Fitbit Inspire HR

amazon Fitbit Inspire HR reviews

Fitbit’s spring 2019 lineup includes four devices: the entry-level Fitbit Inspire, the HR-equipped Inspire HR, the Ace 2 kids, and the affordable Versa Lite smartwatch. The latter is for those who want an affordable smartwatch, but it’s the Inspire HR that stands out the most for under $100. That’s one of the lowest prices we’ve seen so far from Fitbit for a fitness tracker with an optical heart rate sensor.

The low-cost Inspire HR is basic, but it surprised us with how well it could hold up against the day-to-day activities of an active person’s life.

Slim, light design with small screen

The Inspire HR replaces Fitbit Zip and the popular HR Alta/Alta in Fitbit’s lineup. On the inside and out, the tracker is essentially a stripped-down and sprouted version of the Fitbit Charge 3.

The fitness tracker is curved for comfort and so thin you don’t even notice it on your wrist. It retains the iconic Fitbit look with rounded edges for a modern feel, along with a lightweight plastic case and two silicone straps to accommodate a variety of wrist sizes. The bands are interchangeable, allowing you to swap out sweat-friendly silicone for a metal mesh or a saffiano leather bracelet.

The Inspire HR uses a black-and-white OLED display with a responsive touchscreen interface, which is good because you’ll often use it to view health stats, read alerts, set timers, and more. A single button on the right side is used to wake the device and take you out of the menu. This button is also used to pause or stop exercise – handy because it can be difficult to swipe on a touchscreen with sweaty hands. The button is thin but long, making it easy to press even while in motion.

My main complaint with Inspire HR is the small screen. Unlike the larger Charge 3, which can display multiple metrics, the Inspire HR can only display one metric at a time during exercise. I keep tapping on the watch to see my stats, and it’s throwing me out of my stride. In the end, I just gave up and ran without looking at my wrist.

The small screen also makes it difficult to read text messages and other incoming notifications. If you have vision problems and prefer larger fonts, this is not the tracker for you. This small screen is the price you have to pay if you want a fitness tracker that fits. Unlike the Fitbit Versa Lite that I’ve used for tracking apps and alerts, I’ve adjusted my routine to use the Inspire HR primarily as a timekeeping and data collection device. I then turned to the Fitbit app on my phone to track health and fitness metrics collected from the Inspire HR, analyze my workouts, and review my notifications.

Easy to use interface

The Inspire HR uses a simple, easy-to-learn touch-based menu system. The watch face is your central hub, and you can only swipe up or down from here. Swipe down for apps like exercise, timer, alarm clock, and settings.

Swiping up lets you see daily health and fitness stats. You touch items to select them and then use the side button to return to the watch face. You can also press and hold the button at any point to go to the quick settings menu, where you can see your battery level and turn off features like notifications and screen wake-up.

Basic tracking, but very good performance and fitness

The Inspire HR may be an entry-level tracker in Fitbit’s lineup, but it’s no slouch when it comes to fitness tracking. This device supports up to 15 different indoor and outdoor activities, including hiking, running, elliptical, weightlifting, and more. The tracker is also water-resistant up to 50m, so you can wear it while swimming to track your performance. You can customize which workouts appear on the tracker and set whether you want audio cues during your workout.

I often forget the Inspire HR on my wrist.

During a workout, the Inspire HR displays relevant metrics like heart rate, distance, time, calories burned, speed, and more. I found both the heart rate tracking to be accurate and the intensity tracking of my workouts. Step count was also detected when compared to other comparable fitness trackers. One feature we missed was the altimeter, which counts flights of stairs you’ve climbed.

The Inspire HR comes with Fitbit’s SmartTrack automatic activity tracking, recognizing and recording workouts without any input. I find this works reliably when my exercise is steady and consistent. If my exercise requires me to stop frequently, the automatic tracking will be more of a hindrance than a help.

The tracker doesn’t include built-in GPS, which means it relies on your phone to provide GPS-based tracking information for outdoor activities. This connected GPS tracking is relatively seamless: You start your activity and wait for the tracker to connect to your phone automatically. A status bar will change from connected to be connected, and the Inspire HR will vibrate when the connection is complete. Once connected, you can start your activity, and the GPS will record as long as the phone and tracker are in sync.

Sleep is where it shines.

Fitbit is known for its outstanding sleep tracking, and the Inspire HR doesn’t disappoint. The device keeps nailing when I go to sleep and when I wake up. The Inspire HR accurately tracked all stages of sleep, but it did a remarkable job of spotting moments when I wasn’t asleep and wasn’t fully awake.

Although I was still lying down, followers discovered that I had picked up my phone and lazily checked my Facebook or Instagram feed.

Notifications are limited

Almost all fitness trackers have notification capabilities, allowing you to glimpse incoming alerts without having to pull your smartphone out of your pocket. Inspire HR is no exception. The mini tracker can receive phone call notifications, text messages, emails, and app alerts. It also gives you full control over what notifications you receive, allowing you to configure them on an app-by-app basis.

Notifications on the Inspire HR are useful but limited. They are sent quickly from the phone to the tracker, but the small screen limits their usefulness. You might see the first 200 characters of a text, email, or warning that’s enough to let you know if you need to pull out your phone to read or reply to a message. You can just read the warnings and then close them. You cannot answer them. Notifications are not archived, so you cannot read them and retrieve them again at a later date.

Battery life

Fitbit claims the Inspire HR will offer up to 5 days of battery life, but my experience wasn’t very optimistic. I averaged three days using the tracker for an hour-a-day workout with connected GPS, regular arrival alerts, 24/7 heart monitoring, and overnight sleep tracking.

Price and warranty information

The Fitbit Inspire HR is available to order for $99 on the Fitbit website and at retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, Target, and more.

Fitbit offers a 45-day money-back guarantee and a one-year limited warranty that covers manufacturer defects.

where can you get a Fitbit Inspire HR online

Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate and Fitness Tracker, One Size (S and L Bands Included), 1 Count: Buy it now

Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate & Fitness Tracker, One Size – S & L Bands Included (International Version): Buy it now

Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate & Fitness Tracker, One Size (S & L bands included), 1 Count (Renewed): Buy it now