Fitbit Alta

A basic fitness tracker that looks good, but doesn’t really do much to stand out

Striking design ; Easily customizable ; Week-long battery life

Tap-sensitive screen isn't sensitive enough ; Not waterproof ; Pretty limited offering overall

Fitbit's Alta has it where it counts, namely the killer week-long battery life, customizable styles, and the solid Fitbit companion app as a backbone. But there are a few frustrating design choices that keep this from being a "must-have."

More attractive design options ; Leading ecosystem ; Excellent app

Not for serious athletes ; Screen slightly laggy ; Still quite thick

Best Fitbit design to date, excellent 5-day battery life, comfortable to wear, nice display, notifications, accurate step-tracking, fantastic app platform

No heart-rate monitoring, no altimeter, no waterproofing, inaccurate distance-tracking, display not always super responsive nor visible in bright light

The Fitbit Alta sits on the fence compared to the wider activity tracker market. It misses out some key features, such heart-rate monitoring, elevation data, GPS and waterproofing.

Genuinely motivating step reminders ; Accurate sleep-monitoring ; Excellently connected app ; Grown-up form factor

No waterproofing ; No heart rate monitor ; Screen collects scratches

This slimmed-down stylish tracker delivers basic data but lacks a beating heart.

The Fitbit Alta is a stylish fitness tracker with swappable bands, basic phone notifications and week-long battery life. The new "Move" alerts bring something new. Fitbit's software is still one of our favorites, and has the largest social base as well.

There's no heart-rate sensor, and it can't be worn in the shower. The tracker is expensive for what it can do and so are the accessory straps. The display is difficult to see outdoors and is susceptible to scratches, and notifications are hard to read.

While ultimately a more stylish (but heart-rate free) version of the older Charge HR, the Fitbit Alta is a winning fitness tracker with solid style appeal.

We need to spend some more time with a final production version of the Alta before we can come to a definitive verdict. However, early signs are good: you can personalise it, there are more features than before (and are actually useful). We can’t see...

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