28.10.2018

I have worn Fitbits since 2012 and can honestly say that they've helped me achieve a healthier lifestyle. I am now more active on a daily basis, not just relying on structured exercise and I have transformed my previously poor sleep with the help of the sleep monitoring, which has been an unexpected bonus.I think the Charge 3 is a great all round Fitness tracker which incorporates some smart watch functions and I especially like the third party app notifications on the screen and having 15 sport workouts on the standard list. It's lighter (as it has an aluminium body) and sits better on the wrist than the Charge 2 and the battery lasts for a week easily.The display is superior and touch screen for most of the navigation though there is an indented button on the side. I liked the slimness of the Alta HR and this is a bit clunky in comparison but I'll take it for the extra functionality. I am fine not having built in GPS or music as I use my phone for that. For the price this is a great all round fitness band. I haven't taken it swimming yet but one of the advantages is that this is waterproof to 50 metres so can also be worn in the shower.We all know that Fitbit testing can be below par and this was clearly released with some glitches but I downloaded the firmware update straight away and have had no problems syncing to my iPhone7.I'm a huge Fitbit fan and have used the Fitbit Ultra, Fitbit One, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit Charge, the Fitbit Alta and Fitbit Alta HR previously. I now wouldn't use a Fitbit without Heart Rate monitoring as it gives extra accuracy re calorie burn.EDIT: for those with a Charge 2 there's probably some thinking to be done about whether an upgrade is justified. I had just broken the screen on my Alta HR, so have been delighted with the new model.Set up and syncing--------------------------I have an iPhone7 and had the app already dowloaded. Adding a device is straightforward and it found my new Charge3 very quickly. Instructions are website, rather than paper, based but set up is straightforward and takes minutes. The iPhone app is excellent and can 'force' a sync. I no longer use the dongle in my laptop from previous models and will only resort to this if I get syncing issues.Multiple Devices----------------------You can now attach multiple devices to your Fitbit account and it will work with the one you're wearing, so you could wear the Blaze on a hike and then the Charge3 for a swim, if you wished.Motivation--------------Yes, these could be described as fancy pedometers with a website attached and a very good app for your smartphone. However, I find them extremely motivating. The website and its well designed dashboard means that your friends with Fitbits can see how your activity levels and step counts compare, and I have set up a group and find a bit of competition on the leader board is inspiring. Fitbit also send you badges and encouragement messages to your phone and I find these surprisingly effective and have gone out for a walk around the block at 10pm when it's pointed out that I can meet my daily target with 1500 or so more steps. They seem to have got the frequency right so that I feel encouraged rather than harassed. I now aim for 5 million step per year which works out at about 13,500 steps per day.Accuracy------------You can calibrate the steps to your own stride length or use the default. I use the default. I am a gadget girl and used to use a HRM when I run and also MapMy Fitness apps to measure my distance. this allows you to use your phone GPS to improve accuracy. I have found the active minutes count very useful as a good measure, together with the step count to ensure you're not just pottering around.Heart rate and exercise monitoring----------------------------------------------I have tested the HRM on my wrist against my Polar HRM and have found it to be accurate to within 1 or 2 heart beats and was very impressed with that. I very much like the auto recognition of exercise activities including cycling and running and how it adds those activities to my dashboard. I've found it very accurate.Calorie Counting----------------------I don't use the food database, which is US centric, as I use an excellent UK weight loss site called weightlossresources. They are now have automatic syncing between the two systems, which I'm finding very useful as my calorie burn is automatically added to my WLR account. It also syncs with Myfitnesspal for those using that.Looks--------This is less stylish