Like the idea of a fitness tracker but can’t seem to find one that you like? The Fitbit Luxe ($149.95) could be ideal for you. It has all of the features you’ve come to expect from Fitbit. 24/7 heart rate monitoring, step counting, over 20 activity modes for workout tracking, a swim-proof construction, movement reminders, sleep insights, stress management tools, and smartphone notifications are just a few of the features included, all in a stylish design you’ll want to wear.
It’s slimmer than the Fitbit Charge 4 and Inspires 2, making it more comfortable to sleep with and a better fit for small wrists, and it comes with a stainless steel case and an AMOLED colors display for a noticeable design upgrade. The Luxe misses the altimeter, GPS, and mobile payment capabilities found in the $129.95 Charge 4, and it has approximately half the battery life of the $99.95 Inspire 2, but it gives a more appealing take on the essentials, making it the finest Fitbit for serious style.
What you will see here?
Fitbit Luxe Price and release date
The Fitbit Luxe was introduced in April 2021, and it is available for purchase on July 1, 2021. The normal variant with a silicone band costs $149.95 / £129.99 / AU$199.95. This is the special edition with the gold-colored Gorjana link bracelet costs $199.95 / £179.95 / AU$299.95.
The Luxe also includes a free one-year Fitbit Premium trial, which you can start as soon as you sync the gadget with your phone.
Flawless Design
The Luxe, with its AMOLED color display and stainless steel case, stands out among Fitbit’s other trackers, measuring 1.43 by 0.69 by 0.40 inches (LWH). These features give it a more refined appearance than the Inspire 2 or Charge 4, which are both 0.1-inch thicker, have plastic shells, and have grayscale screens.
In comparison, the Inspire 2 is a good entry-level model with the highest battery life of any Fitbit device. The Charge 4 is Fitbit’s most advanced fitness tracker, along with a standalone GPS. It allows you to plot your workout path without using your phone. An altimeter that tracks how many floors you’ve climbed, Spotify integration, and Fitbit Pay for mobile payments. The Luxe has identical features and functionality to the Inspire 2, but with a more elevated, jewelry-inspired appearance that better mixes function and form.
The Luxe display is small, spanning only 0.76 inches wide, but it’s bright and sharp, with a resolution of 206 by 124 pixels when compared to Charge 4, it has a small increase in daylight brightness.
The Luxe is available in soft gold with a white band, matte black with a marching band, or platinum with a punk band, according to Fitbit. The silicone band is secured with a metal buckle. Both small and big bands are included in the box. They fit wrists measuring 5.5 to 7.1 inches in diameter and 7.1 to 8.7 inches in circumference, respectively.
Special Edition Model of Fitbit Luxe
Fitbit also offers a $199.95 Special Edition edition, which boasts a soft gold casing and a metal link bracelet for a more refined style, and was created in partnership with the Laguna Beach-based jeweler firm gorjana. A pink silicone band is included with the Special Edition model.
In addition, the company sells Luxe accessories strip that range in price from $29.95 to $99.95. The stainless steel mesh accessory band is stylish. But I’d save it for special occasions because the magnetic clasp isn’t completely reliable when working out. When playing out the clasp on the Luxe can break. For optimum security, we recommend using the provided silicone band.
Features of Fitbit Luxe
Aside from the accessories, the Luxe has a sleek design with no physical buttons, allowing you to navigate only through swipes and taps on the screen. It doesn’t have an always-on display, so after a few seconds of inactivity, the screen switches off.
It features a three-axis accelerometer, an optical heart rate monitor, a vibration motor, and red and infrared sensors for blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, among other sensors and other components. The Luxe is 164 feet water-resistant, making it suitable to use in pools and showers.
The Luxe, according to Fitbit, has a battery life of up to five days on a single charge. The manufacturer is likely underestimating this figure. Because, after four days of continuous use, my Luxe still had 43 percent battery life left. However, it’s still less than the Inspire 2, which has a battery life of up to 10 days. The Charge 4, has a battery life of up to seven days (or up to five hours while using GPS).
Performance
If you’ve used a Fitbit before, you’ll be familiar with the overall experience; the Fitbit Luxe is simple to use, with an interface that makes tracking your activity and well-being a breeze as simple as possible. Before you use it for your first workout, it’s worth taking a few minutes to tweak a few settings.
