Trying to get fit and stay healthy can be challenging no matter where you are on your fitness journey. Juggling exercise and healthy eating can be tricky when you’re busy and dealing with the demands of everyday life. Thankfully, we now have a range of tools and devices at our disposal to make staying fit and healthy easier. Enter Fitbit—you've likely heard of the brand who practically invented fitness trackers and its popular smartwatches, like the Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Sense.
But, fitness trackers aren’t cheap which can make it hard to find a quality device when you're on a budget. The Fitbit Inspire 2 is a more affordable solution to fitness tracking and still offers many of the same features as more expensive devices.
In this Fitbit Inspire 2 review, we’re going to break down what sets this fitness tracker apart from the competition as well as its Fitbit siblings. Whether you're trying to lose weight, get fit, or monitor your overall health and wellness, this review can help you decide if the Fitbit Inspire 2 is right for you.
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A Quick Look at the Fitbit Inspire 2
SPECS
- Display: Backlit OLED touchscreen display
- Compatibility: Android OS 10.0 and up, IOS 14 and up
- Features: 24/7 heart rate monitoring, heart rate zones, steps, distance, calorie tracking, sleep stages tracking, GPS-mapping
- Design: Premium silicone wristband, available in black, lunar white, and desert rose
Fitbit was founded in 2007 and has quickly become one of the most well-known wearable device companies in the world. Its mission is simple: "To help people lead healthier, more active lives." People love its impressive range of smartwatches and fitness trackers which come at a variety of price points and offer different features that track metrics like heart rate, steps, distance, and even your sleep stages.
The Fitbit Inspire 2 works for those just starting out in their fitness journey and for those already dedicated to physical activity. It’s more affordable than other Fitbit trackers, but it still offers a number of useful features like heart rate monitoring, tracking for multiple activities, sleep tracking, and motivational tools to help you reach your fitness goals.
What We Like
- 24/7 heart rate monitoring with averages and trends
- The ability to track and identify heart rate rhythm irregularities
- Heart Rate Zone detection to optimize your workouts
- The ability to track sleep stages to improve the quality of your sleep
- A stress management feature that allows you to track your stress levels and guided breathing sessions to help reduce stress
- Subtle, classic design
- Comfortable wrist strap and ability to choose different bands
What We Don't Like
- App isn’t compatible with older phones which excludes certain users
- Number of features might overwhelm some
Who should buy a Fitbit Inspire 2?
If you want a no-frills fitness tracker that gets the job one, the Fitbit Inspire 2 is a great option. It’s affordable, tracks plenty of key metrics, and has a simple, easy-to-use design.
With a plethora of features at your disposal, this wearable tracker is a go-to for anyone who wants to tackle their health and fitness goals. The Inspire 2 comes with a classic wristband made of premium silicone and a plastic buckle. If the classic wristband doesn't suit you, opt for a mesh or leather strap instead. The Inspire 2 also comes with a variety of clock faces so you can choose an option that suits your style.
To ensure you get the most out of your Fitbit, the Inspire 2 comes with a charging cable and has a battery life of up to 10 days. It takes two hours to reach a full charge, but with even just 1 hour of charging, you’re left with five days worth of battery life.
For accuracy, the device is built with a 3-axis accelerometer, optical heart rate monitor, and vibration monitor. This helps the tracker detect changes in movement and sleep.
If you're an endurance athlete or a regular gym goer, you know that tracking health and sleep trends over time is crucial when you're trying to maximize performance. The Fitbit Inspire 2 was designed to save seven days of detailed motion data at one-minute intervals plus daily totals for 30 days. It also stores heart rate information during exercise at one-second intervals and at five-second intervals all other times. This allows you to collect all the relevant data to tweak your sleep, exercise, and diet for optimal results.
Health Features
When you’re regularly exercising or training, the ever-increasing demands on your body can take a toll. But by tracking your progress, you're more aware of the best times to rest and recover. The Fitbit Inspire 2 helps you do just that. First, it comes with a year-long Premium membership that provides personalized insights, tips, advanced sleep aids, health metrics trends, and more.
It also features a Daily Readiness Score that helps you maximize your workout routine by revealing if you should focus on working out or recovering. Wear the Inspire while you rest, and it’ll detect how long you stayed in each sleep stage as well as any inconsistencies that may point to atrial fibrillation. You can then share this information with your doctor to help with a diagnosis. Additionally, you can use the tracker to record your resting heart rate all day and night to track heart rate trends over time.
Get a better understanding of your overall wellness with the Breathing Rate feature. This feature automatically measures your breathing rate while you sleep so you can track if there are any notable changes. The Health Metrics dashboard also displays your nightly average and weekly trends.
