4 Best Fitbit for Men in 2020: Reviews by Elisamo

You don’t have to be a health coach, a running guru, or a workout maniac to own the best Fitbit for men. In fact, you can start using one right now even if you’re just a fitness wannabe.

Granted, there are many fitness trackers out there. But Fitbit is the only brand that makes the best of them old and has become a popular household name in the fitness monitoring space.

At the very least, the best Fitbit for men should be very easy to use, get the basics of activity tracking right, possibly feature a heart rate monitor, and give you fitness stats that you can use to set and monitor your fitness goals.

In other words, a good men’s Fitbit doesn’t necessarily have to be perfect. It just has to be good enough to get the job done.

Best Fitbit for Men Review

In this guide, we’ll look at the four best-rated Fitbits that any man can buy right now. In particular, we’ll look at the feature of each device and even tell you their pros and cons. In the end, it’ll be on you to decide which one of the four models fits you best.Let’s get started.

1. Fitbit Inspire

• Fitbit HR is a lightweight fitness tracker that’s easy to use
• The overall design is attractive
• Covers the basics of fitness tracking quite well
• One of the cheapest Fitbit fitness trackers on the market

• Fitbit Inspire doesn’t have a built-in GPS system, so you can’t get distance estimates or map your route
• This fitness tracker doesn’t have the best battery life
• The device only has a few features overall

Inspire isn’t the very best of Fitbit. But it’s a good choice if you’re in the market for stylish tracker that gets the basics done at a fair price. It doesn’t feature a GPS system. It doesn’t have a heart rate monitor. And its display is in black and white.

It’s a good fitness tracker than many low cost options. But there are better options than this at a price that’s even lower. In fact, Lintelek and Letscom fitness trackers are the best alternatives to Inspire.

Design

While Inspire looks somewhat plain in design, it doesn’t feel cheap in any way. It sports a plastic band with a silicone strap, which you can replace for a more stylish and personalized option if you ever need to.

The strap is easy to adjust. Since it doesn’t include a heart rate monitor, you can wear it either tight or loose to get a fit that best suits you. 

One of the things we love about Fitbit Inspire is that it’s easy to navigate.

There’s a button on the left that lets you toggle the screen on/off. The display is touch sensitive and responsive. And swiping up and down opens and closes different screens. 

Performance 

Inspire is very basic at its best. In our eyes, t’s more or less the same as the Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip, except the only difference is you wear it on your wrist.

The primary purpose of this activity monitor since its entrance in the market has always been to motivate you to get up and get moving.

You get a 3-axis accelerometer and that’s all there is to it. Like Fitbit Zip, the Inspire doesn’t have a built-in GPS, not to mention that it lacks a heart rate sensor. 

If you feel like a heart rate sensor is important, you should consider upgrading to Fitbit Inspire HR, Fitbit Charge 3, or the Letscom fitness tracker if you’re on a very tight budget. 

It’s perfect for counting steps taken, calories burned, and minutes spent working out. It even includes a Reminder to Move, which alerts you to move around if you’ve been inactive for a while.

Inspire even goes as far as to encourage you to walk 250 steps per hour. And although it’s subjective as to whether you can hit, miss, or exceed this target, we strongly believe that your goal should be to always aim higher.

The smart tracker does a fairly good job at detecting the type of activity you do. But it’s not as perfect as it is on other Fitbit models. It can auto detect walks and runs very well. But if you test it on activities like cycling and car drive, you’re highly likely to get inaccurate data.

Inspire includes a sleep tracker that works really well. At least you get to know how well and how long you sleep every night. It also features a built-in alarm that you can use to wake up in the morning. It’s the kind of an alarm clock that buzzes on your wrist, a good feature to consider if you need distraction in the morning hours. 

If this one had a pulse rate sensor, it would be easy to know your heart rate zone. This would help you determine if you need moderate or intense workout. But it’s lacking. For the price, though, we think the Inspire is somewhat fair in what it can do. 

2. Fitbit Charge 3

• Fitbit Charge 3 is waterproof and good enough for swimming
• The display is generously clean and the screen is touch sensitive and very responsive
• The Special Edition features NFC payments
• Includes a heart rate monitor and SPO2 sensors
• Decent battery life, runs for 7 days on a single charge

• Work only with Fitbit’s proprietary charger
• The touch functionality needs some touchup because sometimes the swiping doesn’t work as expected
• Doesn’t have a built-in GPS system

Fitbit Charge 3 is the latest and the best Fitbit for men in the brand’s fitness tracker series. It’s as robust as Charge 2, with a couple of tweaks that makes it even more functional.

Although it doesn’t have female health tracking, it can as well easily fall on our list of women’s Fitbit this year. 

The display is big, the OLED touchscreen is smooth and responsive, and the content that you see is clear thanks to the higher resolution.

