Fitbit Sense 2 First Look: New Software Makes a Difference

Speaker 1: The Sense two is Fitbit's new high end smartwatch. It costs $300 and comes with a new sensor that can passively detect signs of stress throughout the day. This new sensor is one of the biggest differences between the New Sense and Fitbit's previous model from 2020, but the Sense Two also has a new user interface that's sleeker and more fluid. Fitbit is also launching the Sense too just before its parent company. Google is planning to launch its first smartwatch, the Pixel Watch. Soon enough, we'll [00:00:30] hopefully have a clearer picture of which smartwatch is the best choice in the coming weeks after we learn more about the Pixel Watch and spend more time with the sense too. But for now, here are my impressions of the Sense two, after spending a couple of days with it, Speaker 1: One of the first things I noticed about the Fitbit Sense two is its new software. The user interface has gotten a makeover that makes it feel much cleaner, modern, and easier to [00:01:00] navigate. The today view, which shows your metrics like steps, sleep and calories burned, has a new tiled interfaced with a softer look. The widgets also feel much more rich and show plenty of information at a glance. The weather widget, for example, shows the current temperature forecast and highs and lows for the day. The sleep widget shows how many hours of sleep I got last night and the heart rate widget display a graph showing how my heart rate has been trending over the past couple of hours. It's great to see all this information [00:01:30] in just a couple of swipes without having to launch an app. The Sense Two also has a physical navigation button marking the first time. Speaker 1: Fitbit has included this since the Versa two from 2019, pressing that side button from the home screen will pull up your app list, which feels much more streamlined in this new interface. I still think the Apple Watch has an edge over Fitbit in terms of software, but this redesign seems like a promising step in the right direction. Stress tracking was a big focus with the original sense, and that holds true with the sense too [00:02:00] as well. The sense too has a new body response sensor that Fitbit says can measure continuous ELECTRODERMAL activity or C E D A for short. That measurement combined with other metrics like heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin temperature can help Fitbit flag moments when it thinks you might be stressed throughout the day. The first generation Fitbit Sense does not have the sensor and can only perform ED scans on demand. Speaker 1: I've only been using the Sense too for a couple of days and I've been getting [00:02:30] a few of these stress notifications here and there. The first one came during a busy afternoon at work, but I didn't recall feeling more stressed in that moment than usual. When you receive a body response notification, Fitbit will ask you to log your mood. When I tapped stressed, it prompted me to reflect on why I was feeling stressed and suggested that I take a walk or start a breathing session. While I like the idea of stress management, I'm not sure how effective these notifications will be. I received my first notification [00:03:00] at 4:18 PM but didn't check it until about 20 minutes later when the moment had passed. That makes me think that these notifications may be too easy to ignore in the moment, but I'll have to spend more time with the sense to, before I can really tell how helpful this new sensor is, even if I don't always check notifications in the moment, it might help me at least draw more attention to how often I'm feeling stressed. Speaker 1: You can also still take spot readings on the sense too, just like you can with the original sense. To do so, you need to launch the [00:03:30] ED app and cover the screen with the palm of your hand just like on the first sense. Fitbit also has a stress management score that's available on his other devices too. This score is based on factors like heart rate, sleep and activity, so you don't need Fitbits ED sensors to get it. Overall, the Fitbit Sense too seems like a modest improvement over the original. The new Body response sensor has the potential to make stress tracking more useful since you no longer have to go out of your way to take the scan, but I'll have to test the watch on [00:04:00] a long term basis to really see how much of a difference it makes. I'm also curious to see how the Sense Two stacks up against the Pixel Watch, so what do you think of the Fitbit Sense two? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to subscribe so that you don't miss our full review. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.