1.1.2017

Fitbit says that its original Charge and Charge HR were its best-selling fitness tracker. So it's not surprising Fitbit has taken everything that proved popular on the original and used this as a basis for the Charge 2. As original Charge HR owner, figured I'd try my hand at the newest Fitbit Charge 2. Pre-ordered from Amazon.Packed with everything you could want, except GPS, the Charge 2 covers all of the basics. You can consider this device more of an evolution than a reinvention, but by correcting many of the shortcomings of the original, the Charge 2 proves to be a great all-rounder.The Fitbit Charge 2 isn't a massive advance on the Fitbit Charge HR. The design has improved a bit,and the larger display is useful for running through your stats as well as for checking phone notifications, but those are things the Fitbit Blaze already offers, yet for a higher price. But if you're looking for a fitness tracker to monitor your heart rate throughout the day, and want multi-sport tracking features, then you'll want to consider the Fitbit Charge 2.If you're after a running watch you won't want the Fitbit Charge 2. But if you're after something to track your daily step count, and a bit of exercise every few days, this is one of the best choices money can buy. The additional fitness features bring this Fitbit closer to being the best option for those who want to be able to wear the same tracker day in day out. There's not all that much reason to update from the Fitbit Charge HR, but as a first Fitbit tracker, or a replacement for a less-substantial model, the Fitbit Charge 2 is well worth a look.Design.There's a much larger screen here than on the Charge HR – but the device is a fair bit thicker too, so you may not be a fan if you liked the compactness of the last version. Having that said, the screen is still relatively small and it's not colour, but it is an OLED display, new selection of watch faces and the larger vertical display mean I can see time, steps and heart rate all at once – plus it's a touchscreen, which is a first for the Charge range. However, I found the touchscreen to be a little unresponsive, but it is not particularly frustrating – you just need to give it an extra tap sometimes.There's a button on the left-hand side of the tracker that you use to skip through the menu options, such as steps, time, heart rate and calories; you can hold this button down to activate certain features as well. Its screen is not always on, but a lift-to-look gesture works okay (1/7 most likely to be missed), or you can tap the display, or you can press the side button. The button on the left side of the device is much more pronounced (good thing). You can give it a nice firm click, and it doesn't feel loose or cheap as some of the Charge buttons were prone to.On-board features include a stopwatch, exercise tracking mode, heart rate. There's also a new Guided Breathing feature “Relax”, which will monitor your heart rate for 30 seconds and then set you a breathing challenge to help you improve your condition. This is the first time Fitbit has offered this kind of feature, and I found that it would indeed calm down heart rate when I wanted it to. It's interesting to see Fitbit focus on a feature that's not entirely exercise-focused, and it's a welcome addition.Notifications pop up in a limited way -- texts, calendar appointments and phone calls, which scroll slowly across the bottom of the vertical screen. Not great, and you can't respond to anything, of course, but it's better than nothing.The Fitbit Charge 2 tracker itself is rather small, and comes with one two-section strap in the box. Each part of the strap can be detached by pulling it out of clips on either side of the tracker, if you want to swap-in a different one for a style change. Thumbs up for that! The choices are as follows: plastic strap in light blue, dark blue, black or purple. The two more premium options for the fashion-conscious among you are lavender/rose gold and black/gunmetal.Is it waterproof?The Charge 2 isn't waterproof like the Fitbit Flex 2, but it is water-resistant, meaning it can handle a few splashes while you do the washing up, or sweat when you're exercising. You won't be able to wear the Charge 2 in the shower or when swimming, though. It's nice to be able to wear a fitness tracker in the rain without worrying about it being damaged.Performance.In terms of tracking tech, the FitBit Charge 2 is similar to other fitness trackers. If you wear the Fitbit Charge 2 in bed it'll monitor your sleeping patterns. Like other Fitbit products, this feature is a little more temperamental. However, I was slightly disappointed, as silent alarm and sleep tracking isn't a smart alarm that can wake you up at a more optimal time. Having that said, I actually had jawbone up3 for a while, and I