Fitbit Luxe is a stylish and premium fitness band that is so petite it’s by far that smallest tracker I’ve tested.
It measures just 36.3mm x 17.6mm x 10mm is so light you’d hardly notice you were wearing it, even though it is crafted from stainless steel and not plastic like so many other fitness bands.
There a number of design options available but the one I tested was black and graphite and came with a slim and comfortable-to-wear silicone strap.
You can also get woven bands, stainless steel mesh bands, Horween leather double wrap bands and leather bands.
The other colour options are white/ gold and orchid/platinum models with silicone straps or a more luxurious soft gold model with a gorjana link bracelet that costs €50 extra.
The Luxe may be primarily aimed at the female market but I’m sure there are men who might prefer a more discrete wearable too.
The vivid 0.76in OLED display is bright and colourful, has a 326 pixels per inch (ppi) pixel density, and is controlled by swipes and taps. There are no physical buttons on the Luxe.
You can choose from more than 20 watch face designs.
The home screen, exercise animations and notifications all look great in colour, but the screen is not as bright as it might be when in direct sunlight.
Activity tracking
Fitbit Luxe includes a three-axis accelerometer, an optical heart rate sensor, along with red and infrared sensors to deliver blood oxygen readings. Fitbit’s website says the latter feature is ‘coming soon’ in Ireland and will allow you to track your blood oxygen levels.
Luxe can accurately track your steps, analyse your workouts and report on your sleep.
As well as step counting, you also get Fitbit’s proprietary Active Zone Minutes feature which monitors the time you spend in the fat burn, cardio or peak heart-rate zones while exercising.
The WHO recommends 150 Active Zone Minutes each week and it’s a more beneficial target to aim for than 10,000 daily steps.
It tells you how many calories you burned in a workout and there are more than 20 exercise modes, some of which have automatic tracking. These include walking, running, cycling and swimming. Luxe is water resistant up to 50 metres, by the way.
Sleep tracking
The sleep tracking is especially excellent. It’s a really comfy wearable for bed, and can sense how well you're resting.
You get a report on how much time you spend in the different sleep stage cycles and receive a sleep score.
The sleep tracking will be improved when the Luxe’s Sp02 sensors are switched on.
The band runs Fitbit’s own software which is a clean and simple UI that is easy to navigate. It pairs with the standard Fitbit app in superfast fashion and works with both Android watches and iOS.
Purchase of a Luxe means you get a free six-month subscription of Fitbit Premium subscription which offers more detailed insights and a wealth of stress-management and mindfulness tools such as guided breathing exercises to help you get your stress levels under control.
The subscription costs €8.99 a month after the free trial ends, or €79.99 a year if you pay annually.
Other features
The price point of the Luxe means there are compromises over more expensive fitness trackers and smartwatches.
So missing in action are an altimeter, built-in GPS and NFC.
This means you won’t be able to track stairs or hills climbed or make contactless payments.
You can, of course, pair with the GPS on your phone.
There is also no always-on display option but there is a reliable raise-to-wake.
And there is no music player.
Another limitation is the fact that you can’t interact with message notifications.
Luxe can receive mirrored app notifications from your phone such as calendar events.
But if it is a WhatsApp message, for example, you can't reply on the Fitbit. You have to pick up your phone.
The upside of that is you see your notifications as they come in but they are much less of a distraction.
And if something is really important then you can pick up your phone.
Luxe also includes tools such as alarms and timers.
Battery life is an average of five days and recharging using the proprietary charging cradle is up to two hours.
Verdict
Fitbit Luxe delivers a strong package of features at an affordable price point in a stylish package.
You can get a lot more features in some of the brand's other wearables which are only slightly more expensive.
So whether you choose the Luxe may well depend on how much you love and want this ultra-compact design style.
Pricing and availability
Fitbit Luxe costs €149.95 from Fitbit.com
Key specs
Dimensions: 36.3mm x 17.6mm x 10mm
Display: 0.76in AMOLED, 124x206 resolution, 326 ppi
Stainless steel case: white/black/orchid
GPS: Only by pairing with smartphone
Features: Sports tracking modes, heart rate monitor, SpO2 sensor, stress tracking, sleep monitoring, heart rate variability, skin temperature, breathing rate
