Fitbit Luxe review by TechRadar. It’s essentially a higher-end version of the Fitbit Inspire series, more polished in many respects and with a few pleasant added capabilities that don’t reinvent the wheel. Its little display has obvious restrictions, yet it is bright, sharp, and appealing.
Rather than a full-fledged smartwatch, this is one of the best fitness trackers. If you want a larger Fitbit watch with additional functions, read our Fitbit Versa 4 review or Fitbit Sense 2 review.
We don’t expect it to include functionality like making calls from your wrist or using Fitbit Pay to make contactless purchases like these gadgets do. The Luxe, on the other hand, is all about tracking your health and encouraging healthier behaviors (both physical and mental), which it accomplishes in flair.
1. Design
The Luxe is one of Fitbit’s smallest fitness trackers, featuring a sleek design reminiscent of the original Fitbit Flex, which was debuted in 2013.
It employs the same ‘Biologic Industrial Design Language’ as the Fitbit Inspire 2, Versa 3, and Sense, with ergonomic lines tailored to the human body’s curves. In reality, its design is fairly similar to the Inspire 2, but there are several significant variances.
To begin with, the Inspire 2 features a plastic case, whereas the Luxe has stainless steel in black, gold, and silver. This is complemented by a stainless steel buckle, giving the Luxe a more refined appearance. The Fitbit Inspire 3 has a similar pebble design.
There are also more band options for the Luxe, which comes in two versions: one with a silicone band and one with a gold-toned stainless steel link bracelet by Gorjana. The Luxe has a decidedly feminine appearance, but unlike the Garmin Lily, which has a similar jewelry-inspired style, it isn’t especially geared at women, and its silicone bands are available in Lunar White, Orchid, or Black. Extra bands are available for purchase separately.
Our test unit had a Lunar White silicone band that was quite comfortable, especially at night. Several modern fitness trackers (including Fitbit’s most recent models) employ a soft buckle and tang in place of a traditional fastening for improved comfort, especially while sleeping, but the Luxe’s thin stainless steel buckle was hard to feel. Because of its compact size, the tracker never dug into our wrists during exercises, as larger sports watches may.
The Fitbit Luxe’s most remarkable feature, though, is its screen. Unlike most of Fitbit’s smaller activity trackers (including the Inspire 2 and Charge 4), the Luxe’s display is full color AMOLED with a 206 x 124 pixel resolution, and it looks terrific. It’s also responsive, which is critical for a gadget lacking tactile buttons.
The watch faces can be modified via the accompanying app, with a plethora of appealing alternatives (including analog and digital styles) that make the most of the brilliant, vibrant display. All of these display the time at a glance, but some also provide extra metrics, such as your current heart rate, step count, and calories burnt, which you can check without swiping. Fitbit’s face selection is already outstanding, and additional faces may be added in the future months.
2. Performance
If you’ve ever used a Fitbit, you’ll be comfortable with the general experience. We discovered the Fitbit Luxe to be simple to use when writing this Fitbit Luxe review, with a UI that makes tracking your activity and wellbeing as simple as possible. Nevertheless, before you go on your first workout, spend a few moments to modify a few settings.
The Luxe has only six workout slots (by default, they are walk, run, swim, cycle, general workout, and treadmill), and these cannot be changed from the device. Instead, via the Fitbit app, you may tailor the available options to your tastes. Swipe left to remove a workout you don’t utilize, then hit the + icon at the top right to add something you like.
As previously said, we liked the tracker’s compact size because it didn’t dig into our wrists during exercises like yoga – and, unlike some other trackers we’ve tested recently, the Luxe didn’t record steps during a cycle class.
The Luxe can recognize certain forms of exercise and begin tracking them automatically using SmartTrack, which is especially beneficial for picking up incidental exercise that you might not think to track manually.
Heart rate measurements collected from the wrist are constantly influenced by ‘noise’ from general movement, particularly gripping motions, and optical heart rate monitors can never be as accurate or responsive as a chest strap that measures the electrical signals produced by the heart as it contracts. Apart from those factors, the Luxe operated admirably, with results nearly identical to those of a Garmin Vivoctive 4S. The two devices’ average and maximum heart rates were within 2bpm of one another, and there were no unexpected peaks or troughs.
When it comes to outdoor exercises, you can register runs using simply the watch’s accelerometer, which is fine for casual social runners, but you’ll need to connect to your phone’s GPS for increased accuracy. This provides more precise readings, albeit they aren’t as precise as those from a watch with its own GPS sensor; the Fitbit smooths out your journey, underestimating the actual distance.
When you hit certain targets (such as steps), you’ll get goal animations, like with other Fitbits, which helps provide an encouragement to keep going and is ideal if you need a little shove to keep up your healthy habits. It’s also possible to connect with friends and compete to see who can get the most steps in a day (for example). Many other brands’ devices provide a comparable feature, but the Fitbit platform’s popularity increases the likelihood that you’ll know another Fitbit user against whom you may compete.
3. Companion
The fitness tracker industry is becoming increasingly crowded, but Fitbit’s well-developed smartphone app sets it apart from the competition.
The app collects data from all of your Fitbit devices in one place, so if you have a smart scale, such as the Fitbit Aria Air, your weight and body composition data will also be synchronized, allowing you to see how changes in your lifestyle have altered your body over time.
To get the most out of the app, you’ll need a Fitbit Premium subscription, which is why the Luxe comes with a year included, which you can activate as soon as you attach the watch to your phone (a simple process that takes only a minute if you already have a Fitbit account).
This gives you access to more historical data, such as heart rate variability, skin temperature, and SpO2 levels over time. Premium users can also utilize the app after 30 days to develop a Wellness Report, which can be saved as a PDF and shared with a doctor, family member, or friend.
The Fitbit smartphone app, like apps like Fiit and Apple Fitness Plus, provides access to a variety of instructor-led exercises and mindfulness sessions. They are all pre-recorded rather than live and interactive, but Fitbit is expanding its offering with new items on a regular basis.
Some seminars and sessions are free for all Fitbit users, but others (such as Deepak Chopra meditation and peaceful soundscapes) are only available to Premium customers. This is something to keep in mind while calculating the long-term cost of the Luxe.
All View
The Luxe is one of the most attractive fitness trackers available – polished but not ostentatious. A fitness tracker works best when used on a daily basis, and this one is one you’ll truly want to wear. GPS isn’t the Luxe’s strong suit, but its heart rate tracking is remarkable, making it a fantastic tool for indoor interval activities like spinning. Fitbit’s user experience is centered on positive reinforcement, applauding little victories and providing friendly recommendations on occasion. It motivates you to make long-term lifestyle adjustments that pile up over time.
