(Pocket-lint) - Fitbit announced the fashion-focused Luxe activity and wellness tracker in April 2021, joining the Charge 4 and Inspire 2 in the company's extensive portfolio.
How do the three devices compare though? You can read how all of Fitbit's devices stack up against each other in
our separate feature
, but here we are looking at how the Fitbit Luxe compares to
the Charge 4
and the
Inspire 2
.
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Price
The Fitbit Luxe starts at £129.99 in the UK and $149.95 in the US, with the Special Edition model costing £179.99 in the UK and $199.95 in the US. There are a range of accessories available, including a Gorjana bracelet.
The Fitbit Charge 4 starts at £129.99 in the UK and $149.95 in the US, with the Special Edition models costing £149.99 in the UK and $159.95 in the US.
The Fitbit Inspire 2 is priced slightly lower than the Charge 4 and the Luxe, costing £89.99 in the UK and $99.95 in the US.
Design
Luxe: Waterproof, slim, stainless steel, colour touchscreen, buttonless, interchangeable straps
Charge 4: Waterproof, aluminium, large touchscreen display, inductive button, interchangeable straps
Inspire 2: Waterproof, plastic body, touchscreen display, physical button, interchangeable straps
The Fitbit Luxe is the most premium of the three Fitbit devices being compared here, offering a stainless steel body, coloured touchscreen display, a buttonless design, rounded edges and a focus towards fashion and style, with a range of accessories available.
The Fitbit Charge 4 has an aluminium body, and it too offers a premium design like the Luxe, but it has squarer edges and a more sporty look, along with a monochrome touchscreen display and inductive button on the side. Different accessories are available, but they are more standard compared to the bracelets and stylish straps available for the Luxe.
The Inspire 2 has a plastic body so it's a little cheaper in its appearance compared to the Luxe and Charge 4. It also has a smaller touchscreen display than the Luxe and Charge 4 and it has a physical button on the side, making for a less streamlined design than the other two models.
All models being compared here are waterproof and they all feature a PurePulse heart rate monitor on their underside, as well as charging pins. The Charge 4 and Luxe have an SPO2 monitor too however, which the Inspire 2 doesn't offer.
Features
All: Steps, distance, calories, heart rate, advanced sleep, Active Zone Minutes, Auto exercise reognition, smartphone notifications
Luxe: Stress monitoring, Mindful Minutes, SpO2
Charge 4: VO2 Max, NFC, Smart Wake, SpO2
Many of the basic features offered by Fitbit are available across the Inspire 2, Charge 4 and Luxe fitness trackers, though there is some variation.
All three trackers being compared here offer steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned and
heart rate monitoring
. They also all offer advanced sleep tracking with Sleep Score, swim tracking, Active Zone Minutes and they are able to automatically recognise some workouts with Fitbit's SmartTrack, whilst offering the ability to specifically track others using the Multi-Sport Mode.
You'll also find silent alarms on all the trackers, Reminders to Move, smartphone notifications with Quick Replies for Android users, Guided Breathing and female health tracking.
Beyond those features, things change a little between the devices. The Fitbit Charge 4 has NFC on board for
Fitbit
Pay, while the Inspire 2 and Luxe miss this off. The Charge 4 and Luxe have SpO2 sensors for blood oxygen monitoring, which the Inspire 2 doesn't have. The Charge 4 and Inspire 2 offer Cardio Fitness Level though - which is a VO2 Max measurement - but it isn't clear if the Luxe also offers this. The Charge 4 also offers Smart Wake, which uses machine learning to wake you up at an optimal time.
The Luxe meanwhile, has stress management like
the Fitbit Sense
, offering a Stress Score within the Fitbit app. It also launches a feature called Mindful Minutes, though this will come to the other Fitbit trackers and smartwatches.
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Specs
Luxe: 5-day battery, Connected GPS, no NFC
Charge 4: 7-day battery, Built-in GPS, NFC, Altimeter
Inspire 2: 5-day battery, Connected GPS, no NFC
The Fitbit Luxe has Connected GPS on board, which means you'll need to bring your phone with you in order to map a walk or a run. It offers five-day battery life, but as we mentioned above, there is no NFC for Fitbit Pay.
At the time of writing, we didn't know if the Luxe has an altimeter to measure elevation, though whilst we would expect it to, it doesn't look like it does. It does have
Google Fast Pair
for quick setup though.
The Charge 4 has built-in GPS, enabling you to map your route without your phone. It also comes with NFC on board and it features a seven-day battery life. It has an altimeter on board for measuring elevation.
The Inspire 2 has Connected GPS like the Fitbit Luxe. It comes with a five-day battery life and like the Fitbit Luxe, it doesn't offer NFC for Fitbit Pay. There is no altimeter on board.
Conclusion
The Fitbit Luxe offers many of the same features and benefits as the Charge 4, though it trades built-in GPS and NFC for a more stylish and fashionable design.
There are a couple of extra features on the Luxe compared to the Charge 4 and Inspire 2, such as Stress Monitoring and Mindful Minutes, though the Charge 4 is likely to get some of these through a software update.
The choice between these devices will likely come down to which features are most important to you. If you want built in GPS and NFC, the Charge 4 is the one you'll want. If you want a stylish tracker that is packed full of features like SpO2 monitoring but misses off a couple then the Luxe appears to be a great option. If you want most of the features Luxe offers but in a cheaper package with a more basic design, then the Inspire 2 will likely be adequate.
Writing by Britta O'Boyle. Editing by Conor Allison. Originally published on
19 April 2021
.
