The difference between Fitbits and other fitness accessories is that they're not accessories, they're devices in their own right.
The smart watches I've worn may be smart, but they're really only extensions of the phone they're paired with, like a remote control on your wrist.
Fitbits work the other way round. They're self centred that way...
The Fitbit Surge ain't no oil painting. It's big, it's square and it comes in black, black or black. (Although 2 new colours are just around the corner) At the risk of reinforcing sexual stereotypes, I don't think this is one for the ladies... unless the lady in question likes her wrist-wear... how do I put this?... industrial.
So if the Surge isn't going to win any style awards, it better damn-well do what it says it does.
It does.
The Surge will track your run, precisely and clearly. The GPS marks your route, your heart rate is monitored the whole time and you can set your run cues to update you of your split times. It will do this completely independently of your phone, syncing the information back to your Fitbit account once you're within range of your device or a PC equipped with the supplied bluetooth dongle.
There are plenty of other functions built into the Surge, but it's obvious to me tracking your run is the primary reason for its existence and it is unquestionably the best device I have used for this purpose.
I'm no cyclist, but I'm given to understand the way the Surge now syncs with acclaimed biking app, Strava is a real breakthrough too. The significant feature for me in either of these cases is the constant heart-rate monitoring on display - easy to read and consistent.
While the band is not particularly good looking, it's certainly comfortable. In fact, despite it's bulk, I still found the Surge's soft rubber strap wrist-friendly enough to wear to bed for sleep-tracking purposes, another feature it carries out flawlessly.
The screen on the Surge is... unusual. This is the age of high res HD, brighter colours, total blacks. I don't think anyone told the guys at Fitbit. When it's switched off, the screen on the Surge is that same dull grey colour you'll remember from your cool new digital watch in 1983. Things aren't quite so drab once you turn the Surge on; the default watch face is a kind of negative effect, black background with light characters (or hands should you chose analogue from the limited selection of faces).
But yes, everything is black and white, which is fine with me because on the bright side (excuse the pun) I found the display super easy to read in all light conditions. There is a backlight for nighttime use and when I was out running in full sunshine, I could see everything perfectly at a very quick glance.
The screen isn't completely rudimentary, you do have the option of touching it to make it work. This seems a bit superfluous to me though, as there are 3 physical buttons on the Surge's casing that carry out all the same functions.
You're not restricted to tracking your run, you can choose from a selection of preset workouts ranging from bootcamp to yoga, all of which will sync automatically back to your Fitbit account. As I mentioned earlier, cyclists can bring Strava into the equation as well. Whatever form your workout takes, the heart-rate monitor will provide clear feedback about how long you're spending in your target cardio zones.
There's a simple timer/stopwatch option which is useful for interval training, with the Surge vibrating to let you know when the timer hits zero.
You can also set a selection of "silent alarms" which wake you with a pretty violent wrist-quake you definitely won't sleep through.
All this stuff works, and works well because there's nothing fancy about it.
However, once the Surge tries to get tricky, a little inconsistency creeps in.
First, setting this thing up was a total pain in the neck. It wouldn't let me do anything until the Fitbit app on my phone had updated the firmware. No biggie, except it kept failing to update the firmware! After many attempts involving reboots of both Surge and phone, switching from wifi to mobile data and generally hitting my head against a brick wall, I finally realised I must be getting some kind of interference from other bluetooth devices in the vicinity. Once I powered off my smart watch and stashed away the Fitbit Charge HR I had been using previously the update finally began.
I was warned it could take up to 10 minutes to complete the update. Almost an hour later, it was done. Whether this is typical, or just a one-off that happened to me, I'm not sure - but what I am sure of is the Surge is a device that does not play well with other bluetooth connections.
There is a music control option which works brilliantly, as long as your phone isn't connected to any other device. The Surge was able to operate a wide selection of apps, controlling music as well as podcasts. Unfortunately, I listen to the majority of my music and podcasts one of 2 ways; either via bluetooth in the car or via bluetooth earbuds on my run. The Surge's music controller would simply refuse to connect in either of those situations making it a lot less useful than I'd hoped.
Better news regarding call and text notifications. The Surge can be set up to vibrate when you get a call or text and you can even display the text to decide if it's worth getting your phone out to reply. This function worked well, although sometimes there was a slight delay as the Surge isn't in nonstop communication with your phone.
Please note, I have only tried the Surge with a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and it's entirely possible the updating and bluetooth issues I experienced are not as prevalent with other devices.
These small bugs aside, I did indeed find the Surge to be what it claims to be; a fitness super watch. As I said at the start, it is a self-sufficient, stand alone device that will track your workout completely independently of your phone or computer.
By the way, the battery life is nuts - in a good way. I got 5 days out of it without any trouble. That's the pay-off for a screen from 1983.
Click here for more information on the Fitbit Surge
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