Fitbit is stepping up its fashion game with the Luxe, a slim fitness tracker that could pass as jewelry. The $ 150 Luxe brings many of Fitbit’s best health and fitness features, like sleep tracking and goal-based training, in a wearable designed for smaller wrists. But there is competition from Fitbit’s own less expensive tape-based trackers like this Inspire 2 and Charge 4 that have longer battery life and similar (or additional) features, even if they don’t look as good.
There’s a niche in the market for fashionable trackers that some wearables like the Garmin Lily or the (much) more expensive ones have tried Apple watch Hermes. The Luxe feels like it takes a little bit of both and is trying to be a crossover device. You get a nice looking fitness band, but also a daily health coach if you wish. The Luxe is best seen as a fashionable take on the Inspire 2, perhaps with a nicer screen, but it’s not Fitbit’s best tracker for the price.
To like
- Slim, lightweight tracker that looks like jewelry
- Same fitness, sleep and stress tracking as other Fitbits
- More than 5 days of battery life
Don’t like
- The screen and text can be too small for some people
- Buttonless navigation can be confusing
- No music controls
Luxurious style at a luxurious price
The Luxe has a stainless steel frame that makes it look chic even with the standard silicone strap. But the big advantage is to combine it with other metal or leather straps so that it feels more like a fashion accessory. Gorjana’s stainless steel link bracelet costs $ 100, and some of the leather straps cost between $ 50 and $ 70. (If you are interested in the link bracelet, I would suggest buying it bundled with the tracker to save $ 50.)
Even with the nicer looking straps, the Luxe is incredibly comfortable to wear. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s the most “invisible” Fitbit I’ve worn in the past few years because I almost forget I’m wearing it. It is slim and does not interfere with sleeping. Plus, you don’t have to take it off for more than five days because the battery lasts that long.
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But it’s pretty small so it won’t fit all wrists. The AMOLED color touchscreen is really nice to look at, but if you have trouble reading small text, you may have trouble reading your stats without glasses. In broad daylight I could see the screen when checking the time or my workout stats, but the ambient light sensor is a little slow to increase the brightness to the maximum.
Unlike other Fitbit trackers, the Luxe doesn’t have any physical buttons, so you navigate entirely using the touchscreen. Double tap the screen to go back, or swipe right on most screens to return to the watch face. It’s a bit confusing and I definitely started a lot of accidental workouts just trying to go back and check the time.
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Tracking health and wellbeing is what you are here for
Fitbit’s sleep tracking is excellent. After wearing the Luxe in bed, you will get a sleep value of 100 in the morning, which takes into account the quality of your rest. In addition to the breakdown of the time spent in different sleeping zones – REM, light and deep – the Luxe also tracks measurements such as breathing rate, resting heart rate and fluctuations in skin temperature during the night. This is the same as with more expensive Fitbits like that Versa 3 and sense, with the Fitbit app providing a comprehensive breakdown of the importance of each metric. The Luxe will soon also measure blood oxygen (SpO2) at night.
Your nightly sleep value in the Fitbit app.
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Stress tracking works in a similar way to sleep tracking, but it’s not that sophisticated yet. First seen on the Fitbit Sense, the Luxe’s stress management gives you a daily score of 100 after wearing the tracker continuously for a few days. It’s calculated by looking at your sleep quality, general activity level, and responsiveness in a similar way to the Sense, but this watch also takes readings from an electrodermal activity sensor (or EDA sensor) into account.
At first I found the stress management score a bit confusing. I wasn’t sure what to do with it, and the lower the score, the less stressed I thought I should be. The opposite is true: a higher number is better. But now I think less of the word stress in my stress management score, but more as an indicator of my readiness. If I get a low score, I’ll take it easy and take a day of rest or maybe try a meditation session to improve my sleep. A higher score means I should be ready to push myself into a workout. Over time, you may be able to use the score as a benchmark and see how mindfulness activities affect it (and hopefully your emotions as well). I’m still not convinced it’s a must have for me, but I’m excited to see how it plays out over time. The stress management score is also available on other Fitbit devices such as the Versa series, Charge 4 and Inspire 2.
