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Fitbit Surge Review: Good Fitness Tracker But Bad Smartwatch

Searching for a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch? Then, Fitbit Surge is a great option.

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Fitbit recently entered the Indian market with their entire range for people looking for a serious wearable fitness tracker. Fitbit, for the time being, is available on Amazon India.

So, we thought, let’s try out the top-of-the-line super-watch and fitness tracker, the Fitbit Surge.

At Rs 19,990, we took it for a spin to find out if it’s worth your money or not.

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What’s Good?

Fitbit Surge is a top-of-the-line fitness tracker but it looks like a smartwatch. The materials used to make it are not fancy looking but are definitely solid and sturdy. The rubber strap is light on the skin and don’t leave an impression on your wrist, like many smartwatches out there.

Searching for a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch? Then, Fitbit Surge is a great option.
Fitbit Surge (Photo: Fitbit)

The screen is touch-responsive and always on, so it can also tell you the time. Physical buttons combined with the touchscreen make the user experience intuitive.

It’s easy to wear like an everyday watch. The Surge, like all Fitbit products, works with an app on your smartphone. It’s compatible with over 150 android smartphones and, of course, the iPhones.

All you need to do is sync your Fitbit Surge with the app and connect it via Bluetooth and you’re good to go.

Searching for a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch? Then, Fitbit Surge is a great option.
Fitbit app interface (Photo: The Quint)

The activity tracker, which is quite accurate, keeps a check on your step count and constantly monitors your heart rate. Apart from this, it also measures the calories that you burn, active minutes, the number of floors that you climb, how you slept and also the calories that you consume.

If you have a serious fitness goal set for yourself, the surge really helps you achieve it. You also have the option of competing with your friends who have a Fitbit tracker (not necessarily the Surge). This is quite motivating.

The GPS tracking, if you like to run outdoors and not in a gym, is another amazing feature.

Searching for a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch? Then, Fitbit Surge is a great option.
Fitbit app interface (Photo: The Quint)

Apart from tracking your activity, it also syncs with your phone’s messaging app so you can stay updated with your text messages. You can’t take calls with the Surge, but it does give you call notifications.

The data that it churns out is more accurate than what you’d get on a smartwatch like the Moto 360 or the Apple Watch.

Searching for a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch? Then, Fitbit Surge is a great option.
Fitbit app interface (Photo: The Quint)

The battery on the Surge easily lasts for 3-4 days. The Fitbit Surge is not water-proof but is water-resistant. You can’t swim with it, so don’t even try.

What’s Bad?

The Fitbit Surge is expensive at Rs 19,900 and looks a bit boring. It’s certainly not going to impress your date and isn’t as cool or luxurious as the Moto 360 or the Apple Watch. Plus, it tends to get dirty after outdoor usage (which is how you’d expect to use a fitness tracker). And to clean it is a pain in all the wrong places.

Searching for a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch? Then, Fitbit Surge is a great option.
Fitbit Surge (Photo: Fitbit)

Charging the Fitbit Surge is more of a pain as it requires a proprietary USB cable that just refuses to lock up with the watch.

Searching for a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch? Then, Fitbit Surge is a great option.
Fitbit Surge (Photo: Fitbit)

The Fitbit Surge is not a great device for sleep tracking, simply because it’s too big to wear on your wrist while you sleep.

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Why Buy It?

Fitbit Surge is a great fitness tracker but not a good smartwatch. And at Rs 19,900, you’d expect it to be far more stylish.

Searching for a fitness tracker that looks like a smartwatch? Then, Fitbit Surge is a great option.
Fitbit Surge (Photo: Fitbit)

Buy it only if you’re looking for an accurate fitness tracker and that’s all. If you’re after a regular smartwatch, there are better ones in the market right now. Take a look at them here and here.

If you still want the Fitbit Surge, you can buy it here.

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

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