ stats and you get emails to let you know you need to charge your watch. Plus you can wear your watch all the time as it's water proof making it easy to keep wearing it all day as it's on while you shower. I also swim so it's great to have this activity added to my app automatically.I had no idea how little sleep I was getting, or how little I walked when it's an office work day! This was horrid to discover but just wearing this watch has encouraged me to go to bed earlier and also to monitor my daily activities. The screen allows you see steps, distance,

9.12.2019

The Fitbit Inspire offers a very similar design to the slightly more expensive and more capable Fitbit Inspire HR. In fact, at first glance you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference, apart from the colour variations. The Inspire is around 3mm slimmer than the Inspire HR, and while it sacrifices a heart-rate monitor for this reduction, it is more comfortable to wear than the Inspire HR as a result. The touchscreen is responsive too and there is a single button on the left for waking up and putting the screen to sleep, as well as returning to the main screen and accessing settings.All-day activity- and sleep-tracking are on board, as well as female health tracking,

29.4.2019

The Fitbit has become a staple of many people's lives as it is a simple solution to help you think about your lifestyle. The 'Fitbit Inspire' is a new iteration and is easy to setup and wear. When it arrives you may need to do a little fiddling with the settings on your phone and PC to get it connected as you will require the latest updates, but that it’s an issue with tech, rather than the watch. If you do have an old phone, you will not be able to get the most from your 'Fitbit'.Once connected to your phone the 'Fitbit' does some clever things to help you alter your lifestyle in the positive. Elements that work well include the sleep counter. As a family with small children,

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