Fitbit One review: Powerful fitness tracker, weak design

The $99.95 Fitbit One is one of the most advanced fitness trackers money can buy. Besides measuring steps, this gadget can record how many stairs you climb, the calories you burn, and even the quality of your sleep. Its clippable design, however, isn’t as convenient or secure as competing wrist-style devices such as the Jawbone Up, Nike FuelBand, and even Fitbit’s own Flex. And unlike the Fitbit One, those devices are made to be worn around the clock, not just clipped to clothing when you hit the gym or head out for a run. So for those trying to keep tabs on every move you make, the One isn’t ideal.

Design

If you’ve owned or played with Fitbit’s past devices such as the original Fitbit tracker and Fitbit Ultra, the One will certainly look and feel familiar. Small and oval-shaped, the tiny Fitbit One is easy to carry even when placed in its silicone cover and clip.

The idea is to use the clip to attach the One to clothing, either a belt, pants pocket, or shirt. Once clipped on, the gadget records your daily activity. There’s just one button on the One. Pressing it toggles through the product’s various screens — the time, steps, stairs, distance traveled, and calories burned through activity. A final screen shows a flower graphic that grows and shrinks in relation to how much you’ve moved recently. The longer the flower stem, the better.

You can also slip the Fitbit One right into pockets without wrapping it in its rubbery cover; Fitbit claims the tracker will be just as accurate. I personally would advise against doing so; the One is so tiny that it wouldn’t be hard to lose it. In fact, even when clipped to my waist, I often forgot the gadget was there.

This may not sound like a problem, but when coupled with the product’s problematic clip case, it could become one in a big way. Large messenger bags, the type I usually wear at waist level, can cause the clip to unhook; since the One is so light, you won’t realize it’s gone until too late.

Getting in and out of cars, seats, or bending constantly to pick up and put down fussy toddlers can cause the same malfunction. Hey, that’s pretty much what my entire weekend looks like. I lost two Fitbit One units within my test period, which points to a serious design oversight in my view. I had similar clip failures when using the Fitbit Zip, which has an almost identical clippable case. This is why I believe wristband products like the Nike FuelBand, Jawbone Up, and Fitbit Flex make the most sense for 24-7 use.

Another issue to consider is how easy it is to accidentally throw a product like this into the wash. I admit I did this with the Fitbit Zip and came embarrassingly close to making the same mistake with the One on numerous occasions. Luckily my Zip emerged from the washing machine no worse for wear. That’s likely because it, the Fitbit One, and Fitbit Flex are splash- and sweatproof.

Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker, Burgundy

Fitness means being active, sleeping well, and eating smarter and the Fitbit one helps you do all three. During the day, it tracks your steps, distance, calories burned and stairs climbed. Come ...

Made by: Fitbit, Available: In stock

Features and performance

Truly a pedometer on steroids, the Fitbit One uses a built-in accelerometer to track your movements in measurements of steps and distance traveled (miles). It also logs how well you sleep in terms of actual time spent in slumber and how many wakeful interruptions you experienced overnight.

One drawback to sleep tracking on the Fitbit One is that you have to remove the device from its clip sheath and place it in a soft cloth strap designed for nighttime use. I found this an inconvenient extra step, especially when dead tired. Also, competing fitness bands such as the Jawbone Up, Basis Band, and the Fitbit Flex tackle sleep duty without relying on a separate strap.

I must give credit to the Basis Band, which, at least in theory, records sleep automatically. Even when strapped to my wrist, many times I failed to remember to hold down the Fitbit One’s or even the Jawbone Up’s buttons to activate their sleep mode after a particularly long day. The same goes for shutting down sleep mode in the morning.

The real strength of the One, as with Fitbit’s other devices, is its ability to connect to the company’s online service. Data measured by the One tracker is pushed to servers living in the cloud. From there you can sift through your stats either via Fitbit’s desktop Web site or through companion mobile apps for iOS and Android.

With all this data at my fingertips, I was able to easily see my activity over days, weeks, months, and the past year. To take fitness beyond casually logging workouts, runs, and walks, the Fitbit service lets you enter the food and drinks you consume. With info that’s pulled from a large database or that’s custom-created, the calories for the meals you eat are set against the calories you burn.

Believe me when I say that calorie counting is a chore, but the Fitbit app and Web site are the easiest platforms I’ve used to get the job done. The service saves past foods entered and creates a list of items you punch in often as well. This level of biometric data combined with the company’s Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale, which records the weight of multiple household members and shoots info to the cloud, and you begin to see the value these connected gizmos bring.

Fitbit bundles the One with a USB Bluetooth adapter that you use to connect the device wirelessly to PCs and Macs. The gadget also can link to smartphones over Bluetooth as well — it’s the first tracker to do so — but the list of supported devices is a short one. At the moment, compatible handsets includeiPhones, and Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note devices. Fitbit does plan to make Bluetooth communication with the Android app available to a wider range of phones as soon as possible.

Unlike the Fitbit Zip, which uses a watch battery, the Fitbit One is powered by a rechargeable battery. Just slip the device out of its case and plug it into its USB adapter to recharge. I never had problems with the One’s longevity; the tracker typically lasted a full work week without needing a power boost.