In fact, the increase in the size of the screen now means a better notification experience, particularly because you get enough space to read more text. 

Design

From a design standpoint, we think that Fitbit’s decision to use aluminum was a good call. The result is a 20% more lightweight device than Fitbit Charge 2, so you get an excellent wearing experience.

The button on the left, a bit more recessed on this model than on Charge 2 and Inspire HR, gives this device a balanced look. It even vibrates on touch to indicate that it working well, although we don’t know any other reason why you’d need the vibration.

We love how easy the display is to navigate. Most of the time, you won’t need the button to use the device. You only need the touch display 98% of the time. 

• If you want to see your daily fitness statistics, swipe up.
• To scroll through a list of alerts, swipe down.
• If you want to scroll through a list of the menu items, simply swipe left

That you can do almost everything with the touch function doesn’t mean the button isn’t important. Simple press it to return to the previous screen or long press if you want to adjust the display or change the notification settings.

In terms of content display, everything you see is purely in black and white. And while this cuts down on battery consumption so you can get more runtime on a single charge, information doesn’t look as crisp and colorful as it does on the Versa.

Don’t get us wrong on this. The display is cool, just not colorful. It would be touchy if Fitbit made the screen colored, but the experience is still good even on monochrome display. 

Better Notification 

While Charge 2 provides you with notification, the functionality isn’t that robust. You only get call and text alerts and that’s it.

The notification feature on Charge 3 is a really big improvement. Once synched with your smartphone, you’ll get call alerts and even read full text messages.

There really isn’t more to it beyond this, though. And while Fitbit promised to add the ability to answer calls from the device, it hasn’t done that quite yet since Charge 3’s debut.

Fitness Tracking 

When it comes to fitness tracking, Fitbit Charge 3 gets the basics right. In step tracking, it counts all the steps you take when walking and running.

And it’s as good when it comes to guided breathing as it is in smart workout tracking. 

It features the same Pure Pulse heart rate sensor found in the Fitbit Charge 2, so you expect pretty much the same functionality as far as the heart rate monitoring is concerned.

The heart rate works 24/7, but that’s if you wear the device all day long. 

SPO2 Sensor

Charge 3’s SPO2 sensor is also an improvement that goes a long way to give you accurate results on the amount of oxygen in your blood stream.

This is handy in helping you to diagnose conditions like sleep apnea, going as further as to help you determine if you need medical advice or otherwise. 

3. Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker

• Simple fitness activity tracker with an ability to track steps, count calories, and estimate distance covered
• Decent battery life, up to 6 months of runtime
• It’s a simple and effective fitness tracker for men and and a good choice for kids.
• Good for walking as well as running
• It’s water-resistant, so it can stand up to light rain and survive splashes

• This model doesn’t have a heart rate monitor and no GPS
• Unable to monitor sleep
• Fails to track number of stairs climbed
• Very easy for kids to lose, especially during play

Do you feel like wearing a wristband is a little too much for your hand but a Fitbit is a must-have?

Or maybe you’ve seen a friend or colleague with a Fitbit clipped on their pants and wondering which one, between Fitbit One and Zip to choose?

We recommend that you go with the Zip.

Fitbit Zip is by far the oldest in the Fitbit’s family. And while it’s nothing as special and robust like Charge 3 or Inspire HR, it’s still a decent option as it does all the nitty-gritties.

The basics are as simple as counting the total calories burned in a workout, tracking steps, and estimating the total distance covered.

You can view your activity stats on the monochrome display or from the Fitbit app on your Android or iOS device. 

Design 

The Zip isn’t exactly a wearable for your wrist. And that’s fine because it doesn’t have a heart rate monitor anyway.

Instead of featuring a plastic or rubber band, it has a silicone sleeve at the back that let you clip it on your belt, pants, or bra. In short, you can fix it anywhere you want but your wrist.

It’s also a lightweight model. And once clipped on where you’d want it, you’ll hardly notice it’s there until the time you need to check your fitness metrics – or when you need to change your clothes.

Remember, Zip is the oldest of Fitbit. Just a first glance tells you one obvious thing: it’s not a pretty device to own. Which is to say that if you’re into things that look cool, go for the likes of Fitbit Charge 2 or the Alta instead.

Regardless of the traditional, not-so-pleasing design, Zip is still an affordable, lightweight fitness tracker that works really well.

Display 

There isn’t anything special with the Zip’s display. But that doesn’t mean it’s terrible.

The screen is similar to the size of a watch and the display is black and white. If you’re more into functionality and less into colorful displays of the Fitbit Versa Special Edition, the Zip should be good enough for you.

Furthermore, Zip displays activity information one at a time. That means each data set, from distance covered to calories burned, has its own screen. This makes it easy for you to read and understand the stats.

At the end of the day, you get the information you need to understand and better your workout experience.

