Fitbit Inspire HR Review: fitness tracker with pulse measurement

Fitbit Inspire HR Amazon Price

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With the Inspire HR, Fitbit is launching a new fitness tracker for beginners. In the Review, we clarify how good the new tracker is.

The Fitbit Inspire HR was announced at the Fitbit press conference as the unofficial successor to the Alta HR (Review report). It is also a further development from the Fitbit business division, which produces trackers for insurance companies or companies. Back then we liked the Alta HR “well” – what can the successor do?

The Fitbit Inspire HR Review is part of our world of topics related to fitness trackers and sports watches. In this series, numerous individual tests on fitness trackers have already been published (overview), plus the tracker comparison Review and the best list of the best fitness trackers.

In addition to the Inspire HR, there is also the Inspire. This is cheaper, but comes without pulse measurement. This also eliminates the functions for monitoring sleep. We think you should definitely have them with you.

Scope of delivery and design

Fitbit provides everything you need to operate the tracker in a package: In addition to the Inspire HR, there is a magnetic charging cradle and a wristband. Fitbit thus follows the trend of the last devices: Finally, you no longer have to pay attention to whether you buy the S or the M version, but instead you get the right silicone bracelets.

As with the Alta HR or the Fitbit Versa , the bracelets can be easily replaced. Both Fitbit and numerous other manufacturers. The change is made without tools, you should only have good fingernails to push the small lever back.

In our opinion, there are setbacks in design. Where Fitbit used metal for the Alta HR, the Inspire HR mainly uses plastic. Yes, that lowers the price, but it doesn’t look that good.

Fitbit uses a very good black and white display again. This is slightly smaller than with the Fitbit Charge 3 (Review report), but also clearly shows content even in direct sunlight.

App

There is no complaining about the app. We have always liked the Fitbit app, it provides all the important functions without overloading the user. The start page shows the most important data, in addition to the steps taken you can see information on the activity minutes, weekly training and last sleep.

As with the Fitbit Versa, there are virtual competitions where you can measure yourself against other users. If you need help with training, you can subscribe to the Fitbit Coach.

The tracker is set up, configured and updated via the app. When you set up a new firmware, you will probably need to update the firmware. During the initial setup, you should make sure that you are smart health connected to a WLAN.

The configuration is quite limited, in contrast to other devices, you can only adjust a little. But there are ten different designs for the watch for free download. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust them.

Activity

Simple monitoring of activity is the main task of the tracker and he does it well. The Inspire HR feels very generous when recording the steps. Not that it is particularly noticeable, but it is easier to reach the step goals than with the Garmin Vivosport (Review report).

The Inspire HR continuously records the pulse. This works well as long as the tracker is firmly attached to the arm, about two finger widths from the wrist. In the Review we once had the problem that the tracker no longer wanted to recognize a pulse. Resetting and reconnecting the device fixed the problem. It was still annoying, however, because the tracker failed shortly before a running lap and the pulse data for the run were missing.

The Inspire HR also does not recognize whether you are climbing stairs. That would have been a nice addition. Nor can you still enter the amount of water glasses drunk directly on the tracker.

Training

The Fitbit tracker not only monitors everyday life, but also helps with training. At least if the pulse measurement works, see above. The Inspire HR does not have its own GPS, but uses the position of a linked smartphone as long as it is within Bluetooth range. This works pretty well in everyday life, normally you always have a smartphone with you for musical entertainment.

It is annoying that it is difficult to use the display when training with sweaty fingers. Here Fitbit could take an example from Huawei: With the Huawei Band 3 Pro (Review report) you can switch the screen by turning the wrist. We would also like to have that at Inspire HR.

As always, Fitbit installs several presets for different sports on the device, including cycling, circuit training or swimming. According to Fitbit, the tracker is waterproof up to 50 meters, but we do not recommend taking it with you when scuba diving. The pulse measurement does not work under water, the optical sensors get mixed up there. If you are looking for such a tracker, you should try the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro (review) or take a Garmin tracker. These can connect to external Bluetooth heart rate monitors on the chest strap.

Sleep

In addition to normal activity, sleep monitoring is one of the most sensible applications for fitness trackers. The Inspire HR does a very good job. The sleep monitoring works very well, the data is processed cleanly by the app. The app recognizes the different sleep and wake phases automatically, so that you get a good overview of the sleep phases.

As always, there is an alarm clock in the fitness tracker. This works by vibration and is strong enough to wake the sleeper.

Notifications

The tracker automatically connects to the smartphone. When the user releases access, the Inspire HR receives information about new notifications directly on the display.

Battery pack

There are no complaints about the duration. The Inspire HR easily lasts a week before it has to be smart health connected to the mains again. And that with 24-hour pulse measurement.

However, charging the tracker takes significantly longer than with other Fitbit devices. This is probably due to the new magnetic charging cradle. You should plan around two hours. A direct connection via micro-USB cable or even USB-C would have been helpful here.

Conclusion

Is the Inspire HR a worthy successor to the Alta HR? Partly: The design looks less valuable, there are only a few innovations in the actual features. Fitbit does a good job with the classic features, but slowly new functions could be introduced. But that’s a bit of a complaint at a relatively high level.

Because the Inspire HR is a good companion for everyone who wants to be more active in everyday life. If you are looking for a tracker designed for sports, you should rather take the Garmin Vivosport or use a dedicated sports watch .

AB SMART HEALTH REVIEW