Looking for expert advice on picking the right Fitbit? Whether you need one for activity tracking or a sensor-rich watch, this post shall help you find the perfect one ensuring that all your smartwatch needs are fulfilled.
Fitbit watches are mostly unisex, which means both men and women can wear them. A few devices come with feminine colors and are suited for women. However, if you’re a man who is looking for a relevant Fitbit watch, then we’ve listed out the 7 best options from which you can pick the one.
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Why do people trust Fitbit?
When it comes to health and fitness enthusiasts, the users seem to be divided into a few ecosystems. There are those who prefer the Apple Ecosystem, the ones who are more into what Garmin offers, and some like the Fitbit ecosystem.
Now, there are some other options as well like Google’s Wear OS, Samsung’s Tizen, and more but, the most popular in the health and fitness community is Apple and Fitbit’s ecosystems. But, Apple watches are not compatible with non-iOS devices i.e. Android devices from OnePlus, Samsung, Motorola, LG, Xiaomi, etc, that’s why people consider switching to the next best fitness tracking brand i.e. Fitbit.
So, why should you even consider something like a Fitbit, over a more mainstream option like an Apple Watch or a Samsung Galaxy Watch? Well, if you own too many products from one of those ecosystems already, you absolutely shouldn’t.
Like the Apple Watch Series 6 or Series 5, the ecosystem integration is something Fitbit won’t be great at. But, in case you want those super-detailed health stats or want to connect and compete against the local community users, features like Fitbit Community and Fitbit Premium are some of the best options out there.
Fitbit is focused tightly on health and fitness and although its smartwatches have a lower number of fancy features, in most cases, they have all of the important stuff and the stats are mostly, pretty accurate. Many of us want that detailed health info while staying independent of mainstream ecosystem bounds and that’s where they may want to go with a Fitbit instead.
7 Best Fitbit For Men in 2021
Men may have a variety of fitness preferences and it further differs from one person to another. I’ve taken that factor into consideration and picked up only those options that are relevant, yet versatile. Hopefully, there is something for everyone and of course, I have included both Smartwatches and Fitness Bands.
I’ve taken hours to consider all the Fitbits available today and analyzed every single aspect and, finally, these are the options I’ve decided to include by relevance and available features. These are the finest Fitbit’s that you can buy right now.
1. Best From Fitbit: Fitbit Versa 3
- OS: Fitbit OS
- Display: 1.59-inch OLED Touchscreen
- Water Resistant: Up to 50 Meters
- Monitoring Sensors: Blood Oxygen Sensor, Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Ambient Light
- Battery Life: Up to 6 days
- NFC Support: Yes (Fitbit Pay)
The first and probably the easiest recommendation would be the Fitbit Versa 3. It is currently the latest model of the Versa line-up and it has the best of both worlds. It’s not super expensive yet has premium features, has a great build quality and it even has Fitbit’s new design approach. Anyone getting into the Fitbit ecosystem will absolutely love what the Versa 3 has to offer.
Compatibility
Fitbit does compatibility, really well, so of course, the Versa 3 has support for both iOS and Android operating systems. So, the device will work with whatever smartphone you have. Fitbit has integrated the latest Bluetooth 5.0 alongside 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi, so the connectivity options are actually solid. For navigation, you get GPS and GLONASS which work flawlessly.
Design and Build Quality
The top-end 2020 Fitbits have gotten an important update to the design. There are no buttons on the case. The button has been replaced by a sensor that can work similarly to a button. Other than that the square case has rounded corners and it is made out of Aluminum. This design approach makes the device look clean and muted.
he build quality is sturdy and it’ll handle your daily outdoor workout routines just fine. The device is water-resistant up to 50 meters underwater which makes it perfect for swimming and surfing.
Display and Watch Faces
There is a 1.59-inch OLED panel with great outdoor visibility, vibrant colors, and excellent contrast. The company has included an always-on display mode and hundreds of watch faces to go with it.
Overall the display is pretty good and if you don’t mind the thick, black bezels, you will love it. Although, the dark watch faces from Fitbit kinda do a good job of hiding the black surrounding.
