Fitbit Charge 5
The Fitbit Charge 5 leaked earlier. Now the official announcement is here too: it's 10% thinner and the color screen is much brighter (from 200 to 450 nits), compared to the Charge 4. Still, the battery lasts just as long: about a week. Incidentally, it has also become a bit more pricey: €179.95 and that is no less than thirty euros more expensive than its predecessor. Loose straps allow you to customize your fitness tracker to your personal taste. They cost between €30 and €50. The Fitbit Charge 5 will be available in stores from the end of September, with a choice of steel blue/platinum, lunar white/gold and black/graphite. If you are in a hurry, you can place a pre-order now.
The Fitbit Charge 5 is a fitness tracker as we are used to from the company, but on a number of points it is not slightly better. The design has changed, making everything more rounded. This is also the first Fitbit Charge with an AMOLED screen. Outdoors, this screen is easier to read. You can also opt for always on display, if you always want to read the time. This is of course at the expense of battery life. The Charge 5 lasts for seven days on a battery charge, but if you switch it on always on, it's only two days. This is similar to the Apple Watch.
The Charge used to have a monochrome screen, which was appreciated by users because it was so simple. But the Charge also has to believe: AMOLED is the future. However, it is one of the reasons why the price is slightly higher.
The rounder design appeals to the users. The housing protrudes less from your wrist. There are no buttons on it, so you can operate it via the screen, just like the recently released Fitbit Luxe. Sensors on the side allow you to take an EKG and detect atrial fibrillation. You can also use an EDA measurement to see how your body reacts to stress.
The image below shows the changes in design.
All the usual Fitbit features are there, including newcomers like the Daily Readiness Score, which you can use to see if you've recovered enough to start working out, or if it's better to take it easy. You do need the Premium bundle for this, which costs a tenner per month. You get six months free with purchase. Later, this feature will also be available on earlier models such as the Fitbit Sense, Versa 3, Versa 2, Luxe and Inspire 2. Fortunately, you can use Fitbit Pay – a feature we missed on the Fitbit Luxe.
You're on the Charge 5 notifications of your favorite apps, but iPhone users are still missing out on a number of points. Responding to notifications is only possible if you have an Android device and collaboration with Apple's HealthKit is still far from the roadmap at Fitbit. Furthermore, Android users take advantage of Google Fast Pair for faster pairing.
Another setback is that the straps of the Charge 3 and 4 will not fit on the new model. For many Apple users, it will be reason enough to spend a little more money and choose the Apple Watch SE. With this you can use the same bands and chargers since 2015, something that changes constantly at Fitbit.