On the Luxe, there are just six workout options (by default, walk, run, swim, cycle, general workout, and treadmill), and can’t change anyone from the device itself. Instead, you can personalize the available selections using the Fitbit app. Swipe left on an exercise you don’t use to remove it from the app, then hit the + icon in the top right to add something you like.
As previously said, we liked the Luxe’s compact size, which meant it didn’t dig into our wrist during exercises like yoga. Unlike some other trackers we’ve tested recently, it didn’t record steps during a cycle class.
The Luxe can recognize specific exercise types and start tracking them automatically with SmartTrack. This is especially beneficial for picking up unplanned exercises that you might not think to measure manually.
Heart Monitoring Sp O2 of Fitbit Luxe
‘Noise’ from general movement, especially gripping motions, can always impair heart rate data measured from the wrist, and optical heart rate monitors will never be as accurate or responsive as a chest strap that records electrical signals produced by your heart as it contracts. Aside from those factors, the Luxe functioned admirably, with results nearly identical to those of a Garmin Vivoctive 4S. There were no unexpected peaks or troughs, and the average and maximum heart rates reported by the two devices were within 2bpm of one another.
When it comes to outdoor exercises, you can register runs using simply the watch’s accelerometer. This is fine for casual social runners, but you’ll need to connect to your phone’s GPS for increased accuracy. The Fitbit smooths out your journey, underestimating the actual distance; this produces more precise readings, though they’re still not as accurate as those from a watch with its GPS sensor.
When you reach certain goals (such as steps), you’ll see goal animations, which can help provide motivation to keep going and is ideal if you need a little push to keep up your better habits. You can also connect with friends and compete to see who can get the most steps in a day. For example, many other brands’ devices provide a similar feature. But because of the Fitbit platform’s popularity. You’re much more likely to know a fellow Fitbit user against whom you may compete.
It’s a shame you can’t view more historical data on the watch, like how many days this week you’ve met your step target or a graph of your heart rate during the day. This is due to the small display’s limitations.
Companion app of Fitbit Luxe
Fitbit’s well-developed smartphone app sets it apart from the competitors in the fitness tracker market, which is becoming increasingly saturated.
If you have a smart scale like the Fitbit Aria Air, your weight and body composition data will be synchronized as well. So you can see how changes in your lifestyle have altered your body over time.
You’ll need a Fitbit Premium subscription to get the most out of the app. So it’s nice to see that the Luxe comes with a year included, which you can activate as soon as you attach the watch to your phone (If you already have a Fitbit account, this is a quick and painless process).
This gives you more historical information, such as heart rate variability, skin temperature, and SpO2 over time. Premium users can generate a Wellness Report. This can be saved as a PDF and shared with a doctor, family member, or friend after 30 days of using the devices.
The Fitbit smartphone app is similar to apps like Fiit and Apple Fitness Plus. It allows you access to a variety of instructor-led workouts and mindfulness sessions. Although these are all pre-recorded rather than live and participatory, Fitbit is constantly expanding its offerings.
Some lectures and sessions are free for all Fitbit users, while others are only available to Premium subscribers. When calculating the long-term cost of the Luxe, keep this in mind.
Conclusion
The Luxe is one of the best-looking fitness trackers on the market, with a stylish design that isn’t overly flashy. Wearing a fitness tracker every day is ideal, and you’ll want to do so with this one. Although GPS isn’t one of Luxe’s strong suits, its heart rate tracking is superb, making it a fantastic tool for indoor interval activities like spinning. Fitbit’s user experience is built on positive reinforcement, recognizing little victories, and even offering kind advice. It motivates you to make long-term lifestyle adjustments that will benefit you.
The Luxe is one of the nicest Fitbits to date, being small, elegant, and polished both inside and out. Its run tracking isn’t perfect because it lacks onboard GPS. But its biometrics (especially heart rate monitoring) are strong, making it a terrific pick for gym-goers. It’s also wonderful for daily motivation, helping you stick to healthy behaviors. Fitness trackers perform best when worn every day, and you’ll want to do so with this one.