than the Alta but it's sporty looking and slim and light and has a more premium look than the Charge 2. It has a conventional type strap with a buckle for 'small' sizes attached which a spare for 'large' in the box. You can replace straps easily and buy them in different colours. There’s also a button on the left side of the tracker but it's recessed and not obtrusive.Sleep monitoring----------------------I am very impressed with the sleep monitoring feature on the Fitbit, which I have found better than the competition. It automatically records your sleep time based on your movements and your can edit any inaccuracies on the dashboard. For example, if you are quietly watching TV in bed it might think you were asleep. Fitbit have introduced new, heart rated based sleep monitoring functionality which reports on 3 levels of sleep - REM, deep and light. I'm a notorious insomniac and Fitbit sleep monitoring has been a huge help in improving my sleep over the last few years.Charging------------This is lasting a week to 10 days easily but I'm not using the alarm function or the all day sync which used to drain the battery on previous Fitbits. It has a different charger than other models and I find it a shame your old charger becomes redundant.Customer Service------------------------I have found them excellent when dealing with device issues, particularly using live chat available. They replaced my Fitbit Ultra with a Fitbit One when the charger stopped working, then replaced my Charge with the Alta. Quality control on the devices should be better but they have dealt with it in the past by easy replacement if there are device problems.Website-----------I like the dashboard and leaderboard display and find it the strongest website of the activity trackers I've tested. The search function could be better, the forums are still pretty US centric and finding groups is not straightforward. However, I have successfully set up a group for 250 or so of us and it's working well with the leader board acting as a real motivator.For the data geeks amongst it it is fantastic to have easy access to all my historical data - e.g 6 years of weight and exercise data and all my nutrition etc which is synced in from weightlossresources.Overall, this latest incarnation of the Fitbit is a great gadget and I would recommend it highly as a wrist based tracker. I have found Fitbits to be accurate, hard wearing and with the best website of any of the trackers I've tried, which in addition to the Polar Loop and Garmin Vivofit, includes the Withings pulse.Pros------+ Straightforward set up and excellent phone app+ Comfortable wrist strap with a strong clasp - it doubles as a watch and displays phone info+ Battery life is good and lasts at least a week between charges for me+ Exercise tracker automatically recognises a number of activities+ Heart rate function brings data and increased accuracy for calorie burn+ Can view monthly exercise plan on app and website+ Silent vibration alarm on the wrist is great for waking without disturbing a partner+ Data is uploaded so that you can view history on the excellent website, where you can also change your targets etc+ Sleep monitoring is excellent and measures sleep quality as well as duration automatically, which be edited online or on phone app+ You get badges and messages when you hit your goals, which I find to be very pleasing, much to my surprise+ You can join groups online or view your friends' data once you have linked on the site+ It's water proof to 50m so can be used for swimming+ the tracker can be removed from the the band, so it's possible to just change the strap for colour or because it is worn out+ Fitbit encourages you to take at least 250 steps an hour during the day. You get a little nudge on your wrist if you haven't managed that 10 minutes before the hourCons-------these are minor:- the food data in the database is US centric but it is now automatically syncing with weightlossresouces.co.uk- no instructions provided, so you need to go to the website, where it would be helpful if more hints and tips were available without searching the community topics- dongle not provided and this means reliance on their phones for syncing- bespoke charger means yet another for the travel bagHighly recommendedEDIT 05/11/18I have added a couple of photos to show that the Charge 3 is significantly larger than the Alta HR but has a lower profile and lies flatter on the wrist and because the straps don't arc out it fits my slim wrist (under 15 cm) just fine.

