Fitbit Luxe review

Fitbit Luxe takes the “classic” Fitbit shape, adds a little pizazz to it in the form of an array of sensors and a stunning AMOLED display, and crams multiple sensors inside. Nevertheless, you’ll likely still forget that you’re wearing it.

This svelte tracker is a great mix of function and fashion that offers the excellent, five-day battery life and waterproofing that Fitbit has become known for. In many ways, it feels like the purest distillation of what Fitbit does best. 

There are some drawbacks, however. The smaller size means that the display pales in comparison to the Fitbit Sense or Fitbit Versa 3, so you can expect to scroll through text messages and get used to swiping between menus.  

There’s also no built-in GPS, meaning you’ll need to take a phone with you to track your running route. And, as has been the case for the Fitbits in recent years, there’s no onboard audio support.

Nevertheless, if you’re the type of fitness fanatic who loves to lift weights or run on a treadmill, it’s almost impossible not to recommend the Luxe. It might be the best Fitbit for you if you're looking for a lightweight tracker. 

Price and release date

• Launched April 2021
• Can be found discounted

Fitbit Luxe launched in April 2021 and retails for $149.99 in the US and £129.99 in the UK. We’ve seen it drop to around £100 on deals, but as it starts off cheaper than the Sense or the Versa 3, discounts aren’t as steep. Every Fitbit Luxe also comes with a six-month trial for Fitbit Premium.  

Design and display

• Slimline design
• Bright display

If you’ve seen any Fitbit in the last few years, you’ll immediately recognise the Luxe as being part of the manufacturer’s lineup. It’s got that jewelry-style design, silicone or stainless steel strap, and almost adorable charging puck.

Look a little closer, however, and you’ll see that the Luxe is a particularly attractive device. A big part of that is down to the AMOLED display. This panel may be small (which we’ll get to later) but everything, from the built-in menus to the text messages you read on it, absolutely burst with color. The resolution is only 206 x 124, but at this size that really doesn’t matter – it just looks great.

Watch faces can be customized through the companion app, too, and while it’s not the biggest canvas to work with you’re able to put the stats that matter most to you front and center if you’d like.

There’s also a stainless steel chassis, which for our money just looks smarter, and is probably more durable (although we weren’t about to test that on a review unit).

Given that there’s sleep tracking included, it’s nice to know you can wear the Luxe all day, and all night without feeling uncomfortable.

The Fitbit Luxe comes in Soft Gold, Graphite and Platinum Stainless Steel colorways. There’s also a more expensive Parker Link bracelet version that’s gold, and will set you back $199.95. 

Features

• Works with the Fitbit app
• Variety of sensors

If you’re expecting Fitbit Luxe to slack on features in order to fit everything into that dinky frame, you’re very much mistaken. The Luxe offers a whole treasure trove of fitness and wellbeing options to give you all the data you want – and maybe even more than that.

Since launch, bloody oxygen levels have been added as part of a firmware update, while you’ll also get the distance, pace, step and swimming tracking you’d expect from Fitbit.

Keep the Fitbit Luxe on overnight, and you’ll gain access to sleep tracking, too. Not only does this give you a score based on how well you slept, but it’ll also paint a picture of how deep your sleep was and how the stages of sleep break down each night. It’ll also sense changes in your skin temperature, which might be useful for spotting signs of an approaching infection.

There are also notifications from your phone, should you choose to enable them, although the smaller display makes it trickier to read a lengthy text on your wrist – be prepared for plenty of scrolling. 

Another downside is that there’s no NFC chip inside for Fitbit Pay. That means you won’t be able to use your Fitbit Luxe as a payment method, sadly.

The Luxe, as with all Fitbits, comes with six-months of Fitbit Premium. This subscription unlocks a bevy of extended features for your device, as well as guided programs to help make the most of your recovery days (as well as your active ones).

Six months is a decent amount of time to see if it works for you, but we’ve grown quite attached to the Daily Readiness Score. Pulled from data from exercise, sleep and more, it’ll help you pace yourself each day and know your limits to reduce fatigue or injury. It’s not a must-have subscription, but Fitbits do feel a little more reactive with it.

Performance

• No GPS
• Impressive battery life
• Workouts need to be manually added with the app

If you’re looking to leave your phone at home and head out for a run or a bike ride, we’ve got some bad news. Unfortunately there’s no GPS in the Fitbit Luxe, so the device itself can’t track your location. 

You also won’t be able to store music on the Luxe. While the Sense and Versa 3 have some limited playback options, there’s nothing of the sort on the Luxe.

Step tracking is accurate enough,however. We compared it to an Apple Watch Series 7, which costs more than twice the Fitbit Luxe’s price tag, and the two offered comparable results. (Don’t miss our Apple Watch Series 7 review to find out more.) 

The same can be said for heart-rate tracking, which matched the Apple Watch option both at rest and following a workout.

Our biggest issue, though, is again a result of having such a slimline display. Because the Fitbit Luxe can only offer six workout options - run, cycle, swim, treadmill, weights or interval workout - if you want to do something else you’ll need to swap the Fitbit out for something else.

For most people those options will be fine, but if you take part in a whole host of workouts in any given period you may find yourself chained to your phone a little more than you’d like. 

Finally, a five day battery life in a device this small is impressive – especially when you factor in sleep tracking as well.

Verdict

The Fitbit Luxe is a great fitness tracker if GPS isn’t important to you. If you’re lifting weights, enjoying a spin class, or running on a treadmill, it’ll track your vitals and give you more data than you know what to do with. 

If this isn’t for you

Fitbit Luxe is unlikely to wow anyone looking for a more all-purpose smartwatch. For that, you’ll want to go for the Fitbit Versa 3, which adds additional functionality, or the Fitbit Sense which adds even more sensors.

As is always the case, iOS users should consider the Apple Watch. While the Apple Watch Series 7 is pricey, the Apple Watch SE is a solid choice but lacks the Fitbit’s battery life.