really miss this feature. Yet I choose Fitbit over Jawbone for its app and software. Fitbit does what it does so well and so simply, and across enough platforms and phones and social networks, that it wins out as a platform of choice. The Charge 2 only gives you a time "asleep", which is the time you spent "awake" and "restless", subtracted from your overall tracked sleeping time. It means that while you might have "slept" for eight hours, the "time asleep" reading on the dashboard might only read 2hrs 42mins. It’s worth keeping this in mind before assuming that the device isn’t tracking your sleep correctly. I think this is actually a better, and less misleading, measurement than the overall "sleeping time" that other trackers and sports watches offer. It can show you why, even though you’re getting your target hours of sleep, you’re waking up fatigued and weary come morning. Really it's the quality of asleep alongside duration that's important for appropriate recovery and well-being.Back to the topic, Fitbit will monitor your step count throughout the day, but it also features some of the innovations seen on the Fitbit Blaze and Alta.A key improvement over the original Charge is that the Charge 2 offers multi-sport tracking – you can track outdoor running, treadmill running, walking and weight training, as well as bike, elliptical trainer and interval workouts. The Fitbit Charge 2 will track your exercise automatically, so you don't have to start sessions manually – if you start running, for example, the Charge 2 will detect this and begin monitoring. It means you don't always need to remember to press buttons when you're exercising – although if you're embarking on a specific workout I’d recommend setting up the tracker to ensure you're getting the exact readings you want.Bear in mind that this isn't the best device on the market for running – there's no GPS tracking here, and if you want a dedicated device I’d recommend the Fitbit Surge, or a more expensive running watch. The Fitbit Charge 2 will at least work with your phone's GPS to track the distance travelled – a feature both the original Charge and the Charge HR lack. It does mean you need to take your phone out for a run with you though.Vo2 MaxNew with the Charge 2 is a VO2 max approximation to provide what Fitbit is calling your "Cardio Fitness" level. This is the maximum amount of oxygen your body uses during intense exercise and is another good indicator of your overall cardiovascular health. Fitbit calculates this by comparing your personal data against your running speed while using connected GPS and your heart rate measurements. Your score is provided against other people from your gender and age. It won't ever be as accurate as a true VO2 Max test, but in fairness, a proper VO2 test is a far more complicated and expensive process that wouldn't be available to many.AppThe dashboard provides plenty of at-a-glance information on your day, from the time asleep as mentioned above, to floors climbed, steps taken and distance covered. You can jump into each sub-menu for more detailed information, with everything logically laid out. The Cardio Fitness score is tucked away behind the heart rate reading, for instance, and the continuous heart rate readings graph is easy to understand. There are also areas where it's possible to log your food and water intake; useful if you want to have an overview of everything from activity to nutrition as well.New to a recent update are Adventures, which are found under the Challenges menu. These are virtual tours of famous locations. By getting in extra steps, you unlock content along the route, including facts and photographs of landmarks that you can view using the gyroscope in your phone. It’s a nice touch, and gives you the extra impetus to be more active. They’re particularly great if you don’t like the idea of competing against friends, but would rather do something on your own.If there's one complaint about the app, for me it’s the lack of guidance. I'd love for Fitbit to take a leaf out of Jawbone’s book with its Smart Coach feature, which lets you know how all of the data can affect your wellbeing and health. It provides useful prompts – such as staying better hydrated, or explaining how going to sleep 30 minutes earlier might have a positive impact, then offering to set you a sleep reminder.Battery.Battery life is rated at around five days, which is about right. A major improvement over the old Fitbit Charge is the new "clamp-style" USB charging cable. This locks around the tracker on both sides and makes orientating it much easier, ensuring it stays connected. The old Charge had a connector that plugged in directly and therefore could easily become dislodged. You'll get a notification and an e-mail to let you know the Charge 2 is running low on battery.

