Fitbit Sense 2 Hands On (Battery Life, Missing Features, Operating System)

[@Drrck11]

Good review. I think I'll stick with my Sense 1. I find it odd that Fitbit would not include some important features in the Sense 2. It doesn't seem like much of an upgrade.

[@wearablewhisperer]

Thanks. Makes sense (no pun initially intended).

[@rrompal49]

I'll be keeping my Sense 1 as well.

[@onlyice]

Amazing review, I was about to buy it, when I saw the missing Apps (spotify) this is a deal breaker for the moment. So I will wait. Thank you

[@simp-ran]

This was an excellent review. Felt very natural and real. Seriously considering upgrading from my Charge 2 - yes you read that right. So trying to figure out the best ones. :)

[@wearablewhisperer]

Thank you very much for the kind words 🙏😊

[@SIK1968]

I like that review. Thank you for that! You are talented in reviewing, clear and very easy to understand for us non English ones! I have one Sense 2 on order and hope I get it soon...

[@wearablewhisperer]

Thank you very much for the kind words 🙏 I truly appreciate it 😊

[@zoetamaraknape]

Thank you for this review I'm hoping to get one at Christmas. 🙂

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome 😊

[@bparker4457]

I like the idea of this. Fitbit has the best health stats at the best price. A lot of people gripe about missing features like music controls, but that doesn't bother me because I rarely listen to music and certainly don't have a Spotify. I like this watch because it's one of the best looking and has some of the best battery life. It also looks comfortable for all day, all night, and all activity wear.

[@mirjamkiebacher7464]

Hey, your precise reviews are great. Could you please also make a video of all clock faces for fitbit sense 2 like you did for fitbit charge 5? 🙏

[@5ervalkat192]

Great review! I don't miss the music controls nor the third party apps features. I never saw the beauty of controlling music on the watch anyway, though I understand a lot of people do like that. For me, the Sense 2 is a nice upgrade from the Versa 3 due to the improved usability (swiping works smoothly and the physical button is excellent). I am still testing to see if there is any improvement on HR accuracy or sleep stage accuracy; I suspect they are about the same, though the new sensors make me hopeful for improvements.

[@wearablewhisperer]

Thank you! I’m in the process of testing heart rate accuracy as well. I’ll report my findings in a future video.

[@splatmatt]

Question about interval workouts: Does the Sense 2 provide the ability to configure more complex intervals besides repeating a single “Move” & “Rest” interval?

[@rachelhelman2098]

I have had mine since Saturday and it's a lovely watch. However I'm ser disappointed since I heard thst no 3rd party app support is coming to the Sense 2. That means no ability to load music onto the watch. What's the point in having a gps watch with no on board music storage! Yiu still need to take yiur phone with you. I'm 80% sure I'll be returning mine. I'm so disappointed that there won't be any 3rd part app support 😪

[@sar_e_bear]

Thank you. I will stick with my Sense 1.

[@wearablewhisperer]

You're welcome 😊

[@aintbeeable]

Great job! thanks!

[@mariegallagher398]

I cannot figure out how to customize the icons on the default clock face. I want to put my steps on the clock face.

[@chrisdumas4352]

Great review. Thank you!

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome 😊

[@HTC-1337]

I received today my Amazfit X.But i think fitbit is still on the right track, maybe the chanced the watchface thing for the accident presses. It happend to me

[@Coffee4Baby]

I have a charge 4 and waiting for this to come in the mail. For some it's not an upgrade but it will be for me.

[@wkt3390]

is there music control from Sense 2 when it connect to Android phone ?

[@wearablewhisperer]

No

[@nsuresh9272]

Does they include rowing workout in workout modes?

[@wearablewhisperer]

There is "Rowing Machine" yes

[@jelly-baby]

I had kne , for a week, it couldn't hold a gps signal and that's after taking forever to find one. Took it back and now have a Garmin venu 3s which I ❤

[@wearablewhisperer]

So glad you found a watch you love 😊

[@stephenbatley]

where did you find the other watch face that you showed in the video? thanks

[@wearablewhisperer]

“Colors” by Reno

[@beccahathaway3989]

hey! thanks for this review .....am I right in thinking the sense 2 doesn't track swimming lengths on the watch whilst swimming like the sense 1 did?