Hardware [RAM, OS, Storage]
Coming to the internals Fitbit has never really been the one to use high-end hardware in the wearables. Even in the Versa 3, Fitbit may still be using a baseline Cortex M4 which is running at a clock speed of 96 MHz that can go up to 120 MHz in boost/overdrive mode and has around 2.2MB of on-board RAM.
Although the company may have improved the hardware as these are newer models but, I can’t really confirm. Even if they did, the performance doesn’t really feel that different.
Editorial Note: There is also a sufficient amount of internal storage for all the apps you’ll need.
Health and Fitness Monitoring
When it comes to health and fitness monitoring, the Fitbit Versa 3 has a ton of features on-board. This includes Blood Oxygen Monitoring, Sleep Tracking, Heart Rate, Breathing Rate, and even Skin Temperature if you have Fitbit Premium. Speaking of Fitbit Premium, it’s an optional feature that you can enable by paying a fee, and alongside Body Temperature, it also gives you access to super-detailed health stats available through the Fitbit companion app.
On the fitness side, you get all-day activity tracking, cardio fitness tracking, swim tracking, and more. There are also community features that let you connect to the local user community.
Battery Life
When it comes to battery life, the device can do up to 6 days on a single charge. If you choose to use the super-essential features only, you can get a couple of days of extra juice but, 6 days is actually pretty good Now, if you’re using GPS all the time or streaming a lot of music on the device, the battery life will reduce significantly.
In case you’re looking for something more budget friendly, you can get the Fitbit Versa Special Edition instead. It has all the features of the original Fitbit Versa and the Versa Lite and it can do NFC payments using Fitbit Pay. It even uses a regular button, in case you prefer that.
Why should you get the Versa 3?
Overall, the Fitbit Versa 3 is a great smartwatch for anyone getting into the Fitbit approach to fitness. If you’re just starting out and you have no issue with the price, this definitely is the best device for you.
- Blood Oxygen Monitoring support
- Has basic and advanced fitness features
- Buttonless design & sensor-based interaction
- Can last up to 6 days
- Bluetooth 5.0 support
- ECG isn’t supported
- Comparatively worse price to performance ratio
2. Best Runner Up: Fitbit Sense
- OS: Fitbit OS
- Display: 1.59-inch OLED Touchscreen
- Water Resistant: Up to 50 Meters
- Monitoring Sensors: ECG, Blood Oxygen Sensor, Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Ambient Light
- Battery Life: Up to days
- NFC Support: Yes (Fitbit Pay)
If the Versa 3 is simply not enough for you, the Fitbit Sense is the top of the line flagship from the company, with more features, a better health monitoring system, and of course a higher price as well. If you want the best of the Fitbit world, this is the way to go.
Compatibility & Connectivity
As mentioned earlier, the compatibility area is a non-issue for Fitbit smartwatches. The Fitbit Sense does work with both Android & iOS powered smartphones.
On the connectivity side, there is Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, alongside GPS, GLONASS for maps and navigation. There is no cellular connectivity but that’s true for all Fitbits at this point, so it’s not really a big deal here.
Design and Build Quality
This is the top-end model so, undoubtedly it has the best build quality of the bunch. The case is made out of Aluminum with a Stainless Steel bezel on the top. There is still that thick black border and this one also has the sensor on the side that has replaced the traditional button.
The quality is on point and the device can also survive under up to 50 meters of water which makes it great for those swimming and surfing sessions.
Display
The display is great too. It is a 1.59-inch OLED panel with support for the always-on display. It is bright, vibrant, and has that infinite contrast ratio.
Just like the Versa 3, you also get access to hundreds of watch faces to customize your screen as you like. You can’t really create custom watch faces so you’ll need to make peace with the provided ones.
Hardware
As per the hardware, Fitbit seems to be using very similar hardware to the Versa 3. So, it may actually be the exact same Cortex M4 or something slightly better with maybe a bit more internal storage onboard.
The performance is what we’ve been seeing from every other Fitbit. It works but it’s not super snappy. The company can really use an upgrade in this area.
You can take calls and reply to messages in the Fitbit OS but the replay feature will only work if you’re using an Android Phone.
