If you’re looking for the next best thing in fitness watches, look no further than the Fitbit Charge 5 fitness tracker which went on sale late September 2021.
The performance of this fitness tracker is excellent and is tipped to be a serious rival for all the other wearables which monitor health stats and activity levels. Sleep tracking accuracy has been lacking in many of the other brands, and Fitbit Charge 5 has stepped up its game to ensure the latest tech offering doesn’t disappoint.
This affordable fitness tracker can hold its own against ones that are twice the price with highly accurate heart rate tracking. Some call this the best fitness tracker on the market so far, which is a bold statement considering the number of smart wearables available.
The global fitness tracker market size was valued at USD 34.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.9% from 2021 to 2028.
The Fitbit Charge 4 stepped up the game by introducing onboard GPS, but the latest model has fine tuned what’s under the sleek interface and taken the accuracy of the tech to a whole new level.
The introduction of the inside GPS turned avid runners onto the Fitbit Charge as a serious contender for other fitness trackers. Those who previously avoided Fitbit because it lacked this capability that other brands had as standard were now interested in this alternative fitness watch. While the Charge 4 was showing promise and reaching new audiences, it wasn’t yet ready to take on the fitness trackers used by serious athletes and fitness fanatics.
Is the Fitbit Charge 5 a Good Fitness Tracker?
One of the areas the Charge 4 was lacking was the monochrome low resolution display. While the watch was functional, it had limited capabilities in terms of the information it could display, making it less impressive.
Thankfully, the Charge 5 looks set to transform all that and impress us all with its bright and punchy colour display more in line with the Fitbit Luxe, which is a significant upgrade from what it was.
The new look fitness tracker comes in Black/Graphite, Steel Blue/Platinum and Lunar White/Gold. The design is very similar to the Luxe model, but the Fitbit Charge 5 has a soft infinity band, and the case sits flush with the band rather than having a strap with a buckle.
An important aspect of a fitness tracker is comfort, and this is where the Charge 4 needed to make improvements, and indeed Fitbit has. The Charge 5 design is more practical and is now an excellent choice for workouts and also wearing every day to monitor steps and stress levels.
The Fitbit Charge release price was $179.95, including a 6 month membership to Fitbit Premium, which helps you get more from your fitness tracker and smartwatch.
The paid for Premium membership provides a service to complement your Fitbit. It holds all of your data to deliver a personalised and actionable coaching service to enhance your fitness and health to achieve your goals. If you want to get a six pack, the coaching could come in very handy.
The Premium membership service provides additional features, such as a Health Metrics dashboard, guided video and audio workouts, and sleep and mindfulness tools.,
The Fitbit Charge 5 is similar to the Sense in that it provides a personalised score called the Daily Readiness, which collates data from your activity level, sleep quality and heart rate variability to understand if your body is primed for a workout or would benefit from a recovery day.
As standard, the Charge 5 has Bluetooth connectivity, in-built GPS, Fitbit Pay and all the usual fitness tracking benefits such as steps and flights.
One of the best features on so many new fitness trackers and the Charge 5 is the stress alert.
We all know that too much stress can increase your cortisol, and too much cortisol can increase hunger and fat storage! The handy stress monitor lets you know when your heart rate is peaking, and your body is in a stress state with the electrodermal activity (EDA) and electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors.
Is the Fitbit Charge the best fitness tracker available in 2021?
I certainly think so. As an avid fitness fan, I think it’s a serious contender and worth a look for a mid-range activity smartwatch.