27.12.2020

So this is my 3rd smart wearable device I have owned. I have had the original Moto 360 and I currently have the very old (in electronic years) Huawei watch. I will start off by saying that this Fitbit Charge 4 is way more comfortable than the previous two device. Once on your wrist you will forget that it is there except when it buzzes on your wrist for notifications. Speaking of notifications, they work very nicely without being over bearing. You can choose and select from which apps you want to get notifications on, for example all I care about is notifications from WhatsApp, Messenger and my Emails so that is all I have it set to. You also will get notifications about you activities which you can also change if you feel your getting too many.I left all settings at their defaults and I do not find I get to many notifications. I walk 5 days a weeks and workout 3 days a week and the Charge 4 automatically tracks my walks perfectly. As for my workouts it doesn't seem to know when I am doing pushups or pullups and of course it will not pick up the fact I am doing planks but that is ok as I doubt I am burning a lot of calories from my 3 day a week workouts as it is more for muscle toning and trying to keep a flat stomach in my old age.Sleep tracking on the Charge 4 is very nice! I have had a sleep study done about 7 years ago and they said I stopped breathing 4 times during the night of the test but that it was not severe enough to warrant a CPAP. This tracker has a SP02 sensor so in the morning I can check to see how many times my blood oxygen dropped low during the night and so far it has only been a couple times over the 17 days since it has started tracking my sleep. So that makes me feel a bit better knowing I really do not have a Sleep Apnea problem. It would be nice if Charge 4 gave you more detailed blood oxygen information, like percentages during the night, but that might something to due with the fact that this is not a medical grade device and they do not want people thinking that or they don't want to have to go through the process of getting certification for it which would cost a lot and effect the cost of the device. Also it does not have OnDemand for SP02 reading, it only checks it at night. It would be nice if they added OnDemand SP02 checking. From reading over on the Fitbit forums it might be added in the future so that would be a big plus, especially for runners.The Charge has 24/7 heart rate monitoring and they use this along with movements to track your sleep and give you a really detailed Sleep Score. It will show you REM, Light, Deep sleep and time awake during the night. From what I can tell it is mostly accurate as it seems to match up perfectly to when I have gotten up to go to the bathroom or let the cat in or out etc. and the REM seems to match up to when I was dreaming the times that I woke from my dreams for what ever reason and checked the time. If I ever do another sleep study it would be neat to check the results verses the Charge 4 but I feel it gives you a very good idea of how your nights sleep was. When my score is high like in the 80s I feel refreshed in the morning but when it was low a few times (73) I felt tired and needed a long nap in the afternoon to recharge. Speaking of naps, it will track your nap so long as it is over 1 hours but will not give you any detailed info about your nap like it does for night time sleeping.Functionality wise, I like how the Charge 4 wakes when you lift you arm. My Huawei watch is hit and miss when I raise my arm but the Charge 4 seems to be about 95% of the time. The touch to wake screen I wish was a bit more sensitive, it works fine after it has been woken from lift to wake but if the Charge 4 has been a sleep for a while and you try and tap to wake I find I have to tap it a few times. This effect me when I am using the Stop Watch feature to time my planks, I can not lift my arm to wake it during planks