Fitbit Charge 4
Finally, a Fitbit that knows where you’ve been.
The Fitbit Charge 4 might look almost identical to its predecessor, but it has two important new features that help it bridge the gap between smart watches and fitness trackers, and allows you to leave your phone at home on runs and walks: built-in GPS, Spotify support and Fitbit Pay.
The Fitbit Charge 4 is slim, measuring 35.8mm x 22.7mm x 12.5mm, and so light you’ll easily forget you’re wearing it – a real plus for a device that’s designed to be worn both day and night, with only the occasional break to give your skin a rest.
The watch saves detailed activity data for the past week, and your total steps, distance, steps climbed and calories burned for the last 30 days. Older figures won’t be lost, though – you can look back further using the Fitbit app.
An optical sensor on the inside of the watch measures your heart rate every second while you’re working out, and every five seconds the rest of the time.
Built-in GPS is a real gamechanger for the Fitbit Charge 4, and makes it a viable alternative to dedicated fitness trackers for anyone who enjoys running, cycling and swimming for general fitness, but doesn’t need the wealth of data provided by a dedicated sports tracker by Garmin or Polar. It also features an altimeter for measuring stairs climbed.
NFC allows you to use the Fitbit Charge 4 for contactless payments through Fitbit Pay, and you can control the Spotify app on your phone via
Bluetooth. It’s water resistant to a depth of 50 meters, making it suitable for swimming, showering and sweating, but Fitbit advises taking a moment to dry the band afterwards.
Design
The Fitbit Charge 4 has a very similar design to its predecessor in terms of shape and size, with the slim, rectangular face we’ve come to expect. There are two versions to choose from. The
Fitbit Charge 4 Standard Edition is supplied with a robust silicone strap in black, rosewood (a shade of purple) or storm blue/black.
Our review sample was the Fitbit Charge 4 Special Edition, which is supplied with two straps: one black silicone, and one reflective woven nylon, which looks a little like tweed, and makes a smart alternative for more formal occasions. Straps are easy to remove and swap, and are supplied in two lengths to suit different sized wrists.
We’d hoped that this iteration of the Fitbit might have a color screen, but it’s still black and white. From our first impressions though, this isn’t a major
drawback. The backlit OLED display is bright and clear, even in direct sunlight, and if a colorful screen meant sacrificing battery life then we’d rather stick with monochrome.
Interface
The Fitbit Charge 4’s interface is intuitive, with only the touchscreen and a discrete button on the left-hand edge as controls. Simply scroll through menus by swiping left and right across the screen, and tap your chosen option.
The screen is responsive and much brighter than it appears in photographs, with smooth transitions between menus, and there are only ever two menu options on screen at a time, avoiding the risk of accidentally selecting the wrong one (which could have easily been a problem with such a small display). Swiping up will reveal your daily stats, including step count, distance travelled and calories burned.
The lone button takes you back to the previous screen, or to the clock face – whichever comes first – and presses are accompanied by a gentle buzz of haptic feedback. Some fitness trackers vibrate fiercely, so we appreciate this more gentle feeling. Swiping down reveals your recent texts and calls. Don’t want to be disturbed? Press and hold on the screen.
Built-in GPS is a real game-changer for the Fitbit Charge 4, and makes it a viable alternative to dedicated fitness trackers for anyone who enjoys running, cycling and swimming for general fitness.
Activity tracking
When it’s time to get active, the Fitbit Charge 4 delivers a gentle buzz to remind you to get up and stretch your legs (the frequency of which can be adjusted through the app, or disabled entirely). This is accompanied by your current step count to encourage you to get moving – a more pleasant alternative to Garmin’s rather rude ‘MOVE!’
The Fitbit Charge 4 can track six activities, but you can only create shortcuts for four on the device itself so you’ll need to pick and choose the ones you use more frequently. This could prove frustrating if you like to keep your workouts varied, and exercise both indoors and outside.
It’s also important to note that, although the device can detect when you’ve started a workout automatically, you won’t be able to view a GPS map of the workout unless you selected an activity type before starting. Provided you’ve done so, you’ll be shown your route together with speed, distance and heart rate. It’s a lot less data than you’d get from a dedicated running watch, but will be ample for a casual runner.
Companion app
Any fitness tracker is only as strong as its accompanying app, so it’s great to see that Fitbit’s mobile app has received a major update for the release of the Charge 4.
Setup is simple: just log into your Fitbit account on your phone (or create a new one), then select the Charge 4 from the list of available options. The app will search for it using Bluetooth, then request a four-digit PIN displayed on the device’s screen. You’ll then be asked to update the device’s firmware; a process that takes a few minutes and requires it to be kept close to your phone.
Once you’re in, you’ll find that everything within the app is easily accessible through large tiles – no trawling through menus. Perhaps the biggest new addition is Active Zone Minutes – a measurement that factors in your resting heart rate and age, and monitors any kinds of workout that raises your heart rate.
The Fitbit Charge 4 looks almost identical to its predecessor, including the grayscale touchscreen, but the addition of built-in GPS makes a huge difference, and helps make it a viable alternative to fully-fledged running watches if you enjoy working out for fun and health, but don’t need a torrent of data on splits, cadence and elevation.