Without a doubt, Fitbit is one of those tracking devices that have earned a solid following from satisfied health tracking buffs. This can be credited to a number of reasons such as design, functionality and size. Choosing the best Fitbit can be daunting as there is a wide array of products to consider. As long as the user understands well enough what he would like to have in a tracker and how he intends to use it should at least give some help in the decision-making process.
Here are some of the best Fitbit trackers that promise to never disappoint even for those with the most discerning tastes.
Surge. Fitbit Surge has so many new features that make it suitable to earn the moniker "superwatch." It is the most powerful Fitbit loaded with impressive features such as heart rate monitor, real-time workout stats and GPS tracking. Its noticeably larger LCD display is so designed to make it a perfect workout companion. The backlit interface has an always-on feature that allows the user to keep tabs on heart rate, active minutes, miles and steps on a 1.25 inch black and white display. With this size, it's interesting to know how it managed to accommodate a total of eight sensors. What it actually does is to allow the fitness device to track more movements apart from the usual tracking capabilities such as calories burned, distance traveled, and steps taken. One of its unique tracking features is the altimeter which monitors the number of climbed floors in a day. Even the popular Fitbit Flex doesn't offer the same counting ability. All in all, there are around 12 exercise shortcuts to take advantage of from the tracker. These include walking, tennis golf, kickboxing, bootcamp, circuit training, stair climber, workout, yoga, spinning, elliptical, weights and martial arts.
Charge HR. Unlike the Fitbit Surge, the Charge HR has a screen that switches itself off in just a matter of seconds. It's quite fast that for one who wants to capture its image while the screen is lit up could find it a little cumbersome to do. The tracker's rapid switch-off feature somehow affects its functionality such as the way it monitors one's heart rate. However, there's a way to at least get a better heart-rate reading if this is the user's top most concern. According to the product manual, the Charge HR should be worn around a finger's width from the wrist bone in order to achieve an optimum position. Design-wise, the Charge HR is touted as having the perfect fitness band design. Though the screen is small, it's nevertheless superbright and viewable under any type of lighting situations. Other features that contribute to its impressive design include its black color, its width that is sized just right and its overall discreet look. The battery is also good as it can last for around four days.
Charge. By essence, the Fitbit Charge is the re-invented version of the Fitbit Force. The reason is simply because the Force, excluding the skin irritation issues that it had been involved in, is one of the best fitness trackers that one can find in the market. It's designed with the familiar sensors that keep track of the number of steps taken, the total distance traveled and the number of calories burned. It also has the unique altimeter for tracking one's climbed stairs. One of its bigger perks is the automatic sleep tracking feature as opposed to initiating such on a manual level. The .75 inch by .375 inch OLED display is also capable of showing incoming call notifications. When tapped twice, the display easily shows the clock and the date. While the Fitbit Charge is not waterproof, it has earned the official rating of being "water-resistant to 1 ATM." In other words, the Charge is splash-proof which makes it possible to be worn while one is washing his hands or sweating as a result of doing a rigorous activity.
Flex. The Fitbit Flex, as the name suggests, has a certain level of flexibility that makes it comfortable to wear. It's also less distracting than the Nike+ FuelBand which feels harder on the wrist and the Larklife which has a clunky build. It comes in two sizes namely small and large. It doesn't have much of a display as it's built with five small LEDs that act as indicators which show how close the user is to achieving his goal. As soon as the goal is hit, the band automatically gives out a vibrating motion. Some of its best drawing features include NFC and Bluetooth capabilities, silent wake alarms and sleep tracking. It does have the tracking staples such as burned calories and traveled steps and miles. It has one of the newest metric features in a Fitbit tracker which is otherwise known as the active minutes. This refers to the number of moderate-intensity cardio minutes that the user has in a day. The average number, as recommended by the Center for Disease Control, is 150 a week.
One. The Fitbit One boasts a design that's sleek, shiny and surprisingly futuristic. Apart from the OLED display, it also features a MEMS 3-axis accelerometer, a vibration motor, an altimeter, and a 1.89 inch long capsule that's been designed with a single button. It comes in two color iterations - black and burgundy. With repeated pressing on the One's single button, its OLED display can start scrolling through a number of metrics. This includes stairs climbed, calories burned, steps taken and time of the day. It also occasionally offers personalized comments that are meant to sound encouraging in order to keep the user moving. Its small size makes it easy to clip to almost anything. However, the same feature also makes it unnoticeable which can be "dangerous" when one has clipped it to clothes that are on their way to the washing machine. Since the One is attached closely to the user's body as opposed to being placed on the wrist, it tends to give a more consistent performance in tracking steps.
Zip. The Zip is a tiny fitness monitor that works by counting one's steps through an accelerometer. It also estimates the calories burned and the distance traveled. Just like the above-mentioned One, it is also not worn on the wrist and instead, placed inside one's pocket. However, it also comes with a silicone covered clip that makes it securely attached to anything. It's a great device for those who have the appetite to know how active they are and for those who are stats geeks and need some motivation. One of its impressive features is the design which is simply adorable. It's comparable to a stack of three quarters and it has edges that are smooth and rounded. Just like the Charge, the Fitbit Zip is splash-proof, making it capable enough to survive a heavy downpour. It syncs well with one's PC using a Bluetooth dongle and has an impressively accurate step counter. It also syncs with some Apple devices such as the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5 and the latest iPad model through Bluetooth 4.0. It comes in five color options such as pink, yellow, blue, white and black.