16.1.2017

I've had the Fitbit Charge 2 for just over a week now, so I thought that was long enough to make a judgement of what I think about it.Firstly I'll start with the watch, and then I'll move onto the app.I purchased the watch in the plum colour in a large size. I was on the boarder between the small and large, so I opted for a bigger one with the knowledge that I couldn't tighten the strap, rather than having it on the last hole - The strap contains 12 holes to fasten it on, I'm currently wearing it on the 4th one from the Fitbit face.The strap I find is quite stiff, and did take a little getting used to. Also I find it hard to take it off sometimes as it has a catch under the strap holder to keep it in place,which I have to lift the strap off first before being able to move it take it off.The face of the Fitbit does sit quite high from my wrist, unlike the watch that I used to wear. I have measure it, and it comes to just over a 1cm high from wrist to watch face. I do find that it sometimes catches on my coat sleeve. I am currently wearing a cardigan, and I've had to roll the sleeve up on the arm that I am wearing the Fitbit on as it is too tight to wear it under the sleeve.The Fitbit itself has multiple functions. It's like having pages of a book, as you press the button on the side to scroll through the action. The first page is the clock, which you can set to different designs. I have my set with a digital time display at the top, the date underneath and then how many steps I have done at the bottom.You can see the first page by tilting your wrist towards you, like you would to see the time on a wrist watch, and it comes on automatically - or it does about 70% of the time for me. I sometimes tilt it back and forth, or press the button on the side, as it doesn't always come on first time.The next page along is the Beats per Minute page. This is exactly what it does. It shows you how many beats per minute your heart is doing, whether that be during exercise or whilst resting.Next on is the activity page, for when you are about to do some exercise. This one you have to tap the touch screen to scroll through the different activities that there are to find the one you are about to do. You then press the button on the side for a second to tell your Fitbit your activity has started, and again press when you have finished.The different activities are: Run, weights, treadmill, workout, elliptical,bike and interval workout.The touch screen mainly works fine, though I do have to tap it harder sometimes, but this isn't an issue.Next page is the stop watch. self explanatory really. press and hold button on side for a second to start the stopwatch and press again to end it.Next one is relax which you can choose between 2 or 5 minutes, by tapping the touch screen. On this page you are advised to 'sit still and take deep breaths'. It then guides you by either watching the Fitbit screen as it tells you to inhale and exhale, or you can just use it by breathing in and out to the vibrations it does to tell you when to inhale and exhale.The next on my Fitbit is the time I have my alarm set. This you set up on the app, you can choose a one off, certain day, Monday to Friday only etc. In the morning, or whenever you set it for, it vibrates to wake you up. It has worked everyday so far for me.Regarding counting how many steps you have done. I have now and again found that it hasn't counted any. I've checked before I have moved from my bedroom to the kitchen the number of steps I was on, and then again number of steps when I reached the kitchen. Sometime none had registered. Does it add extra steps? I don't really know, not easy to check unless you have another gadget you can check it against. I'm not sure why it doesn't always register, but it isn't a big deal for me, as it is obviously making me walk further by me trying to make sure I do 10,000 steps, when I have obviously walked more.Wearing it at night to count how many hours I'm asleep and restless, wake up in the night - This is a great tool, as long as you can get used to wearing the Fitbit in bed. You can check all the above on the app, which I will tell you about, when I get to the bit about the app.The Fitbit vibrates at you now and again to remind you to walk. I have now and again told it to 'shut up, I'm busy' which my husband finds amusing.It also celebrates when