Search Weight Loss Topics: |
Fitbit Inspire 3 Review: A Tiny Fitness Tracker With Big Battery Life – CNET


The $100 Fitbit Inspire 3 (85, AU$180) is a great entry-level fitness tracker ideal for Fitbit newcomers as well as a major refresh for anyone upgrading from an older Fitbit. It has a color AMOLED display, a new menu system and the same long battery life. The Inspire 3 is compatible with Android and iOS to receive notifications or call alerts from your phone, plus it tracks sleep in the same way as the most expensive Fitbit trackers and smartwatches. So it's easy to recommend the Inspire 3 if you want the best battery life from any Fitbit -- 10 days -- without the bells and whistles from our current favorite, the $150 Charge 5.
The Inspire 3 comes with a six-month free trial of Fitbit Premium, the $10-a-month subscription service that unlocks more data on sleep and recovery. The previous Inspire 2 model came with a one-year trial. While not required to use the Inspire 3, Premium is fast becoming an essential part of the now-Google owned Fitbit experience and definitely something to consider when looking at the total cost over the lifetime of the device.
Plus, several less-expensive fitness trackers have been nipping at Fitbit's heels for the past few years so there's more competition than ever. In particular, the $60 Xiaomi Mi Band 7 has an even larger screen than the Inspire 3 and offers similar health features, even if it lags behind on sensor accuracy. Garmin also has the Vivosmart 5 with even more fitness-tracking options, but it's more expensive at $150 and has just a monochrome screen.
Earlier Inspire models had to make do with a monochrome display, but the Inspire 3 gets a boost with a color AMOLED screen. This is really the biggest reason to upgrade if you are coming from an older model, as it makes all the difference to the user experience without sacrificing battery. The case measures 1.55-inch, but the screen itself doesn't take up all the usable space on the device. Depending on the light, you can see the edges of the display and the bezels.
You might be curious about how the Inspire 3 compares to the $130 Fitbit Luxe, released in 2021. If you're choosing between the two, apart from price, the Fitbit Luxe is a tiny bit slimmer and its screen is a hair larger, but the difference is hardly noticeable unless you inspect them side-by-side. So unless you really value the sleeker look of the Luxe and want a more jewelry-like finish with bands and accessories, the Inspire 3 is a far better value overall.
The display can stay always on, so the clock face remains visible at all times, though that does eat into overall battery life, reducing it from 10 days to 3 days. The clock faces are all big enough for me to see, but I think if you need reading glasses, seeing your workout metrics on screen might be a bit of a challenge as the text is quite small.
Navigating the Inspire 3 is a little different than on earlier models. There are now two haptic buttons on either side that you can pinch to turn on the screen or to return to the clock face from any menu. Swipe left and right to access workout tracking, breathing exercises, timers and alarms or notifications from your phone. Swipe up and down to get to settings and your daily health overview, respectively.
A new $20 clip attachment lets you wear the Inspire 3 elsewhere on your body to track a workout when you can't wear it on your wrist, like for boxing. But the Inspire 3 doesn't have the same quick-release buttons as the Charge 5, which make it easier to swap bands; instead they're toggles that are quite fiddly to adjust. The Inspire 3 is water-resistant to 50 meters (164 feet).
The Inspire 3 without a strap, in the clip-on attachment.
For newcomers to Fitbit, the Inspire 3 can track steps, heart rate and blood-oxygen levels throughout the day and night. Workouts and sleep can be tracked automatically or manually as well. The Inspire 3 uses a metric called Active Zone Minutes to help you reach recommended activity levels, and it takes into account how much time you spend with your heart rate in certain zones, personalized to your age and fitness level. I really like how it's tracking all this passively in the background, even if I forget to start a specific workout. Just going up and down the stairs several times a day can help contribute to your Active Zone Minutes goals.
Starting a workout on the Inspire 3
The Inspire 3 has connected GPS rather than a GPS built-in to the device. This means you'll need to take your phone with you to track outdoor route information and distances for things like walks and runs. You can track over 20 different workout types with space to store six workout profiles on the device itself. To swap in your favorites, you need to load the Fitbit app then resync to the band.