[@wearablewhisperer]

According to Fitbit that is correct. No swim length tracking on device for Sense 2.

[@gnoodle9681]

Jeez, the interface is laggy. That's the one thing I hate about Fitbits (besides the older Charges and Versa 2). They may look nice, but they're not good to use in comparison to an apple watch or wearOS. Either way, I appreciate your overview of the OS.

[@wearablewhisperer]

I’m glad you found my video helpful 😊

[@ryanwoods4691]

How bright is the always on display?

[@zylonchar]

Does the watch register higher heart rates now which has been Fitbits biggest drawback since.. forever. Like my Fitbit thought I died after going hard on Squats, kickboxing sparring and such where my heart rate peaked with 189bpm.

[@wearablewhisperer]

From my initial testing, the Fitbit Sense 2 still does not perform satisfactorily at peak heart rates.

[@zylonchar]

@@wearablewhisperer That's too bad. Really need a new FitBit cause I do like their sleep tracking quite a bit. Thanks for another great informative and very pleasant to listen to video :)

[@wearablewhisperer]

I also really wish their heart rate was accuracy for me at high intensities. It’s sad because they literally invented wrist-based heart rate. I also like Fitbits sleep tracking best. You’re welcome and thanks for the kind words 🙏😊

[@desoL8d]

Thanks for this review. This is my first Fitbit. I already pre-ordered it and it's coming this week. It's a bummer that it didn't include an app to control music, it's one of the feature that I was expecting. I do hope that its heart rate and GPS tracking will be at least refined.

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome. Heart rate at high intensity is still not satisfactorily accurate for me.

[@paolovaralda6797]

How about HR accuracy?

[@wearablewhisperer]

From my initial testing, the Fitbit Sense 2 does not perform satisfactorily at peak heart rates.

[@clau6104]

Hi Kelsey! Very useful video! I'm waiting for my Sense 2 in the coming days (upgrade from Versa 2), but I'm worried about the sensors, to be honest. Could you please detail the heart rate (in)accuracy? Thanks a million!

[@wearablewhisperer]

My initial testing has shown the heart rate to be unreliable and often inaccurate at high intensity exercise. Hope your experience is different.

[@clau6104]

@@wearablewhisperer I haven't used it for intense activities so far, only for day to day monitoring and it seems to be fine for now. Looking forward for your video on this topic :)

[@katerussell406]

Great videos! Thank you😊 My question is about using the swim exercise feature; does the device track laps while in the pool? I’m actually trying to track meters that I complete with walking in the pool. One lap is 25 meters in the pool and my goal is to do 100 laps walking, but I find keeping track is a challenge. Appreciate any insights, thanks.

[@wearablewhisperer]

Thank you for the kind words 🙏😊 the Sense 2 unfortunately does not track pool laps during a workout. The original Fitbit Sense actually can (crazy, I know, but they changed the software for the new device). I can’t comment on accuracy however since I haven’t been in a pool in years. My advice would be to buy from a retailer that has a good return policy (REI and Costco are my favorites at 90-days, but Fitbit.com is supposed to have a 45-day return policy for any reason). You can also see this Fitbit help article to see which Fitbits can track pool laps (second question, second column of table should have check mark): help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2087.htm

[@katerussell406]

Thanks much!

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome! 😊

[@LemonWatermelon]

Did you actually 😴 sleep for 9.30 hours! Wow that must feel great.. I somehow can't sleep for more than 6 everyday and 8 if I get an afternoon nap

[@wearablewhisperer]

I actually had terrible sleep in the first part of the night, so tried to stay in bed longer to make up for it. I definitely didn’t get 9.5 hours of good sleep! I do need more sleep than the average person though. Minimum 8 hours daily on average is my need. I usually have to be in bed closer to 9 hours to get 8 hours of actual sleep though (I usually take over 15 minutes to fall asleep by my own account). Fun fact: Sleep tracking is what got me into wearables in the first place 😊

[@RandallLind]

I need help I got this Sense 2 on Sunday and on Wednesday I had to charge it. What is draining the battery? I turn off Body response.

