Fitbit Cost 6 overview: virtually a Pixel band

Fitbit, what are you doing?

That’s a query I’ve requested myself quite a bit over the previous yr as Google has additional built-in the corporate into the fold. Up to now 11 months, Fitbit has had a number of main server outages, angered longtime customers by sunsetting Challenges and social options, after which quietly stopped promoting its merchandise in over a dozen nations. These are the highlights in what’s been a bumpy integration, so I used to be heartened when Google introduced the $159.95 Fitbit Cost 6 earlier this fall.

The GoodSolid health and well being monitoring characteristic setIt’s $20 cheaper!Provides extra appsCan broadcast HR to health equipmentThe haptic button is best than the grooveThe BadYouTube Music is the one choice and that’s $11 monthlyThe Fitbit-Google transition is a lil bumpyIt’s not a bodily facet buttonHow we charge and overview merchandise

The Cost 6 appeared like a return to type. It’s $20 cheaper than the Cost 5, with a greater coronary heart charge monitoring algorithm, extra Google companies, and — for the primary time — health club gear integration. The Fitbit app was redesigned this fall. These are all good and positive, however the change I cared about most was the return of the facet button. Fitbit did away with the facet button on the Cost 3 in favor of an inductive groove, and let’s simply say it wasn’t a well-liked selection.

I remorse to say that whereas the button is again, it’s not fairly what I hoped for. However as soon as my ire cooled, it turned extra obvious simply how rather more of Google is on this machine — to the purpose the place I’ve began calling this the Pixel Band in my head.

Facet button side-eye

The Cost 6 seems to be practically an identical to the Cost 5. The one visible cue that this can be a totally different tracker is the brand new facet button.

When the Cost 6 was first introduced, I assumed it could have a bodily facet button. So did plenty of people. So I felt bamboozled and betrayed after I unboxed the tracker. Sure, it seems to be like a button, with its rectangular form and tactile bump, however if you press, nothing strikes. There is no such thing as a click on. When you do it proper, you’ll really feel a buzz. As a result of this can be a haptic button — not a mechanical one.

Whenever you press the facet button, it buzzes. That’s it.

I get why. Fitbit’s bodily buttons have by no means been as dependable as Garmin’s. They usually received caught because the years glided by. Why invite the {hardware} headache if the haptic button works simply as effectively? However that’s an enormous gamble on this house.

With wearables, bodily buttons are beloved for a cause. They sign that you simply’ve received a wearable that works even when your fingers are sweaty or in gloves. More often than not, in addition they double as shortcuts for incessantly used apps. It’s freedom from the touchscreen, if that’s what you need (although most individuals like having each). Plus, some individuals identical to urgent buttons.

This quasi-button has to this point been extra dependable than the groove and fewer liable to unintentional presses. Urgent as soon as will both get up the machine or carry you again to the primary watchface; urgent twice brings up Google Pockets. Throughout actions, it brings you to the pause button on the backside of your exercise knowledge. Functionally, it really works, however as a card-carrying member of Workforce Bodily Button, I’m a bit disenchanted.

Moreover the facet button, it’s just like the notification says. Nothing new.

Whereas the haptic button works, it’s not as simple to press with a single finger. It requires a superb quantity extra strain to activate than the bodily buttons on my Garmins. I wore the Cost 6 on my left hand and tried to make use of my proper pointer finger to press the button. I didn’t achieve activating the button, however I did push the whole tracker up my wrist. It was simpler on the precise facet, however that is the kind of factor mechanical buttons do higher. Most of the time, I ended up needing to make use of my thumb and index finger to squeeze the edges of the case as a way to get the button to press. My most important concern right here is of us with restricted hand dexterity or mobility might need points relying on the place the button is positioned. I’d really feel higher in the event you may swap watchface and button orientation, like you may on some smartwatches, however that’s not an choice.

For most individuals, that is simply one thing they’ll get used to. However in the event you ask me, as an alternative of this haptic enterprise, Fitbit and Google ought to simply get good at making bodily buttons.

An informal health tracker

Health and well being monitoring are what Fitbit does greatest, and that’s the place the Cost 6 shines. It’s additionally the place it feels most like a Fitbit machine. General, it’s much like the Cost 5 in that that is greatest for informal customers who wish to be extra energetic.