you have walked the 10,000 steps.One of the key features for me was the syncing the Fitbit to my iPhone, so that it continually vibrates when someone rings me, and I can see who without getting my phone put. It also vibrates when you have a text, and shows you what it written - unless they the sender has send emoji's/pictures, and they don't show up.For me this is great as I'm notorious for not hearing my phone in my bag, now I don't miss any calls.About the app.I have the app on my iphone, so not sure about how easy it is to set up etc on an android.The app was easy to download from the apple store and sync via bluetooth, did it first time. It does tell you to put the two items close to each other to pair them.At the top of the app it shows you 5 circles. The first, and the largest is the number of steps you have taken. It lights the circle up blue to show you how far around the circle you have done towards your 10,000 steps.The other four are, how many floors you have gone up/down, How many Km you have walked, how many calories you have burnt, and for how many minutes you have been active for.Underneath the circles I have seven boxes - not sure if you can add different functions, I can't recall.My boxes are:-Track exercise - shows you the exercise you have completed. When you click into this box, it shows you the kind of exercise you undertook, for how long, your average beats per minute and how many calories you burnt.Sleep - This is where your sleep pattern information is stored. It show you on a graph how many hours you slept for, how many times you were restless and awake during the night, and how long you were restless and awake. It has lines showing you when the restlessness/awake times occurred.At the end of the week, it tells you your average sleep hours.Hours activity - This is where it shows you the hours you were active for on a daily basis, and the times during the day you were active at.BPM - This is a graph that shows you your beats per minute throughout the day. You can also see your previous beats per minute here, for each day.Weight - You can log your weight in this section, and you can then update as and when you wish to.Make a Splash - This is where you track your water intake. It tells me my goal each day is 1,893mls. Now I'm really bad at drinking, I can go most of the day on one cup of coffee in the morning, as I'm on the go all day and I often forget. Prime example I'm averaging around 750ml to 1,200 ml a day - really bad. At least I can see how bad my intake is now, and it is making me try and drink more.Yes you could cheat on this one, as you manually put in how many mls you have drank. It shows you a small glass, a bottle and a large 750ml bottle to choose from. But you would only be cheating yourself, so no point really.Lastly I have - What have you eaten today - This is where you log all the food you have eaten and when. It keeps a list of the foods you eat most so you don't need to keep searching for them. What you do is you click on a + sign in the top right hand corner. This brings up a list of your usual food items, and a search bar at the top. If you have eaten a Mcdonalds burger, type in Mcdonalds hamburger and it will find it, you then click on it and tell the app when you ate it. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or time of snack.It does have a vast list of restaurant food and branded items. I ate at Frankie and Benny's last week and it had the food in it's inventory to choose from.Logging your food tells you how many calories you have eaten, and then you can weigh them up against how many you have burnt.There is also challenges on the app for you to complete, guidance in case you need it. You can also add friends and track each others progress.All in all I'm using the Fitbit on a daily basis. I'm mainly liking it. I do have a few minor issues, such as I'm yet to find a cover for the screen that stays on for more than a couple of days, and I already have one tiny scratch on it. I find it quite stiff when typing away, something I have to do a lot for my job. Lastly the issue I mentioned before about it being quite bulky and not sitting comfortably under clothes and my coat.The issues that I have may just be mine and no-one else may have them, just my personal opinion.Hope that I have been helpful, if you need anymore information, please ask, I'm happy to help.

