Consumer Reports Defends Fitbit’s Heart Rate Monitors’ Accuracy

Earlier this month, wearables company Fitbit was hit with a lawsuit that alleges that the company’s heart rate monitors are inaccurate. This is a big deal the heart rate monitors are pretty much the main reason why many people are buying fitness bands and smartwatches. Naturally Fitbit defend themselves against these allegations, and now it looks like they might have found themselves an ally.

According to the latest report from Consumer Reports, it seems that they have found that the heart rate monitoring feature on the Fitbit wearables are pretty accurate. Their tests found that while the Fitbit wearables don’t offer the same rates compared to other wearables, the difference in heart rate is only off by about 3 beats per minute.

This was compared against the Polar H7, which some argue is probably one of the more accurate consumer heart rate monitors available in the market today (the only disadvantage is that it is a chest strap, which some might find uncomfortable). To that end, Consumer Reports actually recommends both the Fitbit Charge HR and the Fitbit Surge for those looking for a fitness band.

That being said, we’re not a jury nor a judge, so we’re not sure if these findings will still be considered “inaccurate” or if it is within an acceptable margin of difference, but Fitbit owners out there, what do you guys think? Do you find the readings on your tracker accurate?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: fitbit, Fitness, Wearable Tech