[@wearablewhisperer]

Always-on display and GPS are two big battery drainers

[@RandallLind]

@@wearablewhisperer I think I figured it out. It seems to be the live heart beat tracking tile. I did a reset and the heart beat title was missing and my battery was at 97% and once I installed it a couple hours later it dropped to 91%. I can still see my bpm so having that tile is not really needed for me.

[@jamesbracy2368]

Thank you for this great review! Very disappointing to see the short comings of the new Sense 2 with lack of Google Assist, third party apps no calls to wrist and even the lack of being able to change clock face by long press of screen. Definitely hanging onto Versa 3 for now as for me these are deal breakers. On the plus it is nice to see the developer of the “Colors” clock adapt to the new software. It’s because of you I downloaded this clock face and still one of my favs! :)

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome! 😊

[@lmfaznboi]

Just got my sense 2 today, I can confirm the phone call feature do works. I am able to receive calls on the phone

[@florencejoyee9231]

If you had to pick between the charge 6, versa 4 & sense 2 - which one do you recommend as most accurate and useful?

[@wearablewhisperer]

Most accurate heart rate is Charge 6. But I personally prefer the design of the Versa/Sense. My ideal would be a Versa 5 with improved heart rate accuracy, but it remains to be seen if Google will release any more updates to the Versa series. I would have expected a Versa 5 this Fall, but it wasn’t announced with the Pixel Watch 3, so I’m not hopeful at this point 😢

[@fujajo2761]

Are there any animated workouts available on the watch?

[@wearablewhisperer]

Unfortunately, no

[@fujajo2761]

Thank you for replying.

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome 😊

[@karandmac614]

Thank You for the review :) It would be lovely to see other clock swatches if there is more and how they look because the range was hugh in the other watches. And we can't answer the messeges yet right?

[@wearablewhisperer]

You can only reply to messages if you have an Android phone and it’s only preset quick replies not a keyboard to use.

[@emberweir1]

I have both senses and a few versa models and in my opinion the only good thing about the new sense 2 from the sense 1 is the thickness, it’s so much more comfortable and lightweight but that’s literally it, no different from the sense 1 apart from the lack of half the functions I feel like it was such a waste of money a complete downgrade and now they’re taking away badges and challenges and open groups there’s not much to keep me with Fitbit anymore

[@VietnamEli]

Does the Sense 2 have the same problems the Sense 1 has with accurate heart rate during exercise? I love my Sense except for the maddening HR tracking when I'm out cycling.

[@wearablewhisperer]

From my tests so far, yes. It does not have improved hr accuracy unfortunately.

[@VietnamEli]

@@wearablewhisperer Thanks for confirming, that was the main thing I was hoping for with the new one. I think they're using a CPU that can't keep up, and it's the same on both models.

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome

[@DianaNona]

If I’m in workout mode will I be able to use the timer? Sometimes I use it to count the rest time.

[@wearablewhisperer]

I don't think so, however, there is an "Interval Workout" that allows you to set "Move" and "Rest" durations plus number of repeats.

[@DianaNona]

@@wearablewhisperer thanks ☺️

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome 😊

[@nancyalvarado5904]

How do u get the app

[@wearablewhisperer]

Here are my instructional videos for that: iOS = kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJy5ZYisfbKif8U Android = kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqWzp4SjgtaLqtU

[@Q8Nights]

Is there a major difference between it and the original sense ? Please note that i only want to buy it for style, notifications and workouts

[@wearablewhisperer]

I will do a full comparison in the near future. For style, it is thinner and a lot lighter so Sense 2 wins in those ways for sure. For notifications, the experience is similar. For workouts, there are more workout modes on Sense 2 if you need more specific workouts. You can’t control music during workouts if that matters. If it doesn’t, it seems like Sense 2 would be the choice in this case.

[@Q8Nights]

@@wearablewhisperer thanks so much and please do more battery tests , great video keep up the good work btw just subscribed can't wait for your next videos!

[@wearablewhisperer]

Thanks for the kind words 🙏😊

[@Agdolladultfan]

Does all those exercises come on sense 1 too

[@wearablewhisperer]

I don't think so

[@protoyeen]

Not having Google Assistant is a bummer but I can deal with Alexa, I just wanted it for the stress management

[@DOGE_FORCE_47]

Man I can't get the spo2 to work .