5.4.2017

This is my second Fitbit wristband replacing my Charge original (which had the now well known peeling problem on the integral wristband) and so far after less than one week of use, sent directly to me from the manufacturers with tracked delivery, I'm very impressed.If I'd known about the original Charge's strap problem a year ago, I'd have gone straight for this model and saved myself £80, then this would be a five star review for the Charge 2 instead of the four stars I've given it today.I loved my original Charge 'cos it did everything I wanted from it and was very comfortable to wear all day. After wearing the Charge 2 for less than one week I'd say it is slightly less comfortable in my opinion but it's more bulky and a bit wider so that's understandable.I'm sure I'll soon get used to the new device. It does compare well by feeling a bit more secure on my wrist. I do like and I heartily recommend the Charge 2 for its heartbeat monitor and especially for the battery status on its display screen, both of which are big improvements on the original Charge. The Relax option is nice too which I use it during my lunch hour. Also I can just tap the main display screen and so along with today's date plus the current time, I can get an immediate and up to date overview of my steps today, or current heart-rate, or distance travelled, or floors climbed or calories burned. All without having to press the side button and have to scroll through all the 'chapters', so that's a nice bonus. I'd say that I've found the Fitbit website and android application relatively straightforward to notify it that I'd upgraded and changed devices without losing any of my past logs or statistics.The international team at Fitbit were utterly brilliant. They were quick to respond to my question about replacing the faulty peeling strap of my original Charge. That's a one-piece device and the [now] well-known problems with strap 'peeling', despite following all the care instructions. My friends who own the same original Charge all say the same: it will look truly awful after only one year even with high-end superglue products. I'd bought my original Charge via AmazonUK and I'm very glad that I keep all my important emails in a separate folders and so I could prove that my March 2016 purchase was still covered by the EC 2-year warranty. Since merely replacing my original Charge would only give me the same problems further down the road I chose the 30% off voucher option and bought the Charge 2 as my new device (which DOES come a replacement strap option).I've bought the Large strap Charge 2 version because I'd had the Large strap for my original Charge. This gives me plenty of options on both of the wrist straps. My 40+ year-old female non-dominant wrist diameter is approximately 18cm / 7" and I sincerely hope that helps you choose which Fitbit device will suit YOU. My original Fitbit Charge is 'burgundy' and the closest colour match is my Fitbit Charge2 in 'plum'. The attached photos were taken indoors tonight (05/Apr/2017) with a Oneplus 3T A3003 phone and with the basic 16MP settings. If you look closely at the pix I honestly dunno why there's black diagonal stripe showing through the time display on the original charge photo - that has nothing to do with either the Fitbit devices or with my Oneplus3T phone!Overall the Fitbit Charge 2 scores four stars from me and not five only 'cos if I'd wanted it, I'd have bought it the first time around rather than having to buy it as a replacement for what I still believe is a brilliant watch/pedometer/alarm/etc. Honestly I'd still be using my original Charge but that has ONLY been let down by the poor quality second-party-made strap... There's nothing else wrong with my original Charge device from Fitbit.Finally I'd like to stress how brilliant the Fitbit customer service team have been, by quickly replying to and helping me with my cosmetically-problem Charge original device. If you are having any problems with any Fitbit device that you've purchased do have a look at the Fitbit.com community or get in touch directly with the Fitbit customer support team to resolve any issue.Thank you for reading my review.

