Fitbit One

Editor rating: 8.0 / 10

User's rating: based on 3 user ratings

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By Stephanie Potter

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Fitbit One Review Facts

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The Fitbit One is an activity and sleep tracker. It was designed to help runners stay active, sleep better and eat better. An all-day device, it tracks active minutes, distance, number of steps taken, 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. It 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. The sleep 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, earn badges, and 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 it really can be used 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.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

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

Cons

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 can be used for walking, running, jogging, working out at the gym, climbing floors, and other activities. The Fitbit app lets users log workouts and meals, share their progress, and earn badges as they reach their goals. The One also tracks sleep so the wearer can tell how many hours they slept and whether their sleep got interrupted.

Basic Features

The basic features are tracked by the One itself, although it can connect to the Fitbit app for tracking data over time. The One will tell the user how many steps they took, total distance, and how long they have been active. It does not tell the user their current speed even though it has a built-in three-axis accelerometer. However, you can calculate your average speed by dividing the distance they've gone by the total length of the workout.

Advanced Features

In addition to the basic features, the One also tracks sleep, the number of floors climbed as well as the number of calories burned. It is resistant to dust and splashing, but is not water resistant enough for swimming. 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 Fitbit One has pretty good accuracy. The step counter is usually within six percent of the actual number of steps taken, although it frequently under-counts, which annoyed some testers who were trying to take a certain number of steps to reach their daily goals. The floors climbed feature does a good job of telling the wearer how many flights of stairs (or hills) they went up that day. The sleep tracker works as expected, just 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

The One uses Bluetooth 4.0 to automatically sync to an Apple or Android device. It can connect to 200+ different Android, iOS, and Windows phones, iPad generation 3 and later, and Windows Vista and later. It must be within 20 feet and requires an Internet connection to sync to a phone or tablet. 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

The Fitbit app is a great way to set fitness goals and stay motivated to achieve them. Daily progress (steps, distance, floors, calories, total workout time) is shown with circle graphs so that reaching a daily goal is a bit like playing a game. Users can share their progress with friends and family and compete on leaderboards to stay motivated. Food is easy to log with Fitbit's large database, calorie estimator, and barcode scanner. Workouts can be recorded 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 One is very comfortable to wear. It weighs just 0.28 ounces (8 grams) and comes with a clip and a sleep wristband. The clip can be fastened to a belt, bra, or pocket and it is light enough that the wearer will not feel weighed down at all or even notice that they have it on. The One can even be tucked away if the wearer wants to use it without anyone noticing. The sleep wristband is a soft cloth that should be worn on the non-dominant hand and is comfortable enough to sleep in.

Style

The Fitbit One comes in black or burgundy. It is very small: just 0.8 inches (2 cm) wide, 0.4 inches (1 cm) thick and 1.9 inches (4.8 cm) tall. 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 that can be worn at 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

This Fitbit has some problems with durability. Some testers reported that the clip or sleep wristband broke within a month or two, while others experienced it falling off a lot, not breaking, and did not have any problems with the sleep wristband. If the clip does break, inexpensive replacement clips are available from third party vendors or it can be super-glued back together. 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 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 properly. In most cases, the 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/or not function properly.

Face

The One has a small face with an OLED display that takes up most of the length and width of the device. Each face shows a different stat and can be scrolled through using the button: clock, steps taken, floors climbed, distance moved, number of calories burned, and total minutes active.

Band

The Fitbit One does not come with a regular band attached to it, although it does come with a sleep wristband that can connect to the device and be worn on the non-dominant hand while sleeping. It is soft, black and comfortable enough to fall asleep in and not notice you're wearing it. 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 band if it does break, so it's not too much of a problem.

Sizes Available

The One comes in a single size. It is very small and light so that it can be worn discreetly while going on daily runs or during every day use. The attachable clip is the 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 One is long. It is adjustable so that it can fit onto most sized wrists.

Ease of Use

The Fitbit One is very easy to use. It has one button that is used to navigate through all the menus. The screen is easy to read because of its relatively large letters and icons and shows one thing at a time so the wearer doesn't get confused. It syncs easily with Bluetooth to devices, and if you want to sync with a computer that does not have Bluetooth, just 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 nice and has an easy to follow design so that people can use the data collected by the One to set and track their goals.

Power Source

The One is powered by a rechargeable built-in lithium battery. The battery lasts for ten to twelve days between charges and takes an hour or two to charge with the charging cable. A few testers stated that they had trouble recharging the battery after a short period of time, but most people did not have this problem. Most people's batteries seemed to last around two years before it stopped being able to recharge or hold a charge.

Price

The Fitbit One is around half the price of some of the other fitness trackers. It is missing a GPS, heart rate monitor, and band that more expensive devices have, but has a sleep tracker that the other devices are missing. It is a good option for someone who doesn't like wristbands and a great price for runners who want to try out an activity and sleep tracker to improve their fitness, but aren't ready to invest in a more expensive and durable device. Because Fitbit is such a popular 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

There are a few accessories available that are compatible with the Fitbit One. There is a silicon holder case that can be used to attach the One to a keychain or necklace. There are replacement clip holders available in many different colors. Another accessory available in several colors is the buckle bracelet that the 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 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

The One is great for setting and tracking goals when paired with the Fitbit app. It is lightweight, easy to use, and can be worn for activities throughout the day and even while sleeping. Its relatively low price tag makes it a good option for entry level runners who want to try out a Fitbit to see if they like it before possibly investing in a more expensive one with more features. It is also good for people who don't like wearing wristbands, although there are plenty of accessory options in many colors for people who are looking for an easier way to carry the device around that doesn't involve the silicon 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 good water resistance. Overall, the One is a great device that can help runners track their stats, calories, stairs, and sleep and has excellent analytic tools for setting and tracking goals.