[@sarcasmkinggames7175]

So i double checked a few things from this video and realised that FitBit Sense 2 misses a lot of useful features. I might skip this one or wait for official statement from Google that they won't be adding anything on this watch and this is what you get. What a bummer.

[@TheMagnitudo]

how come that blood oxygen doesn't work ?

[@wearablewhisperer]

It works for me…

[@TheMagnitudo]

@@wearablewhisperer how ? I haven't any app for it :( where can I find it ?

[@wearablewhisperer]

It’s not like Apple Watch. You can’t take an on-demand reading. There is no app. You have to wear your device to sleep. Then check your sleep log to see a graph of estimated oxygen variation. The other place you see the measurements is in the health metrics tile where you get a nightly average percentage. That’s it.

[@TheMagnitudo]

@@wearablewhisperer Oh thank you ! I was suspicious about it but I don't like it. I read that with certain watch face I can have the measurement but ... doesn't work. It's a big limitation to don't have it on demand.

[@wearablewhisperer]

You’re welcome 😊 And yes it is definitely limiting to not have the measurement on demand.

[@scottm9617]

Hi Kelsey. I wish I saw this review before buying. I'm a type one diabetic and use other devices attached to me to monitor my health and collate them into one Fitbit screen from the marketplace. It seems none of the watch faces I used on the Sense are available on the Sense 2. Hopefully the devs of my faces (weird) will come out with an update shortly. Very disappointing and means during rock climbing etc I need to review my results manually off the wall etc.

[@sjohn2924]

I will not buy until they bring the Google Assistant and Spotify music control. This is ridiculous.

[@sarcasmkinggames7175]

Good review. Would you recommend Apple Watch Series 7 over this?

[@fibk]

Yes! All day everyday!

[@wearablewhisperer]

It is a very subjective question, but if you have an iPhone, I highly recommend an Apple Watch.

[@sarcasmkinggames7175]

@@wearablewhisperer I have both high end ios and Android phones. Sadly the sale is over here in India. I was getting series 7 for only $380

[@peterwright9121]

Does this watch have a map

[@wearablewhisperer]

No

[@gemini2261]

Upgraded from Blaze and this new watch I cannot stop music or skip songs which Blaze does. Most annoying

[@davidperlitz7219]

calls on wrist was fine, when it worked. what kills me is i can no longer see steps in the hour and steps remaining. I mean, come on.

[@mariobros2628]

What is the sense of taking calls on the watch if you can not talk and listen on the watch? I just spent €300 on this crap and it doesn't work with the only function I bought it for.

[@robertstevens1537]

I bought mine on my daughters recommendation, had I known about the music control issue I would not have bought it. I think that in the future I will avoid anything that google has their hands in, you just always end up being screwed. I can't understand how you can build a product worse than my 7 year old Ionic and sell it for this price. I am quite disappointed with Google, time to move on.

[@mollyricee]

Hi Kelsey!

[@wearablewhisperer]

Hi Molly! 😊

[@DonEvans1]

thanks for the video and showing the watch band connection. stupidest design ever... Thanks Google for not making it easy just so you could make us pay for $50 bands.. Mine keeps disconnecting and have lost my watch twice from it falling off (thankfully recovered both times).

[@lou-nc4rc]

Unbelievable complexity. If people want to fiddle around with all this, let 'em. I came here to this review to see how it detects afib, and if it does this, it is not covered in the review.

[@L.I.T.H.I.U.M]

The most important thing is the tracking accuracy. People don't realize this and end up buying a smartwatch with inaccurate fitness tracking. What's the point? Just use your smartphone and wear a simple watch. I've been delaying buying a smartwatch/fitness band/smart ring ever since I started watching the channel The Qualified Scientist's videos. He's a scientist and reviews the accuracy of all kinds of wearables and only Apple watches work. It perfectly tracks your heartrate in all kinds of exercises, steps, sleep (yes, finally) and even has good GPS. If you want to invest in a fitness tracker, just invest in an Apple device or don't.