GPS monitoring nonetheless isn’t pretty much as good as a Garmin. In my testing, the Cost 6 tended to overreport runs by as a lot as a tenth of a mile in comparison with my Apple Watch Extremely 2 and iPhone 14 Professional Max, each of which embody the extra correct dual-frequency GPS. That’s pretty typical for this class, however it’s a factor long-distance runners ought to have in mind when tacking on extra mileage. It additionally takes a bit to discover a GPS sign. As for coronary heart charge, all the pieces was on par with my Extremely 2 and Polar H10. I discover it lags a bit after I change up paces, however nothing too egregious.

This straightforward tracker is greatest for informal customers.

For well being monitoring, it’s all the standard staples — Lively Zone Minutes, sleep monitoring, nightly SpO2 readings, EKGs, and EDA scans. However there’s a new skill to broadcast your coronary heart charge to health gear. It’s an extended overdue addition, however your mileage could fluctuate. Fitbit says it’s solely assured to work with the newest fashions of iFit, NordicTrack, Concept2, Peloton, and Tonal machines. That stated, it’s potential it might work with machines that help Bluetooth equipment. So you probably have an older machine at residence, or at your native health club, this may occasionally not substitute what you’ve received already. I attempted this at my health club, which primarily makes use of Life Health machines, and it was a no-go. Whereas the machines have been in a position to join with the Cost 6, they couldn’t preserve the connection and my coronary heart charge by no means confirmed up on-screen. In any case, this can be a good to have, and Fitbit says it’s engaged on extending compatibility over time.

Battery life can also be good with the always-on show off. I averaged a few week with a number of GPS walks and runs, sleep monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, and notifications on. With the always-on show enabled, you’re extra like two days. This has been the case for some time now with Fitbit trackers, however it’s a little disappointing that we haven’t seen a lot progress in AODs.

Redesigned app

Google’s fingerprints are everywhere in the Cost 6’s software program. For starters, legacy Fitbit customers should migrate their knowledge to a Google Account to make use of the machine — identical because the Pixel Watch 2. New customers should log in with a private Google Account. (Workspace accounts aren’t supported.) Whereas the deadline emigrate isn’t till 2025, Google’s been prompting of us to make the change since earlier this summer time.

The brand new app design has left some longtime Fitbit customers disgruntled.

The Fitbit app redesign additionally borrows a lot of its streamlined look from Materials You. It has some advantages over the previous design, however to date it doesn’t appear to have caught the touchdown with longtime Fitbit customers. There’s additionally no darkish mode and when the redesign first rolled out, it angered many Fitbit customers by eliminating step streaks and rearranging the best way knowledge was introduced. Some even have criticized the minimalist design for being much less readable. Personally, I’ve gotten a bit extra used to the brand new design after additionally testing the Pixel Watch 2. It’s simpler to learn than Garmin’s Join app, however I agree it’s not as glanceable as earlier than.

Google has since re-added step streaks and even introduced the beforehand iOS-only characteristic over to Android. Simply this week, it’s additionally added purpose celebrations and the flexibility to customise your Focus with particular metrics as an alternative of simply choosing from presets. Final however not least, battery percentages have been added again within the At present tab and to the “Gadgets Related to Fitbit” menu.

It’s a superb factor that Google is keen to take heed to consumer suggestions. However as with many issues associated to the Google-Fitbit integration, this was one more state of affairs that might’ve been simply averted.

Subscription fatigue

Outdoors of well being monitoring, the Cost 6 has a greater app choice than the 5 in that it has any outdoors of fundamental notifications and well being monitoring. Nonetheless, that is Google’s get together and the three apps you’re getting are Google Maps, YouTube Music, and Google Pockets. RIP Fitbit Pay.

That is good and dangerous. Good as a result of we’re getting extra apps once more after third-party apps like Deezer, Spotify, and Starbucks vanished from final yr’s Sense 2 and Versa 4. Unhealthy as a result of the Cost 6 solely comes with a one-month trial of YouTube Music and no different solution to play music in the event you don’t wish to pony up for the $11 month-to-month subscription thereafter. When you tack on Fitbit Premium ($10 month-to-month, $80 yearly), you’re presumably spending $15 to $21 a month to get the total expertise. All of us get why Google locks you out of different music companies on the Cost 6 — to push you towards its personal. It’s irksome however.

