This includes customizing not just the clock face screen, but also whether it’s in a vertical or horizontal orientation.
You can customize this display though via the mobile app. Once illuminated, the unit will by default show the time of day, day of week, and date – as seen above. The battery life is as stated, about a week. In most cases where I have to double-tap it’s because the wrist motion wasn’t significant (like reading a book or sitting on the couch and only slightly moving to see the screen). I’d say about 80% of the time it correctly gets the wrist-raise, but the remaining 20% I’ll have to double-tap it. The display will always be off unless you either raise your wrist to look at it, or double-tap it. But to see data from workouts or HR trends, you’ll need the app. Sure, you’ve got core things like calories, steps, and distance shown on the device – as well as your current HR. In a lot of ways, the majority of the data gathered by the unit is viewable from the app – not the device itself. For the most part you’ve only got a few screens to tap your way through. When it comes to using the Fitbit Alta HR, things are pretty straight-forward. Ok, with sizing out of the way, let’s dive into the details. Here’s a quick look at the weights of each of them: Same would be true if you compared it to the Garmin Vivosmart HR+, which is in the ballpark of the Polar A360/A370 for size – but also contains GPS. So, in general, the bigger you get, the more stuff they cram in there. But then again, the A370 has a much brighter and bigger display and far more sport functions. If you then compare that to something like the Polar A370, you’ll see that the A370 is a fair bit bigger. Though, the Alta HR has band swappability, whereas the Vivosmart 3 doesn’t. On the flipside, it has more functions for sport and tracking than the Fitbit does. The Garmin Vivosmart 3 is a shade bit larger in width than the Fitbit Alta HR. Comparing it for example to the Garmin Vivosmart 3, you’ll notice both have slight differences but are very similar. Of course, this class of devices tends to be pretty small. When it comes to looking at how the Fitbit Alta HR sizes up, it’s definitely one of the smallest out there in its class. With that – let’s get cookin’! Size Comparisons: You can hit up the links at the end of this review if you find the review useful and want to support the site. After I’m done with this review I’ll ship it back to them like normal. One final note is that Fitbit sent me out a loaner unit to try out. I’ve skipped over the older Fitbit Flex, and Fitbit One…because they’re older and not superseded by something else. No button, touch tap only.įitbit Alta HR: An Alta with the HR sensor (this post).įitbit Blaze: Their main full-featured smartwatch (no GPS).įitbit Surge: Their GPS watch that’s really old. But it’s tiny and kinda awesome.įitbit Flex 2: A band that tracks your steps, but no display, just a mini light show.įitbit Charge 2: A small display, a button, and a heart rate sensor.įitbit Alta: A small display without the heart rate sensor (came out a year ago). Especially since the competitive landscape continues to get more and more crowded.īefore we go too far though, here’s the basic view of the current Fitbit ball field:įitbit Zip: Yes, they still make it (it’s not super current).
So I figured now’s a good time to dive into how well the unit works and where it stands against the competition.
I’ve been wearing a unit now for about two months – tracking my moves 24×7.
In what may seem like a sea of Fitbit models, the Fitbit Alta HR attempts to strike the balance between what folks want as a straightforward activity tracker, while making some nods towards basic workout support.