This guide will help you compare the features of the latest fitness tracking wearables from Apple and Fitbit and decide which is best for you.

If you're in the market for a new smartwatch, you may be wondering whether you should get Fitbit's Sense 2 or Apple's Watch Series 8. Both are capable smartwatches and depending on your needs, you may want to get one over the other.

Let's compare the Fitbit Sense 2 to the Apple Watch Series 8 to help you make an informed decision.

On the design front, the Apple Watch Series 8 and Fitbit Sense 2 are slightly different. Apple went for the usual rectangular design with smooth edges, while Fitbit Sense 2 is squircle-shaped (a square with more rounded corners and sides).

Fitbit's Sense 2 has a 40.5mm case with a 1.58-inch always-on AMOLED display, while the Series 8 ships in a 41 or 45mm case with an always-on LTPO OLED display. The Series 8 trumps the Sense 2 on the display front with its 1000 nits peak brightness, translating to better viewing in bright environments like under direct sunlight.

For controls, both smartwatches can be controlled using touch, but you also get a physical button on the side—left on the Sense 2 and right on the Series 8. And, as has become the norm, you also get a dedicated home button (the Digital Crown) on the Series 8 that you can press or rotate to control various features. The Series 8 ships in six colors (red, silver, gold, midnight, starlight, and graphite), while Fitbit only provides three color options (lunar white, shadow grey, and blue mist).

Both smartwatches have robust build quality. You can pick between a stainless steel or aluminum case on the Apple Watch Series 8. Stainless steel models have sapphire crystals on the front display, while aluminum models use an Ion-X front glass. Meanwhile, the Sense 2 is made of a metal case and uses Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the AMOLED display. And if you love to go swimming, both are water-resistant up to 164 feet (50 meters).

Since battery life is one of the critical considerations when buying a smartwatch or a fitness tracker, you'll have to weigh your options well. The Apple Watch Series 8 promises up to 18 hours of screen time on a single charge—much lower than the Fitbit's 6 days of battery life. Luckily, the Apple Watch Series 8 includes a low-power mode that can get you up to double the battery life.

However, note that the Sense 2's impressive battery life will take a hit if you enable the always-on display and other battery-hungry features like blood oxygen monitoring (SpO2) and GPS. Despite that, Sense 2 triumphs over the Series 8 in the battery life competition. Longer battery life is one reason to buy the Apple Watch Ultra, which promises up to 60 hours on low-power mode.

Both devices support fast charging. Fitbit's estimates show that it takes two hours to fully charge the Sense 2, although a 12-minute charge can get you all-day battery life. Apple Watch Series 8 has superior charging speeds, only taking 45 minutes to charge from 0% to 80% and achieving a full charge in about 75 minutes.

Although charging speed is one of the reasons to buy the Apple Watch Series 8, the Sense 2's better overall battery life may outweigh that benefit.

Functionalities are another critical area of distinction between the two. For starters, they all have standard tracking capabilities you'd expect from a smartwatch, like sleep, heart rate, steps, skin temperature, speed, blood oxygen, menstrual cycles, and activity tracking.

Additional tracking features unique to the Apple Watch include noise monitoring, fall detection, and crash detection. Series 8 also has an emergency SOS feature and international emergency calling. While Apple is betting big on safety, Fitbit has its total focus on mental health.

Sense 2 can help improve stress management with one of its main selling points: its improved Body Response sensor. Like the Apple Watch Series 8, the Fitbit also adds passive atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection, a feature that can monitor continuously to help detects irregular heart rhythms.

Both wearables have features that allow you to interact remotely with your phone. You can stay up to date with notifications, receive calls on your wrist, use voice commands, and more. They both have NFC support, allowing you to make payments via Apple Pay (Series 8) and Fitbit Pay (Sense 2).

But with cellular support on some models, the Apple Watch Series 8 is a fully-fledged companion that doesn't require you to be around your smartphone at all. And Apple goes a mile further by adding international roaming to the Series 8's cellular capabilities.

The Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 for the 41mm aluminum version, while the 45mm model starts at $429 without cellular support. Cellular support will set you back by an extra $100. Stainless steel models are more costly and start at $699.

Fitbit's pricing for the Sense 2 is much more straightforward (and cheaper) at $299.

Both the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Fitbit Sense 2 will surely fulfill your needs for basic health and fitness tracking. Fitbit's Sense 2 beats the Series 8 in battery life and price, while the latter shines with better build quality, a brighter display, and cellular connectivity support.

Besides these fundamental differences, the Apple Watch prioritizes safety while the Fitbit is geared more toward mental well-being. Using this information as you consider exactly what you're looking to get out of the device will help you determine the best option.

Alvin Wanjala is a freelance consumer technology writer. Outside work, he dabs into fitness and watching football while pursuing a second degree.

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