Fitbit pioneered sports wearables with the Fitbit Charge bracelets. The range of these bracelets is now being expanded with the Fitbit Luxe, a subtle sports wearable with a small color screen.
Fitbit Luxury
price € 149,-
Colors Black, White, Platinum, Gold
Platform Android, iOS, Windows
Screen oled
Format 3.6 x 1.8 cm
Weight 27 grams
Sensors Heart rate monitor, accelerometer, pedometer, calorie counter, sleep monitor
Connectivity Bluetooth, GPS
Other waterproof, interchangeable straps
Website www.fitbit.com
6 Score 60 
- Pros
- nice screen
- Accessible app
- Small format
- Negatives
- Fewer features than Fitbit Charge 4
- Screen difficult to read in sunlight
- Fitbit Premium
The top line of Fitbit bracelets has always been the Charge series, of which the fourth generation was released last year: the Fitbit Charge 4. A sports wearable that gives you a lot of insight into your activities and health via an accessible app. Recently with the addition of GPS and contactless payment, the Fitbit bracelets are becoming more and more self-contained.
However, there are some caveats. First of all, the introduction of Fitbit Premium, where basic functionality of your pricey wearable is suddenly hidden behind a wry paywall. The screen of the Fitbit Charge 4 was also a bit difficult to read in the bright sun. That screen is the biggest innovation of the Fitbit Luxe compared to the Fitbit Charge 4. Moreover, not a superfluous luxury, since brands such as Xiaomi also make good sports bracelets such as the Xiaomi Mi Band 6. Not only for a fraction of the price, but also with a nice and clear oled screen. Fitbit is not left behind and offers an alternative with the Luxe.
small strap
The wearable comes standard with a rubber (removable) strap and is quite subtle in size. Maybe it’s good to look at alternative bands. This is also possible at cheaper (Chinese) web shops. The rubber of the strap can irritate the skin. Especially after exercise.
Compared to the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and Fitbit Charge 4, the Fitbit Luxe is a bit smaller. That’s so beautiful. The color screen is behind a glass plate and is actually only a very small part of the housing. That could have been a little bigger. In addition, it is an OLED screen; with this technology, black is shown by not illuminating the screen part. In short, a larger screen does not have to demand much more from the battery.
It is nice that the screen is brighter than the Fitbit Charge 4. But here again a side note. The screen is still not very readable when you are outside in the sun. The much cheaper Mi Band 6 does this better with a larger and brighter screen.
The OLED screen does offer better image quality than the Mi Band. Colors are impressive and everything looks sharp. The screen also responds well to finger operation. So you don’t have to worry about the small size. I often had some trouble getting the screen on. Wrist movements or double taps were often not registered, making it often a hassle to get the screen on.
Fitbit Luxury
The Fitbit Luxe has fewer functions than the Fitbit Charge 4. For example, you cannot pay with Fitbit Pay and, for example, it is also missing the option to control your Spotify tunes and podcasts from your wrist.
Furthermore, everything you are used to from Fitbit is on board. Sensors count your steps, measure your heart rate, keep track of your activities – and if you manually start these during a running or cycling session, for example, the location is recorded via the GPS. There is also extensive sleep measurement and you are motivated to exercise regularly. All of this is packaged in an accessible app that anyone can use. You can also view all collected data in an overview, only your data is quite hostage at Fitbit. Links with other services or transfer of your data is not possible.
Fitbit Premium feels like paying extra for basic functionality
Premium
In 2020, Fitbit introduced the Fitbit Premium service, which costs you a tenner per month. Understandable from Fitbit’s perspective, it’s a welcome stream of revenue. Many manufacturers try to add a subscription extra with their devices, for example with e-readers, IP cameras and camera doorbells. Fitbit’s Premium perks are mainly more insight and recommendations based on the collected data. And that feels very bad. After all, it’s your data and you’ve already paid for the wearable. Hopefully Fitbit will soon send the Premium service back to the drawing board, because this way it feels like paying extra for basic functionality.
Fitbit Luxury in practice
The screen looks a lot nicer and is certainly a plus compared to the Fitbit Charge 4. The Fitbit Luxe has an excellent battery life, the wearable lasts about five days on a charged battery. Of course that depends on how you use it. If you often cycle or (run) with the GPS on, you will notice that the battery life is somewhat shorter. If you wear it without looking after it regularly, more than five days will be fine.
In addition to sports activities, you can set timers and alarms, do breathing exercises and read notifications from your wrist. In the app you can view the collected data: how you slept, how intensive an activity was, your heart rate, calories burned. How accurate this data is also varies from person to person. In practice, I notice that the heart rate measurement is fairly accurate. But the calorie burn way too high.
Alternatives to the Fitbit Luxe
The Fitbit Luxe stands out compared to other Fitbits because the wearable is a lot more subtle. The device name actually says that. The strap is subtle due to its small size, neatly finished and the screen is very nice. If you are looking for more functionality, there will be stiff competition from our own Fitbit stable. The Fitbit Charge 4 has more functionality and is a lot cheaper.
Even more functionality and a beautiful OLED screen can also be found with the Fitbit smartwatches: the Fitbit Versa 3 and the Fitbit Sense. Although these watches are priced somewhat higher.
As described, the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is also a good alternative to the Fitbit Luxe. In terms of appearance, the two fitness bracelets do not differ that much. In terms of price, the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 is much more accessible. However, the Fitbit Luxe is more accessible with its app, and the sensors are also a lot better adjusted. Conclusion: Buy Fitbit Luxe?
Conclusion: Buy Fitbit Luxe?
The Fitbit Luxe is a jewel among fitness trackers, thanks to its small size and beautiful screen. Still, a choice for a Fitbit Charge 4 or Fitbit Versa 3 seems to be better substantiated. These have more to offer functionally. The Fitbit app is accessible and well-organized with interesting data and help to live healthier and more active. However, that part of this functionality has been placed behind a Fitbit Premium paywall is wry.
.