Fitbit recently announced three brand-new smartwatches: the Fitbit Inspire 3, Sense 2 and Versa 4. Smartwatches and I have a complicated relationship. I usually struggle to keep them connected properly, find them bulky and uncomfortable, or find they don’t fit my specific needs. Things have changed. I’ve spent the last few weeks with the Fitbit Inspire 3 and I have no complaints. Not one.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 smartwatch comes in three colours: Midnight Zen, Lilac (mine) or Morning Glow. I think the colours leave something to be desired outside the standard black, but luckily there are some other options online, like the Stainless Steel Mesh or Translucent Bands. You can even purchase a clip and hook the Fitbit Inspire 3 smartwatch on your belt or tucked away. Even with those options, there aren’t many neutral choices, something I hope they remedy in the future.
Using smartwatches like the HUAWEI GT 3 Pro and even the Fitbit Sense 2, left a bad impression simply because of the size of the watch face. It felt so bulky to me as someone with slender wrists who doesn’t normally wear a watch or bracelets. The Fitbit Inspire 3 smartwatch was the perfect size for me. I wasn’t constantly readjusting, smacking it off things or taking it off the first chance I got.
“What’s even more important to me, though, was how insanely easy the Fitbit Inspire 3 was to set up and use.”
The smaller screen size of the Fitbit Inspire 3 was originally a concern of mine. The screen is no wider than my index finger, so I figured it would be useless for checking messages or emails. Truly it was fine. Even my mother was excited when she could clearly see the display. Of course, I’m not reading paragraphs on paragraphs, but I could get the general gist of what was going on and then decide if I needed to pull out my phone. You can also customize quick responses or emojis and respond right from the device.
Here is how the smartwatch was introduced to the world: “Inspire 3 is the next generation of our entry-level health and fitness tracker, helping you work on your best self without breaking the bank.” It doesn’t set out to be the world’s most advanced smartwatch, but it still did more than I could ask from my device. What’s even more important to me, though, was how insanely easy the Fitbit Inspire 3 was to set up and use.
With my past smartwatches, I found it was often hard to set up different kinds of notifications, like Facebook Messenger. The Fitbit Inspire 3 smartwatch was simple and nothing ever disconnected or gave me issues. Changing the settings, face or layout was never an issue. There isn’t much more to say other than it just works. I would easily recommend the Fitbit Inspire 3 to my mother, who isn’t incredibly tech-savvy, or my 11-year-old niece as a first smartwatch.
“I would easily recommend the Fitbit Inspire 3…”
Though you won’t be using your Inspire 3 as a GPS like you can with other devices, it still brings plenty to the table to be helpful in everyday life and on your journey to fitness. I use it mainly to track my steps and sleep and to check messages and emails. On top of that, you can track mindfulness (I use this for breathing exercises), your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, temperature, set alarms and timers and track or guide your workouts by setting goals like time or distance.
Something to note was also the menstrual tracker. Fitbit has this in their app—and I know this has become a concern for some women in the US and even Canada—but it was interesting to have it right on my wrist as well. The Fitbit app allows you to log almost everything about yourself, like your weight, how much water you drank, etc. but this portion lets you track everything from how you’re feeling each day to ovulation, and it’s been pretty accurate.
“The Fitbit Inspire 3 smartwatch lasted me almost a solid two weeks on one charge.”
My only tip for anyone who can’t get their cycle to track correctly in the Fitbit app is that it will track based on what you’ve put in. I hadn’t worn a Fitbit in a few months, so the app thought my cycles were incredibly far apart. I ended up having to mark off my last period according to my normal cycle before it would stop saying it would be months before my next one. Outside of that, scrolling past it on my wrist meant I didn’t have to double-check the app, helpful for those of us who have an “out of sight, out of mind” way of thinking.
The only other thing I absolutely have to touch on is the battery life. The Fitbit Inspire 3 smartwatch lasted me almost a solid two weeks on one charge. At most, I lost 10% battery life per day, and that was during heavy use while learning the ropes. It does this with a bright, colourful, Always On Display (which you can turn off). It also charged to full in no time at all. I plugged it in and by the time I made dinner it was already back to full charge. Usually I’m a “charge everything every night” kind of person, but with the Fitbit Inspire 3, I was never concerned.
The only thing I see with this device that COULD be a complaint is the vibrate function. It’s aggressive, to say the least. In a silent room it is about as loud as some ringtones. I like this because I actually notice it on my wrist, but I can also hear it from the shower if I’ve taken it off and left it on the counter. This is really a personal preference and I could see some having issues with it.
Having said all that, does that mean the Fitbit Inspire 3 goes above and beyond all other smartwatches? No. What it means is that the Fitbit Inspire 3 smartwatch is an outstanding entry-level device. It does everything it aims to flawlessly, but doesn’t bring everything to the table that a more expensive—or even just larger—smartwatch does.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 smartwatch met every one of my needs. It brought some new things to the table, worked flawlessly and did it all for $99.95USD. I cannot find a bad thing to say about it and would highly recommend it to anyone getting their first smartwatch or wanting one that is just easy to use.