3.5.2020

I had to purchase a new fitness tracker after my previous version the Alta stopped working after a few years of use, so after a lot of research and comparison I felt the Charge 3 was sufficient for my needs. I purchased the Rose gold and grey coloured watch.I have been a fan of fitbit for years and these watches help me have a better understanding of my health and set goals to improve it, tracking through the app means my results are available when I wish to review them. Fitbit also give an overall weekly stats from your data.The Fitbit Charge 3 is a comfortable and sleek fitness tracker, that also brings smart watch notifications to your wrist and packs a battery that keeps the device going for almost a week.Its heart rate and in-depth fitness tracking capabilities make it worth the £89.99 price tag.The Charge 3 feels durable and it’s water-resistant, so I think it should last two years or more. Even though the battery already lasts about a week, it’s important to consider that it will deplete over time.One of the benefits over my previous version is the 24/7 heart-rate monitor which also tracks pulse as you sleep as well as your oxygen saturation levels using the heart-rate monitor and SpO2 pulse oximetry sensor on reverse of watch face, giving you a resting heart-rate average and current rate. This is located on the underside of the watch face so close to skin for contact.The Charge 3 can automatically recognise some activities but with a quick press of button you can track your swim, walk, run, bike, weights and treadmill to make it more accurate on watch, this will also track pace and distance.Over my previous watch this is water resistant up to 50m, however, I have not tried this as yet and to be honest am a bit wary as it doesn’t say waterproof so I’m unsure how this will affect watch in the long run.You can track your sleep pattern and gain a better insight into your sleep quality, from tracking light, deep and REM sleep, along with how long you were awake which appeared accurate from my use and quite insightful.With the SpO2 monitoring you can monitor your oxygen levels and although cannot replace proper medical advice it can alert you to problems you may not otherwise be aware of as you sleep.Your oxygen saturation is estimated with a sensor that shines red and infrared light onto your skin and blood vessels and uses light bouncing back to see how much oxygen is in your blood. Richly oxygenated blood is red and reflects more red light than infrared light. Poorly oxygenated blood is bluish red and reflects more infrared light than red light. When you’re sound asleep, typically enough light is reflected onto your fitbit device to let them estimate if there is any major variations in your blood oxygen saturation level. Seeing frequent high variations is a clue that you may be experiencing breathing disturbances during sleep. Fitbit would advise you to talk to your doctor if you experience symptoms such as excessive tiredness, loud snoring or gasping during sleep. However, how you wear your device can also affect this but it is a useful tool.The screen of the Charge 3 is larger than previous versions and while it may have a boring monochrome display compared to others in range like the versa it does help maintain the battery length. The screen is easy to read even in bright conditions. You don’t have to continuously tap the screen to move through options you simply swipe the screen. It also has an inductive button which vibrates to show it is working and acts like a back button, you can also wake the watch with this as well as a double tap. Altogether this makes a much simpler way to navigate the menus on watch. The new button also creates a sleeker look, and also makes the Charge 3’s design swim-proof.The strap of watch can be easily removed to replace with one of your choice and there are many options available according to your needs. You just push the black button at side of strap attaching to watch face to remove it. The holder for strap also has an extra piece to secure it to holes in strap to avoid it moving.The design of watch makes it appear thinner and more streamlined than other watches and doesn’t look bulky on the wrist. You can also select your watch face and stats you wish to be displayed first.Through settings you can select what apps you wish to receive notifications from. When authorised you can see incoming text messages displayed on watch with a push of the button and can see who is calling. You can set up some quick replies but bear in mind this is only available with android phones.When you wake watch if you swipe right to left you can access quite menus for exercise selection, relax breathing guided simulation, timer, alarm, weather if linked to phone and settings to adjust brightness, vibration and notifications.Swiping from top to bottom will get your list of notifications which you can also clear through watch. Swiping from bottom to top will display stairs, activity level, steps, resting heart-rate, current heart-rate, calories, sleep time, female health tracking, weight, water intake, hourly activity with reminders to move and exercise days completed.I liked the addition of the guided breathing as it is a quick two minute exercise which can be completed anywhere with watch alone instead of needing phone. Everyone deserves even a two minute break to relax.Pros –lightweight and stylishoffers smartphone notificationsgood battery lifetouchscreen displayability to change strapscons –not fully compatiable with iOSno built in GPSPlease note I have also purchased a screen protector separately which is visible in some photos.Update- have been wearing for a few weeks now and the only issue I have is the strap isnt very breathable and has caused a rash. They do advise to take breaks from wearing but this then takes away from the main reason of why I purchased the watch in the first place. I will do some research into alternative straps to see if this improves the situation but something you might want to be aware of should you have any skin problems.

