Fitbit Ace 2

amazon Fitbit Ace 2 reviews

Adults aren’t the only ones who need to move more to stay healthy. The Fitbit Ace 2 has several improvements over its predecessor, making it the best kids fitness tracker you can buy.

The Ace 2 is the sequel to Fitbit’s first kid’s fitness tracker, the Ace. It’s designed for more kids (ages six and up instead of eight) at a lower price than parents will appreciate ($69.95; $30 off the previous one). While it tracks the same metrics as its predecessor — steps, active minutes, hourly movement, and sleep — it’s more durable, easier to use, and has a more flexible design. It’s a healthy and motivating way to make sure your kids stay active.

Inspiring in disguise

To create the Ace 2, Fitbit took the Inspire and attached it to a new wristband. The beauty here is that as kids get older, they can swap it out for Inspire accessories rather than buy a new wearable.

The tracker itself is very small and compact at 1.45 x 0.63 x 0.45 inches (HWD). The strap comes in one size and fits wrists between 4.6 and 6.6 inches in circumference. Weighing in at 1.28 ounces, it’s also lightweight and comfortable to wear throughout the day and while sleeping.

Unlike the original Ace, which only came in two solid colors, the Ace 2 has a quirky and playful aesthetic. You can choose between a night sky strip with a neon yellow clasp or a watermelon band with a teal blue clasp. Fitbit also offers a variety of other bands for $29.95 each. I tested the night sky model and liked the glow of the yellow clasp.

Ace 2 is also more durable than the original. For starters, it’s waterproof up to 50 meters (the Ace is water-resistant only), so kids can take it swimming. The strap acts as a protective bumper to shield from scratches on the screen. It’s also stain-resistant, so it’s easy to wipe away dirt kids bring in from the outside.

The battery life is excellent. Fitbit says the Ace 2 can last up to five days before the battery runs low. After using it to track steps during the day and sleep at night, my review unit was still 29 percent on the 6th.

Featured

The tracker has a 0.72-inch OLED touchscreen, which is a good step up from the touchscreen on the original. With 128 x 72 pixels resolution, the grayscale display looks sharp and clear, although it is difficult to see in direct sunlight. The screen feels smooth and responsive, although there were moments during testing when I had to tap a few times to activate it. While this rarely happens, you can enable the Wake screen setting and swipe your wrist to activate the screen easily.

The Ace 2 comes with 19 watch faces to choose from, most fun and animated—a nice change from the bland options on the original. Many of them change over time as your step count increases. For example, a rocket ship slowly takes off on the Rocky side as your step count increases. The Sprout face follows a similar pattern, in which a tree grows over time.

Navigating the on-screen interface is simple. Would you please press the button on the side or tap the screen to wake it up and see the time? Hold the button to access the battery percentage, along with shortcuts to toggle Screen Wake and Notification Modes.

Swipe up to see stats, including steps, active minutes, and activity per hour. Swipe down to find apps like Alarms, Timer, and Settings.

While the Ace 2 tracks in sleep mode, those metrics can only be accessed through the Fitbit app. Unlike adult Fitbit trackers, information about children’s health and fitness is scant — focused mainly on activity. Once kids turn 13, they’ll be upgraded to an adult account, where they can see additional stats as calories burned, weight, body fat, and health tracking women.

Parental control

Parents must create a separate profile for their child under their main account to set up the tracker. From there, the configurations are separated into Parent View and Child View. If your child doesn’t have a smartphone, you can switch between views on an account.

In Parent View, you can view your metrics throughout the day and manage the stats your kids see on their accounts. You can also check your child’s progress through the My Family feature. After tapping on your child’s name, the app will take you to their profile, which shows their steps per day, earned trophies or badges, and the friends they’ve added to the app.

In Kid View, the dashboard shows the same metrics shown on the Ace 2 display — steps, active minutes, and steps per hour. In addition, you can also view sleep time, sleep quality, and sleep schedule. Kids also have access to customization settings, where they can change watch faces, edit display settings, set alarms, and more. When a child receives a call, the contact will scroll across the screen. But to answer or reject calls, they must use the phone.

Both kids and parents can send each other emoticons and encourage personalized messages using the app for extra motivation. There is also the option to set up a step challenge between family and friends. The tracker also sends migration reminders. Ten minutes before the timer runs out, the tracker pushes you to complete a specific number of steps towards your goal.

where can you get a Fitbit Ace 2 online

Fitbit Ace 2 Activity Tracker for Kids, 1 Count: Buy it now

Fitbit Ace 2 Classic Accessory Band, One Size: Buy it now

Accuracy

Under the hood is a three-axis accelerometer to track steps and a vibration motor for alerts. No heart rate monitor or SPO2 sensor.

The Ace 2 doesn’t track specific workouts on the device, but kids can log them manually in the Fitbit app. As mentioned, it tracks steps and active minutes, but with just an accelerometer, it doesn’t track distance.

For accuracy, I tested the Ace 2 with the 3DTriMax pedometer and Fitbit’s more advanced fitness tracker, the Charge 3. After I walked the first mile on the treadmill, the Ace 2 only recorded 622 steps compared to 2,696 of the pedometer and 2,480 of the Charge 3. Walking another mile on the treadmill, the Ace 2 scored 2,164 steps compared to 2,868 for the pedometer, for a difference of 704 steps. Meanwhile, Charge 3 comes closer to Ace 2 with 2,536 steps, with a smaller difference of 372. Ace runs better in runs. After two separate one-mile runs, the Ace 2 was only about 153 steps away from the pedometer average on the treadmill and outside. The average from Charge 3 in 16 steps.

Since kids are more likely to wear the Ace 2 during their day than working out at the gym, I also wore it along with the Charge 3 to check if it tracks average workday steps like how. After a full day at the office, the Ace 2 scored 2,427 steps compared to the Charge 3’s 2,413, with a difference of just 14. For Active Minutes, Ace 2 scored 10 minutes while Charge 3 scored 11.

Sleep tracking is pretty accurate. Ace 2 pinpointed the exact moment I fell asleep and woke up. I again tested it with Charge 3 and found the stats to be approximate. One night, Ace 2 recorded that I slept for 7 hours and 46 minutes, while Charge 3 recorded 7 hours and 6 minutes. While both pinpointed the exact time I fell asleep and woke up, the Charge 3 more accurately tracked how long I stayed awake throughout the night, likely because its heart rate monitor and SPO2 sensor help determine measurement results. But for a simple baby monitor, these results are accurate enough.

Conclusion

The Fit Ace 2 is an improvement over the original in every way. Its new design is vibrant and fun, not to mention more durable. The addition of a touchscreen also makes for a smoother user experience. The important things stay the same: The Ace 2 rigorously tracks the basics to help kids develop positive relationships with health and fitness. And at a lower price of $69.95, it’s even more accessible than the original. All of that makes for a great fitness tracker for kids; That’s our top pick.

• Advantages

Good price.

Vibrant, kid-friendly design.

The straps are interchangeable.

Fitness tracking is pretty accurate.

Good battery.

• Disadvantage

No heart rate monitor.