Verdict
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The glory day of Fitbit ’s billing lineup may be long gone , but it doubtlessly remains a top option for those in the market for a premium fittingness tracker – and the company has added some beguiling features for the Charge 6 .
It marks the first prison term we ’ve find out dead on target integrating of services from Google into a Fitbit tracker , while the company also suggests that heart rate performance should be well boosted – just like we saw promised ( and deliver ) with theGoogle Pixel Watch 2 .
Yet , this is still only a mild refresh from theCharge 5that was issue two years ago . The design continue for the most part the same , as do most of the features .
With so few well - stocked and reliable fittingness tracker around in 2023 , Fitbit rest clear – but does the Charge 6 do enough to force an raise or tempt smartwatch fans ? Let ’s explore .
Design and screen
To look at the Fitbit armorial bearing 6 alongside its forerunner , you ’d be forgive for failing to spot the difference between the two . As I say , the design has remained similar here .
There is one important difference , though – the return of the side button . Fitbit did away with the tactual zori when it redesign the band in 2021 , and it meant daylight - to - day interaction just was n’t quite as snappy or pleasurable .
The move back to the button ensures that going back in fare , opening up Google Wallet , or just waking the gadget is now much more pleasant .
Generally speak , the innovation is one I still really wish , too . It ’s sleek , light , and comfortable to weary around the clock . And while it emphatically is n’t anything like have on a premium watch – largely because the case fabric is aluminum and the bands are all silicone – it ’s still , in my opinion , the top fitness tracker from a wearability perspective .
It also remains relatively unisex , though I do reckon that it errs on the big side for those with smaller wrists . And there are obviously more womanly designs in Fitbit ’s tracker range , such as theLuxeandInspire 3 , which does perhaps confine its appeal .
With the pattern remain almost identical , this means the 1.04 - inch AMOLED presentation is also amaze around for this multiplication . And I have no major complaint here .
It ’s still a small slow to respond to articulatio radiocarpea raises , and the touchscreen surface you ’re capable to interact with is obviously very little , but it ’s lustrous , elaborate and the choice is also there for it to be always on .
I expect Fitbit to make with child footstep in this field with the Charge 7 , given its history of refreshing the look every two generations . And , as I ’ll discuss below , rearranging the internal components might really be essential .
Software and features
It ’s not often that fitness trackers really have an ecosystem or compelling operating system to talk about , but it ’s one of the primal discern factors between the Charge 6 and its rivals .
And , finally , though the might of Google has been behind Fitbit for several years , this now experience like the first tracker with its stimulant . Google Wallet , Google Maps , and YouTube Music are all now prominently placed within the tracker ’s swipeable glances , and it gives you a predilection of the smartwatch - style experience without having to actually wear one ( or pay for one ) .
We have been granted the power to pay on a Charge gadget before , of course , but this was through Fitbit Pay and not Google ’s payment system , which is apparently a chip more far - get hold of .
For the most part , these new toys are really ready to hand . I personally do n’t find Maps that helpful , given the diminished screen sizing , but it does at least knead without issue . Once you ’ve set up a path on your phone , it can be used to display turn - by - turn of events centering , with tactual feedback let you know when a new instruction is prey through .
For me , Wallet is the better addition – only hampered by the fact that you ’ll belike always necessitate your telephone close by – and YouTube Music , while not something I ’d use outside of a devoid tribulation , does have a comparatively significant act of pay off hearer .
In the time to come , I desire these integrating can spread out to third - party apps like Spotify and Komoot , but , as with most areas , even the lower limit that Fitbit volunteer here is enough to blow the competition out of the weewee .
My only real bitch with the current readiness of features is the lack of safety smarts . After all , it ’s something we ’ve seen Google really emphasise with the late Pixel Watch , with refreshing inclusion like guard Check and Safety Signal .
With a cellular connexion generally required for these kinds of feature , though , I do n’t really expect this to get in a Charge tracker for another few years .
Fitness and health tracking
picayune has changed on the fitness trailing front with the Charge 6 – and that ’s both a prescribed and a minus .
The good intelligence here is that Fitbit ’s intuitive and canonical view of your daily activity sits decently alongside Apple ’s as one of the best options for beginners . step and calorie suntan are get across accurately against more premium devices like myGarmin Epix Pro ( Gen 2 ) , and the more modern features – like VO2 Max – are tucked away and dress in more friendly titles .
Workouts are also automatically tracked and accurately predicted , which actually is n’t always the case on all tracker , despite being a comparatively canonical lineament . And with the Charge 6 , there are also now 40 practice session way to choose from flat on the wrist , include the the like of running , HIIT , and puddle swim ( the twist has a water system military rank of 5 ATM , though ca n’t be used in undetermined water ) .
It ’s all undecomposed on the surface , but things falter quite drastically in workout trailing . GPS tracking was something that was already a big complaint with the Charge 5 , and , unfortunately , thing do n’t appear to have changed at all with the Charge 6 .
Even a brief trip to the Fitbit forums or Reddit will see the same issues highlighted , with the consensus being that wearing the old Charge 5 very tight would meliorate heart rate accuracy at the cost of a GPS connection , while wearing it open would see you regain a GPS connection but track warmness charge per unit inaccurately .
