Shopping for a health tracker is extra sophisticated than ever. With tons of fashions available on the market from well-liked, trusted manufacturers, it may be tough to wade via the pack to search out the precise one. I evaluate tech and smartwatches for NBC Choose, and even I’ve a tough time figuring out which one to advocate to family and friends. Ask me for a suggestion and I’ll pepper you with a listing of questions. “What telephone do you’ve gotten? Do you suppose you’ll put on this factor on a regular basis? Even to sleep? Do you need to ship texts from it? Do you run outside so much?”
Fortunately, for anybody who has by no means owned a smartwatch earlier than, or for people who suppose much less is extra, I can wholeheartedly, simply advocate the Fitbit Cost 6. It’s a small, easy-to-use watch that prices lower than many of the competitors, with out skimping on important options.
SKIP AHEAD How I attempted the Fitbit Cost 6 | Our expertise with the Fitbit Cost 6 | Who’s the Fitbit Cost 6 finest for? | Why belief NBC Choose?
The Fitbit Cost 6
Fitbit Cost 6
The Fitbit Cost 6 ($159.95) is a small health watch that may monitor your coronary heart price, day by day steps, distance traveled, health actions, energy burned, nightly sleep, menstrual well being and different wellness metrics. It additionally reveals notifications for texts, calls and emails when paired with a smartphone. It’s smaller than most health trackers available on the market, with a vertical touchscreen and has a swappable wristband.
The Cost 6 is an improve of 2021’s Fitbit Cost 5. On the surface, the 2 merchandise are almost an identical. The Cost 6, which was launched in 2023, has a brand new aspect button on the left — urgent it returns you to the house display or, if you’re figuring out, offers you choices to finish your exercise. It additionally has a extra correct coronary heart price sensor in comparison with the Cost 5, based on the model.
Different adjustments are inner. You may select from 41 completely different train modes (up from 20), together with new choices like power coaching and HIIT. Additionally new to the Cost 6 are controls for Google Pockets, Google Maps navigation and YouTube Music. The Cost 6 can even join through Bluetooth to sure dwelling health club tools like the newest fashions from Peloton, Idea 2, Tonal, Nordictrack and extra. When related, the machine will show your coronary heart price on display.
The Cost 6 requires a Google account to make use of. If you have already got a Fitbit account, you may migrate that knowledge right into a Google account — the app will stroll you thru this course of.
Show measurement: 26mm touchscreen | Weight: 15g (with out band) | Battery life: As much as 7 days | Constructed-in GPS: Sure | Sleep monitoring: Sure (not together with naps) | Coronary heart-rate monitor: Sure, with EKG | Water resistance: Sure, as much as 50 meters | Works finest with: Fitbit app (iPhone or Android)
How I attempted the Fitbit Cost 6
I’ve been sporting the Fitbit Cost 6, which the model despatched me, for the previous three weeks, in addition to on and off since its launch in 2023. For the three week take a look at interval, I solely took it off to cost it, often within the night after just a few days’ use. I wore it for indoor and out of doors train, primarily power coaching and operating. Whereas operating, I relied on the Cost 6 to indicate me my distance and tempo. I additionally wore the Apple Watch SE on my different wrist to match knowledge and stats between the units.
NBC Choose updates editor Mili Godio additionally tried the Cost 6 (Fitbit additionally despatched her a mannequin to pattern) for about three weeks, monitoring her walks and health club exercises. Previous to attempting the Cost 6, she wore an one other Fitbit system, the Cost 5, on and off for the previous two years.
Our expertise with the Fitbit Cost 6
The Cost 6 is among the finest health trackers for rookies, anybody who needs to be extra lively and people who don’t already personal a smartwatch. It’s snug, delicate, simple to make use of and doesn’t overwhelm you with knowledge.
What we like
Pleasant design
The Cost 6 is way much less obtrusive on my wrist than one thing like an Apple Watch SE ($249) or Garmin Forerunner 165 ($249). It by no means bothers me throughout sleep (different wearables do), and by no means will get caught on lengthy sleeves.
