this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2024
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As a longtime Fitbit user, the writing is on the wall. The Google buyout has been horrible, features disappearing, support sucking, no more web dashboard, payment issues, calorie goals no longer customizable, etc.
They bought the company for user data and patents. Merge what they want into their watches and discontinue the rest. Absolutely minimize maintenance costs by dropping features and firing employees. They'll keep the Fitbit name, maybe roll that into a watch sub-series, but the buyout was definitely a gut-and-dump deal.
Too bad the antitrust suit won't save what used to be a great product and company in time.
What are the good alternatives? Been a fitbit user for a few years now and not sure who to switch to next.
Garmin watches, IMHO more rugged and they do not put their software behind a paywall. You'll pay for it in the cost of the watch.
I've been using Garmin for fitness since about 2013, I have use a Charge HR for steps/fitness alongside my Garmin watches when I used them only for activities.
Eventually I replaced that with a garmin Fenix 3HR that did steps, activities and looked good enough to wear all the time
I have a Fenix 6 now.
I feel like I was too hard on Garmin. Their GPS hardware in the late 2000s were outdated and so I rooted for Apple/Google to replace them with map software and phones.
And here I am watching Google destroy Fitbit and eyeing Garmin again.
I'd like their upper watches to have some more smart features, but not at the expense of battery life.
My Fenix has NFC payments, it gets notifications. Holds music/podcasts so I connect headset directly to it.
But reading and responding to notifications is clunky.
Still, for me Garmin is the way to go.
I got a pixel watch 2 last year when I bought a Pixel phone and tried wearing it. Loved the extra smart features but couldn't stand the battery life. Just a non starter for me
I've read that Samsung and Apple smartwatches are better than Garmin at detecting cardiac issues tho.
Problem with the smarter fitness watches is battery life. My Fenix can go about 2 weeks with running 4 days a week. I do t want to have to manage charging my watch so often it's a pain to capture my life. (Sleeping, steeps, activities)
TBF I'm rocking a 30€ smartband connected to GadgetBridge lol
It gets ~1week battery life regardless of activity tracking
A week isn't bad. I just use mine to track a lot if activities, even sailing. So hours of GPS tracking. I'm really happy with my Garmin.