Fitbit's most advanced smartwatch - Sense review

I've tried out five different Fitbit devices over the past 10 years and loved them all, from the very first one, called "Fitbit One," that clipped onto a pocket.

My first Fitbit watch experience was the Versa Lite, then the Versa 2, which had amazing advances from the One. So when I was offered a chance to try out the Sense -- Fitbit's most advanced smartwatch, I was intrigued.

One feature I was really excited about was the ability to answer a call on the phone. The Versa 2 had the ability to pick up the call, but the caller couldn't hear you speak unless you were near your phone. With this feature, if you've left your phone in another room and a call comes through, you can answer it on your wrist.

The set up for the Sense is extremely easy. Go to the Fitbit app on your phone, click your profile picture and click on Set Up a Device. The app walks you through the setup. If you have any problems or questions, click on Help & Support. There, you'll find Customer Support and all you do is click that. The app will call Customer Service -- no need to look up any numbers and call from your phone.

Advanced features on this watch include Find Your Phone, which is incredibly useful if you don't know where you've left your phone. You can also measure your blood oxygen level on the Sp02 application on your health metrics dashboard. Blood oxygen monitoring has gained attention since the debut of COVID-19, because a low level of oxygen in the blood can be an early warning sign of the virus.

You can also track your heart rate (you can see not only how fast your heart rate is, but if there’s any irregular activity or signs of atrial fibrillation), skin temperature, sleep and more. Sense also comes with a free six-month trial for Fitbit Premium, which includes advanced sleep metrics, guided programs, a wellness report, and video workouts. I should add that the Sense is the first Fitbit and third smartwatch to receive FDA approval for its ECG app (the other two are Apple Watch 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3).

The watch itself is light (1.62 ounces with the small band) -- and attractive. The model I received to test comes with an off-white band that I was afraid would get dirty while exercising, but it still looks brand new. I just wipe off the back of the watch after a workout to make sure the sensors are clean.

If you bike, hike, walk, run, golf, do spinning, martial arts, tennis, yoga etc., just swipe left on the watch to the exercise icon. Tap it and you'll have a range of activities to choose from. You can also let the watch detect what you're doing and it record the activity, but if you choose what you're doing, you'll get a full analysis at the end, which includes distance, average heart rate, etc. as seen in this image. If you click the image on the app, you get even more analysis of your ride or run, including speed, elevation gain, how much time you spent in cardio and fat burning heart rate zones, how many calories burned and the impact on your day.

Sense also pairs with Google Assistant and has Fitbit pay, which works similar to Apple pay. You just put in your credit card details and you'll be able to pay with your watch. The battery can last up to six days and charges in less than an hour.

Overall, this is a watch for just about anyone, whether they're into fitness or just into monitoring their health. The Sense does it all and has an attractive appearance that allows you to wear it anywhere, for any occasion.

For more information about the Sense, including pricing, click here.