The Fitbit Sense 2 looks a lot like the first Fitbit Sense. It has a “squircle” shape with a thick bezel around the edges and an OLED screen in the middle. However, there are a few important changes. There is no longer a “solid-state button” on the original Sense or Versa 3. Instead, there is a normal button. The last generation had a pressure-sensitive button that I didn’t mind, but a regular button is much easier to use. Fitbit watches still don’t run Wear OS, even though they are made by Google. But Fitbit’s own software looks a lot like the other software. To get to the notifications below the home screen of the watch, swipe up. To get to quick options, swipe down. On the left and right, there are tiles that you can change, just like on the Pixel Watch.
With the Fitbit app on your phone, you can pick which tiles to show and how to arrange them. Since this doesn’t have the Google Play Store, you can’t add apps that you might be used to from wearables that run on Android. As you might expect from a fitness tracker, the Sense 2 doesn’t have a Play Store. However, it does not support Google Assistant, but the first-generation Fitbit Sense and the Fitbit Versa 3 did. Alexa from Amazon is already installed instead of Google Assistant. That’s fine with me—most of the time I don’t want to talk to my watch—but this lack of support seems like another step backwards from the last generation.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]Specifications
- Model Name Fitbit Sense 2
- Style Modern
- Color Blue Mist/Pale Gold
- Screen Size 1.69 Inches
- Special Feature Sleep Monitor, Stress Monitor, Sleep Monitor, ECG, Oxymeter (SpO2), Heart Rate Monitor, GPS, Time Display, Notifications, Water ResistantSleep Monitor, Stress Monitor, Sleep Monitor, ECG, Oxymeter (SpO2), Heart Rate Monitor, GPS, Time Display, Notifications, Water Resistant
- Shape Heart
- Target Audience Unisex Adult
- Age Range (Description) Adult
- Compatible Devices Smartphone
Where to Get Fitbit Sense 2?
Of course, fitness is at the heart of every Fitbit product, and the Sense 2 is no different. It can keep track of 40 different types of exercise, and it will buzz your wrist when it thinks you’re ready to start tracking. Fitbit divides your exercise into “zones” based on how much your heart rate has risen above its baseline. These zones are fat burn, cardio, and peak. One Zone Minute is earned for every minute spent in the fat burn range. Two Zone Minutes are earned for every minute spent in the exercise or peak range.
The Fitbit Sense 2 costs less than the Sense 1 did when it first came out, but I’m still not sure if what you get is worth the price. The hardware in the Sense 2 is great, and it does track almost every health measure you could want in a wearable. But downgrades from one generation to the next are disappointing, like the fact that the Google Assistant is no longer useful and Fitbit chose to use aluminum instead of steel for the case of the watch. They look like they’re meant to get people to buy the more expensive Pixel Watch. And as much as I like the Sense 2’s unique cEDA features, the part I like best—the notes to reflect—is something that any smartwatch could easily do.