26.1.2017

This really is the perfect fitness tracker / smartwatch for me. I have small wrists so was put off larger fitness trackers and smartwatches, because the screen was bigger than my wrist width and smaller ones didn't seem to have the functionality; but this is small and discreet enough to wear comfortably all day / night (not just at the gym) and despite the compact size, is so packed with features that it actually took me a while (with the help of the tips emails they send you after registering the device) to get to know all of the functionality.For me, the best features are:- Accurate heart rate tracking, calories burned, steps climbed AND steps taken (not just a pedometer like some fitness trackers).- Automatic exercise detection for common activities (walking,running, cycling, etc.), so you don't have to tell it when you're on the move, but you can activate a 'workout' if you want to time or measure your heart rate specifically for a session and record a session retrospectively and it will tell you what your heart rate did during that timeframe. It also has a heart rate indicator on the display (at all times) that tells you whether you're in resting, fat burn or cardio mode - great for checking your activity levels during a workout.- Silent, vibrating call and text alerts that show the caller / sender and text itself on the watch display. This works over bluetooth and seems to have a decent range e.g. upstairs or in a different room. Ideal if you want to leave your phone in your bag instead of out on your desk or have to go to a meeting but don't want to risk missing a call or text - just discreetly look at your watch to see who's calling or what they have to say before you decide whether or not to excuse yourself! You can also choose to be notified of SMS, WhatsApp or Facebook messages (but only one at a time).- Screen lights up with the time and your heart rate automatically displayed when you turn your wrist over. It takes a few days to get the movement exactly right but soon you don't even realise you're doing it. You can also choose whether you have steps, calories, floors or distance as your main goal also shown on the watch face - you just have to tap the screen to see the others.- Interchangeable wristbands so you can make it go with any outfit. The official ones aren't that expensive (~£20 each) but you can get some good quality, slightly cheaper unofficial ones too - just make sure to check the reviews before you buy.- Up to 8 silent, vibrating alarms that you can set as a one-off or recurrent. Not just useful for waking up but as reminders e.g. for medication, to drink water, etc. Once you've set up an alarm time using the app on your phone, you can switch it on or off from the device by tapping until you get to the time you want to set and holding down the button. I use mine to wake me up in time for my stop on the train!- Long battery life and fast charging. The battery lasts several days and charges up very quickly - I tend to do mine when I have a shower because that's the only time I don't wear it and that seems to be enough!The app is also really easy to use, once you've got to know where to find everything and again the user guide and tips emails help to do this. You don't have to use all the tracking options e.g. food, water, sleep, etc. as it will estimate your calorie requirements and usage based on your gender and age and activity from your heart rate, but it does sync with Myfitnesspal if you use that for food tracking (like I do), so it can be as accurate as you want it to be.The only negative for me is that, although the device has a touchscreen, it does lack a bit of sensitivity, so you have to tap quite firmly and learn where to tap (the bottom of the display area seems optimal) to get it to work; but only the advanced features really use the touchscreen so you can do most of what you want to do using just the button on the side or the smartphone app.My Husband gave me one for Christmas and liked it so much that I got him this one for his Birthday!

8.1.2017

OMG addictive is the best word (assuming you have friends with them), bought one for the wife 3 days and went out and bought one for myself, the device itself is packed with features (the main ones we use are the steps, heart rate, and hourly activity, this links to the app, that then tracks sleep patterns, allows logging of food and water to track weight loss and bring all the features together, auto features track exercise, there is a set training aid with logging exercise and seeing live data on the exercise through the app, linkage with Iphone 5s is ace, can't dual link (we have Ipads as well but it confuses the device to load it on both with it defaulting to a primary device and this taking priority)not sure about android though I see it looks as if thats better than IOS, but item is weak on Windows only supporting win 10+ and layout / feel etc of app is considerable different on this OS than IOS, maybe bias but I prefer the IOS. The watch has a lot of customisation, with choosing your display and order of the display and what is displayed, there are a whole bunch of additional features accessed through the button to side step into additional menus (note main selection is via a tap on the screen or the edge of the wristband) this is not great and requires more force than you generally want to give it, this is probably my only gripe, linked to this would be the speed at which it switches off, if I turn it on to look at it I tend to have to do it 3 times to take in all the detail I am after so for me it times out too quickly, when you consider the amount of room available on the screen I would have though each stat would have text to accompany the icon and value (some of the icons are not obvious to "new" users), all that said I'd easily buy another, I do have issues with the device maintaining tracking of my heartbeat though both my wife and neighbour (yes dragged them into this as well) seem not to have issues with this (appears to be perspiration related on the wrist) worn tightly creates an issue with irritation but increases the reliability, it should be noted I stopped wearing wrist watches many years ago as I found them to cause irritation so users swapping this from a watch will no doubt not experience any issues (it is good you have the option of easily buying replacement straps and swapping out), the auto display turn on is related to the "wrist" you have told it you have it on, setting this wrong makes getting the display to turn on awkward so make sure you change it if you swap wrists, I could probably spend days writing this review just on the features I use alone never mind actually testing out the entire device and all it offers, a great advert for just how powerful and feature full the device is, if your looking to compare the many options available this review won't likely help, but if your kinda set on one of these and wonder if its worth it, STOP WONDERING AND GO GET ONE!!!!