 

Conclusion

The Fitbit One is a perfect example of an excellent product packed with a host of great features undone by a problematic design. By connecting to Fitbit’s powerful analytical tools in the cloud and helping you count calories, stairs climbed, and sleep quality, the One goes way beyond one-trick pedometers.

That said, its clip cover doesn’t grip as reliably as it should, which isn’t merely an annoyance. It could result in a lost device, or indeed multiple devices, as in my case. If the One cost $20, that might be a forgivable offense, but at $99.95 it’s a serious issue.

This is why I suggest purchasing the Fitbit One only if you can’t stand wrapping a gadget around your wrist. For all others I recommend holding out for the upcoming Fitbit Flex, which sports an identical $99.95 sticker price but uses a more convenient and secure wrist band design. It also matches the One’s features blow for blow, save counting stairs and a having an alphanumeric display.

Another choice is the more expensive $129.99 Jawbone Up if a more ergonomic design and a longer battery life (but no wireless syncing) are your priorities. All three current Fitbit products, the $59.95 entry-level Zip, the One, and the Flex, leverage a deep well of online data. That’s hard to resist for casual users and fitness addicts alike.


PROS:

The Fitbit One offers an intuitive way to track and analyze your sleep, the steps you take, stairs climbed, and calories burned. Small and light, the One is very portable. Its OLED screen, which has a clock, is easy to read. It sends data to phones over Bluetooth.

CONS:

The Fitbit One’s clip often comes loose. The One’s Bluetooth syncing function only works with a few compatible handsets thus far.


Dunfire Colorful Replacement Clip Holder Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker
9 Total Score
Start from: $8.99

By wearing these excellent clips, we assure you that you will get a lot of compliments as these colorful clips are really pretty. Choose the beautiful set for your choice and change them for your Fitbit One every day to fit your clothes or reflect your mood! SHIPPING DETAILS:We ship orders via...

Read more on shop website →

  • Deals
  • Specification
  • Photos
  • Last comments
Shipping Weight

0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

I bought this combo pack with the waistband clip and the silicone wrist bracelet holder for the Fitbit One. My previous waistband clips were OEM from Fitbit, and like so many of us have experienced, the plastic cap of the rear holder broke off after about a year of use. Plus, the sleep wristband was flimsy and after a few weeks use, the Fitbit would fall out during the evening.My package arrived yesterday from China... not happy about that, but it is what it is... Initial observation is that the silicone is MUCH thicker than the OEM version. Thus far, I have only used the wrist bracelet. It's comfortable, and I didn't notice it while sleeping. Best advantage is that since it holds the One firmly against the wrist, I felt it vibrate when the alarm went off this morning. My wife is a sensitive sleeper and gets out of bed much later than me, so having a silent alarm that doesn't disturb her is my primary motivation for the purchase.I may start using the waistband clip holder, but I'm not so sure. If I can tolerate the wristband during the day, I may stick with that. I used to wear the clip on my pocket, but I have noticed that it is taking a toll on the fabric of my dress pants over time. We shall see. I'll update if my opinion changes.
August 23, 2018
It fits my Fitbit One well. It works the same way the original did as far as fitting the One, sliding onto clothing, etc. I'm glad I found one cheaper and cuter.I don't like that the base of the back has already disconnected from the rest of the back silicone. It is still attached to the metal, but I was hoping it would completely stay together for a little longer (I've only had it about 6 weeks. I use it daily, on everything I wear).The purple is a little more pink than I expected. I got purple with white polka dots.
December 5, 2016
These seem nicely constructed, good value as well. As anyone using this type of holder knows, biggest issue is the base of the clip popping off and not holding tightly to clothing. The last one was brandname only lasted for a couple of weeks before base popped off. These seem to be very nicely constructed, tracker fits snug, clip is tight but not too tight and not slippery, so it stays put. If they will last a couple of months then the one purchase will be good for a year's worth, so good value. Colors are really cute, everyone asks me where I got them because of that.
March 18, 2017
Fitbit One review: Powerful fitness tracker, weak design
9 Total Score

Durability
8.7
Portability
9.5
Ease of use
8.8
Design and form factor
8.8
User Rating: 4.11 (33 votes)
3 Comments
  1. Reply acidic body and herpes June 30, 2015 at 1:43 pm

    Hi, I do think this іѕ an excellent web site. I stumbledupon іt ;
    ) I’m gоing to revisit yet agai ѕince i have
    saved аѕ ɑ favorite іt. Money and freedom іs thе grеatest way to ϲhange, maү you be rich and continue to
    guide otheг people.

  2. Reply Rival Kingdoms Android Cheats July 19, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    I every time spent my half an hour to read this webpage’s content daily
    along with a cup of coffee.

  3. Reply Elsy Fernatt July 20, 2015 at 12:58 pm

    Reducing mortgage principals is but one in the several steps
    being taken by major U Elsy Fernatt generally, seller financing was involved
    in the case of piggyback loans.

Leave a reply