and trying to tap it to wake it to see if I have hit my time on the Stop Watch can be a pain.Scrolling on the watch is smooth and fast but they need to fix the firmware so that once you leave the main menu, say to go into settings, you can not swipe right to go back, you are forces to press the haptic button to go back which is a pain. I started a Feature Suggestion to get it added over on the Fitbit forum so feel free to up vote it.The display is crisp and bright and easy to read even outside. With my Huawei watch I could not see anything on the screen while outside. The font is large enough that I can see most of the information without my glasses on so that is really nice as I only put them on for reading and of course take them off when I am exercising.About the only I miss from my Huawei watch is music control. You should be able to pause / play and skip tracks of whatever app is playing music on your phone. Not sure why they didn't add this in yet as the Charge 4 is always connected to the phone via Bluetooth so it should be able to do it with a simple firmware update. Even cheap bands out there have this simple feature.The other feature missing but I do not miss is a mic for Google Voice command and a speaker to take calls on your wrist. While it is cool to do this to show off who really want to talk to your wrist to ask Google something or worse to try and have a conversation with someone that everyone around you would be able to listen in on?As far as battery life, they claim 7 days and I am seeing that. I think even 8 days are possible. There is an option to have the screen stay on longer when it wakes but that seems to take a day off the battery life. There is also a Feature Suggestion to add a Always On Display AOD over on the Fitbit forum to the Charge 4 but I think the battery would take too much of a hit if they added it. I think Fitbit did a good job with features and battery life with the Charge 4 as it stands now. Maybe in the Charge 5 with a larger capacity battery they could then add a AOD and maybe a color display that is even bigger but with the current battery technology I think they did a good job with the Charge 4. I like only having to charge mine once a week. Note: I have my Charge 4 set to GPS Mode Dynamic as I have my phone with me when I take my walks. If you leave your phone at home the Charge 4 will automatically use its built in GPS which will drain your battery faster. So keep that in mind if you like to take your walks and runs without taking your phone. One week soon I will try a complete week without taking my phone with me and will update this review with how long the battery lasts so you can get an idea.The other thing I really like about the Charge 4 over others out there (I was looking at the Garmin Vivoactive 4) is that the band is changeable! As you can see in my photos I have 3 different bands, two came with the Fitbit Charge 4 Special Edition and I purchased the Fitlink Stainless to give it a "Classy" look.When you get the Charge 4 it will be on an older version of firmware, which just means it needs to be updated, you can not force it to update and so you have to wait for it to update. Mine took 20 hours to finally say there was an update available. I have read it can take two days. So be patient. I know that this sucks but I think they do it that way as to not drain the battery on the Charge 4. I kept the Fitbit app open and manual synced the Charge 4 (in the app) as often as could while on the charger to get it to show the "Update Available" in the app on the phone, so if you are impatient like I am you could give it a try.Well that about wraps up my review of the Fitbit Charge 4 SE. I hope this review helps others out there. I will update the review as I use the Charge 4 more and will adjust the ratings up or down as needed.Note: I was not given this product to evaluate. I paid for it with my own money so my review is not bias in anyway.