Health and Fitness Tracking
Coming to health and fitness, this is where the device shines. Fitbit has gone all-in with health features like
- ECG
- Blood Oxygen Monitoring
- Sleep Tracking
- Stress Tracking
- Heart Rate Monitoring
- Skin Temperature Monitoring
- Breathing Rate Monitoring, and more.
Although, some of these features require Fitbit Premium. The premium plan is also a great option in case you want more detailed fitness stats. Speaking of the fitness clan though, Fitbit includes more than twenty, goal-based exercises alongside, all the regular fitness stuff, and of course, it also does swim tracking.
Battery Life
The battery life is also really similar to the Versa 3. You can get up to 6 days on a single charge and slightly more in case you’re using the essential features only. On continuous GPS use, the device will last around 12 hours There is support for fast charging and you can get around a day of mixed usage with a 12-minute charge.
Why should you get the Fitbit Sense?
Overall, the Fitbit Sense is the best device in the Fitbit ecosystem, and if you want to have every single feature that Fitbit currently offers, the Sense is the only device to support all of those. It is also the most expensive of the bunch but, you’ll get a 6-month free trial of Fitbit Premium. So, if you have the budget, the Sense is as good as it gets.
- Can take ECG measurements
- Supports Blood Oxygen Monitoring
- The best that Fitbit currently makes
- Premium build quality
- Can last up to 6 days
- No cellular connectivity
- A bit pricey
3. Best Fitness Tracker For Men: Fitbit Charge 4
- OS: Fitbit OS
- Display: 1.0-inch OLED Touchscreen
- Water Resistant: Up to 50 Meters
- Monitoring Sensors: Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Geomagnetic
- Battery Life: Up to days
- NFC Support: Yes (Fitbit Pay)
Alongside smartwatches, Fitbit also makes great fitness bands. The Fitbit Charge 4 would be our favorite in this department Fitbit Charge 4. It doesn’t cost as much money as one of the smartwatches and yet it has almost all the features that a smartwatch generally has. The fitness ones by the way.
The compatibility part is as expected. The device supports both iOS and Android devices at the same time supports both iOS and Android devices at the same time. So, you don’t need to worry about your smartphone being incompatible. For connectivity, You get GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n.
The build quality is pretty good. It’s an Aluminum case with a few silicon and woven (fiber) band options to choose from. It looks like pretty much every other fitness band out there. That being said, it does have a premium feel to it. There are a few band options to choose from and if you want something else than the default options, you can get the Special Edition or choose from a bunch of sport and woven bands that the company sells separately.
The 1-inch display is a Monochrome OLED unit. Although it is not a smartwatch, the display is pretty bright and it is quite visible under sunlight. It does the job of showing your regular stats and notifications. As for the size, it is still pretty big as far as fitness bands go.
The performance is, as you would expect pretty good. The device does not need to do a lot of work so it doesn’t need as much pushing as a traditional smartwatch might. There are no stutters or lag. As far as fitness bands go this one is actually pretty good in the performance section.
Coming to the health and fitness area, the Charge 4 Does all the basics pretty well. As you would expect, It does heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, activity tracking, swim tracking, and much more. It even tracks things like cardio fitness levels and provides guided breathing sessions.
Since, it is a fitness tracker, it actually has all of the health and fitness features that you would find in a traditional smartwatch. The only thing you don’t get is some premium features like blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, skin temperature sensor, etc.
The battery life as expected, it’s pretty damn good. You can go up to 7 days on a single charge. Now, this might differ based on your usage habits. For example, if you are using GPS all the time, the battery will run out faster. On the other hand, if you are only using the essential features, the battery will last you a lot longer.
So overall, if you want a good fitness tracker that can do all the basic health and fitness tracking that you may need and that you can comfortably wear without having any sleep disturbance, The Fitbit Charge 4 Is a great option for you.
- Excellent build quality for a fitness band
- All the important health & fitness features
- Can last up to 7 days
- Support for guided breathing sessions
- Good value for money
- Still using a Monochrome display
- Improvements over its predecessor are minor
4. Best Battery Life: Fitbit Inspire 2
- OS: Fitbit OS
- Display: 1.0-inch OLED Touchscreen
- Water Resistant: Up to 50 Meters
- Monitoring Sensors: Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Geomagnetic
- Battery Life: Up to 10 days
- NFC Support: Yes (Fitbit Pay)
If you liked the Charge 4 but, prefer something cheaper and maybe even something fancier, the Fitbit Inspire 2 might just be the one for you. It has most of the features that the Charge 4 has and it is pried comparatively lower while looking a little more pretty.
As it would have been clear by now, Fitbit does support both iOS and Android ecosystems, so your current smartphone should be compatible. For connectivity, there is Bluetooth 4.2 with 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi for all your wireless communications and of course, GPS is also there.
As far as design and build quality goes, the Inspire 2 has good build quality. It’s a solid plastic build as you’d expect and by default, the device actually ships with nice-looking silicone bands. If you want something more premium, you can also purchase the stainless steel and leather options, separately. It is kind of a style statement. On top of all of this, you still get up to 50 meters of water-resistance, so you can take it swimming if you want.
For the display, the company has gone with a 1-inch OLED panel yet again and it does the job perfectly fine. It’s bright, fairly visible outdoors, and it is a pretty great size as far as fitness bands go. You can get all your health stats and even smartphone notifications, directly on the display. Unless you have to have a color display, this one should be enough.
The performance is very similar to the Charge 4. It will perform all your day to day operations, just fine without showing random slowdowns. It is not mind-blowing or anything but it does the job. As far as the software goes, The device is running the same operating system as all the other fitness bands from the company. It is easily accessible and user-friendly.
The health and fitness area is where you make a few sacrifices. Instead of trying to be more like a smartwatch, this one is a more subtle version of a fitness band. All the basic health and fitness features like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, guided breathing exercises, workout tracking, all-day activity tracking, Step counting, and much more.
The battery life is excellent. With regular mixed-use, you can get about 10 days of juice. Now, of course, it will run out faster if you’re pushing the device a lot. But, overall it’s really good battery life as far as fitness bands go.
So, the Fitbit Inspire 2 is the best of both the style and fitness worlds in Fitbit’s line-up. If you are indeed looking for a fancy fitness band with excellent health & fitness features on board, go for the Inspire 2. It looks different, has excellent battery life, and supports Google Fast Pair.
- Fancy design with the standard build quality
- Important fitness features including Swim & Distance tracking
- Premium band options available
- Excellent battery life
- Support for Google Fast Pair
- Still using a monochrome display
- Bluetooth 4.2 is no prize
5. Best Budget Fitness Tracker: Fitbit Inspire HR
- OS: Fitbit OS
- Display: 1.0-inch OLED Touchscreen
- Water Resistant: Up to 50 Meters
- Monitoring Sensors: Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Ambient Light
- Battery Life: Up to 5 days
- NFC Support: Yes (Fitbit Pay)
In case you liked the Inspire 2 and perhaps you would like something cheaper, you can go with the Inspire HR instead. It shares a few design and function ques with the Inspire 2 and it will save you a little bit of money. In case that’s what you’re after, you may like this one better.
The compatibility factor remains the same with support for both iOS and Android powered smartphones. The connectivity options are decent too. You get Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 Wi-Fi, and GPS. That’s kinda the baseline at this point, but, at this certain price zone, it’s okay.
Build quality is pretty similar to the Inspire 2. It has a plastic body and three silicone band options to go with it. The design is also similar-ish which means, even if you go with the Inspire HR, you probably won’t have any complaints about the looks. The more interesting part is the fact that Fitbit has managed to squeeze in up to 50 meters of water resistance. So, that’s pretty impressive overall.
Just like all the other fitness bands we’ve talked about so far, this one also has a 1-inch monochrome display and it’s still plenty bright to be visible under direct sunlight. You get all those fitness stats right on your wrist alongside call, text, and calendar alerts. The company has put a lot of effort to make the displays of their fitness bands, as useful as possible and that shows here as well.
The performance is nothing special As we have previously seen, the company doesn’t really take the internal hardware as a priority and that is true for the Inspire HR as well. The device isn’t buttery smooth or anything but, it does the job without any noticeable stutters.
The word HR in the name refers to Heart Rate so, it is obvious that it is supposed to be Heart Rate Monitor. But, as this is a Fitbit, it does a lot more. It can track all your day to day activities, your sleep, real-time distance & pace, and a lot more. The tracking is also being done 24/7 but, during workouts, it would be in smaller intervals compared to the general usage scenarios.
Battery life is also pretty good. You get around 5 days of mixed-use on a single charge. Of course, using GPS a lot will shorten your battery life. So, depending on how you use your device, battery life is going to differ. But, it’s actually a pretty standard battery life.
Overall if you have a lower budget but, you need something that doesn’t look cheap and does most of the fitness stuff you expert your fitness band to do, the Fitbit Inspire HR is a great choice for that.
- Retains a lot of features from the newer Inspire 2
- All the basic health and fitness features
- Swim tracking with 50 ATM water-resistance
- All-day heart rate tracking
- Can show alerts from your smartphone
- Bluetooth 4.0 is quite old at this point
- The monochrome display isn’t ideal
6. Best Value For Money: Fitbit Versa 2
- OS: Fitbit OS
- Display: 1.34-inch OLED Touchscreen
- Water Resistant: Up to 50 Meters
- Monitoring Sensors: Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Ambient Light
- Battery Life: Up to 6 days
- NFC Support: Yes (Fitbit Pay)
In case the Fitbit Versa 3 wasn’t your speed, or maybe a little bit out of budget for you, then the Fitbit Versa 2 might be the one you have been looking for. It has a lot of the features that you may want on a daily basis, and it is cheaper.
The Versa 2 is compatible with iPhones and Android smartphones. As far as connectivity goes, there is support for Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and GPS. That’s kind of what you expect and that’s enough.
The built quality is very similar to the Versa 3 with one difference. The case is made out of Aluminum but in this case, you do get the traditional button, instead of the sensor as it was first introduced with the Fitbit Sense, and after that, it came to the Versa 3. Needless to say, the build quality is pretty good and the design looks nice. If you hate black bezels though, you’re not gonna be a fan of this one either.
The display is a 1.34-inch panel and yes it is indeed smaller than its successor. It is still Using the OLED technology so you do get the infinite contrast and vibrant colors. The display is also pretty bright and is easily visible outdoors. You do not get an always-on option though.
The performance is very similar to its successor. Fitbit has very few generational improvements in this department, and this is something the brand needs to work on. The performance is fine with no major lag or stutter but it is still nothing compared to the Apple Watch SE or Series 6 or Galaxy Active 2. The internal storage should also be pretty similar to die Versa 3. Fitbit OS also feels pretty similar but, you do not get support for Google Assistant in this one.
You do make some compromises in the health and fitness department though. For starters, there is no blood oxygen monitor or body temperature sensor.
You do get all the regular stuff including, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and all the fitness stuff that the company offers is there too. There’s also access to the guided training modes alongside your day to day workouts, step tracking, distance tracking, swim tracking, cardio fitness tracking, and more.
Note: You can also get a Fitbit Premium subscription and access all the detailed health stats that are not available in the free plan.
The battery life is actually pretty similar. You get around 6 days of battery life on a single charge. In case you are only using the super essential features you may get 2 to 3 days extra but six days is A lot so that may not be necessary. The basic parameters still stand here. So, in case you are using GPS all the time or you are streaming music a lot, your battery life will be a lot less.
Overall, the Fitbit Versa 2 is still a great smartwatch and in case you don’t need fancy features like blood oxygen monitoring or the button-less design, you can save the extra money and go for this one instead.
- All the important health and fitness features
- Bright and vibrant display
- Support for Cardio Fitness Tracking
- Physical button for tactile operations
- Good value for money
- No Blood Oxygen Monitoring
- Google Assistant isn’t supported
7. Best Sleek Design: Fitbit Charge 3
- OS: Fitbit OS
- Display: 1.0-inch OLED Touchscreen
- Water Resistant: Up to 50 Meters
- Monitoring Sensors: Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Ambient Light
- Battery Life: Up to 7 days
- NFC Support: Yes (Fitbit Pay)
In case you liked the Fitbit Charge 4 you may also like its predecessor. There isn’t a lot of difference and you may even end up saving some money. The Charge 3 has many of the design elements of its successor and the band sizes are the same so the bands for one, fit the other.
