Fitbit Aria 2 vs Fitbit Aria Air: which is the better smart scale?

Fitbit dominates the fitness market for a reason. Appealing to the masses with its ingenious yet accessible health-tracking gadgets, the company has become the go-to brand for those who enjoy keeping in shape but don’t need to know heaps about tech.

In recent years, the firm has expanded its horizons in terms of fit tech offerings, from a small line-up of easy-to-use smartwatches, to a host of complementary gizmos made to work in unison and all with the same objective: to help you smash your fitness goals. The Aria lineup of smart scales is one of these. Designed to help you keep track of your body composition alongside your steps, runs, cycles and so on, these smart scales integrate with the Fitbit ecosystem to give you some indication as to how you’re managing your diet alongside your workout routine. The idea is that they record metrics over time to calculate your general weight-related health, and if you're after the best bathroom scales then these are the sort of features you should be looking for.

The last two smart scales that Fitbit released are the Aria 2 (2018) and the Aria Air (2019). With only a year between them, the main differences you’ll find are the design and the price. You can get all the details you need in our Fitbit Aria Air review and Fitbit Aria 2 review, but which set of scales comes up trumps? Time to find out.

• Find the best Fitbit deals available now
• The best Fitbit trackers and smartwatches reviewed and ranked

FITBIT ARIA 2 VS FITBIT ARIA AIR: DESIGN

The big design difference between the Aria 2 and the Aira Air is the thickness. The latter has a noticeably lower profile, meaning it can more easily slide under furniture such as a bathroom cabinet, when it's not in use. Still, both devices have a sleek, elegant look about them thanks to a strong tempered glass finish on top and an overall minimal design.

We especially like the Aria Air’s smooth lines and rounded corners, though, as it gives it a friendly and welcoming aesthetic. Both scales are also large enough to accommodate big-sized feet, meaning just about anyone can make use of them. However, one thing that really sets them apart is their respective LCD displays.

The Aria Air has a digital display placed at the top of the scale, which boasts a decent contrast, making it easy to read. The circular LCD screen on the Aria 2, however, is dated-looking and pretty poor quality thanks to a low pixel count. It looks like something straight out of the ‘90s. It’s also poorly backlit, compared to the Aria Air’s super luminous display, which is clearer and easier to read in general.

Winner: Aria Air. The much better display sways it for us.

FITBIT ARIA 2 VS FITBIT ARIA AIR: FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE

Both the Aria Air and the Aria 2 work in very similar ways. They both connect to the Fitbit app, allowing you to track weight changes and set body composition goals through easy-to-understand charts. This works better for existing Fitbit users, as it’s been designed to sync with all the other information you’d usually find here, such as activity tracking synced from smartwatches. Both smart scales do this equally well.

One way they aren’t the same, though, is connectivity. What makes the Aria Air less attractive and (probably) cheaper is that it’s not WiFi connected like its predecessor. Instead, they connect over Bluetooth via your phone meaning you have to ensure the two are connected in order for your data to be sent to the app.

This is all much easier with the Aira 2, however, as you can step off the scales with the reassurance that it has automatically synced to your Fitbit dashboard over WiFi, whether your phone is in range, or not.

The only other variation worth mentioning is the power supply. Both devices require batteries to operate - something we’re not a massive fan of (what’s wrong with a chargeable USB port?) - but we should note that the Aria Air is run off three AAA batteries, while the Aria 2 requires the same number of slightly bigger AA batteries.

Winner: Aria 2: WiFi connectivity can save a lot of faffing around.

FITBIT ARIA 2 VS FITBIT ARIA AIR: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Fitbit launched its Aria 2 smart scales in 2018 at an RRP of £119.99 / $119.99. The health tech giant no longer stocks these scales officially, but they are still available online if you have a Google, and can be picked up for a fraction of the price. There are two colourways to choose from with these scales: blue or white, meaning you’ve more options when it comes to matching them to the décor of your bathroom.

The newer Aria Air was released a year later in 2019 with a much cheaper RRP of £49.99 / $49.99. They, too, are available in two different colourways (this time in black or white) and can still be bought from Fitbit’s official online store.

Winner: Aria Air. Not only is the Air newer and easier to get a hold of, but it’s much more affordable.

FITBIT ARIA 2 VS FITBIT ARIA AIR: VERDICT

Both the Aria Air and the Aria 2 are solid and attractive bathroom scales which do their job of giving you insights into your body composition, effortlessly, and syncing this data with Fitbit’s ecosystem of wearables and mobile app. However, winning more rounds in our smart scales battle, boasting a much improved display and a slightly more slim and attractive design alongside a superior RRP, the Aria Air is the clear winner here.