26.10.2018

First of all, let's just say I'm a fan of Fitbit. Previously I've owned a Flex, a Charge HR, a Charge 2, and now a Charge 3. So is this a worthwhile upgrade from the Charge 2?First impressions are a little disappointing. Inside the box you'll find the Charge 3 and to be honest it looks very like the Charge 2. The only real noticeable difference is that the button on the side has been replaced by a dimple of sorts. The strap is much the same, but the buckle is more rounded than before.There's not really a lot in the box. The Fitbit is held by a plastic oval, and beneath this is a USB charger and a spare strap (the Charge 3 comes with a small strap fitted, but the spare strap is large size.)The box tells you to install the Fitbit app, but aside from that there are no further instructions. As I was upgrading from a Charge 2 to a Charge 3, I already had the app (Android version) installed.It's a little quirky to set up. For me, I turned Bluetooth on, opened my Fitbit account ("card" icon), and tapped the button to set up a device. You're supposed to connect the Fitbit to the charger and plug it into a USB power adapter before you start too. I selected Charge 3 and after a few seconds the app asked me to enter a code to pair the device. But where was the code? It turns out that a four digit number appears on the Fitbit's display, and this is the number you enter into the app. The app then appeared to hang for several minutes, but after a while it suddenly woke up and told me that the Charge 3 required an update which would take up to 30 minutes to install. It seemed to take about that long too. Once this was done it was ready to go.Within the app you can configure various settings, such as which wrist you wear the Fitbit on (dominant hand or other), and you can select a clock face. Seven are available. The app also lets you choose if you want the display to come on if you tilt your wrist towards you, but I disabled this as it's often woken me up in the night if I roll over! You can also choose which apps will be available on your Fitbit, and you can also enable and disable notifications for things like new text messages, calendar events, calls and so on. I chose to disable these as I don't have Bluetooth or data enabled on my phone all the time.The Charge 3 is very comfortable to wear. It's also waterproof now, so you can swim with it and also wear it in the shower if you choose. The screen can be activated by pressing the dimple on the side or by tapping the screen. It's a bigger display than on the Charge 2 - although the glass area is about the same size the bezel around it is a lot smaller now. It's also a touch screen, so if you swipe down you see your notifications (if enabled), swipe up to see your stats such as step count, heart rate etc., and swipe left to see your apps such as guided breathing, exercise tracking, a stopwatch timer and alarms (alarms can only be set via the app however). Straps are easy to remove and replace. Take the Fitbit off and on the rear where the strap joins the body you'll find two rectangular buttons. Press these and the straps simply pull off and can be pushed back on to replace. I've actually noticed that the straps are a little "raised" compared to the face of the Fitbit, so if you run your finger along the screen towards the strap there's a sharp edge where the strap stands proud, which feels a bit like a lack of quality control. Fitbit sell replacement straps if you'd prefer a different colour to the one you get, but I'm sure third party ones will also be available.So is it a worthwhile upgrade from the Charge 2? Well... I'm a bit disappointed. It's very nice, and the battery life - already great on the Charge 2 - is better on the 3. I've been wearing mine for a week now and the battery is still registering 56% since that initial charge. It looks almost identical to the Charge 2, it automatically tracks activities like the Charge 2, it tracks my heart rate and sleep patterns like the Charge 2, and the app is the same as the Charge 2. Sure, the Charge 2 has a touch screen, it's waterproof (big news if you're a swimmer), but there's still no built-in GPS. All in all it feels like an incremental update of the Charge 2. If you've got a Charge 2 and you're happy with it, I'd stick with that for now.

