We review the small and unobtrusive Alta HR!

There’s a ton of fitness trackers available in the market today, but FitBit’s Alta HR is probably the smallest and most unobtrusive one available that has active heart tracking that’s found on bigger, bulkier models. We’ve spent quite a few weeks with the Alta HR, and we’ve found that’s its the model to get if you’re looking for a slim, elegant tracker that doesn’t look out of place with track pants or a business suit.

Smallest wearable to date with a heart rate sensor

FitBit’s been making fitness trackers for a while now, and while they’ve come out with small, unassuming models before, those iterations usually don’t have advanced features like active heart tracking. The Alta HR is quite different, and while it’s roughly the same size as the original, FitBit’s managed to squeeze a heart rate sensor in it along with all of the hardware that’s necessary to keep accurate track of your steps and other fitness metrics. That’s topped off with a battery that’s capable of powering the thing with enough juice for around a week of use.

The strap that the Alta HR came with was big enough even for healthier people like us, and if you’re not happy with the color of your strap you can easily swap it out using the quick release system that’s built-into the body. The overall design of the Alta HR is pretty elegant and subtle, and it goes well even with business suits and evening wear.

While the Alta HR is water resistant, FitBit doesn’t recommend you shower or even swim with it. So if you’re the sort that likes burning calories under water, we suggest you look for another, more H20 resistant model.

Because the Alta HR is so small and thin, the display is barely big enough to give you specifics of your fitness metrics. The display isn’t a traditional touch panel that we’re used to, and honestly you really have to give it quite a whack sometimes for the display to cycle through the different metrics on tap. It’s not the most intuitive UI to use, but since there’s absolutely zero buttons on the Alta HR you’re stuck with it.

Easy to pair and use, and gives you a nice snapshot of your daily activities

Pairing the Alta HR with your phone is pretty easy – when you first get it out of its box you charge it, download the FitBit app on your phone (either Android or iOS) and it’ll take care of the rest.

As far as the actual features go, the Alta HR has fewer features than its bigger brethren, but that’s okay – the Alta HR isn’t aimed at the serious athlete, rather it’s marketed at people who want to keep a closer, more accurate eye at their overall health.

The Alta HR will automatically track long walks, hikes, runs, aerobic workouts and outdoor biking, though you’d probably want to run the app from your phone so that GPS information syncs along with your workout.

Aside from the typical activity tracking, the Alta HR also tracks your sleep patterns as well as your heart rate throughout the day. HR tracking is a good way to keep tabs on how healthy you are based on your resting heart rate, but the Alta HR doesn’t have the ability to give you more detailed metrics beyond that, unfortunately.

There’s also a bit of smartwatch features built into the Alta HR, though they’re very basic as far as smartwatches go, mainly notifications for more popular apps as well as calendar reminders.

Around a week of battery life

Charging wearables is a tedious and annoying chore, thankfully the FitBit Alta HR has around a week of battery life so you won’t be doing a lot of that with it. With heavier use you can expect that number to fall down to around 5 days, but honestly considering the size of the Alta HR and the active heart tracking capability built into it, that’s more than enough juice from something this small.

Verdict: A wearable for the regular Joe

Small, unassuming and packed with an active heart rate scanner, FitBit’s Alta HR is a great choice for people looking for a more accurate read at their daily activities. Sure it’s a bit pricier than the offerings of other models, but it offers more than just basic step counting and sleep tracking.

FitBit’s Alta HR is priced at Php 8,490 for the regular model, while the special edition costs a little bit more, priced at Php 9,690.