[@kiminimuchu__]

First, the Apple watch doesn't work with Android, so, sure, it does some things very well, but it's as good as useless for the majority of people (as over 70% of people in the world uses Android). Second, people who want a fitness tracker don't want to walk around with their phone in hand, nor would that even remotely give you all the health measurements the tracker is capable off. Fitbit's measurements are in no way bad compared to most trackers. For example, Apple may finally have included a sleep tracker (very late), but before that Fitbit had the best sleep tracking among fitness trackers in the market for over a decade, and it's still the second best, it may fall below Apple, but that does not make it a bad tracker. Saying that having no tracker at all is a better alternative is just ridiculous.

[@L.I.T.H.I.U.M]

@@kiminimuchu__ You didn't understand my point. If you're buying a tracker to track your fitness, it should track it accurately or you shouldn't own one. Inaccurate (even up to 60% accuracy) is dangerous. Imagine your tracker showing you the wrong heartrate data which makes you push harder or less and that's a big blow to your progression and may even cause heart attacks in older people (heart attacks are rising in the gyms). Second, it'll make you stress more, and improvements won't come because of inconsistent data. Third, it'll make you ignore the signals your own body is giving you like "the talk test" for staying in the aerobic heartrate. And if it's worse for you in so many ways, why buy a smartwatch in the first place? Because you want an extra smartphone on your wrist or to look good? Just use a smartphone instead, not necessary to have an extra screen on your wrist, we already look at too much screen and a wear normal watch instead if you want to look good. And most of them 70% people can't even afford Fitbits.

[@kiminimuchu__]

@@L.I.T.H.I.U.M You are overestimating how bad the measurements are. I've been using fitbit and garming trackers for years and they have helped me tremendously in becoming more active, working on an overall healthier lifestyle, and managing my chronic insomnia I had all my life (Fitbit helped that is, Garmin's sleep tracking is garbage). Fitness trackers can be extremely helpful to thousands of people, and help them work on being more active. Your argument doesn't make sense, because having no data whatsoever is not gonna be any better than having some health information to go with. Obviously, no one should be relying 100% on the tracker data, and that goes for Apple too and any other brand out there. No tracker will replace going to a doctor and getting health checks, or having specific medical equipment to take accurate measurements, but that cannot be done on a daily basis, and having a fitness tracker helps to give you an idea of how things are going and keep a track on exercises and overall activity on a daily basis in between health check-ups. Stop telling people what they should or shouldn't buy just because you personally don't see the usage for something that has helped thousands of other people on a daily basis for years. I, for one, hate having my phone with me while doing any activity, I rather have something small on my wrist with minimal phone functionality that will get the tasks that I need done. A phone does not replace a fitness tracker in any way, fitness trackers don't even have to be smart, they don't serve the same purpose as a phone. And if we are talking about affordability, Fitbit has many trackers across price points, as well as other brands do. Cost is hardly a selling point for Apple...

[@L.I.T.H.I.U.M]

​@@kiminimuchu__ It's quite an obvious logic: A lack of data often leads to more cautious decision making - at least you know you don't have all the facts. With bad data, it is easy to have false confidence in wrong decisions. And if your argument is that Fitbit is not bad enough to cause more harm than good, I might need to recheck Fitbit's data accuracy, but my argument still holds true for the rest of the devices. Maybe 99% of the wearables? Check out all the latest reviews of The Qualified Scientist, the data reading, when combined will be less than 50% accurate for all of them. Which is worse than no data. I'd draw the line around 80%.

[@yurionlyyou7luv7]

@@kiminimuchu__ He is just an Apple watch fan boy. It's either Apple watch or no watch/tracker at all. No need to argue with such a head case haha. And I 100% agree with your comments

[@hk6926]

Really don't understand why people buy this crap . They are so many better watches .

[@wearablewhisperer]

I agree there are better watches, however, some people don’t do intense exercise and don’t care about smartwatch features.

[@hk6926]

@@wearablewhisperer I understand that argument but Fitbit is not cheap especially sense . You can get everything in other smart watches and more and maybe cheaper . I actually bought the sense 1 and sent it back only after an hour . Looked and felt very cheap .

[@potosunset9705]

Very unhappy...

[@randomexplorebc2973]

had sense 1, now sense 2 i made a huge mistake where the fuck is the alarm clock

[@ImportYeti]

No frequently asked questions about actual size measurements? lol