25.5.2020

The item look great but some things to note before you buy it:The charge 3 doesn't have GPS (the charge 4 deos however) but usually the most accurate way is to take your phone with you. It has a decent range of other health tracking facilities, some require more effort than others. As you would expect the heart rate, exercise and movement is automatic but weight and fluid intake is certainly not. (although I've heard you can sync to one of those smart scales, the only ones being ~£150) The colorie expenditure is fairly accurate, more reliable if you are measuring over a long period because it can fluctuate +/- 15% per day.You will, after a few months, begin to realise which ones are worth tracking,or even the ones you are bothered about. For me it is just exercise time and colories (and distance/steps when I'm not in lockdown). There is also some thing with period or ovulation measuring but as I bloke I can't really comment on its effectiveness.The other benefits being that the app is fairly customisable, you can choose what you see on the watch and in what order. You can choose the various types of activities that the fitbit will automatically recognise which is fantstic, say for example you only run and swim, you can untick everything else and just go about doing those without preparation prior to exercising. You can also choose from a variety of clock faces but realistically only two are even worth using.In general, the resposivness of the screen is lovely; both from the touch element or when turning your wrists naturally to tell the time. It sometimes has a few ghost activations from awkward movements to certain movements when you exercise, but all in all it is a very minor issue. It handles notifcations reasonably well (Android user). I dont like constantly picking up the phone to see notifications, but with this fitbit you can preview texts, marks as read or clear them. The watch has other nifty features from quick relaxation breathing techniques to timing functions as a stopwatch or aerobic exercise.However, one thing that does bother me, is that to be part of the premium plans you have to play around £7 extra a month. Feels pretty extrotionate as people are paying +£100 for any fitbit usually. To me they don't even seem to have any extra instrinsic value that you wouldn't find from a quick google search.The fitbit does try and push you to join communities and gamify certain things, for example doing a day where you take 24K+ steps. You get a little badge that nobody bothers about. If you like it and want it then fair play.Now the battery. It doesn't last last as long as they claim. For me it last about 5 days and 4 nights. It goes to about 10-20% but then the whole screen is taken up by a charge warning. So it'll probably last the 6 days but you'll only ever get 5 usuable days in a row. Also, getting used to wearing a watch at night can become a bit of a task. Took a while for me, but still I wouldn't rate the sleep facility to be that fleshed out or informative. Just tell the hours you slept and the sleep phases (not that accurately either), but doesn't go beyond to tell you how to improve.The biggest thing for me was getting used to not wearing a 'proper' watch. You could wear a device on either wrist but it just feels pointless when this already tells the time. I seriously do miss using my collection as accessories to when I am going out. What I do to compromise is change the straps, which is very easy to do in this device. Then customise accroding to what I want to wear.Overall, if you are looking primarily for a watch that tell the time, tracks heart rate and exercise well, then you can't go wrong with the Charge 3. If you want a more holistic experience then I would suggest waiting a few more years for the features to be iterated and fleshed out or buy a more expensive watch.

27.1.2019

UPDATE - See orginal Review Below this update:----------Sadly the it is now time to replace my Charge 3. It gave good service for about 18months, but dead pixels across the screen which started off as 1 line of display missing, but soon started to become worse meant it was time to move on. I see these things as disposable every few years, but I have knocked 1 star off my review as this one didn't last as long as I hoped.It has been replaced with a Garmin Vivosport which is currently on special offer. Funny how things move on. For under £100 at the time of writing, the Garmin has an always on display, proper built in GPS, a reflective technology for the display (it is so clear in bright sunshine!),VO2Max measuring, Music Controls, Set/Rep Counting for the Gym, Find my Phone/Device - all of which the Fitbit Charge 3 lacked - but which I never realised would be so useful...Original Review------------------------------------------I have had a few fitness trackers over the years. This is my latest which replaces a hybrid watch which turned out to be rather inaccurate. I also own a Fitbit Alta and it is accurate but has a few issues - mainly that the screen isn't very bright for reading outdoors and the constant tapping one has to do on the side of the unit to cycle though its modes is somewhat annoying. So I have recently upgraded to the latest Fitbit Charge - the Charge 3.Overall I am delighted with the Charge 3.The Good:- The screen is much brighter than the Alta, so can be read much better outdoors. It could be even brighter, but this is still a big improvement.- The touch sensitive screen for changing modes is great - much better than tapping the Fitbit Alta!- After downloading the updates, there is a really attractive analogue clock face (complete with date!) which shows itself each time you raise your wrist. Really nice.- Exercise tracking (I am a runner and walker) works well, is easy to log and its 'connected GPS' (so you can see your route later on your iPhone) is a great feature.- Heart Rate. This is new to me and is a good insight when analysing my exercise sessions.- Water Resistant. I don't plan to swim with the Fitbit, but it is nice to know it is water resistant anyway.- Notifications. Work well, are subtle and mean that you don't really need to look at your phone screen most of the day!- Fit and Comfort. No complaints here. The large strap included is perfect for me and there is a small version in the box too.- Battery Life. 7 Day claim seems to stand up. Much better than, say, an Apple Watch. Like 7 times better.- Fitbit App. I am already used to this app. It is excellent, providing much useful information and even a rudimentary food log for calories.Not so Good:Very little to report. In the perfect world the display could be even brighter or at least could have an option to make everything white, not a mixture of white and grey - no big deal. The charging cable is unique to the this model but if you buy a spare this becomes a non-issue really. Certainly nothing to knock a star off the rating.To summarise:If you are looking for a fitness tracker, don't need the advanced features of a smart watch, don't need built in GPS (i.e. you don't mind taking your phone with you on a run to track the route via 'connected GPS' ) then this has to be the best available. It just works, and works well.