19.6.2017

Packaging-Very well packaged. 10 out of 10 for that. Feels like an Latest IPhone/ Samsung Galaxy phone when you take the wraps out of it..What is it?In short,his is an activity tracker with added benefit of getting heart rate measured.The Fitbit Charge 2 isn't a massive advance on the Fitbit Charge HR, and only is an evolution, with no ground-breaking advances.. The design has improved, and the larger display is definitely useful for running through your stats as well as for checking phone notifications.Design.There's a much larger screen here than on the Charge HR – but the device is a bit thicker too, so its not as compact the last version. Having that said, the screen is still relatively small and it's not colour,but it is an OLED display, with a touchscreen. The touchscreen can be a bit temperamental, but in general no issues.The button on the left-hand side of the tracker is used to skip through the menu options, such as steps, time, heart rate and calories; you can hold this button down to activate certain features as well.Features-On-board features include a stopwatch, exercise tracking mode, heart rate. There's also a new Guided Breathing feature “Relax”, which will monitor your heart rate for 30 seconds and then set you a breathing challenge to help you improve your condition. This additional feaure helps you to relax in a very busy office environment. However, this isn't the best device on the market for running – there's no GPS tracking here, but it will at least work with your phone's GPS to track the distance travelled .Notification alerts are limited, never expect things to be like your smartphone.Straps-One good thing is this comes in different colours and the straps are very much inter-changeable. The plastic straps are in light blue, dark blue, black or purple. Themore premium options are lavender/rose gold and black/gunmetal.Additional features-The Charge 2 isn't waterproof like the Fitbit Flex 2, but it is water-resistant, (can handle a few splashes while you do the washing up, or sweat when you're exercising) You won't be able to wear the Charge 2 in the shower or when swimming, though.Performance-In the wide ocean of fitness trackers, FitBit Charge 2 is similar to other fitness trackers, but is more premium quality with the heart rate monitor function..App connectivity-Connecting to the dedicated IOS/Android app is a breeze.Battery.Battery life is rated at around five days, which I have tried and tested.. I feel this is very reasonable for a device like this.Warranty-Has a company warranty of 2 years, and they are pretty good.Is it worth it?For around £120 or below, this is well worth given its very much reliable, fairly premium and has a good heart rate measuring function.

3.1.2017

Short Review: This band is brilliant!!! Just needs a stronger screen or screen protector included in the box!-Band: Very comfy and durable, interchangeable straps is a great advantage! (especially love the notch on the inside of the strap keeper that prevents it from moving around)-Battery: Lasts 5 days or more when you change settings to save battery (highly suggested) Also a quick tip: in your app go to the Charge 2 settings by pressing on the tracker image in the top corner, go to menu items and enable the battery setting which lets you view the battery on the tracker screen!-Screen: Clean and bright, but easily scratched!

5.2.2017

This is a very nifty and useful piece of wearable technology, supported by an app that it uploads data to, via bluetooth. Firstly I bought it to help monitor my health more than as a motivator to keep fit, because at the moment I have energy issues with chronic illness. I needed to monitor my heart rate to see what activities were sending my HR above my anaerobic threshold, and to see how much sleep I was getting or not. The HR is very accurate as long as you have it secured to your wrist properly. It is important to choose the right size of strap otherwise the HR monitor won't pick up your pulse, and also if you're going to wear it day and night.FITBIT have done a great job of coming up with this tracker but as other extensive reviews say,

21.9.2017

I've had my Fitbit for a couple of months now so I thought I'd share my views on it. Prior to buying this I had a cheap fitness tracker which had almost all the same features as the Charge 2 and I can honestly say it was a waste of money buying the cheap one, I should have just bought the Fitbit in the first place. The cheap one was not as accurate as the Charge 2, the steps were miles out, the sleep tracker was no where near as good and as detailed as the Charge 2 (I use the sleep tracker for health reasons to keep track of my sleeping patterns which was almost impossible with the cheap one), and the heart rate tracker was awful and never accurate whereas the Fitbit constantly tracks my heart rate and gives accurate readings.

