Fitbit Luxe vs. Inspire 2: Which should you buy?

Fitbit Inspire 2

The Fitbit Inspire 2 is nearly a year old, but it's still one of the most budget-friendly and efficient trackers on the market. You get an amazing 10 days of battery life and all of the Fitbit staples, including activity/sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring, Active Zone Minutes, and more.

Fitbit Luxe

If you're searching for a fitness tracker that prioritizes fashion while still doing an excellent job of monitoring key aspects of your overall health, you might prefer the Fitbit Luxe. It's new to the market, but it's quickly becoming known as one of the most fashionable trackers you can buy.

Fitbit Luxe vs. Inspire 2: Some similarities

One of the main determinations you'll have to make when comparing the Fitbit Luxe and the Fitbit Inspire 2 is how much fashion and other extras matter to you. Considering these are two of the best fitness trackers on the market right now, and they come from the same company, you'll see many similarities. You'll want to keep in mind that the Luxe is a new release available for pre-order with shipping beginning in mid to late June.

At the end of the day, the new Fitbit Luxe was specifically made with fashion-forward folks in mind. For example, it's not unusual for fitness trackers to sport a rather basic design like the Inspire 2. The Luxe allows you to elevate your sense of style while still tracking key metrics. If you prefer simplicity (and affordability), you might be content with the Inspire 2 instead.

Monitor your health in style with the Fitbit Luxe

All it takes is one look at the Fitbit Luxe to see that this tracker prioritizes fashion more than anything. We'll get to the feature set shortly, but the gorgeous design is entitled to its five minutes of fame. It's undoubtedly stylish, but it's also versatile enough for both daily wear and special occasion.

The Fitbit Luxe is housed in a sturdy stainless steel case in Soft Gold, Platinum, and Graphite. Until now, we've been accustomed to Fitbit trackers offering a grayscale OLED display. The Luxe goes a step further with a colorful AMOLED touchscreen.

It's easy to change up your style thanks to the interchangeable bands. Choose a silicone band for the gym and swap it out for a stainless steel band for date night. Remember that it's still a new release, but we should start to see more Fitbit Luxe bands hit the market soon.

If you're at all familiar with Fitbit wearables, you know that they're all equipped with a core set of features. The Fitbit Luxe has all of these and more, including activity/sleep tracking, 24/7 heart-rate monitoring, Active Zone Minutes, stress monitoring, guided breathing, female-health tracking, and 20 exercise modes with SmartTrack automatic exercise recognition. It also offers skin temperature readings and blood oxygen monitoring (coming soon).

The Fitbit Luxe also carries many features that were a hit among health enthusiasts on the advanced Sense smartwatch. For starters, you'll receive a stress management score that provides a daily assessment of how well your body handles stress. This data is gathered using key metrics, including heart rate, activity levels, and sleep patterns.

Another benefit of the Luxe is the Health Metrics dashboard, which can be found in the Fitbit app. You'll have access to a detailed overview of your heart rate variability (HRV), breathing rate, and resting heart rate (RHR). You can even take a look at a 7-day view of these metrics. If you end up investing in Fitbit Premium, you'll also be able to track your monthly trends and personal ranges. If you're a new user, you'll get a free 6-month trial of Fitbit Premium when you purchase the Luxe.

You're probably wondering what compromises you'll have to make with this fitness tracker. After all, most trackers require some sacrifices in terms of features. Despite how similar it is to the Inspire 2, it only offers 5 days of battery life on a single charge. In comparison to some other wearables on the market, this isn't too bad. However, you can't beat the 10 days offered by the Inspire 2.

Another Luxe drawback worth noting is the lack of GPS and NFC for contactless payments. While these features aren't always available on fitness trackers, it would've been nice to see them on the Luxe, given its expensive price tag. However, when you compare the Charge 4 and the Luxe, it's clear that Fitbit is capable of releasing a tracker with both GPS and NFC.

If you can live without these features and you're all about blending fitness and fashion, you might be drawn to the Luxe despite its drawbacks. You also get a couple of features that you won't find on the Fitbit Inspire 2. You'll have to decide if this makes it worth the extra money you'll have to spend on it.

The Fitbit Inspire 2 offers cheap yet efficient tracking

As far as the physical design goes, the Fitbit Inspire 2 hasn't changed all that much over the years. Fitbit states that the plastic case designed has been streamlined this time around. You'll also notice the old side button has been replaced with a more seamless capacitive button. The major improvement with this model is the superior battery life. The Fitbit Inspire 2 can last for up 10 days on a single charge.

Back to the design for a moment. The Fitbit Inspire 2 is available in three colors: Lunar White, Desert Rose, and Black. Fortunately, this tracker is also compatible with interchangeable bands. You'll have a wide array of Fitbit Inspire 2 bands to choose from. You could ditch the band entirely and wear it as a clip-on accessory or use it as a pedometer instead.

All of the core features that we covered for the Luxe are also available on the Inspire 2. Fortunately, heart-rate monitoring is now a standard feature. Previously, you had to pay more for an HR model. In addition, new users who buy the Inspire 2 will receive a 1-year free trial of Fitbit Premium, which is double what you get with the Luxe. If you're interested in exclusive access to step-by-step programs with guided workout plans that are designed to help you improve your exercise, nutrition, and sleep, this is an excellent deal.

The Inspire 2 isn't nearly as fashionable as the Luxe, but some people may not view that as a drawback. If you prefer the simpler things in life, the Inspire 2 might be right up your alley. Other than that, it's also lacking GPS and NFC. Considering how affordable it is, it's not all that surprising that these features are missing.

In some cases, it makes sense to pay for the more expensive tracker. This point can be proven when comparing the Fitbit Charge 4 and Inspire 2. If you stretch your budget just a bit further, you can get a wearable with both GPS and NFC. When it comes to the Luxe, you're paying more, and these features are still missing. You gain a couple of extra sensors and features as well as a nicer design, but that's about it.

Fitbit Luxe vs. Inspire 2: Which should you buy?

If you're someone who prefers fitness trackers over smartwatches, the Fitbit Luxe and Inspire 2 are worth your consideration. Ultimately, you'll need to determine whether you care more about fashion and advanced features or if you're partial to affordability and efficiency.

By now, you've probably caught onto the fact that the Fitbit Luxe is all about providing you with a fashionable accessory that also doubles as a reliable health and fitness tracker. Unfortunately, it's more expensive, offers shorter battery life, and lacks GPS as well as NFC. But, if these drawbacks don't bother you, it might be the tracker you've been waiting for.

The Inspire 2 shares some of the same drawbacks as the Luxe, but it also makes up for a few of them. While it also doesn't have GPS or NFC, it offers twice the battery life of the Luxe. Not to mention that it's also much more affordable. So if you don't mind a basic design and a more standard set of features, you can't go wrong with the Inspire 2. Both trackers are great, but the Inspire 2 is a better pick for budget shoppers and those who love longer battery life.