The device also tracks heart rate variability (HRV) while you sleep and provides a nightly average with trends over the past week so you can see if there are any signs of stress, illness, or fatigue. Plus, the Skin Temperature Tracking feature can show indications of a fever or ovulation by tracking your skin temperature variation each night.
We also like the Stress Management Score which tracks physical signs of stress so you can work on reducing your stress load. Plus, you can log your moods in the app with the Reflections feature.
A complimentary feature of the Stress Management Score is the Guided Breathing Sessions. Based on your heart rate, the app customizes breathing sessions to help you relax and reduce your stress. Finally, you can use the app to track your menstrual cycle, record symptoms, log meals and compare calories eaten to calories burned.
Fitness Features
Nutrition and sleep are only two pieces of the puzzle. To enhance your wellness, it’s also crucial to track your workouts and physical activity. The Fitbit Inspire 2 tracks Active Zone Minutes which is designed to help you reach your personalized target heart rate zone during workouts. Once you've reached your ideal heart rate zone, the tracker buzzes on your wrist to let you know. This feature can be especially useful if you're trying to improve your cardiovascular fitness or burn fat.
We especially like the Inspire 2’s Heart Rate Zone feature which provides real-time stats based on your resting heart rate and age. This can help you see whether you're in fat burn, cardio, or peak zone so that you can adjust your workout accordingly. It also tracks calories burned, distance, and steps which helps you see how your activity level impacts your goals throughout the day. Plus, you can check your Cardio Fitness Score in the app which measures your overall fitness level and provides guidance on how to get fitter.
If you’re an avid swimmer, this wearable is also swim-proof for up to 164ft so you can swim and shower with it. Plus, you can automatically track how long you've been swimming.
Finally, one of the coolest features is the GPS tracking. Whether you're going for a walk, a jog, or a hike, the Inspire 2 can connect to your phone's GPS to give you real-time pace and distance information. After your workout, check the Fitbit app to see a detailed map of your route, including your heart rate zones and areas where your activity was the most strenuous. The tracker also features 20 exercise modes, so you can get real-time stats for all your favorite activities. And with friendly reminders to take 250 steps every hour, the Inspire 2 can help you fight a sedentary lifestyle.
Sleep Features
Most people know that it's important to get a good night's sleep, but did you know that your sleep quality is equally important as the number of hours you log? That's where the Sleep Stages feature becomes useful. This tracker not only counts how many hours you sleep but also breaks down your sleep into light, deep, and REM stages with tips to improve your sleep. And with Sleep Score you can measure your sleep quality and track sleeping trends. The device also has a Silent Alarm feature that wakes you up with a gentle vibration on your wrist instead of a loud noise, making mornings more peaceful. Lastly, if you're worried about being interrupted by notifications during the night, simply turn on Sleep Mode to disable screen wake and notifications.
Value Added Features
Google Fast Pair makes it simple to connect your Inspire 2 to your Android or IOS device, so you can manage your calls, texts, and calendar notifications without missing a beat. Alternatively, use the DND mode to mute calls, texts, calendar, and app notifications. Plus, with built-in Tile technology, it's easy to keep track of your Inspire 2 with the Smart Alerts feature that notifies you if you're leaving it behind. A built-in timer and stopwatch allow you to track your cooking times and sets at the gym. The Inspire 2 also syncs with most popular phones so you monitor your progress and various trends and stats in the Fitbit App.
Compatibility
This tracker syncs with iOS 14 and higher, as well as Android OS 10.0 or higher, which makes it compatible with most phones. It also has a syncing range of up to 29 ft, so you can stay connected to your phone at longer distances.
FAQs About the Fitbit Inspire 2
Is the Fitbit 2 Inspire worth it?
As with most things, the Fitbit 2 is worth it as long as you plan on using it. This means using all of the features it comes with and wearing it on a regular basis. If you get easily overwhelmed by devices with this many features, or don’t plan on wearing the tracker on a regular basis, this purchase might not be worth it.
Can Fitbit Inspire 2 receive text messages?
The Fitbit Inspire 2 can receive text messages when paired with a compatible Android or IOS device. Inspire 2 can also receive calls and calendar notifications.
What is the difference between Fitbit Inspire and Fitbit Inspire 2?
The Fitbit Inspire 2 has built-in GPS, a high-resolution display, more exercise modes, and better sleep tracking capabilities. The Inspire 2 is significantly more advanced in its tracking capabilities and offers a wider range of features than the Inspire.
Can you use Fitbit Inspire 2 without your phone?
The Fitbit Inspire 2 can be used without your phone, but some features will be limited. For example, you won't be able to track your GPS location or receive calls and texts. However, you can still track your steps, distance, calories burned, and sleep.
Is Fitbit Inspire 2 Discontinued?
No, the Fitbit Inspire 2 is not discontinued. It's still available for purchase on Fitbit's website and through select retailers.