5.1.2017

I was humming and hawing between this and something from Garmin. Decided to go with this purely because Fitbit is currently the most popular fitness tracker brand. I have no allegiance and may switch to Garmin at a later date!Having said that I am pretty happy with this device. I've had it a couple of months now and it is certainly getting me to be more active. The heart rate monitoring seems fairly accurate to me and the step count is also reasonably accurate, if a little overfriendly. I think perhaps if you're a proper athletic type, which unfortunately I'm not, then you'd be better going with Garmin, as that feels more geared towards the serious fitness fans out there,

13.4.2017

Having had a charge 1 (non-HR) and had it break on me after a while, I was a happily using a pebble time as my go to smart watch. But while the notifications on the pebble are ahead of the Charge 2 (I get call and text notifications in this but don't get emails/Facebook etc) the thing that I was most sad not to have was good activity tracking and especially heart rate monitoring. So on impulse and riding the recent renewed interest I have in running, I bought a charge 2 to replace the pebble as my 'watch' and I'm really glad I did.As someone who finds motivation for staying active quite hard the fitbit app is full of graphs and activities that serve to keep track of how far through your goals for the day you are.

6.7.2017

The Fitbit Charge 2 can do almost everything (and sometimes more than) what the more expensive Fitbit trackers can do. It tracks the number of steps you take in a day, the calories you have burned, your heart rate and the stairs you climb. It also has a work out mode. When you connect the fitbit to your phone it can show you a detailed picture of your workout, when your heart rate peaked and when you were in fat burn. Personally the most interesting part is the sleep tracking. You can find out when you were in REM sleep, light sleep and if you woke up during the night. I discovered I was only getting 1-3 hours of deep sleep at night and now after tracking my sleep patterns I have been able to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep.I have lost 1 stone in one month while using the Fitbit.

27.8.2017

It's no good, I'm addicted. I bought this to replace the Fitbit Alta I was sent (against my wishes) by Fitbit after my third Charge in a row had fallen apart. I wasn't sure I really wanted another Fitbit, given the problems I'd had but I caved and went for this one. I am now hopelessly, unrelentingly addicted. Battery run out? No point in doing anything then! Did I just climb a flight of stairs? Best check my heart rate! I must say that my friend, who also bought one of these, has completely abandoned it because she got fed up with her obsessive need to check everything constantly. I, on the other hand, am happily at home with my obsessive checking.I have to say that the heart rate sensor isn't always working as it should.

28.1.2017

I don't normally write reviews. However, i have read such wonderful reviews and thought i would give my honest opinion.I had originally bought the Fitbit Flex which was great but wasn't keen on the display. The Charge 2 is exactly what i am looking for. Its absolutely wonderful. I bought the small in Plum and it fits and looks great. The set up is easy, the app is easy on the eyes, the displays are clear on the watch and it does what it says on the tin. I did an aerobics class yesterday and set the workout mode and all the way through my class my wrist was buzzing telling me i had reached my goals etc.Im not sure how accurate the calories/steps are but i dont think any fitness watch will give

17.4.2017

I purchased the Charge HR not long after it was release and to be honest have had nothing but problems with it and returned 4 in total with problems ranging from not charging to the rubber on the strap peeling off so after the last issue I decided to upgrade to the Charge 2.Firstly, the build quality of the Charge 2 seems much better than the HR the unit itself is thicker and just feels better! The changeable straps are much better and a well needed feature, they are held in place with metal clasps that grip the straps securely so in my opinion there is now risk of them falling off.The Heart Rate monitor is accurate enough I have compared it to my Oxi meter reading and it’s just about the same.

Fitbit Charge 2 - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail