Larry Magid: Google releases first smartwatch and new Fitbit models

Fitbit, which is now owned by Google, recently released its long awaited successor to its popular Sense and Versa 3 fitness watches, just as Google released its first Pixel smartwatch. I spent the last week testing out the Sense 2 and the new Pixel Watch and concluded the Pixel Watch is a good starting point for Google’s transition into smartwatches while the Sense 2 is, in some ways, a step backward.

While there are some improvements, the new Sense 2 actually lacks a few useful features that were on the original Sense. It’s rare that a company takes away features when it releases a new model, but perhaps Google is doing this to bifurcate the market and position the Sense 2 squarely as a high-end fitness tracker while encouraging people who want smartwatch features to buy the Pixel Watch for $350 as opposed to the Sense 2 for $300.

After reviewing both the Sense 2 and the Pixel Watch, I’ve decided to personally stick with the original Sense because of the features they removed from the Sense 2 and because the Pixel Watch, while attractive and powerful, has a battery rated at only 24 hours compared with the Sense and Sense 2, which are rated for up to 6 days between charges. The reason 24 hours isn’t enough is because I wear the watch while sleeping to take advantage of data it records overnight. It’s also among the reasons I’ve shied away from other high-end smartwatches.

What the watches have in common

All three watches can track your heart beat, can perform an electrocardiogram (EKG), estimate calories burned, track exercises, let you select from a menu of clock faces, make payments (coming later on Sense 2), help manage or at least monitor stress levels, and monitor your sleep, including time asleep and estimates of time spent in Deep and REM sleep. They also track your pulse, breath rate and oxygen saturation (Spo2) while you sleep, and all three let you take an electrocardiogram (EKC) from your wrist while sleeping. The Sense and Sense 2 also look for atrial fibrillation and will notify you if there is an incident. All three watches also work with the Fitbit app and Fitbit’s optional premium service that gives you additional health and fitness data.

Where the Sense 2 makes sense

One advantage of the Sense 2 over the original Sense is that the new watch has a physical button rather than a haptic sensor to control what’s on the display. The haptic sensor is also a button of sorts, but it doesn’t protrude like the button, and some users have complained that it’s not as responsive. I haven’t had that problem, so for me, that button isn’t a big deal. The new model is slightly thinner (0.5 inch) and lighter (0.2 ounce) but retains the same 6-day battery life. Although not yet available, Google plans to offer Google Wallet and Google Maps with a Sense 2 software update. Neither are on the original Sense, but it does have Fitbit Pay.

A major selling point on the Sense 2 is the addition of a cEDA (continuous ElectroDermal Activity) sensor that is supposed to continuously measure your stress levels throughout the day. In theory, this could be a big deal, but I don’t find it very useful to occasionally get a notification that I might be having a stress response. It’s supposed to remind me to do something to calm down, but it usually comes several minutes after the stressful moment, so it may be too late to respond. Besides, telling me that I’m stressed makes me more stressed. It’s a feature I can live without.

Not so sensible changes

The new watch has a different user interface that makes it look more like the Wear OS operating system that’s on the Pixel Watch, although it isn’t Wear OS and doesn’t run Wear OS apps. Many people prefer the simpler interface on the new watch, but I don’t like what they took away. For example, on the old Sense you could press the side button twice and get a menu of your four favorite shortcuts. On the new Sense, you get a menu of shortcuts they pick out for you, none of which are features I often use.

Both Sense watches (and the Pixel Watch have microphones that let you use your voice to ask questions. The original Sense had both Alexa and Google Assistance, but Sense 2 only has Alexa. It’s odd considering the original Sense came out before Google acquired Fitbit, and Google would strip away its own assistant and leave the one from Amazon. Again, that might be to distinguish it from the Pixel Watch, which comes with Google Assistant, but it still seems odd to me.

The biggest drawback to the Sense 2 is that Google took away its ability to run third-party apps. There was never a large number of available apps, but there were some useful ones, including a Starbucks app and a flashlight. You might think that a flashlight on a watch is trivial, but I used it often at night when I needed to look for something on my nightstand without waking up my wife. Its light isn’t as jarring as my phone’s and it’s always handy on my wrist. Again, taking away third-party apps helps distinguish the Fitbit Sense from the Pixel Watch.

I’m about to replace my Sense with the same model at a huge discount

Ironically, just as I was about to review the new models, my old Sense broke. I’m not sure why but it’s out of warranty. It’s a perfect opportunity to “upgrade” to the Sense 2 or Pixel Watch, but I’m going to be returning the Sense 2 and Pixel Watch soon and was about to spend $250 to replace my Sense. The $50 difference between the Sense 2 and Sense isn’t the reason. It’s mostly because I miss the features on the Sense. I had planned to buy the original Sense online for about $250, but then did a web search and found you can order a new Sense minus a band and charging cable for about $80 on eBay. I already have those items from my old Sense, and even if I didn’t, I could buy third party equivalents on Amazon for $20 combined. I’m a little nervous about what I’m going to get while waiting for the item to arrive, but eBay and my credit card company do offer some protections, and the seller has good reviews. But if I’m stressed out while waiting, at least I’ll know about it because I don’t plan to return the Sense 2 until the replacement arrives.

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