Fitbit Encourage 3 evaluation: The very best health tracker turns into even higher

Between the just lately launched Apple Watch Sequence 8 and Google’s lengthy awaited Google Pixel Watch (lastly), smartwatches are all the fad. However if you happen to’re not out there to switch your present watch and really feel extra comfy with a lower-priced, simpler exercise tracker, the Fitbit Encourage 3 — the comply with as much as our longstanding finest health tracker decide — could also be a extra related selection.

Fitbit just lately refreshed its line of widespread health trackers and I’ve been testing the small however mighty Encourage 3,  which now includes a coloration show, 10-day battery life and sells for underneath $100. Not solely is it reasonably priced, nevertheless it’s additionally smaller and lighter weight than most smartwatches and plenty of comparable health bands.

I’ve been strolling round and understanding with the Fitbit Encourage 3 for over a month, and regardless of some minor points, I discover that it tracks every thing I would like, together with steps, distance, energy, coronary heart charge, sleep and far more. Although it’s not a smartwatch, it’s artful sufficient to ship notifications from my cellphone through Bluetooth so I simply can look at my wrist to test a textual content or see who’s calling.

The Fitbit Encourage 3 is the very best health tracker for most individuals, providing complete monitoring, a vivid coloration show and a cushty match for lower than $100.

I’ve been utilizing and reviewing Fitbit exercise trackers because the first one debuted in 2009 — and that features every thing from the fundamental fashions to the extra advanced smartwatch fashions. The refreshed Encourage 3 is sufficiently small to remain out of my means, comes with a great deal of options and at $99, will slot in most budgets. Suitable with Android and iOS smartphones, the band is out there in three coloration choices: Midnight Zen (darkish grey), Morning Glow (orange) and Lilac Bliss (gentle purple) and comes with two completely different sized versatile silicon straps. Optionally available equipment embody a good-looking stainless-steel mesh band, if you wish to jazz it up.

The very first thing you discover concerning the Fitbit Encourage 3 is the intense, coloration AMOLED display, changing the monochrome display on the Encourage 2. Not solely does this new display make the tracker extra interesting to take a look at, nevertheless it’s additionally simpler to see your info in vibrant daylight. Smaller and narrower than my present Fitbit Cost 4, its pebble-shape design is wrapped in a svelte 1.55-inch case.

You entry data the identical means – tapping and swiping by way of the menus. Swipe left for notifications, workouts, alarms and timers. Swipe up for settings and down for each day well being stats. I discovered the display to be usually responsive, although there have been a number of instances I needed to swipe greater than as soon as to get its consideration.

The brand new mannequin does include an always-on show functionality, however be warned: It’s going to drain your tracker’s battery a lot sooner than the ten days of battery life the Encourage 3 boasts. With out this function, I received about 11 days of battery life on a single cost. With an always-on display, Fitbit says you’ll get about three days.

Exercise monitoring is what Fitbit does finest and the Encourage 3 makes it straightforward. There are over 20 completely different exercises to select from, (together with run, bike, swim and treadmill) although you may solely have six exercises in your tracker directly. To swap them out it is advisable connect with the app, make your modifications and resync the gadget.

The Encourage 3 additionally makes use of what it calls Lively Zone Minutes that will help you higher attain your exercise objectives. It screens your coronary heart charge and tracks how a lot time you spend in sure zones, taking age and health stage into consideration. After I stroll within the morning, I normally keep at a gentle tempo. Nonetheless, if I pace up or run, it would change from “fats burning” to “cardio zone” to present me Lively Zone Minutes.

All that is performed within the background whereas it additionally tracks your distance, energy burned, variety of steps, time elapsed and coronary heart charge. While you end a exercise, you may see all the info in your wrist, or test it within the app when you sync.

The Encourage 3’s new well being monitoring options make it a compelling well being tracker along with a health tracker. It mechanically tracks Sp02 (blood oxygen) ranges all through the day and whereas it may well’t take an ECG just like the costlier Fitbit Cost 5 or newer smartwatches, it would monitor your coronary heart charge and provide you with a warning if it detects an irregular coronary heart rhythm.

As soon as it syncs with the Fitbit app, you may entry all this information and drill down for more information or timelines. Within the app you can too manually observe menstruation and blood glucose ranges, and consider historic information.

Although the Encourage 3 is Fitbit’s entry-level tracker, it nonetheless gives the corporate’s complete sleep monitoring skills. I’m not an enormous fan of carrying a tracker to mattress however the silicon band and small dimension made it light-weight and comfy sufficient to present it a attempt.

Fitbit recommends carrying it for 14 nights to get an in-depth sleep profile however even after a number of nights I used to be capable of see how a lot deep and REM sleep I get in comparison with gentle and stressed sleep. It additionally tracks resting coronary heart charge, sleep period and blood oxygen ranges, so the developments within the information offers you a very good sense of your sleep profile

Certain, the Encourage 3 tracks and makes it straightforward to see your well being and health stats, however if you happen to resolve to splurge for a Fitbit Premium subscription, you’ll have entry to extra in-depth well being metrics and developments, in addition to premium exercise challenges.

