When I first hooked up the Fitbit Inspire 3, I felt like I was navigating through a portal to 2015 — back to the time when fitness bands were at their heyday, and smartwatches were heavy devices that had yet to find their purpose. And I must say it made me yearn to buy simple wearables.
The $99.95 Inspire 3 is Fitbit’s new entry-level tracker. The Inspire line is known for its affordable price and 10-day battery life. For the third-generation Inspire, Fitbit added a color OLED display — a departure from the monochrome screen of previous versions. It’s basically a less luxurious Fitbit Luxe. Instead of a metal case, the Inspire 3 opts for matte black plastic with induction buttons on both sides. I appreciate the sporty feel of the pink silicone strap of my review unit. The Jelly Retro from the ’90s Fitbit formed a new transparent band. But if you want to get close to the elegant atmosphere of Luxe, you can choose the bands of interest along with
This OLED color is a huge step forward. It may sound silly, but the addition of colors makes the Inspire 3 more modern, while the bright screen makes notifications and gauges more readable. In addition, you get a variety of watch faces. The new screen has its limitations, too. Most importantly, like Lux, this case also has loci big- The OLED panel occupies half of the vertical space on the front. Everything else is bezel. You will only notice it when viewing the scene from an angle, but you can’t help but notice it.
My main concern with the new screen is how it affects battery life. Fitbits are known to last several days on a single charge, and the Inspire 2 had a battery life of 10 days – something Fitbit claims for the Inspire 3. I haven’t had a chance to hang the Inspire 3. With my usual testing method, but I do see that the always-on OLED makes an impact in this claim. With Always On Display enabled, I got close to three days on a single charge. I also took the Inspire 3 on a four-day business trip without Truck. For the trip, I disabled the AOD and it left with about 85 percent of the battery. When I got home, I left 10 percent. Not terrible, but not the promised ten days.
Fitbit has always had great sleep tracking devices in its wearables, and I’m excited to see how well its new profiles perform. The profiles are named after animals and are meant to give you more information about what kind of sleeper you are. You need to track sleep for at least 14 days a month – and I’ve only tested this for a week and a half. Once you have recorded the necessary sleep data, you will be able to view metrics describing your sleep patterns and get tips for improving your sleep hygiene. On paper, Samsung recently announced the Galaxy Watch 4 series, Galaxy Watch 5, and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
Other than that, the Inspire 3 reminded me of what I loved about fitness teams in the first place. It is very light and comfortable to sleep in and doesn’t overdo things. It won’t help you control your smart home, but it does provide basic notifications, lets you set alarms and timers, track your workouts, and most importantly, track your step count for the day. With Fitbit Premium, you get access to advanced metrics like daily readiness score and stress tracking, although they are optional.
You can take the Inspire 3 out of its wristband and attach it with a simple attachment clip — just as you did with the Fitbit One a decade ago. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed wearing a glorious pedometer around my waist. I missed some heart rate readings when wearing it with the clip, but it was pretty reasonable that I didn’t care in the end. If tracking steps is what you’re after, this is a great way to stay active. (Everything old is new again. Newer trackers like Hoop 4.0 also allow you to wear trackers on other parts of your body or on clothing.)
The best part is that you might even forget you’re wearing the Inspire 3. I was constantly looking at my wrist for anything but time. Even though I can use the Inspire 3 for 10 days on a single charge, I don’t have to worry about how long I’m going to charge my battery. It’s a more passive experience than I get with the Apple Watch, but that’s not always a bad thing — especially if your main goal is to reduce distractions. In fact, I remember why I stayed with my old Fitbit Alta HR for as long as I did.
In 2022, I don’t think I’ll go back to wearing a fitness band as my main tracker. I love the reading that larger smartwatch screens can handle. I’ll admit it – I’m addicted to smart features. However, the Inspire 3’s blend of affordability and simplicity is a refreshing change of pace. This makes a compelling case for hardware no Do more than the basics. Sometimes a gadget is enough to do its job and blend into the background.
Photography by Victoria Song/The Verge