The stress management score is displayed daily in the Fitbit app.
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The key to getting more insight into these mysterious results and metrics is Fitbit Premium, the $ 10 monthly subscription service that offers everything from exercise programs to meditation sessions to nutrition programs. But you also get deeper insights into sleep, stress, and trends on the health metrics dashboard. A 6 month trial is included with the Luxe, which I think is the right time to find out if the ongoing investment is worth it. As a data freak, the extra details about sleep are the most valuable part to me, but for beginners in the world of Fitbit, guided workouts or even Deepak Chopra’s mindfulness method can be more enticing. You can also use these videos in conjunction with the guided breathing app on the Luxe.
The Luxe also comes with menstrual tracking and the option to log blood sugar levels in the Fitbit app.
Same great Fitbit fitness tracking but no GPS
The fitness tracking on the Luxe works similarly to the current Fitbits. There are 20 training types, although the Luxe can only store 6 at a time. Use the app to swap workouts in and out of these slots. Goal-based workouts are available so that you can be notified when you reach a set calorie, distance or active zone minute goal, for example. Active zone minutes are Fitbit’s method of calculating moderate to intense physical activity and are intended to be a more accurate representation of your fitness compared to steps alone. You can also see your cardio fitness score (or VO2 Max) in the Fitbit app.
The Luxe is also waterproof up to 50 meters (164 feet) so there won’t be any problems while swimming. However, I’m not sure how the more decorative tapes will withstand water contact, so it’s probably best to stick on the silicone tape.
The screen is visible in bright sunlight but does not display as well in the camera.
Lexy Savvides / CNET
Due to its small size, the Luxe does not have an integrated GPS. Instead, it’s based on connected GPS, which means you need to take your phone with you every time you work out outdoors to track route information. Fitbit probably doesn’t expect runners or cyclists like me to tend to luxe for outdoor workouts (that’s what the Charge 4 is for), but it’s still a feature I miss when looking for an all-round tracker. For what it’s worth, the connected GPS turns on quickly when you start a workout.
I tested the Luxe’s heart rate sensor against a chest strap, the gold standard for consumer heart rate monitoring. My resting heart rate on the Luxe matched well, even though the heart rate sensor would lag behind the belt for several seconds during cardio exercise such as a brisk walk or run. This is not uncommon with optical sensors worn on the wrist, but you should consider a run-specific tracker or smartwatch if you need that precise heart rate on the watch face during your run.
You won’t get a lot of smart features on the Luxe
The Luxe is not intended to replace a smartwatch. It does the basics: alarms, timers, viewing incoming calls, and notifications from your iPhone or Android. Quick reply notification replies can only be sent from your wrist when paired with Android. But that’s about it. If you want music control, Fitbit Pay for mobile payments, or altitude tracking, check out a different Fitbit. She doesn’t have the Luxe. You can swap out watch faces in the Fitbit app, though the choices aren’t as extensive as some other Fitbit smartwatches.
Some of the dials on the Luxe.
Lexy Savvides / CNET
This is Fitbit’s first wearable since it was acquired by Google, but there isn’t much evidence of what’s next for this integration. The Fitbit app still looks and behaves the same as it did on previous devices. There’s a quick pairing mode when using Android, but that’s about it. We’ll have to wait and see what Fitbit features are included in the end Google’s new Wear operating system, Google Clocks.
Style and substance, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all tracker
After almost two weeks with the Fitbit Luxe, I really enjoy wearing it. But I’m not exactly sure who it is for. Unless you’re specifically looking for a pretty fitness band with a full color AMOLED screen (and you’re willing to spend $ 200 to get that jewelry-like look), the cheaper Inspire 2 or Charge 4 have most of the same features as the Luxe for less money. You could even improve the look of these trackers with metal straps if you wanted to make them look fancier. But it’s really nice to have more options for those of us with smaller wrists, and the Luxe is a welcome addition to the growing arena of fashionable fitness watches.