The Day by day Readiness rating seems at your sleep, coronary heart charge and exercise information that will help you higher hearken to your physique. Did you get a very good night time’s relaxation? Perhaps you’ll need to push your self just a little more durable at the moment. However, a low readiness rating means your physique is worn out and also you may need to take a restoration day. For example, one morning it really helpful I do a light-weight stroll or stretching as an alternative of a harder exercise, which I readily accepted.

The Sleep Rating supplies deeper insights about your sleep high quality (how a lot you slept, how a lot time in deep and REM sleep) and restoration patterns. There are additionally stress administration instruments and well being and wellness stories to dig into.

Premium members can see a minute breakdown of their stress rating, together with exertion steadiness, responsiveness and sleep patterns. I particularly preferred that it confirmed how my physique responds to emphasize over longer intervals of time, and typically even urged I contemplate a fast meditation or taking a break with the Loosen up app, which walked me by way of a guided respiratory session.

You don’t want a Premium subscription to learn from the Encourage 3 tracker however if you wish to higher perceive how your general exercise, coronary heart charge and sleep impacts your physique, it’s price a attempt. Your tracker comes with 6-months free so if you wish to maintain it after that, you’ll be subsequently charged both $9.99 a month or $79.99 for a yr.

Although I like that the Encourage 3 is compact and the colour display is considered one of its finest new options, some customers may discover it just a little too small. As a result of I put on studying glasses, I had a tougher time grabbing a fast look at a textual content message or studying my coronary heart charge throughout a exercise. It’s doable to alter the clock faces to make the date and time bigger, however as soon as it was monitoring an exercise, it was nonetheless laborious for me to see clearly.

I additionally wished to have the ability to observe an exercise and see the time — which I can at present do on my Cost 4. But, when you begin monitoring an train on the Encourage 3, you now not have entry to the house display. You may scroll by way of the screens, previous issues like tempo, coronary heart charge, steps and energy, however even then you definately’ll solely discover the time as a small information level. This took too many steps and was laborious to learn whereas I used to be making an attempt to maintain a sooner tempo.

At present, the message that pops up whenever you end an train says “Good work!” each single time. I could also be getting nitpicky, however I wouldn’t thoughts if it was just a little extra discerning. After I’ve gone on my three-mile course, I’ll take it, but when I solely work out for 10 minutes, falling in need of my ordinary routine, it might be OK if it mentioned one thing extra like “good attempt.”

And whereas I’m being choosy, it might be nice if the message that pops up whenever you end an train can be just a little extra discerning. At present, it says “Good work!” each single time. After I’ve gone on my three-mile course, I’ll take it, but when I solely work out for 10 minutes, falling in need of my ordinary routine, it might be OK if it mentioned one thing extra like “good attempt.”

The Fitbit Encourage 2’s slim design, ease of use and complete well being and exercise monitoring options topped our greatest health trackers listing, so it’s no shock that the up to date Encourage 3 builds on that. For $99 you gained’t discover a extra complete, feature-rich entry stage gadget.

There are different exercise trackers at this value level which have comparable metrics, just like the $80 Garmin Vivofit 4 — we notably preferred that this one makes use of a button to assist navigate the menu. Nonetheless, we additionally discovered the Garmin app and interface clunky and tougher to navigate.

The information and insights the Fitbit app itself has to supply are complete, so in order for you a tool with extra options, Fitbit has a number of choices.

The Fitbit Cost 5 comes with a barely bigger display however will value about $50 extra at $150. It’s not as modern trying however has larger finish options like built-in GPS and Spotify integration so that you don’t must take your cellphone with you whenever you’re out operating. It additionally has the ECG app for coronary heart rhythm evaluation and gives seven days of battery life. For $129, the Fitbit Luxe has the identical options and efficiency because the Encourage 3, however provides a gold case. The Luxe has about 5 days of battery life.

With its entry-level price ticket, the Encourage 3 lacks the smarts of a costlier gadget. There’s no built-in GPS (although you should utilize your cellphone’s GPS to trace a run through Bluetooth) and no contactless funds or built-in music service like Spotify.

However, If you happen to’re searching for an easy-to-use, feature-rich tracker with battery life that may go for days, the Fitbit Encourage 3 with its coloration display and 10-day battery life leads the pack. You additionally get helpful options like stress administration, 2-minute leisure classes, reminders to stand up and transfer and the find-my-phone function for whenever you misplace your cellphone in the home. And, at underneath $100, it’s reasonably priced, comfy sufficient to put on all day and night time, and offers you entry to significant information in its complete Fitbit app.