Fitbit Alta HR in the Review: slim fitness tracker with heart rate monitoring

The Fitbit Alta HR differs from other fitness trackers with pulse measurement with its colorful bracelets and slim design. In the Review, the device shows what it can do.

design

In the Review, the Fitbit Alta HR is the narrowest and most colorful fitness tracker to date. There are numerous color variations, so the competition could cut itself off. In addition to the actual tracker, the pack contains a USB cable with a charging clip. There is no adapter for the socket, but the Alta HR can be charged with any standard USB power plug.

Particularly practical: the bracelets of the Alta HR can be easily clipped on and off without tools. Not only Fitbit supplies alternative colors, there are also interesting bracelets from third-party suppliers.

What we don't like so much: Our Review device is sometimes stubborn. Actually, a double tap with your finger should wake up the display. However, this rarely works, and often we have to tap hard to get it to work. You can't see the information in direct sunlight, so you have to turn a little in the shade.

App

We already liked the Fitbit app in the past and that hasn't changed. It has a simple structure and clearly shows the important data. Compared to the Huawei Band 2 Pro (Review) or the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro (Review), it is also sufficient to install an app. No additional services require storage space, so it has to be. An account with Fitbit is required for use. That is annoying, at least we would have liked a local option. This account really only pays off if several Fitbit devices are in use. If you have a Fitbit Aria 2 scale (Review report), your weight is imported into the app together with the movement data.

activity

monitoring the steps is the main task for the Fitbit Alta HR. He does this very well, even if we feel that the tracker is a bit stricter than the competition. Fitbit sets the limit at 10,000 daily steps. This number is actually outdated, but it doesn't hurt as a goal either. If that's too much or too little, you can set the number to any value. In the app you can see when and how far you have moved.

The Alta HR keeps giving us feedback, for example asking us "Only 250 steps left" to go. This is nice in everyday office life, but usually comes at the wrong time. It is similar with the memories of the movement. This information comes from the "Movement" item in the app and can be adjusted or switched off there.

The application also collects data on drinking and eating. Unfortunately, this data does not make it onto the tracker, and a reminder to drink regularly would be almost as important as exercise. So far, only the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro (Review report) gave us the option to track the water intake.

training

Since the Alta HR has no integrated GPS module, the evaluation for training is easier. The fitness tracker automatically detects when you move for a long time. He differentiates between walking, running and cycling and records the data – very practical. Basically, it provides information about the duration and the calories burned. However, the latter is an extrapolation that can be correct but does not have to be correct.

If you are looking for a companion for sport, you should rather use a tracker with integrated GPS, only with the Alta HR that is no fun.

Sleep

Sleep monitoring works very well. The tracker is so narrow that it didn't bother us in our sleep. The data recorded in the app for light and deep sleep as well as REM phases cannot be checked exactly without a sleep laboratory, but it feels that they agree for the tester. Fitbit recommends eight hours of sleep a day, the Alta HR is a solid aid if you want to examine your sleep trend and possibly improve it.

If desired, the integrated alarm clock with vibration. Here we liked the solution of the Huawei Band 2 Pro (Review report) better: Because the Alta HR does not evaluate whether we are currently waking up or in a deep sleep phase, it vibrates at the set time. It would be nice if you could specify a period in which the device wakes us up when we wake up anyway. Another issue is the lack of snooze (or we were unable to activate it). The tester fell asleep several times in the morning after waking up. This function would also be nice in an update.

Notifications

There is not much to say about notifications: the subject lines or the senders of incoming messages are shown on the display. The tracker vibrates briefly. As in the other tests, Android users can set directly in the app which applications can notify the tracker. In iOS, this is done via the central notification management.

battery pack

The Alta HR does without GPS and therefore has a very good battery life. A week and more was no problem in the Review. A colleague from the TechStage-Team that has been using the tracker for a long time confirms these values. Even after more than a year of active use, he gets six days and more. The tracker is charged in less than an hour. The charger is firmly attached to the tracker with a clip, which looks less shaky than, for example, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro (Review report).

Blue-gray

Alta HR Gunmetal

Alta HR black

Alta HR Pink / Rose

Alta HR Coral

Conclusion

The Fitbit Alta HR is a slim, elegant fitness tracker with pulse monitoring. It does its job well, even if a GPS module is missing for accurate tracking of running routes. The Alta HR makes up for this with a very good battery life. The app is very clear and all important values ​​can be seen at a glance. The bracelets are easy to change and there are good alternatives to standard black in terms of both materials and colors.

In short: The Fitbit Alta HR is suitable for everyone who wants to increase their general fitness and monitoring pulse and sleep. If you are looking for a tracker for sporting activities, you should use a GPS model such as the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro (Review report) or the Huawei Band 2 Pro (Review report).

Leather / lavender bracelet

Bracelet leather / brown

Fuchsia bracelet

Blue bracelet

Gray bracelet

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