Fitbit One Reviewed for Performance and Quality
The Fitbit One is an activity and sleep tracker. The company designed it to help runners stay active, sleep better and eat better. An all-day device, it tracks active minutes, distance, how many did you take, floors climbed and calories burned.
It is easy to use and automatically syncs the wearer’s stats to their phone, tablet, or computer. Its beautiful OLED display will show the clock and scroll through daily stats with the click of the button. The Fitbit One can conveniently clip to a bra, belt or pocket and is small enough to stay hidden. It has a built-in accelerometer and altimeter and is dust and splash resistant.
This tracker will track how long and how well the wearer slept and wakes them with a gentle silent alarm. The app lets users log their food and workouts, track their progress and earn badges. It also gives them to see how well they slept so they can improve their sleep. The battery lasts up to two weeks between charges and only takes a couple of hours to charge so that you can use it all day and all night long. It can track daily totals for 23 days and store 7 days of detailed data at a time.
If you are looking for a band-free fitness tracker that can help you achieve your goals and track your sleep, read on to see if the Fitbit One is the right device for you.
Keep reading our in-depth Fitbit One review to find out if it is worth the investment.
- Logs time spent sleeping and number of interruptions
- Many reviewers said that it helped them lose weight
- Easy installation and syncing
- Long lasting and quick charging battery
- App lets users set goals, is customizable, and works on both Android and Apple devices
- Great for people who can't stand wearing bands around their wrists
- Testers reported that the clip can sometimes come loose or the device could slide out of the clip
- Some reviewers reported limited durability for the clip and sleep wristband, stating that they broke within a month or two
- Can sometimes under-count the number of steps taken
- No GPS or heart rate monitor
Activities
The Fitbit One also tracks sleep so the wearer can tell how many hours they slept and whether their sleep got interrupted.
Basic Features
Advanced Features
It has a built-in altimeter for detecting altitude for the floors climbed feature and a vibration motor to silently awaken the sleeping wearer when it's time to get up in the morning. It does not have a heart rate monitor, but it can connect to a smartphone and the Fitbit app's MobileRun feature to track and log runs.
Accuracy
The floors climbed feature does an excellent job of telling the wearer how many flights of stairs (or hills) they went up that day. The sleep tracker works as expected, be sure to turn sleep mode on and off for it to work correctly. The clock and workout timer are accurate.
The calories burned is an estimate based on stats that were entered because it does not have a built-in heart rate monitor to detect how hard the body is working; it can only detect motion. Accuracy can also be compromised if the device is worn in extreme temperatures or very high elevations.
Connectivity
To sync with a computer, it needs a USB port and an Internet connection. Syncing allows the One to send data to the Fitbit app for fitness tracking and goal setting.
Apps
You can record workouts with monthly calendars and the MobileRun feature for routes and maps. Users can also set sleep quality and quantity goals, as well as earn and share badges for reaching their fitness goals.
Comfort
The Fitbit One can even be tucked away if the wearer wants to use it without anyone noticing. The sleep wristband is a soft cloth that you should wear and sleep with on the non-dominant hand.
Style
The style is popular with people who do not like wearing bands on their wrists all day, although it does come with a sleep wristband so you can wear during the night. It can clip onto clothing, so it goes well with any outfit.
There are also accessories sold by third parties that can turn it into a necklace (so it doesn't fall off) or a bracelet (for people who prefer that style of fitness monitor but want to try the Fitbit One).
Durability
Although the manufacturer states that it's not waterproof enough to swim in and needs to be cleaned and dried carefully, one tester accidentally stuck the Fitbit One in a washer twice and a dryer once and it did not get damaged. And even though it was not intended to have contact with skin, it can have sweat drip onto it and still function correctly. In most cases, the Fitbit One can be worn daily for around two years before the battery starts to lose its maximum capacity or not recharge anymore.
The minimum operating temperature is -4 °F (-20 °C), the maximum is 113 °F (45 °C), and the maximum altitude is 30,000 feet (9150 meters); anything outside this range could cause the device to get damaged and not function properly.
Face
Band
Most testers were able to use the sleep wristband for a year or two without any problems, but some found that the band broke within two months of using it. However, it can easily be replaced with another group if it does break, so it's not too much of a problem.
Sizes Available
The attachable clip is slightly bigger than the device so it can fit inside the clip. The sleep wristband is one size fits most and is as wide as the Fitbit One is long. It is adjustable so that it can fit onto most sized wrists.
Ease of Use
It syncs easily with Bluetooth to devices, and if you want to sync with a computer that does not have Bluetooth, insert the wireless sync dongle into a USB port. It is easy to put inside the clip or the sleep wristband and is easy to charge. The app looks beautiful and has an easy to follow design so that people can use the data collected by the Fitbit One to set and track their goals.
Power Source
Most people's batteries seemed to last around two years before it stopped being able to recharge or hold a charge.
Price
Because Fitbit is such a famous brand, the One still sells for full price at most retailers even though it was released in 2013, although some are selling it from 33% of its original price and others are selling it for 150% the original price.
Accessories
Another accessory available in several colors is the buckle bracelet that the Fitbit One snaps into and can be worn just like a wristwatch. There are also metal clips, replacement charger cables, sleep bands, as well as fasteners to make sure the Fitbit One stays inside the clip.
Key Features
- Tracks activities all day from steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, and active minutes
- Syncs your stats automatically to your phone, tablet or computer
- Displays daily stats and clock on the OLED display
- Can clip to the wearer's pocket, belt, or bra
- Tracks how well you sleep, how long, and wakes you with a gently vibrating silent alarm
- Battery lasts up to 14 days between charges
- App lets users track their progress, earn badges, log food and workouts, and improve their sleep
- Built-in accelerometer and altimeter
- Easy button navigation to cycle through daily stats
- Tracks daily totals for 23 days and detailed data for 7 days
Bottom Line
It is also suitable for people who don't like wearing wristbands, although there are plenty of accessory options in many colors for people who are looking for a more natural way to carry the device around that doesn't involve the silicone clip that might come off. Its biggest problem is durability, with the clips that can break or fall off or the device falling out, but it does seem to have excellent water resistance.
Overall, the Fitbit One is a great device that can help runners track their stats, calories, stairs, and sleep and has excellent analytic tools for setting and monitoring goals.