Fitbit makes good fitness trackers, but so does everybody these days .You can buy an AUD$20 fitness band from Xiaomi and it will count your steps with a reasonable degree of accuracy, or you can buy a AUD$500 Apple Watch and it will also count your steps with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

Looks great; leather bands are great; Fantastic battery life; Polished companion apps

Premium price; No water resistance; Slow to respond screen

I have had this fitbit for a month now. I purchased it primarily to get a gleaning of my sleep patterns, such as REM and deep sleep stages. I was pleasantly surprised at the detail provided by the fitbit in this area, particularly the many 'awake' stages occurring during my sleep which might be...

I'd always wanted to have a Fitbit Alta HR so when someone bought this for me as a gift I was really delighted. I am on Slimming World and so any extra exercise is always advised especially to get Body Magic. The more exercise I do, the more weight I lose.

Basic design; not complicated; fits snugly around the wrist

Expensive; some annoying features

Purchased this Fitbit online for my wife from Harvey Norman about a month ago. She loves it, all the features you could ask for. Lasts for approx a week between charges and looks good too.

I wanted a device that could track my heart rate when exercising and track my sleep. I like the strap and the fit. The battery life is good, needing charging every few days and not taking more than an hour or so.

The Fitbit Alta HR doesn't offer much of an improvement over the existing Charge 2, and in fact you might struggle to notice any real difference at first. However, the more compact design and improved screen sensitivity is definitely a step up over last year's tracker.

Instant feedback; HR sensor; Customisable design

Initially too expensive to recommend, Fitbit's supercharged Alta now represents excellent value for money

Slim; elegant design; 24/7 heart rate monitoring; Impressive battery life

Pricier than the Charge 2 HR; Fewer features than the Charge 2 HR

Fitbit Alta does not offer much new in terms of functionalities, compared to the older Fitbit products. It does not have a built-in GPS and a heart rate sensor too. What it does offer, however, is a sleeker, slimmer, and adaptive design for those who are fashion-conscious.

The Fitbit Alta HR is a return to the company's strongest suit, with a focus on sleep, wellbeing and heart health rather than all-out fitness. The improved sleep stats are a big step forward, although will require time and perseverance to really kick in with insightful stats.

Slim design; Custom straps galore; Good sleep insights; Heart rate monitor

Heart rate sensor not up to intense workouts; No breathing training; Screen a tad unresponsive; Poor notifications

The Fitbit Alta is a mid-range activity tracker for the everyday fitness fan, which is a real winner when it comes to slim, chic looks and a range of fashionable accessories. It tracks the basics (Steps, Distance, Calories and Sleep), plus boasts Caller ID, Text and Calendar notifications, and is cheaper than the more fully featured Fitbits such as the Charge 2, Versa and Ionic. Its higher-end sibling the Alta HR adds a heart-rate monitor if you want to dive deeper into your health, fitness, sleep and weight-loss metrics. But the cheaper Alta is a stylish tracker that will appeal to people who don’t want a giant sports watch on their wrist, or need a huge array of stats in the app.