The fitness tracking experience is pretty simple, though you can see heart rate, time elapsed, pace, calorie burn, steps and your active zone minutes goal by swiping through each screen during a workout. After you're done, it shows a quick summary of your metrics, and when you sync with the Fitbit app, you get the full rundown on your phone including route information and a map if it was an outdoor workout.
This tracker also has high and low heart rate alerts, plus irregular heart rhythm detection during sleep, which can notify you if it registers signs of atrial fibrillation.
Fitbit's sleep tracking is comprehensive, and even on this small device you still get a full deep dive into sleep stages. It's all easy to interpret in the Fitbit app when you sync each morning, and if you have Premium you'll see trends over time as well as metrics like skin temperature overnight. After 14 days of wearing the device, you'll get an in-depth sleep profile and each month you'll get an updated sleep animal that depicts your sleep style. I'm a tortoise, if you're playing along at home.
All your workout and sleep data is pulled together in the Daily Readiness Score, also a Fitbit Premium feature. This helps indicate if your body is up for taking on more activity that day, or if you should take it easy and concentrate on something a little more relaxing like breathing exercises or yoga. I'm a big fan of the score and love the personalized workout recommendations it gives. There's also a stress management score that can indicate how your body is coping with stress, calculated from metrics like heart rate, sleep and activity levels. A higher score means you're coping better, but I don't find it as helpful as the Daily Readiness Score overall.
The Inspire 3 is fairly bare-bones when it comes to smart features. You can see notifications come through from your phone, with the option to filter them by app type from the Fitbit app. There's a timer and alarm app built-in to the tracker, plus a find-my-phone feature to ping it so long as it's within Bluetooth range. It's also compatible with Google Fast Pair so it connects quickly to Android phones.
But that's about it. There's no Fitbit Pay for contactless payments from your wrist, music playback control or music storage onboard. Really, you're getting this tracker for its passive health and fitness monitoring -- not as a smartwatch alternative.
The 10-day battery life of the Fitbit Inspire 3 is really impressive, and includes sleep tracking, some basic workout tracking and essentially wearing the device 24/7 during my tests. That battery life matches the Inspire 2, even with the new tracker's more vibrant color display.
While battery life could vary based on your usage -- and substantially so if you use the always-on display mode that brings it down to three days of battery life -- I was still really impressed with not having to charge the tracker anywhere near as often as other Fitbit models I've reviewed.
Fitbit nails the formula for a basic fitness tracker with the Inspire 3, especially if you want something that tracks passively in the background with only occasional recharging. But its most useful features require Fitbit Premium, which is an additional monthly cost once the free trial is over.
The Inspire 3 should meet the needs of someone looking at Fitbit's slightly more expensive $130 Luxe tracker, and even surpasses it with longer battery life. But if you want Fitbit Pay and even more fitness-tracking features without spending extra on a Fitbit Versa smartwatch, the $150 Fitbit Charge 5 is the best overall buy.
Now playing: Watch this: The Fitbit Luxe matches style with substance
9:22
View post:
Fitbit Inspire 3 Review: A Tiny Fitness Tracker With Big Battery Life - CNET
- Mind Over Money: Physical fitness is one of the key tenets of mental fitness - Economic Times - December 11th, 2022
- Sport Management students at KU working to gather information, provide online instruction at Haring Fitness Court - The Keystone Newspaper - December 3rd, 2022
- Super Fitness Weight Loss Challenge contestants face their first challenge of the season - WTOL - November 17th, 2022
- 24 Hour Fitness and Headspace Health Launch Partnership on World Mental Health Day - PR Newswire - October 4th, 2022
- Fiture announces more affordable Mini smart fitness mirror - Connect the Watts - October 4th, 2022
