Apple Watch vs. Fitbit (esp. Pulse or Surge)

I've use practically all trackers since 2008, FitBit, Ki Fit, Jawbone & a few other, have recently when from FitBit Charge to Apple Watch Sport, 2 weeks I had one on either wrist for comparison however it's worth pointing I'm in a wheelchair which complicates matters however with the GPS & heart rate monitor on the Apple Watch I found it to be far more accurate when I was doing workouts which consists of free weights, resistance & wheelchair sprinting & general wheelchair journey's out & about which was pretty much spot on with cals burnt compared to the Charge which was out by a great deal it stated much less calories burnt.

I did a number manual calculations based on wheelchair weight, my weight, distance travelled, inclines, declines etc which came out with a +/- 4% for Apple which would be down the the heart rate monitoring to determine intensity & GPS & 11% for FitBit Charge, I'd assume the Charge HR or surge would be more accurate since they has HR & the surge has HR & GPS although the Apple Watch has more sensors, all in all I've very happy with the Apple Watch so using that solely, doesn't really bother me about sleep tracking but may purchase a tracker just that purpose which in UK can be purchased for < £20 & regardless of workout, exercise, activity etc I always get a full day out of my watch which goes on at 7am then on charge anything from midnight to 2am.

As for comfortability I have the 42mm sport at 30 grams & personally can forget it's there after just a short time, I've also showered with it on, been in a swimming pool for hydrotherapy and been able to use in in the pool & shower when wet & indeed when under the water too, I never did anything like that with any of my previous trackers.

Hope at least some of that helps you a bit.

I LOVE my Apple Watch. I've had both the Fitbit One and the Fitbit Surge, and I think the Apple Watch is more comfortable than the Surge by a long shot. Sidenote: I had to return my Surge after contracting the dreaded Fitbit Rash after just one month of wear, which is why I bit the bullet and went Apple. Never looking back. I've got the 42mm Watch version, so it's heavier than the Sport mentioned above, but it's still totally comfortable for exercise. Tracking seems to be better with the Apple watch too, for me at least. I haven't had any issues with battery life either. Love love love (and promise I I don't work for Apple).

jamesdc71 wrote: »

I've use practically all trackers since 2008, FitBit, Ki Fit, Jawbone & a few other, have recently when from FitBit Charge to Apple Watch Sport, 2 weeks I had one on either wrist for comparison however it's worth pointing I'm in a wheelchair which complicates matters however with the GPS & heart rate monitor on the Apple Watch I found it to be far more accurate when I was doing workouts which consists of free weights, resistance & wheelchair sprinting & general wheelchair journey's out & about which was pretty much spot on with cals burnt compared to the Charge which was out by a great deal it stated much less calories burnt.

I did a number manual calculations based on wheelchair weight, my weight, distance travelled, inclines, declines etc which came out with a +/- 4% for Apple which would be down the the heart rate monitoring to determine intensity & GPS & 11% for FitBit Charge, I'd assume the Charge HR or surge would be more accurate since they has HR & the surge has HR & GPS although the Apple Watch has more sensors, all in all I've very happy with the Apple Watch so using that solely, doesn't really bother me about sleep tracking but may purchase a tracker just that purpose which in UK can be purchased for < £20 & regardless of workout, exercise, activity etc I always get a full day out of my watch which goes on at 7am then on charge anything from midnight to 2am.

As for comfortability I have the 42mm sport at 30 grams & personally can forget it's there after just a short time, I've also showered with it on, been in a swimming pool for hydrotherapy and been able to use in in the pool & shower when wet & indeed when under the water too, I never did anything like that with any of my previous trackers.

Hope at least some of that helps you a bit.

Couple of points here:

The apple watch doesn't have GPS, it will however utilise your phone's GPS if you have it with you. No phone = no GPS

Optical HR sensors are pretty awful when it comes to weights. They start out ok, but as the workout goes on they become more and more unable to read your HR. I use the scorsche rhythm+ which is supposedly one of the best optical sensors going, and it never manages to capture my HR throughout a weights session. This is due to blood flow to your arms being generally restricted during a session.

The other thing is what exercise are you doing? Is it something where having a watch on your wrist is going to be a pain? (Yoga, Kettlebells etc). Is it likely to get wet? (apple watch isn't technically waterproof).

Some of the above issues can be worked around by using a bluetooth chest strap monitor and just having your watch near you, but that's an extra expenditure to add a functionality.

Last point, you won't be able to wear the apple watch 24/7, it will need charging each night.

I have both and have been wearing both since I got my Apple Watch. I'm finding that the Apple Watch is tracking more steps than the Fitbit One every day. So I'm not sure which one is more accurate. I like to think the Apple Watch is. I like the workout app on the watch and the heart monitoring. I'm not sure how it compares to the Fitbit with the heart monitoring, though. I keep my Fitbit on at night for the sleep tracing because my Humana Vitality program gives me 5 pts every night for proof of sleeping. I might give this up at some point, though.

As far as being waterproof. There have been many verifications that the Apple Watch is waterproof. You can find reviews of this by Googling. You can shower, sweat, swim, etc. with it. It's rated to be at a depth of 3 feet for 15 minutes, although some tests have proven it will last longer. You won't have any problems showering with it if that's what you'd like to do.

I had a Fitbit Flex for a year and really loved it. It bothered me at night, so I didn't sleep track for long. I preordered the Apple Sport edition the first day I could. I've had it for about a week, a few things I really enjoy:

- Standup reminders are super helpful and give me an excuse to get up at work more often.
- I like being able to quickly glance at my circles in the health app and see where I'm at as far as calories burned, standup activity, and exercise goals. I also like that it displays my active calories vs. total calories burned with the Fitbit.
- All of the benefits from being able to see notifications/respond to texts via voice while leaving my phone in my purse all day.

A few not so good points worth mentioning:

- Let me first say, I'm an Apple fangirl, so this is hard for me to dog them... but! it's first gen, so I should've known. The two times I've run on the treadmill with the watch, I selected indoor run and set a time goal of 30 minutes. The watch significantly overcounted my distance vs. the treadmill. So that part is frustrating. I did, however, work harder for a strength workout where I set a calorie goal. I found the heart rate to be pretty accurate compared to my Polar. Now I'm definitely rambling... in summary, I like it. If you're looking for a dedicated fitness monitor, I'm positive something better exists.

I haven't showered with my apple watch but I have run in a hard rain with it, sweated all over it every day for nearly a month, and rinse it off in the sink every day or two and it is still working perfectly

Step count seems to be roughly about 3% under Fitbit. Maybe this is because it doesn't count steps when I'm driving in a car?

It is as, or more, comfortable than any other watch I have ever worn. Mostly, I don't notice it's there.

The HR monitor is very accurate compared to my Garmin 610 with chest strap.

I do not regret getting it at all.

I have had a Fitbit Flex since they came out (and for a short time before that I had a Jawbone Up band) and honestly my Apple Watch is the one I find the most comfortable. The sleep tracking is my favourite part of the Fitbit but if I want to I can just throw it on at night (but it turns out I never want to its nice to prep for bed and take off all your daily gear). I also like the my fitness pal app reminds me on my watch to input my deals which I had trouble doing consistently before.