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Fitbit’s Inspire 3 is the brand’s most basic and straightforward fitness tracker. While it’s more advanced than a pedometer, the experience isn’t far off. It’s devoid of the smartwatch features found in Fitbit’s Sense 2 and Versa 4 and doesn’t have built-in GPS like the Charge 5.
But the no-frills experience is what Fitbit intends for the Inspire 3, and it’s a wearable meant for those who consider themselves beginners or who want something budget-friendly. Overall, it’s an uncomplicated fitness tracker that still offers plenty of health and fitness insights like sleep, stress, and menstrual cycle tracking.
To get a true sense of whether the Inspire 3 is worth the investment, I wore the tracker as my everyday wearable over several weeks. While I found the experience to be generally fine, I did have a few nitpicks that make it hard to recommend over some of the best Fitbits.
A basic yet familiar design
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is an unassuming device. It has a black silicone band that feels comfortable and secure against your skin but isn’t so thick or tight that it’s noticeable in the middle of a workout. I found it to be easy to strap on compared to other, larger wearables, and I mostly forgot I was wearing it. It also comes with an additional larger band for those with bigger wrists.
The tracking device itself is very small (1.5 inches by .73 inches) and has a tiny color display. You have to press both sides or double-tap the screen to bring up the watch’s face, which I found to be a little frustrating when I wanted to just quickly view the time or my tracked activity stats.
There’s also a bit of a learning curve required to use the vertical and horizontal swiping that navigates the menus. I found the process clunky initially, especially when I wanted to simply glance at my heart rate or workout time. Instead of quickly swiping to those screens, I had to memorize the specific gestures. This is ultimately fine but will feel a little different to new users.
Also, the watch doesn’t provide quick access to each of the 21 exercise options native to Fitbit’s ecosystem. You can only display six on your home screen at a time and you’ll need to manually change the activity menu to see others via the Fitbit App. The total time to do this takes roughly five minutes.
While the basic black color does mesh with most attire, and the sleekness is a step up from bulkier wearables, its lack of formal options for bands means I’d likely not wear it outside of working out. You can change the strap for one of the best Inspire 3 bands but the variety does lack. Still, the overall comfort and size of the device make it a great option for those looking for a sporty, all-day wearable.
Its advanced health and wellness tracking is a high point
Health and wellness tracking is where the Inspire 3 shines. Tracking is available for not only basics like step counts and workouts but also more advanced metrics like breathing rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, oxygen saturation, and resting heart rate. Most of this monitoring requires wearing the device while sleeping, so the fact it has a comfortable band is a bonus.
Regarding sleep tracking, I found the Inspire 3 to do an adequate job of recognizing when I went to bed and how long I slept. I did notice that it tended to register some sleep sessions as being a bit shorter than they actually were but overall, it didn’t perform any better or worse compared to the sleep app I use on my phone called Sleep Cycle and Rise.
I was also intrigued by Fitbit’s new Daily Readiness Score feature. The score is supposed to be an indication of how well you can expect your body to perform based on the data it gathers about how much activity you’ve done, the quality of your sleep, and so on.
The amassed data, and the score it churns out, is supposed to help you make better choices in how you take care of yourself on a day-to-day basis particularly when deciding what kind of exercise you’ll engage in.
For example, the Daily Readiness Score would signify how prepared my body was for physical activity each day. Any score below 30 indicated that I should prioritize rest instead of working out, while a score above 64 meant I could push myself to more intense levels of exercise. Having that kind of daily insight goes beyond just wanting to hit a step count and it empowered me to feel better about my overall workout routine.
It’s important to note that a lot of the trend data (like sleep tracking) is only accessible if you have a premium Fitbit subscription. You do get six months included when you purchase the device, so you can get an idea of how helpful the data could be before deciding to pay for it.
It’s a decent activity tracker that may leave hardcore athletes wanting more
The Inspire 3 does a decent job of tracking activities but I did think it was a little frustrating to only have access to six trackable activities on the home screen, which I could see being a major drawback for multisport users. It’s a cumbersome experience needing to go into the app to adjust those viewable activities all the time.
But I did come across a more serious dealbreaker: its lack of built-in GPS. Having GPS access is a must for serious athletes who want more than just roundabout estimations of distance, steps, and calorie data. Not only is it a good thing to have for when you don’t want your phone with you but it’s also the surest way to get accurate tracking information regarding pace and total activity time.
GPS has also become a standard on so many of the best fitness trackers that it seems strange when a wearable doesn’t have it. The Inspire 3 does allow for GPS use when synced with a phone, but I don’t always like to tote my smartphone along during a workout, especially while running. When I did, however, I found that the GPS synced almost instantaneously.
Battery life is its clear best feature and lasts up to 10 straight days
As far as standout features go, the Inspire 3’s battery life deserves serious recognition. Fitbit touts it as having a 10-day battery life and after testing this claim myself, it’s spot on.
I wore the device nearly 24/7, sporting it to bed while I slept, as well as throughout the work day, and had no problem getting at least 10 days on a single charge. And when the battery finally did reach 0%, it charged back up to 100% in just over an hour. Fitbit’s always done well in the battery life department, and the Inspire 3 is no different.
Should you buy it?
Overall, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is an adequate fitness tracker that offers basic insights into your health and activity levels. The sleek design and long-lasting battery make it ideal for all-day (and all-night) wear, and it’s great at giving a birds-eye view of your overall health.
But whether or not it’s a wise investment depends largely on your personal goals and needs. Its lack of built-in GPS puts it behind similar options from Fitbit like the Charge 5, and if you want a device that provides deeper fitness and wellness insights, the more intuitive Sense 2 is a better option. Though, it does cost more.
However, if you’re looking for a wearable that accurately tracks your workouts, logs your basic daily metrics like steps taken and calories burned, and has a long-lasting battery, this is the best fitness tracker for you.
Fitbit’s Inspire 3 is a dependable fitness tracking device that will serve users well, particularly first-time wearers or those beginning a workout routine, so long as their needs are basic. But anything beyond simple metrics requires an upgrade.
