Consumer Reports backs Fitbit heart rate monitor results in the aftermath of a class-action lawsuit Fitbit is currently facing. Two Fitbit devices, the Surge and Charge HR were submitted to a test once more.
The Monitor Daily (U.S.) – Consumer Reports backs Fitbit heart rate monitor results in the aftermath of a class-action lawsuit Fitbit is currently facing. Two Fitbit devices, the Surge and Charge HR were submitted to a test once more.
Trackers such as those offered by Fitbit encompass a thin line between medically accurate devices and simply activity trackers. While it’s advised to not take any of the results displayed by such devices at face value, there are potentially dangerous situations leading to class-action lawsuits such as the one Fitbit is currently facing.
The underpinning of the class-action lawsuit are faulty heart rate monitor results. Using Fitbit devices during workouts, several customers complained that they measured low BPM rates. However, several documented instances showed that the BPM rates of the respective users were alarmingly high.
In one case the Fitbit heart rate monitor results showed a 82 BPM value. According to the personal trainer of that person, the true BPM value measured with a chest heart rate monitor was 160. Such a high value indicates that the heart is under significant stress due to high-intensity training. The plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit argue that such cases are telling for a false advertising campaign.
However, Consumer Reports backs Fitbit heart rate monitor results. Recently, the Charge HR and Fitbit’s Surge were submitted to a test. Two subjects wearing the trackers followed a high-impact workout routine. The location of the wearable Fitbit devices was also changed a couple of times. It ranged from the wrist to the forearm. The control was represented by BPM values measured with a chest heart rate monitor.
According to the Consumer Reports report, the test didn’t yield any significant differences between the two type of devices:
“During nearly every trial, the variance between the chest strap and the Fitbit devices amounted to no more than three heartbeats per minute”.
Although chest heart rate monitors are widely hailed as the standard for accurate BPM values, the Fitbit devices seem to be nearly close to the performance. The class-action lawsuit is right in bringing up the topic. An under-reported heart rate monitor value may pose significant health dangers. Case in point, trackers such as the Fitbit devices should be fine tuned to respond to growing concerns.
Albeit the fact that Consumer Reports backs Fitbit heart rate monitor results, it’s still time to consider an improvement.
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