WHO, WHAT, WEARABLE

Fitbit Luxe

Fitbit’s understated, affordable tracker bracelets have become as ubiquitous as the Apple Watch—the best-selling ­wearable in the United States—in recent years. Celebs including Sarah ­Jessica Parker and Gwyneth Paltrow wear Fitbit bands, and so does your chatty neighbor and favorite bank teller (just ­guessing, but it’s likely). Now the brand has debuted an ­elevated heir apparent to its popular, recently discontinued Alta trackers. Released in May, the Fitbit Luxe lets you track your fitness, sleep, and exercise, yes, but it was also designed to help you manage stress, which affects overall health.

What it does: Luxe boasts all the health-tracking capabilities of past Fitbit bands, but it also feeds you a daily stress management score, an assessment of your body’s ability to handle stress based on your activity levels, sleep, and heart rate. Then, through the app, the device dispenses advice for curbing stressors. It’s a savvy addition—more than a year into the pandemic, who couldn’t use some stress mitigation?

What we liked: With its soft beveled edges and full-color touch screen, Luxe feels better built and more fashion-forward than its predecessors. It’s also available with bracelets that elevate the classic rubber strap. Choices include low-profile colored metal mesh bands and a bona fide jewelry option: a stainless steel link bracelet designed by Laguna Beach, Calif.–based brand Gorjana.

Best feature: Fitbit Luxe runs on the brand’s Premium app, which gives you access to a range of workouts and nearly 200 mindfulness sessions, including Deepak Chopra’s Mindful Method, an exclusive wellness collection designed to make mindfulness practice more accessible. Om, we’ll take it! ($149.95 including six months of Fitbit Premium, which is available for $9.99 a month after that; fitbit.com)

Top: The standard Fitbit Luxe comes in four colorways: black, orchid, peony, and white.

 

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