The new Fitbit Sense comes the UAE mid-September 2020 Image Credit: Supplied

At its latest virtual launch Fitbit brought consumers a smartwatch with a never seen before feature. One which maybe be more pertinent than ever in 2020. Say hello to the Fitbit Sense, which is the worlds first smartwatch with an EDA sensor for stress management.

Our mission to make everyone in the world healthier has never been more important than it is today. COVID-19 has shown us all how critical it is to take care of both our physical and mental health and wellbeing, said James Park, co-founder and CEO, Fitbit.

Fitbit Sense Body and Design

The Fitbit Sense looks like a more premium version of the Versa with glass and metal all over the body. The display is a 1.58-inch AMOLED display with a 336 x 336 pixel resolution and comes with always-on modes as well as auto-dimming to save battery. The smartwatch is also water-resistant up to 50m.

Fitbit Sense Stress Management

Now while the Fitbit Sense also comes with advanced heart rate tracking, a new ECG app (no confirmation of UAE availability yet), on-wrist skin temperature sensor and six days of battery-life, its main focus is its stress management features.

The new EDA sensor on Fitbit Sense measures electrodermal activity responses. Using the EDA Scan app, you can place your palm over the face of the device to detect small electrical changes in the sweat level of your skin. Bymeasuring your EDA responses can help yourself understand your bodys response to stressors and manage your stress too. You can do a quick EDA scan session on the device to see your responses, or pair it with a guided mindfulness sessions in the Fitbit app to see how your body responds during meditation or relaxation. At the end of your session, you will see an EDA response graph on-device and in the mobile app to gauge your progress over time and reflect on how you feel emotionally.

A regular meditation practice has both physical and emotional benefits, from reducing stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression, to helping cardiovascular health such as improving blood pressure and heart rate, said Dr. Helen Weng, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.

Fitbit Sense Heart Rate and Skin Temperature

The Fitbit Sense comes with the companys new PurePulse 2.0 technology, with an all-new multi-path heart rate sensor and an updated algorithm. With 24/7 continuous heart rate tracking, Fitbit Sense can detect and send a notification if your heart rate is outside of your thresholds.

Fitbit Sense adds a new skin temperature sensor to detect changes to your wellbeing that may potentially be a sign of a fever, illness, or the start of a new menstrual phase. The company claims that wearing your device when you're asleep each night lets you regularly measure your skin temperature variation to see trends, versus looking at your temperature at a specific moment in time.

Wearables may be able to play an important role in the early detection of infectious diseases by acting as an early warning system for our bodies, which is critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and to better understanding disease progression, said Eric Friedman, co-founder and CTO of Fitbit.

Fitbit Sense Other Features

Apart from these new features the Fitbit Sense comes with an on-board GPS, 20+ on-device exercise modes, SmartTrack for activity detection and sleep tracking. The smartwatch also comes with NFC for Fitbit Pay (currently available in the UAE) and a built-in speaker to answer calls and for voice-commands.

Fitbit Sense Pricing and Availability

Colour variants for the Fitbit Sense are carbon and graphite stainless steel and lunar white and soft gold stainless steel. New members of Fitbit Premium will get a free 6-months membership when they get their hands on the Fitbit Sense.

The Fitbit Sense will be available for Dh1399 when pre-orders open on September 14th 2020 at select retailers online. The device will be available in store late September 2020.

Excerpt from:
Fitbit wants to help you manage stress with their new Sense smartwatch - Gulf News