The Cost 6 is among the solely wearables Godio wears usually — most different choices she’s tried are both too huge or too dense with knowledge for her style. After three weeks of fixed use, I can not assist however agree: the interface of the Cost 6 is easy and fewer overwhelming than different data-heavy trackers. It by no means reveals an excessive amount of textual content on display directly — every app takes up the entire display as a substitute of attempting to separate itself into sections and present you as a lot textual content as potential. It is a good alternative, contemplating the small 26 millimeters display (in comparison with most smartwatch’s 40 to 46 millimeters).
Straightforward to make use of app
The pleasant design extends to the Fitbit app too.
The Fitbit app is organized extra like a well being app than an train one, in my expertise. The house display reveals your steps, lively zone minutes, mileage, energy burned and sleep rating — different apps, like Garmin Join and Apple Health, put extra emphasis on particular person exercise knowledge, which could be overwhelming for rookies like Godio, who discover graphs with metrics — like common energy, cadence and vertical oscillation — unhelpful.
Battery life
The Cost 6 has nice battery life. I averaged 5 days of use earlier than needing to cost it — that’s far longer than entry-level smartwatches just like the Apple Watch SE ($249) and Google Pixel Watch 2 ($349).
Its battery life nosedives, nonetheless, within the always-on show mode. Whereas the function is handy for regularly checking the time, it knocks battery life right down to a couple of day, in my expertise so I largely saved this setting turned off.
Potential drawbacks to bear in mind
You can’t flip it off
In contrast to each different health tracker I’ve tried, you can not flip the Cost 6 off, which may drain battery life. It does, nonetheless, enter “power-saver mode” after 10 minutes of inactivity.
The Cost 6 (regardless of its title) shouldn’t be tremendous handy to cost, both. The included USB-A charging cable is on the shorter aspect at 20.5-inches lengthy in comparison with different manufacturers’ cords and has weaker magnets that usually pop misplaced in comparison with one thing just like the Apple Watch SE’s charging puck, in my expertise. It’s additionally proprietary that means you can not use it with a wi-fi charger.
Sure knowledge requires a Fitbit subscription to view
Your day by day readiness rating, sleep profile, sleep particulars and stress administration particulars are solely out there if you’re a Fitbit Premium subscriber, which prices $10 a month. This stings a bit, however there are rivals on the market together with the Apple Watch SE ($249) and Garmin Forerunner 165 ($249) that supply many sleep and readiness particulars with no added charges. Individuals I do know preserve their wearables for not less than three years — $10 a month provides up quick.
You may see an extended listing of monitoring options which might be solely out there to subscribers right here.
Not one of the best for reside exercise knowledge
The accessible design and small display of the Cost 6 shouldn’t be a terrific match for individuals who need to view lots of stats throughout their exercise.
Throughout a run, my Apple Watch SE can present me 5 customizable knowledge fields at a look. I’ve set mine to indicate me my exercise length, coronary heart price, rolling mile tempo, common mile tempo and mileage accomplished.
The Cost 6, alternatively, solely reveals me the present time, my exercise length, and one key metric within the heart. You may faucet the display to cycle via completely different metrics in the important thing heart spot, however I don’t need to faucet my wrist incessantly whereas operating — I want to know all the things at a look.
I don’t suppose Fitbit ought to change this — the display is just too small to indicate a ton of information directly. That is simply one other instance of how the Cost 6 is best for rookies than knowledge fiends like me.
Who’s the Fitbit Cost 6 finest for?
The accessible design and small display of the Cost 6 makes it a terrific match for individuals who need one thing slim and informal to put on. Its easy interface is an choice for rookies, however anybody planning their subsequent half-marathon is likely to be higher off with a bigger smartwatch.
Why belief NBC Choose?
Harry Rabinowitz is a reporter at NBC Choose who covers expertise and health together with guides to health monitoring units, trainers and exercise earbuds.
Mili Godio is an updates editor at NBC Choose who covers a variety of matters throughout skincare, wellness and pet care, together with guides to scar therapies, pet food manufacturers, and sunscreen for delicate pores and skin.
Rabinowitz and Godio tried the Fitbit Cost 6 for 3 weeks after the model despatched them every a mannequin to check out. Rabinowitz tracked his train, sleep and on a regular basis metrics, and in contrast them to different wearables at an identical worth level.
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