Round 1: Design
Observing the design, the two smart watches are quite different in their look. Apple watch is more influenced on the fancy side whereas Fitbit appears to be a fitness focused sports watch. Apple watch comes 38 different hardware designs in 2 different sizes. They also vary on color, material and design.
The fitbit surge coming in 3 wearable sizes with flexible and durable material follows more of ‘What matters is inside’. Deciding upon the choice options and design features, we would support Apple watch scoring 1 point in the first round.
Round 2: Software
Let’s move to round 2, Apple Watch v FitBit Surger: software. Fitbit surge can be paired up with your smartphone using Bluetooth, or Mac or PC via a wireless dongle. You can easily download the fitbit app available across Windows Phone, iOS and Android. It offers you a great deal of options to set up your routine and record your progress. You can see for map routes and record various activities such as your work out.
Now talking about Apple Watch, it uses its own OS, the WatchKit API. Using Apple smartwatch, you get great options of downloading various different apps such as ‘Citymapper’. Apple has teamed up with a good number of high profile app makers to bring up more options and improvements for its users. Being unsure of what Apple watch brings next, we can term software round is a ‘tie’.
Round 3: Activity tracking
Starting with Fitbit Surge, it genuinely delivers you with loads of activity tracking choices such as running, cross-training, biking, and cardio workouts. This will enable you to observe the number of steps you took, the floors climbed, and calories burnt from various activities you performed. Moreover, it also give you the facility of measuring your sleep quality.
Apple Watch also come up with good variety of fitness tracking options recording all the health and fitness related stuff such as health, movement, your daily workout, your food intake etc. However, it cannot be termed a super sports watch. Actually it doesn’t seem to function without the support of third party apps. It also needs charging every night. The Apple smart watch no doubt is a good fitness tracking watch but it has the functionality drawback as it needs to have external apps to function efficiently. This clearly makes Fitbit surge the winner of activity tracking showdown.
Verdict
While Apple Smart watch wins at having a better design and Fitbit takes the lead in tracking a wide range of activities, it looks like a tie. But if we really have to make one of the smart watches win from the other, then Fitbit Surge is our catch since it fulfils the purpose of keeping a track of your fitness activities easily without the need of any third party apps.