Alternatives to Fitbit
Discussion
I've a Samsung Galaxy Fit, which was released in 2019. I'd avoid Samsung, and particularly the Galaxy Fit.
It auto tracks a huge number of exercises, including swimming, and this was one of their big selling points.
But for a band which auto recognises swimming they unfortunately failed to waterproof it correctly. I learned this from a slip up from one of the guys in the store I bought mine from.
I'd never even worn mine in the shower, and I don't swim or do saunas or jacuzzis or anything of the like. The most moisture it came in contact with would be a few light drops/splashes each time you wash your hands. The strap/band is also shockingly poor quality - it's really, really bad and won't last even a year of daily wear.
And then there's the Samsung apps and their online services which are just not reliable enough. On android you'll have to install 3-4 Samsung apps just to use it, and they demand access to things like your full contact list, calendar, location etc. WTF??? Deny one of the permissions and they all stop working and leave you with no way of communicating with the band.
As well as frequent problems with the weekly summary reports being half complete and omitting logged data from that week I (with an account profile of a male in his mid 40s) receive a notification a few times a year to tell me my menstrual cycle is not regular.
Way to go Samsung....
The Galaxy Fit only saw a 12 month lifespan and they released the Galaxy Fit 2 a couple of months ago. They might have thought of waterproofing that one perhaps. But with all the other issues I'll just be buying something else when the current refurbished unit they supplied to me under warranty fails.
It auto tracks a huge number of exercises, including swimming, and this was one of their big selling points.
But for a band which auto recognises swimming they unfortunately failed to waterproof it correctly. I learned this from a slip up from one of the guys in the store I bought mine from.
I'd never even worn mine in the shower, and I don't swim or do saunas or jacuzzis or anything of the like. The most moisture it came in contact with would be a few light drops/splashes each time you wash your hands. The strap/band is also shockingly poor quality - it's really, really bad and won't last even a year of daily wear.
And then there's the Samsung apps and their online services which are just not reliable enough. On android you'll have to install 3-4 Samsung apps just to use it, and they demand access to things like your full contact list, calendar, location etc. WTF??? Deny one of the permissions and they all stop working and leave you with no way of communicating with the band.
As well as frequent problems with the weekly summary reports being half complete and omitting logged data from that week I (with an account profile of a male in his mid 40s) receive a notification a few times a year to tell me my menstrual cycle is not regular.
Way to go Samsung....
The Galaxy Fit only saw a 12 month lifespan and they released the Galaxy Fit 2 a couple of months ago. They might have thought of waterproofing that one perhaps. But with all the other issues I'll just be buying something else when the current refurbished unit they supplied to me under warranty fails.
CheesecakeRunner said:
Garmin. Vivoactive or Forerunner. Various model at various price points.
This. Vivoactive 3 or 4 would probably suit your needs (but worth double checking) - and Amazon often have them on Black Friday deals, so perhaps worth waiting a few more weeks. I started with a Fitbit, and then moved to a Garmin - since then I’ve had 3 more (upgraded, rather than them breaking). In fact, the first Garmin I bought is still being used today by a friend’s son whereas the Fitbit is in landfill...
I've got one of the 'Galaxy Active' watches from Samsung. I got it for free with my phone contract last year so I can't really complain about it too much, although I think the retail price on it would have been something like £180 which it definitely isn't worth to me. It's quite good at tracking activity and has a lot of preset activities to choose from but it has falsely detected exercise quite a few times when I wasn't doing any. It seems to be pretty good at tracking your daily step count and your sleep each night which can be nice to see. I haven't had any trouble with connectivity (also have a Galaxy S10) or intrusive apps, it just needs the odd 5 minute update every few months. I charge mine every morning before work but I think it would just about last 2 days.
My main issues with it revolve around the quality of it. The watch itself is very solid as I accidentally smacked it against desk edges more times than I can count when I first got it and it didn't scratch, dent or crack the screen at all. But I can echo what Corso Marche said above about the strap - it's awful. I think mine started to crack after about 4 months and one of the loops for the buckle snapped not long after.
I also think mine might have recently become haunted by a poltergeist of some sort as the screen sometimes activates itself and scrolls all the way to the end of the menu which results in the watch constantly vibrating until you press the home button and wipe the screen. I've had my sleeve cause that a few times but recently it's just been doing it by itself.
My main issues with it revolve around the quality of it. The watch itself is very solid as I accidentally smacked it against desk edges more times than I can count when I first got it and it didn't scratch, dent or crack the screen at all. But I can echo what Corso Marche said above about the strap - it's awful. I think mine started to crack after about 4 months and one of the loops for the buckle snapped not long after.
I also think mine might have recently become haunted by a poltergeist of some sort as the screen sometimes activates itself and scrolls all the way to the end of the menu which results in the watch constantly vibrating until you press the home button and wipe the screen. I've had my sleeve cause that a few times but recently it's just been doing it by itself.
For cost reference, I was able to pick up an all black Garmin Vivoactive 3 on the first day of the Amazon Prime Day sale for £124 and there was a steel version for slightly less. I did note on the second day they had gone up in price by a quid or two. I would expect Black Friday prices to be similar though I think my deal was a way of getting rid of old stock.
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