Is There A Hidden Smartwatch Aboard The Fitbit Flyer Bluetooth Earphones?

November 17, 2017
Witchdoctor Rating
  • 9/10
    - 9/10
9/10

Summary

Fitbit Flyer Bluetooth Earphones $229

Is it a watch? No! Is it smart? Yes! PAT PILCHER gives his earwax a good workout with Fitbit’s inaugural pair of earphones.

Having launched the smoking hot Ionic smartwatch, Fitbit is now focusing in on your ears. Its Fitbit Flyer Bluetooth earphones look great and are sweat proof, but how good do they sound?

The Flyers sell for between $190 and $230 depending on where you shop. Theyโ€™re also available in two colours – Lunar Gray and Nightfall Blue. Theyโ€™re good-looking ear accoutrements with attractive metallic earbuds and controls, and they stay connected to each other using a flat cable. This means it doesnโ€™t get in the way and won’t flap around if you’re running/skiing or doing a pint-lifting workout.

Fitbitโ€™s ear tingler sports a three-button controller on a metallic dongle by the right earpiece. These allow you to tweak volume levels, answer calls, and skip through tracks. On the right earbud is a discrete power/Bluetooth pairing button, which I kept forgetting to turn off. Having a power button together with the other controls would have been a more logical move.

The Flyer buds come with a pouch, a charging cable (micro USB), and spare ear tips. In short, getting the right fit into your โ€˜King Learsโ€™ shouldnโ€™t be a โ€˜Mission Impossibleโ€™. Using the default tips already installed I found them a very comfortable fit indeed.

I was curious to see if the Flyers measured my heart rate, did step counting, or counted chip packets as I opened them. They didnโ€™t.

Theyโ€™re not completely devoid of clever bits though. Fitbit has built them to last. They’ve got a hydrophobic Nano coating and are IP67 rated. This means you can go nuts working out and sweat all over them and they wonโ€™t crap out (yes, sweat damage is a thing). Theyโ€™re not totally water proof though, so donโ€™t go swimming with โ€˜em in your lug โ€˜oles mmkay?

The other clever bit is that theyโ€™ll pair with two Bluetooth capable widgets. This translates into them being useable with a phone when out walking and with the Ionic watch. There’s no magic involved so grabbing them on the way out the door means youโ€™re usually good to go.

Holding down the select button on the controller also fired up Google Assistant. Queries to the assistant got picked up via their two mics. The assistant was able to fire its answer to my queries over the Flyers and into my Toby Jugs. Nice!

I managed to wring almost six hours of use out of the earphones, but then I wasnโ€™t cranking their volume up to max.

From an audio standpoint, the they are a pleasant surprise. Their sound is both balanced, and not unpleasant. Hitting both the volume up and down buttons on the controller also lets you choose between modes. Signature mode is for everyday listening. Power Boost adds extra โ€˜oonstโ€™ for when bass cravings need satisfying.

The Fitbit Flyers delivered decent bottom end without sacrificing mids and highs. Kicking them up to Iron Maiden levels produced no discernible distortion, but did loosen earwax and fillings. Kick drums delivered a palpable thump, while hi-hats sounded crisp.

All told, the Fitbit Flyers are a solid first attempt at earphones. While there’s bazillions of other competing brands, they can hold their ear buds high thanks to their gutsy yet clean output.

Pat has been talking about tech on TV, radio and print for over 20 years, having served time as a TV tech guy and currently penning reviews for Witchdoctor. He loves nothing more than rolling his sleeves up and playing with shiny gadgets.

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