It ’s the same tale again from my experience run with the mission 6 . After 4 - 5 attack , I ’ve found that I can only gain an autonomous , on - equipment GPS connection when the equipment is n’t actually on my radiocarpal joint .
By default , the GPS mise en scene is what Fitbit visit ‘ active ’ , which essentially means it ’ll swap between your phone ’s GPS and the equipment ’s feeler establish on sign strength .
When you change this to gadget - only , the trouble rears its head . And , in fact , on each of my test hunt with the Charge 6 , it gives up after 10 minutes of tracking and bases length on the accelerometer ( and your arm movement ) , or else .
It ’s not great – especially when this was such a known issue with a gadget blueprint two years sometime – and ensure you ’ll need to take your speech sound with you to gauge distance accurately .
Things are somewhat better with paying attention to nitty-gritty - rate monitoring , but still not really to the extent I was envisage when Fitbit harbinger the integrating of those fresh AI - based algorithmic program .
I obtain that very steady fluctuations in beats - per - minute are registered really well , which mean something like a consistently step run will be tracked accurately , but any kind of stiff deviation in effort ( even if I just had a session with one long musical interval ) will see quite a great underreporting or overreporting of fair heart charge per unit figures when equate to Garmin or a chest strap .
It ’s just about good enough to get by for those only concerned in effortless insights into heart rate and effort , but it ’s not a sensor I would put much faith in .
You also ca n’t syphon off the heart - charge per unit monitoring to an outside equipment like a breast shoulder strap , either , though you’re able to now pair the Charge 6 to connected equipment ( like a Peloton ) via Bluetooth , if that ’s your thing .
While Fitbit ’s strength has never really been in sports tracking , it has always been among the very best at tracking health and sleep . And the Charge 6 is still one of the best way to get admittance to some insurance premium features in this region without own a smartwatch .
There are no new headline additions like we saw with the electrodermal activity ( EDA ) , electrocardiogram ( ECG ) , or skin temperature detector with the Charge 5 , but the health package remain among the most complete on the market .
And best of all , it ’s very reliable . My key metric unit – breathing rate , heart rate variance ( HRV ) , cutis temperature , oxygen intensity ( SpO2 ) , and rest center pace – were all within the ranges determine out by theWhoop 4.0andOura Ring ( Gen 3 ) . There were no fantastic deviations in my time with the Charge 6 , either , which can sometimes be the downfall of cheaper trackers .
I would have care to have picture the EDA sensor upgraded to the continuous version find on the Pixel Watch 2 , since this makes the stress supervise a routine more proactive and means you do n’t have to perform manual check - inch . But , again , it ’s hard to criticise Fitbit too intemperately here given how far forward of the competition it is .
Sleep tracking is still superbly precise , and something I reckon only Oura can really jibe up with at present .
Time in seam , fall asleep metre and wake - up stop are almost always idle - on , while rest scores – and even the relatively arbitrary sleep stage – feel much more accurate than rival offerings from the the likes of of Garmin , say .
The only too bad element of Fitbit ’s health and sleep trailing package is that some feature film are paywalled , such as Daily Readiness and Sleep Profiles . This is also rightful for premium non - smartwatch gadget like Whoop and Oura , too , but Fitbit is still the only major brand to really do this , which is a bit of a shame .
Battery life
Fitbit promises up to seven days of battery liveliness with the Charge 6 , which take place to be exactly the same estimation given for the Charge 5 .
This is no surprise , but , like a few other aspect , it ’s somewhat disappointing that Fitbit has made no advance here in the last couple of year .
Still , this idea does check out found on my testing , with the oscillation by nature reducing to around four days with the always - on display turn over on .
It ’s been difficult for me to guess specific battery drain , given that the built - in GPS essentially did n’t mould during the examination flow , but an time of day of trailing typically saw a cliff - off of around 15 % .
The Fitbit complaint 6 is n’t the quickest at getting back to full charge , either . Going from around 5 % to a full thrill take around two hours , which is n’t at all surprising yield it features the same design and charger as its predecessor . Quicker charging is another feature of speech , I conceive , that Fitbit will only roll out in the next generation .
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Should you buy it?
With more health and tracking feature than its siblings , this is the best Fitbit equipment for those who do n’t want a smartwatch .
Fitbit ’s basic tracking may make for very well , but GPS and tenderness rate trailing performance wo n’t be reliable enough for average or advanced jock .
Final Thoughts
The Fitbit thrill 6 ensures that Fitbit remains at the summit of the physical fitness tracker world , with minor tweak to the intent and the integrating of Google service keep it ahead of the competition .
It wo n’t be enough to convinceCharge 5owners to upgrade , not least because of the persisting variation trailing yield , but this is still one of the most feature - packed devices you’re able to buy for the money . see to it out ourBest Fitness TrackerandBest Smartwatchguides for even more options .
Trusted Score
How we test
We thoroughly try every fitness tracker we brush up . We use industry - stock testing to equate feature film decent and we expend the vigil as our main gimmick over the review geological period . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , accept money to go over a production .
FAQs
It took me around 2 minute to amply charge the Fitbit Charge 6 while testing .
According to my tests , the Fitbit tutelage 6 lasts or so 10 days on a single burster .
