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Add to SafariWhen comparing Fitbit Alta vs Polar M400, the Slant community recommends Polar M400 for most people. In the question“What are the best fitness trackers that pair with iPhones?” Polar M400 is ranked 2nd while Fitbit Alta is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose Polar M400 is:
The "Sport Profile" feature allows you to customize what stats you want to see for each type of exercise. For example, you may want the GPS on for running but not for a circuit workout. These preset profiles save you from having to set up the device each time you exercise.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Informative and clear display that's easy to read
For its size, the Alta fitness tracker has a large display. The display will show steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, and sleep time. You can switch between these by tapping the side of the display (there is no button). The screen is easy to read at a glance while on the move except in bright settings.
Pro Many different wrist band options available to suit your taste
The Alta itself comes in 4 colors: black, teal, purple and plum.
While expensive, you can swap out the band. Classic bands cost $30, leather bands cost $60, and stainless steel bands cost $100.
Pro Reminds you to move every hour
The Alta will remind you about your move alerts each hour. By default, it suggests 250 steps each hour and it will vibrate 10 minutes before each hour is over to give you enough time to accomplish the micro-step goal.
Pro Will fit almost any wrist size
The Alta is available in three different sizes (small, large, and extra large). Each size can be adjusted by a minimum of 1 inch.
This is a great tracker for people with wrists below or above average size who may have trouble finding a comfortable fit with other trackers.
Pro Lightweight and comfortable to wear
As a result of the Alta having a slim design, it is both lightweight and very comfortable to wear.
Pro Week long battery life
The fitness tracker's battery can last a full week before you need to recharge it - quite a bit longer than most activity trackers.
Pro Gives you a lot of options for customizing different types of workouts
The "Sport Profile" feature allows you to customize what stats you want to see for each type of exercise. For example, you may want the GPS on for running but not for a circuit workout. These preset profiles save you from having to set up the device each time you exercise.
Pro Gives you custom activity goals suitable for your level
The daily activity goal is a good way to find out how active you really are in your everyday life. Here you can choose your typical activity level from three options and see how active you need to be to reach your daily activity goal.
The time you need to complete your daily activity goal depends on the level you have chosen and the intensity of your activities. Age and gender also affect the intensity you need to reach your daily activity goal.
Pro Detailed reports
The fitness tracker offers excellent reporting including distance, speed, cadence, heart rate (if paired with monitor), ascent, decent, calories, recovery status, and more.
Pro Ability to add training notes
The app allows you to add additional notes to your workouts for better tracking.
Cons
Con Fairly basic features which limits the information you'll receive from the tracker
The Alta fitness tracker is designed to be more of a passive tracker for the Average Joe as opposed to a complete activity tracker for enthusiasts. There is no GPS or heart rate monitor, so the stats you get are limited to steps, rough distance traveled, estimated calories burned, active minutes, and sleep tracking.
Con The device cannot be used without a smartphone or a computer
In order to activate the device for usage, it must be paired with a smartphone and/or a PC (through a USB dongle), and an account must be registered through Fitbit.
Con Difficult to see the display when outdoors
The display is quite dim which makes it very difficult to read when in bright settings.
Con Display is off by default
To manually turn on the display you must double tap the side of the tracker which can be difficult to do properly.
It can also turned on automatically by the appropriate wrist/arm movement for checking the time.
There is no way to keep the display on so it may take some fumbling every time you want to look at the display.
Con Sleep tracking lacks detail and accuracy
If you are awake for an extended period of time in the middle of the night and then fall back asleep, the fitness tracker may not see the additional hours as part of your sleep.
Con Unattractive and bulky design
The tracker is quite wide and hard to miss, it's not something that can blend in with what you're wearing outside of sport/exercise type settings.
Con Short battery life when using the GPS
With the GPS turned on, battery life goes from around 24 days to 9 hours.
This is likely fine for people who will always have opportunities to charge it after their run. However for anyone hoping to use the GPS for longer activities, such as hiking, that may not be long enough to be useful.