27.5.2020

I've owned several Apple watches (the series 5 as well)... the extra features are hardly desirable since it requires your phone to be on you (e.g. calling, txt, etc; unless you want to be exposed to even more radiation with a cellular model... even more money). This fitness tracker is comfortable, has aftermarket straps/bands and works across platforms... on an expendable device, including Apple Watch, the price is much better and is just as accurate. I'm very glad Fitbit came out with the Charge 4 and built off their Charge 3 design... sound familiar... Apple ? Proven design with GPS abilities... good call on Fitbit’s behalf... All my devices are Apple ($3k laptop, $1k+ phone, iPads, iPods,etc)... except my Charge 4. Fitbit is focused on those wanting to target on their overall fitness health... Apple Watch is not the most comfortable ( while not bad)... poor battery life and slightly entertaining... great. Fitbit for daily practical use (I don't like jewelry and this is light weight and hardly noticeable). Apple, well, a big fan, just not of an overpriced watch since both of these devices are expendable. I do like how the Fitbit uses Corning Gorilla glass. It could be brighter in direct sunlight but it’s not a huge bother for me (screen is difficult to see in bright lighting outside).-------------------------------Update:After using the Fitbit Charge 4 for nearly 2 weeks, it has not been accurate. I took it on a few runs and walks using GPS for the auto calibration regarding my stride. I found that the Fitbit is highly inaccurate for the amount of steps taken and distance covered; Side note, GPS distance is accurate... not so much steps taken). Also, sitting at my desk, I can get up to 500 steps in an hour working on my keyboard at the computer with the Charge 4... the Apple Watch doesn't have these issues.My heart rate reported up to 140 BPM on walks, while the Apple Watch maintain around 80-90BPM... the 140BPM is way off. I'm a conditioned athlete and it takes me a minimum of a mile to get my HR up to 140 BPM running (not sprinting). Again, I did calibrate the Fitbit. The Apple Watch as well.What I found was the Fitbit excessively counts steps with arm movements while sitting, which didn't confuse the Apple Watch. However, the Apple Watch will give you standing time when you are not standing... no big deal. However, for my use, the Apple watch is always spot on when I do treadmill runs and providing me general heart rate feedback.While I don't get all the data/metrics that that Fitbit has to offer that the Apple Watch has, I just don't trust it. I tested it against multiple devices and the Fitbit usually seems more than generous to give you credit where it isn't earned. Other than the Apple Watch telling me I'm standing on occasion when I'm not, everything else is spot on.I will be missing the sleep feature on the Charge 4 as it seemed to be spot on and VERY impressive. However, I need the device to be accurate for my fitness. I also appreciate that I can look up my info for the Fitbit in a large layout on my web browser while on the Apple Watch I'm mostly stuck to the phone.For me, accuracy was key with my physical activity and the Fitbit Charge 4 did not provide this. I'm kind of bummed about that as I mentioned in my initial review everything I was excited about until reality and daily use set in.My rating is two stars because the device was nearly pointless for my application regarding fitness and accurate measurements (the whole point in purchasing the device) for distance, steps, and heart rate. It has so much potential and the device is VERY comfortable to wear without having to charge it nearly every day. So, I'm back to the Apple Watch for focusing on more realistic fitness goals and metrics. I tried to give the Charge 4 EVERY benefit of a doubt. If your data is not somewhat/fairly accurate, then it doesn't give you much to work with.For now, I'll be sticking to the clunky Apple Watch with poor battery life, no web data, and sleep monitor (there are 3rd parts apps, but Apple Watch isn to practical for sleep use due to short battery life and slow charge time) because my priority is accurately measuring what I previously stated. For that, the Apple Watch excels.---------------------------------------------------Update 2Well, I decided to give the Fitbit Charge 4 another chance. I was able to adjust some settings that made it way more accurate. I wear my watch on my non-dominant arm. However, I put the settings to dominant... now I don't have excessive false steps... actually, it's a little more accurate than the Apple Watch Series 5 I tested it up against. HR is accurate at resting and I have not been able to test this units HR monitor while active... fingers crossed this unit is more accurate than the last.Another bother for me using my Apple Watch is that I'm tied to the phone to observe my data. I appreciate that I can login to my Fitbit account online to look at my metrics/data instead of being tied to the app on a phone.------------July 6, 2020--- Worthy updates released.Fitbit added some pretty cool feature in the most recent update. There is a dynamic GPS update. Basically, when you want to use GPS, it'll default to your phone if you have it on you and then to the device if your phone is unavailable. That was a concern I had because the GPS function does drain the battery quite a bit during my bike rides and most of the time I have my phone with me... good stuff.A "smart wake" feature was added as well. Basically, if determines your sleep schedule and the best time to wake you up... probably good for those that don't have a set work schedule... as a student at the moment, it is a hand feature to have to prevent oversleeping, etc.There is now an option to adjust how long the screen stays on for. Good to have... it was getting annoying having to double tap the device every time the screen timed out.Then various bug fixes...---------------Update July 8, 2020I decided to return the Fitbit Charge 4. It is an excellent contender for those focused on fitness. My main gripe was that the Fitbit platform does not readily sync with other apps such as Garmin and Strava. Another considerable issue is that I could not see the screen well outside during runs and biking... and it is difficult to start stop/activities outdoors with sweaty hands (no physical buttons (more competitive than physical press) other than the one on the side). Since I use an Edge for my road bike, I decided to get a Garmin watch (Instinct) considering it readily syncs with Strava, Garmin Connect and my cycling computer. My main glaring issues were screen readability outdoors and app syncing. If not for these issues, I'd likely been more than happy with the Charge 4. For the price, I definitely recommend it for those if this is the only platform they depend on to track their health and fitness.Sleep tracking is really good as well as the step count once you get everything honed in.

