How accurate is Fitbits heart rate?
Photo Credit: Courtesy of 3DStockPhoto (heart rate image)
During exercise on a treadmill at 65 percent of maximum heart rate -- defined as 220 beats per minute minus age -- accuracy suffered more. The monitors could overestimate heart rate by as much as 39 beats per minute (Fitbit Surge), or underestimate it by as much as 41 beats per minute (Fitbit Charge), the study found.