Garmin vs. Apple Watch vs. Fitbit

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upformore
upformore Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just so happen to own a Garmin Felix 5, Apple Watch Series 3, and a Fitbit Flex 2. I switch watches a lot and wanted to be able to track my steps on one platform, so I decided to use the Fitbit Flex 2 as the constant, and switch out the actual watches as I like. The problem...for the last week I have worn the Fitbit and swapped out the watches, but I still looked at the steps with my Garmin and Apple to compare the steps to the Fitbit and without fail...the Fitbit was tracking over two thousand additional steps daily then the other devices. I have always noticed this, that Fitbit is a lot more generous than other devices, and while I like hittting my step count as much as the next guy, I just don’t think Fitbit is as accurate as the other devises.

Has anyone else noticed this same thing?

Replies

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Do you have your Fitbit set to Dominate hand? Changing this setting adjusts the sensitivity.

    That said whenever I do step tests where I manually count the steps Fitbit is always spot on. I have used a Garmin, Misfit, Jawbone, Styr, and Samsung Gear S2 as well.

    Samsung, Styr, Garmin, & Fitbit: all within a couple hundred steps of each other

    Misfit & Jawbone: only picked up 50-80 steps per 100 steps (it varied) and would report only half the activity of the other devices.
  • _mr_b
    _mr_b Posts: 302 Member
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    Step counter accuracy is always relative, the idea being to (as Garmin says) #beatyesterday.
    It’s not the number that matters.

    Not had experience of the Fitbit but have found the Apple Watch to be lacking in most departments. Like you I have a Fenix, it’s an awesome bit of kit.
  • MrsBeckiC
    MrsBeckiC Posts: 16 Member
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    I have a Fitbit charge hr got it for my bday in March and I love it, only thing negative I have to say is that I’m
    Annoyed it doesn’t track my steps properly when I’m pushing my little boy in his pushchair I have to wear the Fitbit on my belt loop to get a more accurate reading (when I don’t have the pram the school run is around 5000 steps, wearing the Fitbit pushing the pram I get around 2200 counted)
  • DonPendergraft
    DonPendergraft Posts: 520 Member
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    Calibrate it!
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
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    I have my fitbit on my non-dominant hand but tell Fitbit that it’s on my dominant hand. That improves accuracy for me. Otherwise, I think I was getting extra credit for things like opening a door, pulling the laundry out of the machine or buying groceries.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    I have a Fenix 5x. I like that it can give me turn by turn navigation on the bike.
  • upformore
    upformore Posts: 17 Member
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    I have my Fitbit on my dominant hand...since I keep my Fenix 5 on my non-dominant. I have reset it, calibrated it, etc. It just tracks more steps than any other device that I wear...regardless of which hand I wear it on.
  • twatson4936
    twatson4936 Posts: 121 Member
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    I have a Garmin Forerunner 235. I stopped caring about steps and watch the calories burned. As long as I hit the calories burned that I am shooting for then it doesn't matter how many steps. There are many activities that don't add up to steps but the calories will accumulate. Weightlifting is one. wrestling with your kids on the floor is another.

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