With the launch of Fitbit Sense, Apple has another impressive smartwatch Priced at $329, the Fitbit Sense is $70 less than the Apple Watch Series 5 and offers many of the same features, including GPS, mobile payments, a heart rate monitor, and aFib detector

So, when comparing the Fitbit Sense and the Apple Watch Series 5, which should you choose? Let's compare both watches in terms of price, features, etc and see which one is best for you [The Fitbit Sense costs $329 and the Apple Watch Series 5 costs $399 That's a $70 difference if you exclude all the other add-ons you can put on your Apple Watch

The Fitbit Sense and Apple Watch Series 5 have a similar "squawk" design (Yes, I'm getting tired of this mangling too) Both are rectangles with rounded corners, but the Sense is more square, with gently curved corners

The Apple Watch 5 has a digital crown on the right side, with buttons below it (Apple Watch 6 rumors say the crown will be replaced by an optical sensor) The Sense has no physical buttons, but a touch-sensitive indentation on the left side

The Sense's 158-inch display has a resolution of 336 x 336 pixels; the 40mm Apple Watch 5 has a resolution of 324 x 394 pixels; the 44mm model has a resolution of 368 x 448 pixels

The Fitbit Sense comes in only one size, the 4048mm case, while the Apple Watch 5 comes in both 40mm and 44mm case sizes [The Apple Watch is made of aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic, or titanium and comes in gold, space gray, silver, or black stainless steel

Both smartwatches have interchangeable bands with a wide variety of options

If FDA approval is granted, Fitbit Sense will be able to alert the wearer of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a life-threatening condition in which the heart beats fast and irregularly This feature has been available on the Apple Watch for some time and is known to have saved people's lives

Both devices have heart rate sensors, which can be used for many other things besides fitness Both watches will tell you if your heart rate is abnormally high or low The Sense also uses a heart rate sensor to monitor sleep, and Fitbit Premium subscribers ($79 per year) have access to additional metrics such as resting heart rate

GPS is a welcome addition to Fitbit Sense, a feature that was missing from Fitbit's products until this year Of course, the Apple Watch has had it since the first model

There are also several health features that are exclusive to either device The Apple Watch 5 also includes a fall detection feature, which can automatically call emergency services if it falls and becomes unresponsive It also has a noise level monitor, which alerts the user if noises become too loud

Fitbit Sense has an EDA (electrodermal activity) sensor that tracks the amount of electricity passing through sweat on the skin The watch suggests activities for stress reduction and things that can be done to avoid or reduce stress Sense is also equipped with a skin temperature sensor, which can tell the user about early signs of illness and menstrual cycles

At this time, native sleep tracking is a feature only available on Fitbit Sense (which Fitbit has had for some time), but Apple plans to add sleep tracking in WatchOS 7

Siri vs Alexa and Google Assistant Naturally, the Apple Watch has Siri built in, while the Fitbit Sense will have Alexa and (later this year) Google Assistant In previous years, the three voice assistants were compared, but Siri lags far behind the other two, making it an unfair fight

Because it was first designed as a smartwatch, the Apple Watch 5 excels more in smartwatch-like features For example, it has LTE, so you can leave your phone at home and take calls and other calls on the go If you are abroad, you can even call emergency services

Apple Watch 5 also has a built-in map and compass, which can be used for navigation in unfamiliar places

While both the Apple Watch and Fitbit Sense allow you to change watch faces, only the Apple Watch allows you to further customize those faces and add your favorite complications

Both watches allow mobile payments, which is useful if you are out for a run without your wallet and want to grab a bottle of water It is also useful when you are in a public place and don't want to touch things

Another area where the Apple Watch shines is the App Store The App Store has thousands of third-party apps that further enhance the functionality of the Apple Watch Smartphone apps from fitness to finance are likely to be available as Apple Watch apps

Another area where the Apple Watch shines is in App tore, where there are thousands of third-party apps that enhance the functionality of the watch Smartphone apps from fitness to finance are likely to be available as Apple Watch apps

Since the first Apple Watch arrived on our wrists, its battery life has been fairly consistent at about 18 hours That means it needs to be charged at any time of the day or night

The Fitbit Sense trounces the Apple Watch 5, with up to 6 days of battery life and up to 12 hours with GPS That's good for a sports watch, much less a smartwatch

In a showdown between Fitbit Sense and Apple Watch 5, Fitbit Sense came out on top in terms of price, health and fitness features, voice assistant, and battery life If you are looking for something more fitness-focused, Fitbit Sense is the better choice, as it has more features natively in that area

However, if you are looking for a more well-rounded smartwatch, the Apple Watch 5 is still the top choice, with its more extensive ecosystem of third-party apps However, it requires an iPhone, whereas Fitbit Sense is compatible with both Android and iOS devices It also remains to be seen what Apple Watch 6 and WatchOS 7 will bring to your wrist

We hope to get our hands on the Fitbit Sense soon, so stay tuned for a full review