Fitbit Flex 2, Navy (US Version)

I recently acquired a used Fitbit Flex and have been trying to get in some more exercise. My teenage son was pretty impressed especially since there is an app for his phone. He talked me into buying him the Flex 2 and it arrived yesterday. The shape is a little longer and thinner but similar, however the bands will not interchange with each version. As far as I can tell, the Flex 2 does pretty much the same as the original Flex except that it is OK to take it into deper water such as a pool or swimming at a beach while the original is OK in the shower or washing hands. Setup was simple for both Fitbits, mine on an old iPhone 5C and his on an old Android. The app installed flawlessly on both phones. Once set up, both Flex's seem to operate pretty much in exactly the same way, counting steps as your arm swings, estimating calories burned and monitoring sleep. He especially likes the cool alarm function. Our goal is to walk together but not for competition as he is in much better shape than I am. It was a very long time ago when I was a Marine!The charger is a USB type and can be charged in any USB charging port either in a wall, a computer or ahub. The chargelasts for many days although they advise to recharge every few days to be sure it remains charged. Also, the battery life is displayed on the app.This is a really neat little device that makes tracking your exercise interesting and fun. I'm sure in the future there will be a GPS/phone version but for now my son is happy with all this little pebble does.

I have been extremely disappointed with the new flex. I had my old flex for two years, had to change it out once when the pebble died. However it was always extremely accurate, both in steps and sleep tracking.I got the flex 2 about six weeks ago. Here are the issues I'm having.1. It does not accurately count steps. I averaged about 1700 steps per mile on my daily walks. Same walk, same duration every time. The flex 2 averages about 1000 steps per mile. I just tested it in my house, I walked 150 steps, it registered 122. Ridiculous2. I have always used the "track exercise" function instead of relying on the flex 2 to recognize when I'm exercising. This week, doing my same 3 mile loop, despite the mile times showing for each of my 3 miles, it records my walk as 2 1/2 miles. And 2800 steps total. ( 1,064 step miles have been recorded for men running a six minute mile. ) I am walking a 12:30 +/- mile. Again, ridiculous.3. It says that I never wake up, and I am only restless two or three times a night. I have a baby monitor by my bed for my twin infants. Trust me, I wake up plenty. Even when they are sleeping, I am often restless and flipping around, as my husband will attest. When I have put it on sensitive for the sleep setting, it says that I am awake all night long, also not true. I had to sleep sitting on regular for the flax and felt like it was much more accurate.I feel like overall the flex two is junk. And I LOVED my flex. I just wanted something reliable to count steps and keep me moving. It's frustrating I can't do the basic job it's supposed to be designed for. I would return it and ask for a new flex 1 if my month wasn't already up.The two pictures show the exact same walk, two months apart. I am walking faster now, but I am back to the speed that I was walking a year ago. The step counts did not vary that much last year fast vs. slow with my original flex.

Upgraded to this from a Fitbit Charge. I loved the charge but after a year, the battery wouldn't hold a charge and the band literally fell apart. This wasn't the fault of the Fitbit; I work in a cafe so I'm constantly washing either dishes or my hands. Even being careful it got wet a lot, and I suppose even water resistance has its limits.The difference between water resistant and water proof is why I went with the Flex 2, as opposed to just getting another charge So far it's held up beautifully, I do try to remember to take it off at the end of my shifts and wipe it down, just to be sure.As for actual functionality, I'd say it compares well to my charge. I like the minimalism of the display, and the clasp on this band is MUCH better than on the charge, which popped off my wrist more than once.I especially like the various alerts, including the reminder to get up and move. It's motivated me to take laps around my kitchen island to get my steps a couple times. No shame! And as someone who regularly gets up before 5am, the silent alarm is wonderful. It wakes me up easily without waking my husband. That's a huge bonus in my book.Overall, this seems to be fairly accurate in terms of step count, although I'm not as dogmatic about that as some people. I just want to know that I am moving throughout the day, and that I have some accountability to myself when it comes to reaching my goals. The only thing I wish is that I could set the auto-detect for active minutes a little lower. My walk to work takes about 7 minutes, and if I forget to turn on exercise tracking, it doesn't always get counted. That's honestly my only gripe and it's a small one.This is a great tracker, it works well, charges quickly, and once it's on my wrist I forget it's there. It's been a great help in striving for my fitness goals.