- Planet Fitness is opening its doors to those impacted by Hurricane Ian - WFTV Orlando - October 4th, 2022
- On Ashtami, fitness queen Malaika Arora reminds us to keep the warrior within us alive - Health shots - October 4th, 2022
- Questex's Sibec to Bring the Fitness Industry Together in - GlobeNewswire - October 4th, 2022
- Thinking About Purchasing A Fitness Tracker? Here Are Our Top 5 - Women Love Tech - October 4th, 2022
- New operator of local Planet Fitness gyms adding two more locations - RichmondBizSense - October 4th, 2022
- Mining the equine gut metagenome: poorly-characterized taxa associated with cardiovascular fitness in endurance athletes | Communications Biology -... - October 4th, 2022
- Mayfaire Town Center to welcome new gym to former O2 Fitness facility - Greater Wilmington Business Journal - October 4th, 2022
- Women's Health and Fitness Day: The Three W's for Your Best Health - CaroMont Health - October 4th, 2022
- Health and Fitness for Women with Epilepsy - Epilepsy Foundation - October 4th, 2022
- Fitbit Sense 2 review: A smart way to focus on fitness - Digital Trends - October 4th, 2022
- Start a New Workout Routine with the Best Kettlebells - Gear Patrol - October 4th, 2022
- Gul Panag performing yoga with son Nihal is the cutest fitness inspo ever - Hindustan Times - October 4th, 2022
- Amazons Halo Band and View fitness trackers are back at Prime Day pricing from $40 shipped - 9to5Toys - October 4th, 2022
- Enjoy The Autumn Weather With These 7 Fun Fitness Ideas - Seattle Medium - October 4th, 2022
- Fitness nonprofit to host free workout in Philly Saturday - The Philadelphia Inquirer - September 18th, 2022
- Highmark Stadium hosts fitness event ahead of the Bills' home opener - WGRZ.com - September 18th, 2022
- Alexandra Daddario Started Training For A Bigger Butt On Baywatch, And She's Continued That Fitness Journey Since - CinemaBlend - September 18th, 2022
- South Science and Technology students begin working towards the Presidential Fitness Award - Your News Now - September 18th, 2022
- Bad Fitness Habits That Are Rapidly Aging Your Body, Trainer Reveals Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - September 18th, 2022
- Fitness Icon Denise Austin Says This Is 'the Best Walking Shoe' - Prevention Magazine - September 18th, 2022
- Fall events at Friends of Community Fitness - observer-me.com - September 18th, 2022
- National Fitness Day is back, so get active and develop a fitter, healthier Ireland - Independent.ie - September 18th, 2022
- Flatten Your Stomach With This Total-body Workout, Fitness Expert Says Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - September 18th, 2022
- Coach Brian Debes is Inspiring a Supportive Community of Fitness Through Brazilian Jiu-jitsu - Digital Journal - September 18th, 2022
- TO YOUR HEALTH: Bring on fall with outdoor fitness, pumpkin soup - Herald-Banner - September 18th, 2022
- Everlast Fitness Launches 8-week Training Camp with Jhon and Erny Matos - Business Wire - September 18th, 2022
- Princess Cruises and Xponential Fitness, Inc. Announce Exclusive License Agreement - Yahoo Finance - September 18th, 2022
- The Humble Corkonian At The Forefront Of The Golf Fitness Movement - Balls.ie - September 18th, 2022
- The Best Fitness Habits That Slow Aging, Trainer Reveals Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - September 10th, 2022
- Apple Fitness Plus Available to All iPhone Users This Fall - CNET - September 10th, 2022
- Connected Workflows Can Lead to a Higher Level of Operational Fitness - Transport Topics Online - September 10th, 2022
- Fall back into your fitness routine - The Robesonian - September 10th, 2022
- Ob Fitness 10 Minute Workouts Come to the App: On-Demand Stackable Workout Programs - Self - September 10th, 2022
- Achieve your fitness goals with this smart watch, now 45% off - New York Post - September 10th, 2022
- Police fitness test: What it takes to pass in Illinois - News-Gazette - September 10th, 2022
- 5 Pieces of Activewear To Help You Achieve The Tenniscore Look - mindbodygreen - September 10th, 2022
- Why Joseph Baena Says His Fitness Might Actually Work Against Him on Dancing with the Stars - E! NEWS - September 10th, 2022
- Loops Guided Fitness app: Utilize your HRV to optimize training - iMore - September 10th, 2022