20.10.2018

The Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Tracker builds on the Charge 2 and incorporates a number of innovations. Having used other Fitbits (mostly the Alta HR) and other brands of fitness trackers as I see it these are the strengths and areas for development of the Charge 3 -Strengths- Works on Android, IOS. Mac & PC plus Windows Phone support should soon be available.- The Fitbit app is good offering a high degree of personalisation, goal setting and other information such as sleep quality plus you can share goals achievements with friends - it is constantly evolving.- Overall the unit looks and feels well made and despite my version having a metal case (aluminium?) it is very light and comfortable plus looks like a quality product.Friends have commented on the sleek style.- The OLED screen is 40% bigger than on the Charge 2 and features Gorilla Glass 3, and, although it is greyscale rather than colour it has a good level of clarity in most lighting conditions except very bright direct sunlight.- Out of the box set up is easy but see areas for development below.- Plenty of functionality - displays heart rate, steps, exercise inc. workout goals, swim tracking, calories burned, sleep monitoring, female health etc. and these are aggregated by the app and reported in terms of achievement each week etc.- Other functions include mobile call answer, phone message display etc. and weather.- Can be used in water (including seawater) up to 50 metres deep.- Battery life is good - up to a week depending on how much you use it, particularly, the display.- Self-setting for time, date etc. and, in common, with other Fitbits as you lift it up to look at the time the sensor activates the screen. Also, it features versatile timer/alarm facilities.Areas for development- Updating on initial setup is a lengthy process - mine took around 30 minutes.- GPS tracking is only via your smartphone - it isn't built into the tracker.- Fitbit Pay which enables you to make purchases via a virtual wallet is only available on the Special Edition models which cost extra.- Some adjustments such as pace length etc. take a bit of effort to find/set in the app.- Timers and alarms (audio/vibrate) need to be set to max vol/strength to ensure they are noticed.- The battery charging lead is quite short and you must locate the charging pins precisely against the back of the tracker, also, genuine replacement charging leads are expensive.Other commentsMy experience of other Fitbit products has been that they evolve considerably over their lifetime through firmware/app updates. As far as I can tell the data is reasonably accurate, however, if you are using the same tracker all the time absolute precision in terms of distance walked etc. is less important than the differences in the data recorded each day.This tracker looks and feels like a quality product with a good supporting app which is available on most core platforms plus it's comfortable, stylish to wear and offers plenty of functionality which the app aggregates into trends to develop your fitness. It's not perfect, but pretty good and developing via app/firmware updates.

