Fitbit Alta HR Review: Slim, Stylish and a Bit Frustrating

Fitbit Alta HR Review: Slim, Stylish and a Scrap Frustrating

Design

When I first strapped on the Alta 60 minutes, I thought, "Finally, here's a fitness tracker that'southward packed with features but doesn't feel similar a brick strapped to my wrist." At 0.61 inches wide, it looks like a slimmer version of the Fitbit Charge 2. I found it more than comfortable to clothing than nearly trackers, whose bulk tin make it uncomfortable to bend my wrist during workouts.

Different Fitbit's first Alta model, the Alta HR has a standard watchband-style closure, which makes it more secure around your wrist. Every bit with many other Fitbit devices, the bands are interchangeable; classic bands cost $29.95, leather bands are $59.95 and metallic bracelets cost $99.95. There are also bands designed by Vera Wang for virtually $60 each, or if you can drop a few hundred dollars, there are flashier metal bands and bracelets sold under the Public School brand.

Outwardly, the main difference between the Fitbit Alta Hour and the wider Charge two is that at that place'southward no button on the Alta HR'southward side to let you view and coil through your stats. You'll have to tap the Alta HR'due south display to cycle through your step count, center charge per unit, distance traveled and other stats.

The Charge 2'south button lets you lot start and stop workouts, dismiss silent alarms, and select the alarms that you want to enable and disable. With the Alta HR, you'll accept to rely more on the Fitbit app to fix your silent alarms and record your workouts afterward if they weren't automatically recognized.

Finally, there's a fitness tracker that doesn't experience like a brick strapped to my wrist.

If yous need to tap the device at all, y'all might need to utilize more than force than you'd expect. I had to slap the display nearly a dozen times whenever I needed to dismiss a silent alert.

And there's a downside for swimmers: You won't be able to track your puddle time. The Alta HR isn't swim-proof, and you should take it off before hopping into the shower. However, it can withstand a good splashing in the sink and in the rain.

MORE: Which Fitbit Is Correct for You?

Specs

Three-axis accelerometer
Vibration motor
OLED tap display
Saves seven days of motion data
Saves daily totals for 30 days
Elastomer band comes in small, large and extra big

Fitness Tracking

Many Fitbit users are focused on taking 10,000 steps a day, thus making step-count accurateness especially important. I found the Alta Hour's step counts more authentic than those of many other devices, including older Fitbit models I've used. When I took 500 steps, the Alta HR recorded 508. Because your step count displays to the nearest hundred steps on the device (such every bit 2.4K), slight inaccuracies won't prove on your wrist. You'll exist able to meet the exact pace count only in the Fitbit app.

In addition to tracking your steps, the Alta 60 minutes tin can automatically recognize and track running, outdoor biking, elliptical workouts, aerobic workouts and a broader category dubbed "sports." I found that it tracked my elliptical workouts accurately, even as my easily stayed fairly still on the machine.

However, I institute the Alta Hr'south PurePulse heart rate monitoring somewhat disappointing. PurePulse is the center charge per unit tracking organization that's used in all of the Fitbit devices with optical heart rate monitoring. Equally I've experienced with Fitbit'southward Charge 2, it took several minutes for the Alta HR to go up to speed with my heart charge per unit reading on an elliptical machine. After a couple of minutes, though, the heart rate that the Alta HR detected matched that recorded by the elliptical, plus or minus a few beats per infinitesimal.

New Sleep-Tracking Features

Using your heart rate, motion data and a new motorcar-learning algorithm, Fitbit's new Slumber Stages feature lets users track the quality of their slumber, including light slumber, deep sleep and even REM sleep, which can bear upon your memory and mood. With Fitbit'southward Sleep Insights, y'all'll besides get tips on how to improve the quality of your slumber.

When I used the new slumber-tracking features, the Fitbit app noted that I didn't take a regular sleep schedule — I go to bed early on weeknights and afterward on weekends — and that it could have a negative affect on my sleep.

Y'all won't demand to purchase a new Fitbit to have advantage of this new feature, every bit Sleep Stages is at present available on the Fitbit Blaze and will exist available on Accuse 2 devices beginning this bound. Sleep Insights, the communication that's meant to encourage better slumber habits, is now available on any Fitbit device that tracks sleep.

More than: All-time Sleep Apps

Fitbit App

The Fitbit app works with Windows ten and macOS 10.vi and upwardly computers, the iPhone 4S and newer models, and Android four.iii and later devices. In the app, you can encounter your step count, and track your exercise, heart charge per unit, slumber stats, estimated calorie burn down and more. You can view your entire activity history in the app as well, and manage multiple devices, including the Fitbit Aria smart scale, at the aforementioned time.

To ensure you get credit for all of your exercise, the Fitbit app lets y'all input data mail service-conditioning, and lets yous choose from a wide diversity of activities, including rowing, martial arts, CrossFit, ultimate Frisbee and even line-fishing. I manually logged a 55-minute Pilates class and then that it would count toward my weekly do goal, whi11ch y'all can gear up in the app besides. Your goal can range from exercising 1 day a calendar week to vii days a calendar week.

If you take friends who also use a Fitbit device, you lot can add together them as friends to compare stats and compete in pace-count challenges.

Notifications

You can go text and call notifications on your Alta 60 minutes. In the app, you tin choose to either see just the sender'southward name, or the sender's name and part of the text message as well. Y'all can also receive calendar notifications on the Alta 60 minutes, which is a new and user-friendly feature for people who manage packed schedules.

If you're an office worker or otherwise sedentary, the Alta HR tin requite y'all a reminder to take at to the lowest degree 250 steps every 60 minutes.

Battery Life

Like every other Fitbit model, the Alta HR comes with a proprietary USB charger that clips on to the back of the device. I gear up five silent alarms; received a dozen or so text, call and agenda notifications each solar day; and had continuous heart rate monitoring that recorded my middle charge per unit every minute, and the battery lasted a picayune more six days. That's a fiddling less than the 7 days that Fitbit estimates, just information technology's better than other fettle trackers' three- to v-day battery lives.

To make sure that your device doesn't run out of juice, the Fitbit app gives you the choice to view your Alta Hour'southward battery level as you bike through your stats.

Bottom Line

The $149 Fitbit Alta Hour is a sensible update to the original Alta, with eye charge per unit monitoring and better sleep tracking, in an equally slim and stylish packet. However, if y'all don't mind a slightly thicker, only just as attractive, device, consider the Fitbit Charge 2, which is easier to use and won't have you reaching for your phone as oftentimes.

Photograph credit: Jeremy Lips/Tom's Guide

Althea Chang is Associate Director of Content Development for Consumer Reports and was previously a Senior Writer for Tom'southward Guide, covering mobile devices, health and fitness gadgets and car tech.