Fitbit beats Apple Watch on stress tracking on new Sense 2

The news: Fitbit announced the rollout of the Sense 2, the Versa 4, and the Inspire 3.

  • The Sense 2 adds a continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) sensor to track all-day stress.
  • The sensor alerts users when stress levels are getting too high, and then directs them to things like mood logging, guided breathing exercises, and mindfulness sessions.

It’s catching up to Apple but going one step further: The Apple Watch alerts users with breathing reminders to manage stress—but it doesn’t detect it.

  • That’s good news for Fitbit’s user adoption. Many (17%) consumers say they already use wearables to track their stress levels, per a 2021 Deloitte survey of over 2,000 US teens and adults.

The larger trend: Wearables makers are shipping more smartwatches than ever. That likely won’t slow down as more consumers find the tech essential to monitoring their health.

  • 90% of wearables owners use them to track fitness and monitor health, particularly to count steps per day (64%), derive motivation to exercise (36%), and track weight loss (27%), per Deloitte’s Connectivity and Mobile Trends Report, polling 2,005 US consumers.
  • 55% of device owners share their data with medical providers through apps, in-person visits, or text and email. This means wearables could be helping providers inform their treatment plans.