4.6.2020

My Charge 2 was starting to annoy me by not recording workouts that I had manually set. I set it for a bike ride and it recorded interval training, or an elliptical workout. Oddly enough, it would auto-detect a ride just fine, but I was annoyed, and once I'm annoyed with a gadget, its days are numbered.So the Charge 3 arrived, and initially it seemed to be a lot like the Charge 2, and I had a moment's buyer's remorse. But then the beneficial differences began to make themselves noticed:Waterproofing. For someone who takes as many showers as I do, the waterproofing is a big plus.Syncing: Despite what others have experienced, for me is pretty good. You have to trust the Fitbit, and do what the instructions say.If your Fitbit app is trying to communicate with two Fitbits, it may get confused. Also don't use your phone's Bluetooth settings to sync, sync from within the Fitbit app. Once synced, the connection holds well, and syncing seems quick and reliable. Certainly quicker than the Charge 2.Workouts: I read the blurb on workouts and apparently there are a load of new workouts. No idea what they are, but apparently it has them. What I have noticed, is that the existing "Run" workout is a lot cleverer than before. So when I stop my run to cling to a lamp post gasping for air, the Charge 3 pauses the run automatically, starting to record it again when I start running after my legs have stopped shaking and my vision has returned. (I'm half-joking.)Comfort: Despite having what I would call a "nasty" rubbery plastic strap, it's actually pretty comfortable. I've already ordered a 3rd-party velcro strap, but I'm starting to think that may have been a waste of money.Handling: The button is a lot nicer than the charge 3, with a little buzz of haptic feedback, which I like. Also the capacitative touchscreen works well, and now there's tapping and swiping screen control. It's all very pleasant, and nicer than the Charge 2. Also being able to swipe away and back to a particular bit of data is nice, without having to go tapping round through the whole lot again.Functions: It's very nice to be able to have the weather on my Charge 3, and it's nice to have notifications again, which were removed from my Charge 2 without explanation or warning. One day they just stopped working. I haven't linked all my apps to my Charge 3, but letting me know when someone has sent me a text is nice, and the ability to take and make calls controlled from the Charge 3 is pretty cool too. All in all, it's a more modern and user-friendly than the Charge 2. (See pic. Note a screen protector is fitted, and there's a bit of blur in the picture that is not entirely how it looks in reality.)To summarise, I'm really happy with my Charge 3 and now it's dropped in price, it seems to me to represent very good value for money.

27.7.2019

First of all, and probably most important for those of us who don’t possess a smartphone, FitBit are one of the few newer spec fitness tracker manufacturers that are not making trackers primarily aimed at smartphone only use and can be operated through Windows and Apple laptops and most tablets as well as smartphones. Please note that you will need a FitBit dongle to make the laptop application work and allow synchronisation but with tablets it pairs via Bluetooth easily enough without any extra bits. Obviously, with a smartphone it will also pair via Bluetooth.The Charge 3 is a neat, light well-made and good looking piece of kit that looks more like a smart watch than a fitness tracker but it does its fitness tracking well.Fits comfortably on the wrist via a silicon strap that feels sturdy enough. My one size Charge 3 came with an extra part of the strap to fit a larger wrist which is a good touch. To me the tracker is slightly larger than expected but has plenty of useful readout including some that are smartphone specific. However, I wear glasses normally except when running and found that some of the readouts were not the easiest to read when moving at a pace but still about OK. Readouts are white on black clear static readouts and all bright enough to read day or night. Easy to scroll through the applications with a finger flick / swipe / hold / tap.No quick start manual is available from the new package at delivery so you need to either work it out on your own or use set-up prompts and manual from the FitBit website. Overall it is easy enough to set up in a few minutes. A few alternative clock faces are available from the site so something else to play with.For normal walking fitness I have found that the continuous HR readout is fairly accurate and the rest of the activity measurements compare well in accuracy with my previous Fit Bit and Garmin products.The running mode is more of an automatic set-up but reckon it has a reasonable accuracy that could be expected from this type of device. At least, for me, it feels accurate enough. It has other set-up options including cycling and gym but have not tried them as yet.Charges easily and quick enough using the charging cradle connected to either a laptop USB or a general USB charging unit and seems to hold its charge well.For me, as an ‘oldie’, it gives me reassurance of a good health check during exercise. You can’t guarantee any of these wrist fitness trackers to be 100% accurate but if you accept that and use it’s output as a guide then I think it does it’s job.Overall a nice well packaged useful fitness tracker that looks good and although not the cheapest around, it comes in at a reasonable price so what is there not to like?

