Summary
For a considerable amount of time, the Fitbit Charge has been the most popular fitness tracker offered by the firm. It comes with a built-in GPS as well as a variety of sophisticated health monitoring capabilities integrated into a product that is reasonably priced.
This is the first fitness tracker to have all of the main Google applications built-in to the watch, including Google Maps and Google Wallet, without the need for a software update. The Charge 6 is an upgrade on the Fitbit Charge 5, and it is the first fitness tracker to offer this feature.
Fitbit Charge 6 review
But in comparison to some of the other finest Fitbits now available on the market, how does the Fitbit Charge 6 fare? And why should you choose to get this rather than one of the many other fitness trackers that are now available?.
Two editors from Tom’s Guide put the Charge 6 through its paces over the course of a couple of weeks in order to determine how well it performed during workouts, how well it tracked sleep, and how well it performed in day-to-day circumstances.
THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE FITBIT CHARGE 6: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The Fitbit Charge 6 was released for purchase on October 12, 2023, and it has a price tag of $159.95. This represents a price reduction of $20 compared to the previous generation of the Fitbit Charge 5, which was released for sale in 2021.
During the first six months of your subscription, you will get access to Fitbit Premium, which allows you to monitor data such as your Daily Readiness Score. You can continue to use Fitbit Premium after the first six months have passed by paying either $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Whether or not it is worth it will depend on the manner in which you like to exercise and the amount of analysis that you find to be helpful.
There are three distinct color options available for the Charge 6: black, champagne gold/coral, and silver/white as the finish. Additionally, Fitbit has introduced a new ocean-woven sports band that can be worn during workouts and during the day. However, the ‘Infinity’ band is included with the Charge 6 as the default option.
The price of additional Sport and Infinity bands starts at $29 per band, while the price of Hook & Loop and Woven bands is $34 and the price of Horween leather and vegan leather bands is $49.
Examining the Design of the FITBIT CHARGE 6
There are not many noticeable differences between the Charge 5 and the Charge 6 in terms of their outward look. You are provided with a gadget that has smooth curves and merges in flawlessly with its strap, as well as a pleasant and brilliant color display.
Despite the fact that I have a predilection for larger devices like as the Garmin Epix 2, I am able to enjoy the Charge 6 since it is more compact, lighter, and more elegant. When you were using the Charge 5, you were only able to navigate by touching or swiping the display. Thankfully, Fitbit has brought back the haptic side button with the Charge 6.
Despite the fact that the bulk of your interactions with the Charge 6 will still entail swiping and tapping, you now have the ability to click the side button to return to the main watch face. Additionally, if you have already begun an activity, hitting the button will allow you to modify the screen to display other metrics for that activity.
However, it comes with a proprietary magnetic charger that only connects to the bottom of the Charge 6 in a loose manner, and I felt that it was a bit too easy to pop off. To your good fortune, you should only need to charge the Charge 6 once every few days. More than that, there is a second strap available for those who have bigger wrists.
FITNESS TRACKING: A REVIEW OF THE FITBIT CHARGE 6 MODEL
As someone who is used to using GPS watches that are far bigger, I found that the tiny display of the Charge 6 was significantly more challenging to read when I was out on a run. You can see your speed shown as the biggest figure on the display of the Charge 6, and the distance displayed above it is displayed in very small numbers.
In spite of this, I would say that if you are preparing for a marathon, you should not get this watch; rather, you should make an investment in one of the greatest running watches now available. If, on the other hand, you are searching for a gadget that can monitor your steps, calories, sleep, and even the occasional run, then this one suits your needs well. However, you shouldn’t put too much stock on seeing a lot when you’re on the move.
When wearing gloves, especially when your fingers are moist or damp, finding your way around the Charge 6 may be rather challenging. This is similar to the situation with the Charge 5. In addition to using the watch for running, which I found to be rather challenging since it was difficult to see the screen and swipe while keeping my speed, I also used it for swimming sessions at the pool that I frequent.
For the same reason that many other fitness trackers do, the Fitbit locks itself once it is in swimming mode. This prevents water from entering the tracker. You had to manually touch twice on the screen in order to stop the activity; however, I found this to be almost tough to achieve, and I ended up having to pound the tracker for a good several minutes before I was able to stop the swim.
To put this into perspective, one significant improvement in comparison to the Charge 5 is that you are no longer have to choose from a selection of six sports profiles that are relatively restricted on the tracker itself. Instead of having to configure a shorter list or mess with the Fitbit app, you can now see the whole list of 38 distinct sports modes from your wrist. This eliminates the need for manual customization.
Additionally, you can now set pace alerts for walks, runs, and bike rides from your wrist, eliminating the need to reach for your smartphone. When you enter each activity mode, scroll down to set a goal for the activity (activity zone, time, distance, or calories burned), and you can also set laps. This eliminates the need to reach for your smartphone.
Normally, the laps are turned off automatically; however, if you choose to turn them on, you will be able to get notifications every mile or kilometer to provide you with information on your speed. Not only will you be able to see your Active Zone Minutes after you finish a workout, but the watch will also buzz anytime you enter a new zone, provided that you do not turn them off beforehand. This feature is similar to the Charge 5 functionality.
Generally speaking, I found that the Fitbit Charge 6 was rather accurate in the most of the fitness tracking settings. At times, the GPS was slower to connect than it was on my Garmin; however, I live in an area with poor service, and I often find that newer trackers have difficulty connecting.
