Get to know the Fitbit Luxe. This fashion-related fitness and wellness tracker is the first device to leave Fitbit’s research and development department since the company was acquired by Google for $ 2.1 billion in January. It is likely that the Fitbit Luxe was completed long before the takeover. As such, it may not be the best representation of Google’s vision for the fitness company. Even so, the Luxe seems like a pretty solid device.
Unsurprisingly, at a reasonably priced £ 129.99 (that’s £ 40 less than a pair of Apple AirPods), the Fitbit Luxe misses out on some of the best technology found in Fitbit’s smartwatches. For example, there is no GPS or Fitbit Pay for contactless payment at the checkout. However, the ornate design and thinnest profile of any Fitbit tracker should appeal to those who want to keep track of their exercise, sleep, and stress levels without spending a small fortune and being forced to lug around a clunky smartwatch on their wrist (that needs to be charged every night ).
Fitbit Luxe has a small AMOLED display that shows your latest step counts and other fitness stats. It can also preview incoming text messages and caller ID so you can quickly take a look and decide if you need to come up with your answering excuses. Notifications from smartphone apps can also be displayed on the screen. So you can get your email or Google Maps directions right from the start.
Luxe comes with a range of new watch faces designed to take advantage of the color screen – a first for Fitbit’s slim tracker products. Since this is a button-less design, navigating the AMOLED screen is treated as a tap and swipe.
Despite its small size, Fitbit has managed to integrate heart rate tracking into the new Luxe band around the clock. This heart rate tracking not only supports the wellness functions, but also enables the Fitbit Luxe to track your heartbeats in real time during exercise in order to better measure your calorie consumption. Ongoing measurements of your resting heart rate can also provide an insight into your ability to overtake.
When it comes to training, the Fitbit Luxe has 20 training modes on the wrist, including golf, Pilates, spinning or tennis. If you’d rather run, bike, or hike outdoors, you can use the exercise modes with attached GPS from your phone to see real-time pace and distance. And Fitbit Premium – a monthly subscription service like Apple Fitness + or Peloton – offers access to more than 200 guided audio and video workouts, anytime, anywhere from certified personal trainers and popular brands like Aaptiv, barre3, Daily Burn, obé and POPSUGAR can be carried out.
Since Luxe is water resistant up to 50m, there are also swimming tracking modes so you don’t have to keep checking the clock to check how long you’ve swam in your local pool.
As you track your exercise, Active Zone Minutes, a personalized standard for tracking activity that goes beyond steps measuring your time spent in each heart rate zone, lets you measure when to push harder or back off. This can help you keep track of your moderate and vigorous activity so that you can meet the weekly recommended active zone goal of 150 minutes to improve your health. For example, if you run at the same pace every day, Fitbit can remind you to push yourself.
Fitbit Luxe owners can also use the Fitbit Companion app on their iPhone or Android to track their menstrual cycle. This includes data for periods as well as symptoms. You can also use this data to track ovulation.
And finally, Fitbit Luxe borrows from the stress-tracking features we first saw in the Fitbit Sense smartwatch last year. With the 24/7 heart rate sensor, the Fitbit Luxe provides a stress management score based on a daily assessment of your body’s ability to deal with stress based on your activity level, sleep and heart rate.
If you’re a Fitbit Premium subscriber, that score becomes a lot more useful. This is because it gives you a detailed breakdown of your stress management score, including information about your exertion, sleep patterns, and responsiveness. Premium members also get access to around 200 mindfulness sessions from well-known brands such as Aaptiv, Aura, Breethe and Ten Percent Happier to help them manage stress. This includes Deepak Chopra’s Mindful Method, an exclusive wellness collection created and curated for premium members with more than 30 sessions to make a mindfulness practice more accessible.
Since Fitbit Luxe is designed to be worn all day each day, it’s a relief that, despite its thin design and AMOLED touchscreen, it still has five days of battery life.
Luxe is now available for pre-order. The first tracking tapes will be delivered in the coming weeks. Fitbit Luxe costs £ 129.99 and includes a bundled six-month free membership to Fitbit Premium (value £ 47.94). After the six-month trial for Luxe, owners can continue to use Fitbit Premium at a cost of £ 7.99 per month or £ 79.99 per year. The Fitbit Luxe accessories, straps and extra range cost between 19.99 and 89.99 euros and are available from Fitbit.com
“Over the past year, we’ve had to think differently about our health and wellbeing, from looking for possible COVID-19 symptoms to managing the ongoing stress and anxiety in today’s world. While positive change is gradually emerging, managing your holistic health has never been more important, “said James Park, VP, GM and Co-Founder of Fitbit.
“That’s why we’ve redoubled our efforts to introduce innovative tools and insights to help you stay sane and physically active. We have made great technological advances with Luxe by creating a smaller, sleeker, and beautifully designed tracker that comes with these advanced features – some of which were previously only available on our smartwatches – and even more people around the world have access to these tools provide. “
