The Fitbit Surge is a powerhouse of metrics and options with a large emphasis on performance and training. Whereas others in the Fitbit lineup are perfect for those just beginning to focus on their fitness or intermediate-level fitness fiends, the Fitbit Surge is the most comprehensive fitness band on the market. Whether you’re looking for the fitness band of pro athletes or you just don’t feel like you’re getting enough from your current tracker, the Fitbit Surge is sure to quench your thirst for quantitative metrics and performance options.

The Fitbit Surge is quite a bit bulkier and sizeable than its little brother, the Fitbit Charge HR. While they both boast the impressive continuous heart rate monitoring technology known as PurePulse, the Surge also has GPS technology built in and has a much larger backlit LCD screen that is set flush to the band (although we still hope one day for a brighter, OLED screen for daylight viewing). The large screen is incredibly responsive, and we had no issues tapping through the screens with capacitive gloves on. It is still roughly the same size as a standard wristwatch, which gives the band a natural feel when being worn if not a little stiff. The stainless steel clasp looks sleek while preventing any allergy issues of Fitbits past.

The Surge has a tesselated triangle pattern for a rugged yet functional look. It does seem a bit more masculine than other trackers in the line, but not overly so. With only three color options (black, navy, and tangerine), it is not nearly as diverse as others in the Fitbit family; however, there are three band sizes as opposed to the standard two, and the color options available tend to match well with most any outfit. Behind the tappable touchscreen, you can find the heart rate monitor and the charging port.

We could write a novel on the features the Fitbit Surge has managed to squeeze into its high-end model. While it still has yet to be anything more than water resistant (showering okay, swimming not so much), it finally has added GPS technology. This means you no longer have to enable GPS from your phone to track distances ran, and the tracking accuracy is greatly improved from former models. In fact, there are three running selections to choose from: free run, lap run, and treadmill run. Runners rejoice; Fitbit listened. If you choose hiking or outdoor running from your settings, the GPS will automatically enable and you’ll be off to the races.

An additional improvement is that you no longer have to reference the app to see the majority of your tracked data. You now can simply swipe through the screens to see your steps taken, calories burned, and distance walked.  From the app, you are able to customize choice activities to be at your fingertips from the display screen. With myriad workout options ranging from yoga to weight lifting, the Fitbit Surge adjusts your calorie burn metrics accordingly for the most accurate assessment possible.

The Charge and Charge HR introduced phone notifications to the Fitbit lineup, and the Surge has taken it to the next level with not only phone notifications, but also text alerts. When a phone call is received, the band will vibrate and show the name of the caller. For text alerts, an icon appears, and you can press one of the side buttons to view the text directly from your wrist. Additionally, the side buttons allow you to scroll through music playlists during your day after syncing your devices with Bluetooth. After starting music from your music player of choice, simply press the Home button twice on your Surge to display the music control screen for information about the track currently playing. The sleep tracking works better than ever with its automatic and manual triggering, and we found that it logged our sleep fairly accurately. In the event that it logs incorrectly, adjusting your sleep times is as simple as adjusting it in the app.

The Surge's normal battery life is five days without GPS turned on (the default setting), and that is with the persistent heart rate screen running; however, if you have GPS on to track an outside action such as running, the battery life is around five hours. Fitbit calculates an average battery life of 5-7 days, and they include one hour of GPS use every day in that estimate. Despite the fact that others in this segment have longer battery lives, they also do not have the PurePulse technology that Fitbit owners love. The heart rate monitoring can be turned off to preserve battery life; however, the measurement and tracking of average resting heart rates is too interesting for us to turn it off.

Naturally, the Surge syncs automatically to the app and then your online account. The app is user-friendly and easy to use, just as it has always been. You’re still able to track food and calories, review your activity for the day, compare your progress to friends in friendly competitions, and view graphs and charts that show your progress across all metrics. The app includes a barcode scanner for quick food and calorie logging; however, the database is still not as comprehensive as other calorie-logging apps on the market. We recommend pairing the Fitbit app to a separate calorie counter such as MyFitnessPal or Lose It. Thankfully, they are easily connected and will automatically sync after setup.

Through the app, you are able to customize the quick access screens and watch face (although there aren’t many options, and most are fairly unimpressive), enter your water consumption, and view maps of your running routes. Daily exercise is charted on a monthly calendar.

Motivation is the name of the game with push notifications and earnable badges to reward your achievements. There’s nothing quite like the motivation of watching the steps-taken line graph trending positively upward as your weight steadily falls, and having all of those metrics laid out in one easy-to-view area creates a positive reinforcement as you continue in your fitness journey.

The most comprehensive and intuitive fitness tracker on the market is, without a doubt, the Fitbit Surge. With continuous heart rate monitoring PurePulse technology, GPS MobileRun, and a variety of workout options to adjust calorie burn tracking, even the most hardcore athletes will find the Fitbit Surge sufficient for their needs. Although users looking for a basic tracker may be overwhelmed, the large amount of fine-tuned features give the Surge a strong edge over its competitors.