Battery Life 

One of the things that we love about the Zip is the battery life. Inside this device is a traditional coin battery that promises a runtime of up to six months. This is the best Fitbit has ever offered as far as battery life is concerned.

To put this into perspective, Zip has the best battery life compared to all other fitness trackers in the Fitbit’s series. And the only competitor that beats it in terms of battery life is the Garmin Vivofit, which sports a replaceable battery with a runtime of 12 months.

Zip’s battery isn’t rechargeable, though. You’ll have to buy a battery pack for replacement. You can buy the battery for cheap online on sites like Amazon. 

4. Fitbit Alta Smart Fitness Activity Tracker

• This fitness tracker has a decent battery life. It can work for at least five days on a single charge
• The automatic sleep tracker lets you know if you’re getting enough sleep every night
• Fitbit Alta is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows devices

• The plastic band feels a bit tough on skin. It’s best to replace it with a soft leather or rubber band if you want a softer and more comfortable feel
• Because it doesn’t have a GPS system built-in, it’s not possible to map routes and get accurate distance estimates
• Fitbit Alta doesn’t feature a heart rate monitor. So if the sensor is a must-have, then you should consider an alternative like the Inspire HR.
• The smart tracking feature is not as robust

Fitbit Alta is a slim, lightweight fitness tracker with a durable plastic band that you can easily replace if you ever need to.

We think it glossier than Fitbit Charge, Surge, and Charge HR, although when it comes to looks, it all really is a matter of personal opinion and interest.

In a way, the Alta is all about looking good while tracking your fitness. Which is why, unlike Surge that looks a bit ancient in design, the Alta looks too cool to not own.

We like that the Alta has all the basics covered. It’s the kind of smart device that you can use to know the time of the day, your activity levels, sleep quality, steps taken, distance covered, and the number of calories your body burns during a workout. 

Design

Fitbit doesn’t just lean on performance with the Alta. They also focus on good design, using stainless steel for the casing and making the OLED display scratch resistant. The stainless steel makes Alta a little heavier than models with aluminum casing, but the weight isn’t such a big deal anyway.

Models like Ionic and Inspire HR have buttons on the left and right side. But Fitbit strips this away from the Alta and makes the screen touch sensitive and fully responsive.

The user experience isn’t that bad from the start, but it’s nothing intriguing.

Taping the screen twice will light the display up, and each tap after that displays different stats of your activities. 

Reminder to Move

 The Reminder to Move is one of Alta’s features built-in to keep you on your activity track.

Lacking in expensive models like the Blaze, this premium is anti-sedentary, good at nudging you to move when you’ve sat around for far too long. 

The reminder is an audio alert that says, “Feed me steps”. This is both good and terrible. On the one hand, some wearers will love that the watch can actually talk them out of sedentary living.

On the other hands, some people may find the command rather annoying. At least it would have been better if the reminder were in the form of a vibration instead. 

Smart Tracking

Alta has a smart tracker that automatically detects the type of activity you’re doing and then logs the data in the system for you.

In theory, it works well. But in actual sense, the technology is rather floppy. It only favors high-intensity activities or activities that involve frequent movements.

For example, it’s good at detecting walks, stairs climbed, and even running. But it fails to monitor light training like yoga, sit-ups, and indoor cycling. 

How to Choose the Best Fitbit for Men

Choosing the best Fitbit for men doesn’t have to be difficult.

You just need to go for one that’s within your price point, provided it’s easy to use and have the features that you’d want in a fitness and activity tracker. 

Price

Price is a very big factor to consider when it comes to choosing the right Fitbit for men. To be clear, how much you pay depends on the number of features that the device has.

Take Fitbit Inspire, for example. It’s an inexpensive activity tracker. And that’s because it’s very basic in functionality.

In other words, if you’re on a tight budget, a cheap Fitbit will work well for you.

But if you’re looking for more features, like heart rate monitor, smart tracker, and Fitbit Pay, then you should be ready to spend a couple of more bucks. 

Features 

Some of the features that you should consider when shopping for a Fitbit includes the following: 

• Reminder to Move: This will alert you to get up and log some steps if you’ve sat for rather a very long time.
• Heart Rate Monitor: This is important when you want to know your pulse rate. It will help you to determine the intensity of exercise to engage in.
• A 3-axis Accelerometer: This is a must-have in a fitness, as it covers the basics of fitness tracking. This sensor helps to count calories burned, steps taken, stairs climbed, and active minutes.
• Fitbit Pay: If you would like to make mobile payment when exercising, then you should consider a Fitbit that includes Fitbit Pay. The Ionic Smartwatch has this feature

Other features to consider include SPO2 for checking oxygen levels in your blood, a smart tracker for automatically detecting your type of activity, and sleep monitor for analyzing the quality of your sleep.