19.1.2020

The charge 3 is a great day / night fitness tracker. Don’t buy it if you want a smart watch to play music / have GPS / Reply to texts etc get an Apple Watch or Samsung Gear or something.This is perfect for me. I use it daily, the battery lasts 6- 7 days depending on usage and because it’s so fast at charging (I take it off and top it up with charge when watching tv or having a shower) it’s never died on me yet.Steps are more accurate that Apple Watch, heart rate too.Sleep tracker via the app is good, tracks awake times, Light and Deep sleep times and is very accurate. The vibrate only alarm on the charge 3 is also superb as it’s strong and wakes you up without an alarm going off,

20.2.2019

For a couple of years I was willing to buy a smart watch that would be wearable, like an hybrid one. All I could find either would be too bulky on my gentle wrist or unaffordable. Finally Fitbit launches Fitbit charge 3. All features I wanted in one device and looking smart in my wrist. I bought the limited edition gift pack which comes with a lavender wristband and an extra black wristband. I also bought the pink rose gold wristband in a good deal. Couldn't be better. They all are washable, breathable and comfortable.I wear it every single day, matching the wrist band with my outfit. I only give it a rest 1 hour and 15 min a week to get it charged. That is amazing.

20.8.2019

I'm pleased with this overall and I'm glad I bought it. Lots of functionality. I believe the charge 2 is slimmer and also simpler to operate, which may suit some people better.Positives:- It reliably measures pulse without the need to worry about exact positioning. It responds pretty quickly to pulse changes unless running very short intervals.- Usually works well swimming unless at high intensity (I think the water movement causes it to skip). I wear it in the shower sometimes, in rivers, rain but not in salt water. Mud and sand wash away and it's fine.- It seems to track sleep fine, although it's difficult to know what the sleep levels really mean or whether they are reliable.- I've worn it backpacking in South America for 5 weeks without scratches,

9.10.2018

I'm only on day two of owning the charge 3, but so far, incredibly satisfied with it. The design and hardware are what really sets it apart from the charge 2. The two best aspects: the fit (it sits more like a watch and is way less bulky than the charge 2) and the touchscreen (much smoother and no need for aggressive tapping to switch screens). It also shows more data, there are more exercise options, and the notification capabilities have been greatly updated (you can choose which apps you want notifications from - text, email, snapchat, etc.). I haven't tested the waterproof side yet, but I don't expect any issues.There seem to be lots of complaints about the software (SPO2, quick replies,

14.10.2018

I was a bit concerned after reading all the negative reviews about "sync" issues and "erratic" Bluetooth connectivity. Maybe it was a firmware issue that caused problems for the rest. I must say that I got mine 2 days ago and from setup to usage, it works absolutely fine. Actually it works the same way my old Fitbit Charge 2 used to.Pros:The notifications are better than the charge 2.The screen is larger than the charge 2.The touchscreen is so much more responsive than the charge 2.The vibration is stronger than the charge 2.The new wrist band is a lot better than the charge 2. Easy to remove and install. Much comfortable too.Battery life is a lot better too. Still showing nearly full battery after a day of use.

19.3.2019

I bought this fitness tracker to monitor my activities during the day, to see how my heart cope with all the movements, as well as to check on how well I sleep at night. It does the job, and at the price I bought, it isn't a bad deal.However, there are some drawbacks that I cannot give it a full 5 star review:- The step counting is inflated. It says I'm doing 8k steps a day whilst I normally do around 3-4k steps (measured by both my phone and Pebble watch). For an office worker and non-gym goer, it is a typical level. Yet the Fitbit congratulates me every day for meeting my target (8k steps).- I ride motorcycle to work. And the Fitbit recognises it as cycling to work, and it adds lots of working out time for me.

23.11.2018

Smartwatches are one of those things you don’t know you can’t live without until you have one. The downside of large colour screen smartwatches is that battery life is usually quite poor, typically three days at best. This is where the Fitbit Charge 3 really excels. Over the past few weeks of wearing my Fitbit daily, it has managed to last a solid 6-7 days. Remarkable.The design of the Fitbit is quite simple, just a slim watch face and the strap. There are no obvious buttons on the side, but when squeezed a light feedback buzz can be felt letting you know the watch has registered the input. The screen is activated with a squeeze or tap which helps to prevent accidental activation and unwarranted battery drain.

Fitbit Charge 3 - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail