Fitbit Luxe Standard vs Special Edition – Know the Differences

If you find this post helpful, please share it. Thank you!

There is a new fitness tracker from Fitbit, it’s the Fitbit Luxe. It’s a whole new product with a totally different design and appearance, although it shares a lot in common with Fitbit Charge 4 and Inspire 2. Fitbit Luxe is a compact smartband with a very stylish design. It comes in a stainless steel case paired with interchangeable silicone straps. It is the first Fitbit smartband to be powered by AMOLED which is very rich in color, while the battery life is expected to last up to 5 days. It’s equipped with a variety of fitness-focused features such as SpO2 measurement, heart rate sensor, sleep tracking, stress management, and many more. It however lacks inbuilt GPS which is a big setback but can still track your outdoor activities via the connected phone GPS. In this post, we take a look at the differences between Fitbit Luxe Standard vs Fitbit Luxe Special edition.

Fitbit Luxe at a Glance (source: Fitbit.com)

The Luxe comes in two models; standard and special editions. These two models are the same in every aspect except for the very stylish Gorjana bands that come with the Special edition which will cost you about $50 more.

Fitbit Luxe Standard vs Special Edition Specifications Compared

 
 
Product Info

Fitbit Luxe Full Specifications, Features and Prices

Fitbit Luxe (Special Edition) Specifications, Features and Prices

Price $99.95 $145.00
ABOUT DEVICE ABOUT DEVICE ABOUT DEVICE
Device name Fitbit Luxe (Standard edition) Fitbit Luxe (Special Edition)
Device type Fitness smartband Fitness smartband
Gender Unisex Unisex
Release date June, 2021 June, 2021
Predecessor
Successor
Versions Standard edition & Special edition Standard edition & Special edition
BODY BODY BODY
Dimension 36.3 x 17.5 x 10 mm 36.3 x 17.5 x 10 mm
Weight
Shape Rectangular Rectangular
Case material Stainless steel Stainless steel
Strap material Silicone Stainless steel
Bezel material Stainless steel Stainless steel
Strap size 140 – 180mm (small), 180 -220mm (big) 140 – 180mm (small), 180 -220mm (big)
Interchangeable strap Yes Yes
Screen protection Corning Gorilla Glass Corning Gorilla Glass
Water resistance Yes, 5ATM Yes, 5ATM
Durability test
Swim-proof Yes, recommended Yes, recommended
Color Graphite/black, Lunar/white, Platinum/orchid soft-gold Gorjana strap/soft-gold case
DISPLAY DISPLAY DISPLAY
Display size 0.76 inch 0.76 inch
Display type AMOLED AMOLED
Display resolution 124 x 206 px 124 x 206 px
Pixel density 326 ppi 326 ppi
Always on No No
Custom watch face Yes Yes
Input type Touchscreen Touchscreen
CONNECTIVITY CONNECTIVITY CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth Bluetooth v4.0 Bluetooth v4.0
Bluetooth calling No No
GPS (connected GPS), No (connected GPS), No
NFC No No
Wi-Fi No No
MEMORY MEMORY MEMORY
RAM
ROM
Memory card slot No No
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY
Technology None None
SIM type None None
Band
NOTIFICATIONS NOTIFICATIONS NOTIFICATIONS
SMS alert Yes Yes
Calls alert Yes Yes
Email alert Yes Yes
Event reminder Yes Yes
Third-party apps alert Yes Yes
Reply to Notifications - -
MEDIA MEDIA MEDIA
Audio No No
Bluetooth music No No
Loudspeaker No No
Microphone No No
Camera No No
Radio No No
SENSORS SENSORS SENSORS
Sensor(s) Red and infrared sensors, Vibration motor Red and infrared sensors, Vibration motor
ACTIVITY TRACKING ACTIVITY TRACKING ACTIVITY TRACKING
Blood oxygen Yes Yes
Blood Pressure - -
Calories Yes Yes
Distance Yes Yes
ECG tracking No No
Heart rate monitoring Yes Yes
Sleep tracking Yes Yes
Steps Yes Yes
Floors climbed - -
Stress Yes Yes
Fall detection No No
Menstrual cycle Yes Yes
VO2 Max Yes Yes
Swim-tracking Yes Yes
Underwater heart rate tracking No No
On-screen workout No No
Sport modes 20+ 20+
BATTERY BATTERY BATTERY
Battery type non-removable Lithium-polymer non-removable Lithium-polymer
Battery capacity
Battery life Regular: 5 days+ Regular: 5 days+
Charging type Charging dock Charging dock
Charging time 1-2 hours 1-2 hours
Solar charging No No
PLATFORM PLATFORM PLATFORM
Chipset
CPU
GPU
Operating system Fitbit OS Fitbit OS
MISC MISC MISC
Companion app Fitbit App Fitbit App
Compatibility Android OS 8.0+, iOS 13.3+ Android OS 8.0+, iOS 13.3+
Payment system None None
Voice command No No
Find my phone Yes Yes
Box content Charger, Fitbit Luxe, Manual, Straps (small & large) Charger, Fitbit Luxe, Manual, Straps (small & large)

Fitbit Luxe Design

Fitbit Luxe is a compact and lightweight smartband built with fitness enthusiasts in mind. It has a small 0.76-inch display that is powered by AMOLED. This will offer a richer and better viewing experience just like you would with Versa 3 or Sense. This is also one aspect where the Luxe shines over Charge 4.

Fitbit Luxe Standard vs Special Edition
Fitbit Luxe (source: Fitbit.com)

The case is made of stainless steel which contributes to its stylish appearance. The straps are made of silicone and are interchangeable with any compatible band of your choice. Out of the box, the Luxe comes with both large and small straps. The small strap fits a wrist of 5.5″ – 7.1″ in circumference, while the large straps fit a wrist of 7.1″ – 8.7″ in circumference.

Fitbit Luxe is rated 5ATM just like many other Fitbit wearables. This means it’s swim-proof, you can wear it to the swimming pool, but diving with it from a very tall height is not recommended.

Fitbit Luxe Standard vs Special Edition
Fitbit Luxe (Special edition)

Fitbit Luxe Standard vs Fitbit Luxe Special Edition: The Difference

The only difference between Fitbit Luxe Standard and Special Edition comes in the type of band that comes with the device. While the Standard edition comes with silicone straps (small & large), the Special edition comes with a soft gold stainless steel Gorjana Parker link bracelet in addition to a Peony classic band (small & large). For this, you will have to pay $50 more for the special edition in addition to the base model price of $150.

Moreover, while the Standard edition is available in three colors; black band/graphite case, white band/soft-gold case, and orchid band/platinum case, the Special edition is available in one color, soft-gold Gorjana strap/soft-gold case.

Fitbit Luxe Fitness Tracking Features

Moving away from the design, Fitbit Luxe is decently equipped with a handful of sensors which includes a heart rate sensor, accelerometer, and an infrared sensor for oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurement.

This enables the Luxe to track your steps, daily calories burnt, heart rate, sleep, stress, and blood oxygen. As I mentioned earlier, there is no inbuilt GPS in the Fitbit Luxe which for me is a very big disappointment. However, you can still track your outdoor activities as long as you carry your phone along. I have never found it convenient to carry my phone while running outdoor.

There are 20 sports modes to choose from, you can also select about 6 exercises to auto-detect and track with Fitbit SmartTrack. It also features menstrual cycle tracking for women.

Upon checkout, you can choose to opt-in for Fitbit Premium which offers deeper insights that connect the dots across your activity, heart rate, stress, and sleep so you can make smarter choices about your health.

Managing Text, SMS and App Notifications with Fitbit Luxe

You can also manage text, SMS, and other notifications you receive on your phone with Fitbit Luxe. This can be setup from the Fitbit app. You will also find the “do not disturb mode” and “sleep mode” that allows you to choose when to mute notifications and any other form of distraction.

You can’t reply to notifications with the Fitbit Luxe, and it also lacks music control as well as remote camera control. However, there is an alarm and timer app.

Fitbit Luxe Battery Life

Fitbit lux battery life

Fitbit states that the Luxe can last up to 5 days from a single charge with mixed usage. This isn’t really bad, but it’s lower than that of Charge 4 which has up to 7 days of battery life. Nevertheless, this is great as it allows you to go multiple days from a single charge. It also means that you will most likely need to charge this device every 4 days or more depending on usage.

The Charge 5 comes with a charging dock which takes about 1-2 hours to charge to full.

Companion app and Compatibility

The Fitbit app is the companion app for Fitbit Luxe just like it is for other Fitbit wearables. The app allows you to setup the Fitbit Luxe and from the app, you can manage how the device functions. It is available on both the Google Play store and the iOS app store. Fitbit Luxe is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. It supports iOS 13.3 or higher and Android 8.0 or higher.

Fitbit Luxe Features

  • 0.76 inch AMOLED full color display with touchscreen support for easy navigation.
  • Comes with a case made of stainless steel the straps are made of silicone and can be changed. The Luxe is available in three colors; black band/graphite case, white band/lunar case and orchid band/platinum case, while the Special edition is available in one color, lunar Gorjana strap/lunar case.
  • Customizable watch face. You can choose from the many watch faces on Fitbit App.
  • Features both a timer and a stopwatch.
  • Up to 5 days or more battery life.
  • Keeps you connected to all that matters to you, so you never get to miss important SMS, calls and other Apps notifications.
  • It is rated 5ATM and is also Swim-proof.
  • Features “do not disturb mode” that allows you to mute call, text and smartphone notifications during the day.
  • Features “Sleep mode” that allows you to automatically mute smartphone notifications at night and stop your screen from turning on so you can catch uninterrupted sleep.
  • Compatible with both Android and iOS devices, Check supported devices

Fitbit Luxe Fitness Tracking Features

  • Equipped to track your steps, distance, and calories all day long.
  • Tracks your sleep in four stages and allows you see your time in awake, light, deep and REM sleep stages. You’ll also get a daily Sleep Score in the Fitbit app and on your wrist to better understand your sleep quality each night.
  • Active Zone Minutes help you make every minute count during workouts by buzzing your wrist when you enter your personalized target heart rate zone. This feature rewards you for time spent in a vigorous or moderate activity that increases your heart rate.
  • Helps you reduces stress with 2 and 5 minute guided breathing sessions that are personalized based on your heart rate.
  • Although lacks inbuilt GPS, Fitbit Luxe will still track your outdoor activities such as routes, pace and locations when you carry your phone along.
  • Features menstrual cycle tracking that allow you to log periods, record symptoms, track your ovulation and discover patterns in your cycle from the Fitbit App.
  • Tracks fitness level to help you get a better understanding of your fitness level and learn how you can improve over time with a personalized in-app Cardio Fitness Score.
  • You can select up to 6 activities which include running, walking and more to auto track with SmartTrack.
  • Features SpO2 blood oxygen measurement that allows you to see the level of oxygen in your blood to help you learn when there may be an indication of important changes in your fitness and wellness. You can see your SpO2 nightly average and range on wrist with an SpO2 clock face and on Fitbit Today.
  • Up to 20 preloaded sport modes.

Fitbit Luxe Pros

  • Lightweight, compact and sleek design.
  • 5 days long battery life
  • A decent fitness tracker.
  • Swim-proof.

Fitbit Luxe Cons

  • Lacks inbuilt GPS.
  • Lacks Spotify music control.
  • Lacks Fitbit Pay.
  • Lacks the ability to count floors.

Fitbit Luxe Standard vs Special Edition – Which is Better?

Fitbit Luxe (source: Fitbit.com)

There is no significant difference between Fitbit Luxe Standard and Special Edition. Both units offer the same features except that the Special edition comes with a premium Gorjana strap that looks feminine in appearance, although might also look nice on men. So, it’s up to you to decide if the Gorjana strap is worth the extra $50 or not. Otherwise, the Standard edition is also a fantastic choice.