Fitbit Sense 2 vs. Fitbit Sense: We compare health watches
We outline the differences you need to know before choosing
Plenty has changed in the smartwatch world since Fitbit released the original Sense, which makes the task of choosing between the two all the more difficult.
Ever since Fitbit’s acquisition by Google in 2021, deciding which Sense device is best is actually a bit of a difficult question to answer.
In this guide, though, we'll be doing exactly that. Below, we've summarised what's changed and what Fitbit has kept the same, as well as given our verdict on the two smartwatches and advice for anybody choosing between the original Sense and Sense 2.
Price
The first thing you'll likely be looking at when weighing up two devices is the price difference, and while prices vary across retailers and discounts, the two differ in price, as you would expect.
We'll get into how this affects our overall recommendations in the section below, but, as a general note, the original Sense might offer the better value for money (if you find one at a discounted price). However, Sense 2 also offers significant discounts, especially during Black Friday.
Design
At first glance, there's very little to split between these two devices, with only minor design differences when you delve into the specs and details.
The main difference between the original Sense and Sense 2 is the button. With the original Sense, it’s located slightly under the bezel, but with Sense 2, it’s much easier to access because it's been replaced with a physical button.
There's a 1.58-inch AMOLED display, the water resistance rating remains at 5 ATM, and the battery life is still around six or seven days.
The specs show that the Sense 2 is lighter; we should also say, likely thanks to a slightly thinner case, but we can't say we've noticed this much during testing.
Sensors
We've commented in our in-depth reviews that both the Fitbit Sense and Sense 2 are excellent health watches—much more so than they are smartwatches, even. And that means the array of sensors is still as good as it gets, whichever model you opt for.
It's also one of the few major differences between the pair, though. While the original Sense debuted an EDA sensor that's able to perform spot checks of the electrical levels on your skin and help you track stress, the Sense 2 steps this up with a cEDA sensor. The major difference here is that the Sense 2's sensor monitors continuously.
It is better, obviously—especially given the fairly clunky integration on the Fitbit Sense—though we weren't entirely convinced of its use when we reviewed the Sense 2.
Alerts will tap you when your body's physical state changes, but there's not a lot of depth to what comes next. It's not really clear if these are good or bad changes, but still, it's a decent enough tool for anybody who struggles to identify stressful triggers.
Other sensors, such as the optical heart rate sensor, GPS, GLONASS, and more, have remained the same, while NFC for contactless payments is also present on both.
We should note, though, that Fitbit Pay has been fully replaced by Google Wallet. While it wasn’t supported on the original Sense, now, Google Wallet can be used on both devices.
Activity tracking and apps
The differences in the on-screen experience are similarly minimal compared to the design and sensor changes, though there are definitely a few worth noting.
In terms of activity tracking, you'd be hard-pressed to spot the difference, but things have improved slightly for the Sense 2. Instead of the 20 exercise modes available for tracking on the original model, this has been doubled to 40. This really isn't a reason to upgrade, however, as the core activity tracking experience is still almost identical on both.
The more significant changes are present in the apps. We've already mentioned the Google Wallet support in the above section, but this also extends to another Google service, Maps.
This isn't available on the original Sense, though this model does support third-party apps like Spotify and Strava that were left out of the Sense 2's package.
Both Sense and Sense 2 also support a voice assistant, more precisely, Amazon’s Alexa. While previously the original Sense also supported Google Assistant, it now fully relies on Alexa since Google Assistant was discontinued.
Which is best?
When choosing between a newer and an older generation, it's typically a fairly open-and-shut case. However, that's not strictly true when picking between Fitbit Sense and Sense 2.
While the Sense 2 does improve the stress tracking and design, in our view, it's really down to personal preference whether you'll prefer the app situation on the original model or the newer one. And after using both devices extensively, it's arguably the app experience that affects day-to-day use more than anything else.
We'd be inclined to suggest the original model is the better pick for most people—especially given the price difference—but it really depends on whether you'd value the continuous stress monitoring and slightly tweaked design of the Sense 2.
Should you upgrade?
Unless you find the side button particularly bothersome, or you love the original Sense's stress tracking and want to take it to the next level, we can't really find a good argument to recommend upgrading to the Sense 2.
