Why You Can Trust CNET The Fitbit Alta HR claims to be the world's slimmest heart-rate tracker
It's also one of the most stylish Fitbit trackers yet.
It's only been six months since the Fitbit Charge 2 was released. It's one of our favorite fitness bands, but Fitbit is back again with a design that could top it. The Fitbit Alta HR, according to Fitbit, is the world's slimmest fitness tracker with continuous heart-rate measurement. It looks much slimmer than the Charge 2, that's for sure.
The Alta HR is the same size as the original Alta that we reviewed last year. It has swappable bands and can track steps, distance, calories burned and sleep. It will also display notifications for incoming calls, text messages and calendar alerts.
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The Fitbit Charge 2 (left) compared to the new Fitbit Alta HR.
The Alta HR will automatically detect various activities like running and biking, but because it lacks a button, you can't manually start a workout like you can on the Charge 2. It also doesn't have the guided breathing sessions that Charge 2 included, and won't track how many floors you climb.
Fitbit says the Alta HR will last up to seven days on a single charge, which is quite the accomplishment given the larger Charge 2 lasts about five days.
Fitbit's Alta HR includes heart-rate tracking in a slimmer body than the Charge 2.
The Alta HR will also include a new sleep feature called Sleep Stages that uses the optical heart-rate sensor to estimate how long you spend in light, deep and REM sleep cycles. This feature will also be coming to the Charge 2 and Blaze in the coming weeks. You can read more about it here.
The Alta HR is available now for preorder for the same price as the Charge 2: $150, £130 or AU$250. It'll begin shipping in early April. We'll have a full review of the Alta HR in the coming weeks, but from this first impression, this could end up being the best and most practical Fitbit of the bunch. Stay tuned.