The Charge 6 is not claiming to be as sophisticated as the trackers I was using to test it, which were my Garmin Forerunner 265 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. However, it is not pretending to be, and if you are looking for a fitness tracker to get a better perspective of your overall fitness levels, you will get a lot from the Charge 6.
A REVIEW OF THE FITBIT CHARGE 6: FOLLOWING YOUR SLEEP
When it comes to monitoring your health, sleep is another important indicator to keep track of. The SpO2 pulse oximeter sensor, which is also included in the Charge 5, is included in the Charge 6 in order to provide you with a deeper understanding of your sleeping habits.
The Fitbit Charge 6 is equipped with all of Fitbit’s usual sleep monitoring data, much like its predecessors. However, on the tracker itself, you will only be able to see your total sleep duration and your sleep score from the previous night.
On the Fitbit app, you will be able to see your sleep score, sleep phases, and set a smart wake alarm. However, in order to get further sleep data, such as a breakdown of your deep, light, and REM sleep cycles, you will need to be a Premium user.
The data on my sleep that was acquired by my Oura ring was compared to the Fitbit Charge 6 so that I could evaluate its performance. The findings of both devices were quite comparable to one another in terms of the amount of time spent sleeping and the scores that corresponded to that amount of time.
The Oura ring indicates that I was awake for 36 minutes, that I spent 1 hour and 59 minutes in REM sleep, that I spent 3 hours and 53 minutes in light sleep, and that I spent 15 minutes in deep sleep. My Fitbit Charge 6 indicates that I was awake for 38 minutes, that I spent 2 hours 27 minutes in REM, that I spent 3 hours 22 minutes in Light, and that I spent 1 hour 39 minutes in Deep.
However, because I have been wearing the Oura ring for years and have a lot of faith in its tracking, I was impressed to see the Charge 6 come up with pretty similar results, especially considering the fact that the tracker is a third of the price. Of course, it is impossible to know which tracker is actually closer to the truth without being in a laboratory.
EXAMINATION OF THE FITBIT CHARGE 6: FEATURES
In the same way that the Borg have taken control of a Federation outpost, Google’s relentless assimilation of Fitbit continues with the Charge 6. If you wish to utilize the most recent tracker that Fitbit has released, you will need to use a Google account instead of your Fitbit account. Would you want to make purchases using the Charge 6? As of right now, Google Wallet has taken the position of Fitbit Pay.
Additionally, the Charge 6 allows you to control the playing of music. That is wonderful, but it is a real shame that it only works with YouTube Music, which is controlled by Google, and not with third-party music applications like Spotify. This is a function that was accessible on select Fitbit devices previous to Google’s purchase of Fitbit.
Fitbits has achieved yet another first with the Charge 6, which is the ability to interact with Google Maps. You will be able to couple the two devices after you have completed the necessary steps to do this on your phone (I had to update the Google Maps app on my iPhone).
Using the appropriate app on the Charge 6, you will be able to follow instructions from your wrist after you have pressed the start button on Google Maps. On a day-to-day basis, I probably wouldn’t make use of this function; however, it would undoubtedly be useful for longer dog walks, as well as for longer runs and treks in other countries.
It is something that has always been a bit of a bug-bear when it comes to evaluating the company’s trackers, but it is crucial for me to point out that a lot of the most helpful functions on the watch are reserved for Fitbit’s Premium customers. This is something that I have always taken into consideration.
If you want access to Fitbit’s library of courses, advanced sleep monitoring, tailored exercises, and your Daily Readiness Score, you will need to sign up for the Fitbit app. When compared to other companies on the market, such as Apple and Garmin, Fitbit is still one of the few firms that places its users’ content behind a paywall in this manner.
A DISCUSSION OF THE FITBIT CHARGE 6: BATTERY LIFE
The Fitbit Charge 6 is expected to have a battery life of up to seven days before it has to be recharged to function properly. After a single day of not utilizing GPS, the watch had lost fifteen percent of its value. When the band’s GPS was used for a thirty-minute run, the battery life was reduced by an extra ten percent.
The Charge 6 has a number of useful features, one of which is the ability to be configured to utilize the GPS of your phone while it is within range, and to switch to its own internal GPS system automatically if you forget your phone.
It should come as no surprise that metrics such as the always-on display would deplete the battery life of your Fitbit far more quickly. During the course of our testing, we discovered that Fitbit’s estimation was rather accurate when this feature was not actively being used. The time it took for the watch to go from being completely dead to fully charged was around two hours.
Is it a good idea to get the Fitbit Charge 6?
There is no doubt that the Fitbit Charge 6 is among the best trackers that are currently on the market. Both the reintroduction of a side button and the incorporation of Google applications into the Fitbit Charge 5 have resulted in an improvement that has elevated an already excellent fitness tracker to an even higher level.
In the event that you are attempting to choose between this and the somewhat more affordable Fitbit Inspire 3, I would recommend spending a little bit more money and purchasing the Fitbit Charge 6 only for the purpose of using the built-in GPS and the additional exercise modes.
Spending more money on the Fitbit Sense 2, which is unquestionably a lot more sophisticated than the Fitbit Sense 1, is your best choice if you are searching for a smartwatch that fits your needs more closely. In conclusion, if you are a runner who is committed to your sport, this tracker is not the one for you (and I would argue that no fitness tracker will be).
Spend an additional twenty dollars and get the Garmin Forerunner 55, which is far more user-friendly when you are out on the run. It still enables you to monitor numerous sports zones and your sleep, as well as provide you with precise recovery statistics and exercise suggestions.
