Fitbit's new Sense 2 smartwatch faces plenty of competition, but its main rival right now is Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5. Here's how they compare.
Among the Fitbit Sense 2's rivals is Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5, and both smartwatches will be fighting for a place on users' wrists. The smartwatch space is getting a lot of new entries in the second half of the year. Samsung already kicked off the race with the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, and these were then followed by the Oppo Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro. Xiaomi was also quick to join the race with its Watch S1 Pro.
Apple is expected to follow with the new Series 8 Apple Watch which is likely to be unveiled at the company's Sept. 7 event. Google will also launch the Pixel Watch later this year, likely when it unveils the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. There are also a handful of new WearOS smartwatches expected to launch soon, including a new TicWatch model that will mark the debut of Qualcomm's Snapdragon W5+ processor.
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The differences between the Sense 2 and the Galaxy Watch 5 start on the outside, as both Fitbit and Samsung have taken different routes with respect to the design. The Sense 2 has a square dial, an aluminum case, and replaceable 24mm flexible straps. It doesn't have an official IP rating but is water-resistant up to 50 meters. In contrast, the Galaxy Watch 5, has a round dial protected by sapphire crystal, an aluminum armor case, and a replaceable 20mm band. Samsung's smartwatch also comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes and has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating as well as a 5 ATM water-resistant rating. Fitbit offers the Sense 2 in Graphite, Platinum, and Soft Gold whereas the Galaxy Watch 5 can be purchased in Graphite, Silver, and Pink Gold. Samsung also offers a special Golf Edition.
The two watches both contain sensors for heart rate tracking, blood oxygen level measurement, ECG measurement, and even a skin temperature sensor. In addition to these, the Sense 2 also features a sensor for all-day stress tracking, while the Galaxy Watch 5 comes with a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis sensor for measuring body composition. Samsung's smartwatch also supports blood pressure monitoring as well. They both have support for sleep tracking and women's health tracking. The Galaxy Watch 5 has support for over 90 sports modes, which is more than double the 40 available on the Fitbit Sense.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 runs Wear OS with apps and watch faces available to download from the Play Store. In contrast, the Sense 2 runs Fitbit OS and provides users with an ample amount of apps and watch faces via the Fitbit Gallery. While Sense 2 wearers will have to wait for Google Maps and Google Wallet support to arrive, the smartwatch does come with a built-in Alexa voice assistant. With Samsung's smartwatch, wearers can choose between Bixby and installing the Google Assistant. Both Fitbit and Samsung's watches have Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth, but only the Galaxy Watch 5 has optional LTE (via an eSIM).
Fitbit says the Sense 2's battery can last up to 6 days and supports fast charging - a 12-minute charge will provide a day's worth of battery. In contrast, the Galaxy Watch 5 can only manage about two days before it needs to be charged. However, it also has fast charging with 0 to 45% in 30 minutes possible. Fitbit has priced the Sense 2 at $299.95, which is higher than the $279.95 starting price of the Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm Bluetooth version). Samsung also offers an LTE version for $329 and a larger 44mm version for $309 (or $359 with LTE).
Deciding which one to buy depends on multiple factors. Those who want a smartwatch that works with both Android and iOS are better off with the Fitbit Sense 2 as Samsung's watch only works with Android phones. What's more, Fitbit doesn't tie some of its important health features, including ECG measurement, to a particular type of phone. For context, and although there are unofficial ways to get them to work on non-Samsung phones, ECG and blood pressure measurement only works natively on Samsung phones. Overall, however, the Galaxy Watch 5 is the better of the two smartwatches when it comes to the quality of the build, smart features, and even the number of health metrics it can track. Not to mention, it is also the cheaper smartwatch and offers the option of LTE if wanted.
Habeeb has years of experience covering consumer technology and has written for multiple publications. As a Senior Writer at Screen Rant, he enjoys writing about wearables, smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks. Several of his articles include guides and comparisons that help users get the best out of their devices or choose the one that bests suits them. When he's not writing, he's catching up on the latest TV shows. He considers The Crown as peak drama and Castlevania as one of the best game-to-screen adaptations. And on days when there is nothing to watch (is that even possible?), he sneaks in a few hours of games on his PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.