- This Is the Best-ever Lower Belly Pooch Workout, Fitness Expert Says Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - September 10th, 2022
- Financial fitness: The 'romance scheme' industry and how to spot it before you're a victim - NorthcentralPA.com - September 10th, 2022
- Pain is Number One Reason for Abandoned Fitness Goals, Wahl Offers Solutions to This Obstacle - PR Newswire - September 10th, 2022
- 87 days, 6 medals, 2 national records: Neeraj Chopra's hot streak down to fitness and focus - ESPN - September 10th, 2022
- Brie Larson Says "Captain Marvel" Inspired Her to Train Out of "Pure Fear of Failure" - POPSUGAR - September 10th, 2022
- Xportify Gym Everywhere, Earn Anytime - The First WEB 3.0 AR Fitness APP - PR Newswire - September 10th, 2022
- The Art and Science of Fitness | Is resistance training bad for kids? - Hindustan Times - September 10th, 2022
- Safe Fun-Fit at the Bayfront Will Offer Fitness Classes and Walk with a Doc at Heritage Park - Corpus Christi - September 10th, 2022
- Smart Sports Equipment Market Report 2022: Increasing Focus on Fitness and Well-Being Among Individuals Driving Sector Growth - ResearchAndMarkets.com... - September 2nd, 2022
- Planet Fitness to leave Northgate Mall, move to north Lafayette shopping center - The Advocate - September 2nd, 2022
- Easy Face Jowl Exercises To Tighten Up Saggy Skin, Fitness Experts Say Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - September 2nd, 2022
- AHN adds innovative liver cancer treatment, cancer fitness program to array of services available in North Hills - TribLIVE - September 2nd, 2022
- Slow Flow and other upcoming fitness events around Houston - Houston Chronicle - September 2nd, 2022
- Local gyms, fitness classes to try while Lerner is closed - GW Hatchet - September 2nd, 2022
- I Can't Stop Thinking About This Wellness Icon's Longevity-Focused A.M. Routine - mindbodygreen - September 2nd, 2022
- Withings has a new smart scale and 'Health+' fitness subscription platform - Yahoo Finance - September 2nd, 2022
- How Trainer Massy Arias Is Motivating Women From the Inside Out - Sports Illustrated - September 2nd, 2022
- How will China's 5G expansion revolutionise the world of fitness? - Dao Insights - September 2nd, 2022
- Crunch Fitness Joins the Silver&Fit Program's National Network of Gyms and Fitness Facilities - PR Newswire - September 2nd, 2022
- Tamra Judge Shares an Update on Her Career and Marriage: "It's Been a Wild Ride" - Bravo - September 2nd, 2022
- Fitness YouTubers Tried to Train Like David Goggins for 24 Hours - Men's Health - September 2nd, 2022
- RHS to hold open swim and fitness center for the community again - WJFW-TV - September 2nd, 2022
- Active Collective Rides Wave of Fashion Fitness - Apparel News - September 2nd, 2022
- 5 key fitness fashion trends to know about this autumn - Yahoo News - September 2nd, 2022
- Elon Musk Praises This Fitness App As He Reveals Weight-Loss Secret: 'Been Feeling Healthier' - Benzinga - September 2nd, 2022
- Education Week: Clinical psychologist encourages individuals to embrace emotional fitness - The Daily Universe - Universe.byu.edu - August 17th, 2022
- Crunch Fitness Announces Franchisee of the Year - PR Newswire - August 17th, 2022
- Anytime Fitness Houston Heights Discusses the Benefits of Group Workouts - AccessWire - August 17th, 2022
- Developers adjust design of coffee shop/fitness studio and estimate 6-9 months of construction - The Record - The Record North Shore - August 17th, 2022
- Teen arrested after Bay Area 24 Hour Fitness fatal shooting - SFGATE - August 17th, 2022
- 7 of the best Black-owned fitness studios in Atlanta we abs-olutely recommend - Access Atlanta - August 17th, 2022
- Stop Worrying About Whether Fitness Influencers Are on Steroids - Lifehacker - August 17th, 2022
- Who Is Ryan Seacrests Girlfriend Aubrey Paige? All About The Fitness Model - Suggest - August 17th, 2022
- Jared Gordon Fights His Addiction With Purpose - Muscle & Fitness - August 17th, 2022
- Fitness key to rest of season: Murray - FRANCE 24 English - August 17th, 2022
- MSU institute promotes love for fitness and works to reduce "professionalization" of youth sports - WKAR - August 17th, 2022
- Innovations in Communication Technology Creating Huge Opportunities for Wireless Health and Fitness Device Manufacturers: Fact.MR - Yahoo Finance - August 17th, 2022