Compatibility, as you may have guessed, is universal with support for Android Smartphones and iPhones. For connectivity, there is nothing special but, the overall options are decent. There is Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 Wi-Fi, and GPS. That’s kinda standard for fitness bands and it does the job.
Build quality is similar to the new Charge 4, as you may expect. So, the case is built out of Aluminum and you get Silicone or Woven band options to go with it Now, the bands for the Charge 4 are also compatible with Charge 3. Also, the case is rated for up to 50 meters of water resistance, which is impressive.
The 1-inch display is of-course a monochrome OLED panel This is something we have seen the company do for all of their fitness bands and, as competitors are moving towards color displays, Fitbit needs to get on that train soon. Anyway, the display does show alerts and fitness stats and is fairly visible outdoors.
Performance is again, nothing special to praise upon. It does the job and doesn’t stutter. That’s all I can really say about it. However, like most other fitness bands you’re probably not after the whole fast and smooth thing anyway. The fitness bands do not get the full version of Fitbit OS but, it does have the essential features.
Now coming to health and fitness, the Charge 3 is almost as good as the newer Charge 4 in this department. You get all-day heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, goal-based exercises, guided training, and more. It can also do swim tracking and real-time pace and distance tracking. So, although it’s an older model you won’t be compromising on the basics.
Battery life isn’t gonna be an issue either. You get up to 7-days on a single charge with mixed usage. While using the basic features only, you do get a couple of days extra but, you’ll also drain your battery faster in case you use GPS a lot.
Overall, the Fitbit Charge 3 is really similar to the newer Charge 4 in terms of overall feature set and even build quality for that matter. So, in case you want to save a bit of money, you can skip the Charge 4 and get the Charge 3 instead.
- Supports the newer bands introduced for the Charge 4
- Up to 7 days on a single charge
- Supports the basic health and fitness features
- Great build quality for the price
- 50 ATM water resistance and swim tracking
- Connectivity options could have been better
- Still using a monochrome OLED panel
Frequently Asked Questions
If you can take advantage of Fitbit’s ecosystem, community features, and maybe even Fitbit Premium then, getting a Fitbit Smartwatch or Fitness Band should be worth it.
If you care about getting in touch with your local community of Fitbit users, want to compete with them based on fitness stats, and get to know about & attend local fitness events, Fitbit’s community features will matter to you.
Fitbit has a lot more emphasis on Fitness than Apple and Apple has a lot more emphasis on daily health compared to Fitbit. But, both are actually pretty close and unless you are deep into Apple’s ecosystem, you won’t have complaints on the Fitbit side of things.
Of course not! These are unisex smartwatches. But, in case you’re a woman, you can look for bands more suitable for women. Most of Fitbit’s line up gives you various band options to choose from.
There is no specific reason but, it seems like, because the features Fitbit currently offers, don’t really need an internet connection on the go, Fitbit isn’t implementing a cellular option just to add calling or direct texting.
The Verdict
When we talk about Fitbit, the things we focus on are mainly, daily fitness and health. That’s where the company is making major strides. But, recently they have also been doing some really great work in productivity and music-oriented features. Now, these are more generalized and more appealing to the end consumer. So, in case you have found your match, that’s great! But, in case you are still in need of further assistance, let me make this easy for you.
- If you want the best of the best smartwatch, get the Fitbit Sense. It has ECG, Blood Oxygen Monitoring, and just the best of the Fitbit world.
- If you want something slightly more affordable but don’t want to compromise too much, go for the Fitbit Versa 3. You have to live without the ECG feature though.
- If you need something cheaper than the Versa 3 or you do not like the buttonless approach, get the Fitbit Versa 2 instead.
- If it’s a high-quality Fitness Band you’re after, get the Fitbit Charge 4 or Charge 3.
- If you’re after something fancier, get the Fitbit Inspire 2 or maybe even the Inspire HR if you’d like to save some money.
So, that’ll be all for this one. I hope you found the perfect Fitbit for yourself. In case you want to check other options as well, we have a lot of articles available on the website so, maybe consider checking out those, next.