This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:22:13
Rob provides a comprehensive review of the Fitbit Inspire 3, highlighting its excellent value at around $100, particularly for sleep and step tracking. He compares the device to more expensive models such as the Fitbit Versa 4, noting that while the Inspire 3 performs well in stable conditions, it struggles with rapid heart rate changes. The Inspire 3 generally shows decent heart rate tracking in indoor cycling but is less reliable during interval running, outdoor cycling, and weightlifting, where it consistently falls short, particularly against higher-end Apple and Huawei watches.
In terms of sleep tracking, the Inspire 3 demonstrates high accuracy, aligning closely with a gold-standard EEG device, especially for deep sleep (97% accuracy). It also excels in wake detection but sometimes struggles with REM sleep and light sleep detection. For step counting, it performs well for walking but shows inaccuracies during non-walking activities like cycling and spinning, earning a 3 out of 5 stars rating.
Despite lacking GPS and having mixed performance in heart rate monitoring during varied exercises, the Inspire 3 is recommended for users prioritizing sleep tracking and step counting at an affordable price point. Rob also mentions plans to enhance his content distribution via a newsletter, Instagram, and YouTube shorts.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, Rob discusses his experience with the Fitbit Inspire 3, highlighting it as his favorite among the new Fitbits he has tested recently. He mentions that he would recommend this model to friends due to its performance in heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, and step counting. Rob provides a brief overview of the Inspire 3’s features, noting the upgrade to a color screen, improved design, affordable price at around $100, and the lack of built-in GPS. He then details his testing methodology for heart rate accuracy, comparing the Inspire 3’s measurements with the Polar H10 ECG chest strap during 18 workout sessions, including indoor cycling. The Inspire 3 showed good overall heart rate tracking accuracy with a correlation value of 0.9, despite some instances of detecting too low or too high heart rates.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the presenter analyzes individual training sessions to compare the heart rate accuracy of the Fitbit Inspire 3 with the Polar H10 ECG chest strap. The Inspire 3 generally performs well, particularly in stable conditions, but struggles with rapid heart rate changes. Interestingly, it sometimes outperforms the more expensive Fitbit Versa 4. In additional training sessions, the Inspire 3 continues to track heart rate fairly accurately, though it occasionally lags in detecting changes. When compared to 67 other watches over two years, the Inspire 3 ranks as a medium performer for heart rate tracking during indoor cycling. The presenter notes that while the Inspire 3’s heart rate graphs suggest it performs slightly better than the Versa 4, a simple correlation metric may not capture all nuances. Higher-performing options, including the Apple Watch and even the first-generation Huawei Watch Fit, show better accuracy.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the focus is on examining the heart rate tracking capabilities of the Inspire 3 during various exercises. The video compares its performance with a chest strap ECG monitor. For interval running, the Inspire 3 struggled to accurately track heart rate, often detecting lower rates than the chest strap. In outdoor cycling, the device frequently failed to align with the chest strap’s readings, especially at higher heart rates, showing mediocre correlation. Despite occasional accurate tracking, the Inspire 3 was inconsistent overall. Comparatively, its performance was similar to Fitbit’s Charge 4 and Charge 5 but better than the more expensive Fitbit Versa 4. However, it was outperformed by Huawei and Apple watches. The segment concludes with an introduction to weightlifting as the next exercise to be evaluated.
00:09:00
In this segment of the video, the creator discusses plans to restart their newsletter and post more content on Instagram and YouTube shorts. They then review the Fitbit Inspire 3’s performance during weightlifting over four training sessions. The Fitbit Inspire 3’s accuracy is inconsistent, often failing to detect peak heart rates during sets, and shows a low correlation value of 0.73. In comparison to other devices, the Inspire 3 performs similarly to other Fitbit models like the Versa 4 but is generally not recommended for heart rate tracking during weightlifting. The creator suggests using Apple and Huawei watches or an ECG chest strap for more reliable monitoring. Finally, they hint that Fitbits are usually better at sleep stage tracking, and they plan to test the Inspire 3 against the EEG device Dream 2 for sleep accuracy.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the comparison between sleep stages recorded by a gold standard EEG device and the Fitbit Inspire 3 over seven nights. The EEG device’s data is compared to the Inspire 3 to assess the accuracy of the latter in predicting different sleep stages. The findings show that the Inspire 3 has a high agreement rate with the EEG, particularly for deep sleep, with an accuracy of about 97%. However, some discrepancies exist, such as the Inspire 3 occasionally identifying extra deep sleep. Light sleep agreement is around 72%, while REM sleep agreement stands at 64%, with discrepancies mainly leaning towards being predicted as light sleep. Overall, the Inspire 3 shows good consistency with the EEG device, although it sometimes detects additional sleep stages.
00:15:00
In this part of the video, the focus is on evaluating the sleep stage tracking accuracy of the Fitbit Inspire 3. The presenter notes that the Inspire 3 successfully identified most sleep cycles, although it missed the first REM sleep segment, a common issue with many devices, including the Versa 4 and Sense 2. The wake detection accuracy was high at 87%, with most discrepancies occurring during light sleep. Compared to other devices, the Inspire 3 accurately detected long wake moments but sometimes missed shorter ones. Furthermore, the Inspire 3’s performance was generally on par with other Fitbit devices and close to that of Apple Watches, which tend to be the most accurate. The Inspire 3’s ability to track naps is highlighted as a significant advantage over Apple Watches. Overall, the Inspire 3’s sleep stage tracking is rated 4 out of 5 stars. The segment concludes with the introduction of the next test: step counting accuracy.
00:18:00
In this segment, the speaker discusses an experiment to evaluate the accuracy of the Fitbit Inspire 3 step counting. They manually counted 4,000 steps using a tele counter to compare the results with the device. The results showed that the Fitbit Inspire 3 was fairly accurate, though it overcounted by about 100 steps overall.
The analysis extended to activities other than walking. During running, the Fitbit Inspire 3 counted roughly 140 steps per minute, which was expected. However, it inaccurately counted steps during cycling (25-30 steps/minute) and spinning (20 steps/minute), despite no actual steps being taken. Weightlifting results were more accurate with only a few steps counted.
Overall, the Fitbit Inspire 3 was deemed decent for step counting during walking but prone to false positives during other activities, earning a 3 out of 5 stars rating for its accuracy.
00:21:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the advantages of the Fitbit Inspire 3, particularly highlighting its affordability and effective sleep stage tracking, comparing it to other Fitbit models like the Sense 2 and Versa 4. The Inspire 3 is recommended for users seeking sleep tracking functionality without the high cost. However, it lacks GPS tracking, which isn’t a strong point for these newer Fitbits either. The speaker also mentions affiliate links for purchasing Fitbits and other items on Amazon, which can support the channel. The video concludes with recommendations to watch additional reviews on Google Pixel Watch and Apple Watches.