Including YouTube Music is nice for media management, however the $11 month-to-month subscription just isn’t.

You now get turn-by-turn instructions with Google Maps for biking, driving, and strolling.

Some may argue that’s not a ton, in comparison with the value of a Peloton All-Entry membership or Whoop’s $30 month-to-month subscription. However anecdotally, I don’t know many athletes who solely have one health subscription or who use YouTube Music as their major streaming service. Including one other month-to-month price to the combination for the privilege of music management — it doesn’t really feel nice. It’s higher than nothing, however solely simply.

Don’t anticipate something too fancy out of Google Pockets or Google Maps, both. For starters, you don’t have plenty of display screen house to work with, so these are very utilitarian. I used Google Maps for a few walks across the neighborhood. (It additionally helps biking and driving instructions.) It will get the job accomplished, however it’s nonetheless simpler to tug out your telephone. Particularly since you must begin instructions in your telephone anyway. I can see this being extra helpful for cyclists. Likewise, Google Pockets is equally utilitarian. It’s a ache when it prompts you to enter your PIN code as a result of you must do a LOT of scrolling, however you don’t should do it each time. Google Pockets, nonetheless, is a way more expansive community than Fitbit Pay ever was, so that is nonetheless a step up.

The Google-fication of Fitbit

Regardless of my gripes, I’m glad the Cost 6 exists. There’s been a particular shift towards smartwatches over the past two years and never a ton of choices for folk who need easier trackers. It’s good to see a brand new health band from a much bigger, established model.

Nonetheless, $160 is on the pricier facet for a health band, particularly if you issue within the subscription prices. Plus, there are many cheaper trackers with big characteristic units just like the $50 Amazfit Band 7. When you discover the Cost 6 on sale for about $100, nonetheless, that’s a fairly good discount. On the flip facet, paying $120 to $150 extra will get you an Apple Watch SE or a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.

Are you on board with Google’s wearable ambitions?

However except for worth, for the Cost 6 to make sense, you have got be keen to guess that Google’s imaginative and prescient for wearables can succeed. Thus far, I’ve seen combined alerts. On the one hand, Google continues to put money into wearables, making small updates all year long. Its ongoing efforts on this Fitbit integration are additionally proof of that. As I discussed earlier, Google did return and handle suggestions in regards to the redesign. On the identical time, huge server outages aren’t a joke and occasionally, I’ve to surprise about unforced errors like eliminating Challenges and Step Streaks.

Part of me feels nostalgic for the Fitbit of previous, however the Google-fication of Fitbit is simply going to proceed. I’ve began to make peace with that. Have you ever?

Comply with Proceed: Fitbit Cost 6

Each good machine now requires you to comply with a collection of phrases and circumstances earlier than you need to use it — contracts that nobody really reads. It’s not possible for us to learn and analyze each single one in every of these agreements. However we began counting precisely what number of instances you must hit “agree” to make use of units once we overview them since these are agreements most individuals don’t learn and undoubtedly can’t negotiate.

To make use of the Fitbit Cost 6, you have to pair it to an iOS or Android telephone. Which means agreeing to that telephone’s phrases of service and privateness insurance policies.

You’re additionally required to log in to Fitbit together with your Google account and all of the phrases related to it. As a part of necessities from world regulators, Google says it should hold your Fitbit well being knowledge separate from its Google advertisements knowledge. Do you have to select to combine any apps together with your Fitbit account, like Strava, additionally, you will should comply with that app’s phrases of service and privateness insurance policies. The identical goes in the event you decide into Google’s Well being Join API to raised combine with third-party companies.

Google Phrases of ServiceGoogle Privateness Coverage (included in Phrases of Service)

To make use of the Fitbit and Fitbit Premium options, there are two necessary Fitbit agreements:

Fitbit’s Privateness PolicyFitbit’s Phrases of Service

Moreover, options like Google Pockets, Google Maps, and YouTube Music may also include their very own separate agreements. There may also be a number of optionally available permissions associated to Bluetooth, location companies, and monetary companies, relying on what you select to allow.

Ultimate tally: 4 necessary agreements, and once more, I misplaced rely of the optionally available agreements.