Fitbit Aria Review

Introduction

Wi-Fi is being put in everything in our homes. From appliances like washers & dryers and refrigerators, to home electronics like television sets, there’s no arguing that we’re increasingly seeing companies giving a smart option to all our consumers electronics goods. Well folks, it’s now coming to that friend/enemy of ours, the bathroom weight scale – courtesy of Fitbit, the company behind several outstanding fitness trackers. In complementing its lineup, the Fitbit Aria is giving that old scale a huge upgrade.

The package contains:

• 4 standard AA batteries
• Owner’s manual

Design

If we didn’t know it, this is arguably one of the best designed weight scales.

Sophisticated isn’t something we tend to associate with a bathroom scale, but that’s exactly the word that best describes the design of the Fitbit Aria. For something that’s meant to measure our weight, it’s unbelievable that Fibit puts a lot of emphasis to its design – one that’s rich with high quality materials and a solid construction from head-to-toe. Yes, it’s undeniable that it’s more weighty than your traditional scale, but it helps to supplement its stunning appearance.

The top surface of the Aria is comprised out of this solid piece of tempered glass, one that’s highly reflective and prone to smudges, but when it’s clean, it absolutely oozes with a stunning glow. Towards the top, there’s a silver metal ring that surrounds the backlit LED display. The glow isn’t weak, nor is it overpowering, but it’s iridescent enough to visibly make out under bright light.

Flipping it around to the rear, we have one interesting looking bubble-like design pattern that’s uniform – you can say that it helps to give it a modern look. On all corners, there are rubberized feet that help keeps the scale stable, and at the same time, offers equal weight distribution to get an accurate reading. Finally, there’s a removable piece that grants us access to its battery compartment, which requires four AA batteries to run. Thankfully, they’re included with the packaging!

We can’t deny that the Fitbit Aria is one stylish looking weight scale, one that gladly allows us to forget those old and stale looking ones. Needless to say, it’s a sophisticated looking thing, but we can’t help to realize that it’s a work of art at the same time – thanks in part to all of the elements that combine together to give it an appealing design.

Performance

Accuracy is one of its biggest assets, but it’s smarter than your traditional weight scale.

Setting up the Aria is a simple task, one that requires roughly 2 minutes at the most to accomplish. In fact, the entire thing is done wirelessly – so there’s no need to physically connect it. Once that’s all taken care of, the only thing we need to do is simply step on the scale so it can measure our weight. The whole process takes less than 30 seconds, as it calculates our weight, body fat %, and syncs the data via Wi-Fi to the clouds. Of course, it’s smart enough to recognize who we are, so if a friend of ours happens to check out their weight while they’re over, the Aria knows it’s not us and doesn’t include it in our profile. Thankfully though, you can set up profiles for up to 8 people.

When it comes to measuring our weight, the Aria is pretty spot on in that department. Initially, it asks us to step onto the scale, and after that, we’re required to step off. At this point, it begins to “calculate” our weight, as it seems to recalibrate itself as we step off to figure the value of no weight being applied to the scale. Once that’s all done, we’re finally given our weight – and body fat %, which is accomplished through bioimpedance analysis. Basically, ITO electrodes form a pattern on the top of the scale, which then sends a small electrical impulse through our body. Obviously, it’s precise when stepping on the scale with our bare feet – as opposed to wearing socks.

Having our weight pop up on the Aria’s screen can be a joy or shock depending on the number, but all the data it collects really manifests in Fitbit’s smartphone apps for Android and iOS – and its online portal too! Using them, we’re better able to gauge our weight and body fat % over a period of time, so we can assess our progress. Moreover, we can set a weight goal as well, to see how we fare in obtaining that goal.

Conclusion

We bet that there’s at least one weight scale in your house right now, so you’re wondering how the Fitbit Aria can benefit you in the long run. Naturally, it does the same thing as any other scale, one that doesn’t discriminate in telling you your weight, but it goes beyond just that. With the aid of Fitbit’s mobile apps, it’s a great tool to show us visually how we’re doing with our routine. In a way, it’s a great motivational tool that turns that boring experience we’d normally get, into one that’s informative and to the point.

However, with its price tag of $130, it’s going to be a tough sell no matter how great it is. For the price and all, its design alone reflects it premium cost, but then again, it goes above and beyond other weight scales by being smart. Losing weight is something many of us strive intensively to achieve, so it’s endearing that the Aria is here to help us get on that road to success.