30.6.2020

I've used this for about a week already, and here are my thoughts:I like getting notifications on my watch without having to check my phone. It helps me check my phone less often than I normally do, since I know that I didn't miss anything important. I know that's not the main purpose of a fitness tracker, but I really like that option.I also like that I could change the clock faces. I'm not a fan of digital clocks, so I was really glad I could change it to an analog version. Note, there aren't too many clock options yet, since this fitbit is still pretty new. Most of the available options are for other fitbit models.The watch charges pretty quickly. I didn't time it,but I think it took between 1-2 hours to fully charge. If it was running low, I could charge it for a quick 15 mins, and have enough juice to last until I had time to fully charge it later in the evening.I haven't tried putting the fitbit underwater. I'm kind of worried about putting any electronics in water.Now for my complaints:The device setup process was terrible. My Bluetooth was able to find the device instantly, but connecting the watch and my phone was torturous. First off, I wish some simple setup instructions were included in the package. All I have is a useless warranty sort of book in multiple languages. Basically, you have to download the app before you can do anything. It doesn't even include instructions on how to charge the device. Any info you need can only be found in the app or through Google/other search engines.Fine, I'm pretty good with using and setting up technology, so this should've been a breeze. Nope. I had to plug in the watch, try to connect it to my phone, got a black screen on the watch after a while and still no connection. Btw, if you get the black screen - no logo, no smile or anything at all, you'll need to unplug the watch for about 20 minutes and then try again. Try connecting while the watch is plugged in. Try while it's not plugged in. Try again while standing on your head & singing the alphabet backwards. Eventually, one of those methods worked for me. (I'm pretty sure it wasn't the headstand method, but one never really knows.) Once the watch and phone finally got married (I was ready to breakout the champagne), setting up the rest of the device settings and using it was nice and simple and mostly intuitive.I wear the watch on my dominant hand, and I noticed that it logged some of my activities, such as brushing my teeth, as steps walked. I wish it had a better way to differentiate. I don't want my step tracker to be so unreliable. I'm worried that every time I scratch my nose, it'll think I walked another step. I guess nose scratching still burns calories, but still... Although, most step trackers have this same issue, so that's just a general, minor complaint.Like some cellphones, the fitbit comes with a single touch button on the side that helps to switch menus, turn off alarms, and go back to previous screens. However, it isn't always responsive. I have to touch it at the exact right angle. Not a major complaint, but it is semi annoying.Instead of using a common type-C or other familiar charger, the fitbit comes with a weird charger that needs to clamp around the watch & match up with some dots on the underside of the watch face. I had a cheap fitness tracker some time ago that used a common USB charger. Meaning, I could kill my battery while out exercising, and then use my phone charger or ask around for one. Not so here. You'll either need to carry around the short clamp charging wire, or walk around with a dead watch until you can return to your one of a kind charger because how likely is it that you'll meet up with someone willing to lend you the fitbit charger that they just happened to be carrying around with them? And of course, if you lose it, you're stuck until you replace it. I didn't bother looking up the price for replacements, but I doubt they're cheap. Also, this only comes with a usb wire, not an adapter.Speaking of charging, the battery lasts for a few days, but the more you exercise, especially if you turn on one of the dedicated exercise programs, the quicker the battery goes. You'll basically need to recharge at the end of every day that you use the fitbit exercise programs (running, walking, swimming, biking).Compared to the cheap no-name fitness tracker I had earlier, there isn't much more that the fitbit can do that's worth the extra $100. Yes, the software is noticeably better, and I especially appreciate the ability to choose an analog clock face. But the step & sleep tracking are pretty similar. Both measured heart rates, both encouraged me when I exercised, both delivered notifications (although the fitbit did a better job of that). If you really want to control Spotify from your fitbit, maybe it'll be worth it for you. I don't use Spotify, and the watch doesn't work with any other music option, not even ones downloaded to your phone. If you're willing to pay for the premium fitbit option, where the program helps you track your fitness a bit better, maybe it's worth the extra $100 plus the subscription for you. But if you just want a fitness tracker that counts steps & miles walked, tracks your heart rate & sleep schedule, allows you to set alarms, view text messages, and the like, then I'd suggest going for one of the cheaper non-brand name models. If you're willing to spend an extra $100 for a slightly better software, then go for the fitbit.

18.5.2020

I’ll try to write this review from two perspectives. 1) Do you need a fitness tracker? 2) Should you choose a Charge 4?I suppose that I’m fairly new to the fitness tracker fad. I bought my first Charge 2 about two years ago and I’ve been pleased with it until recently. Lately it hasn’t recorded my heart rate properly, sometimes not reading at all and others reading up to 40 bpm high. I decided that I wanted to replace my Charge 2 with something newer.I looked at the Ionic and Versa series but they are just so large and unwieldy. I don’t have a small wrist, but they are still too large for me. I also compared the features and I really don’t think they offer that much more than the Charge 4,especially now that the Charge 4 has GPS. Spotify just isn’t on my list of priorities, nor do I need to store music on my Fitbit. If the Charge 4 could do that, great, but I don't think it's a big enough benefit to endure the ungainly size. Also, if I wanted a smart watch, I’d be more likely to look at Apple. I like the designs and features of the Garmin watches, but I've grown accustomed to the Fitbit app and wanted to stay with something familiar. After weighing all the features, I decided on the Fitbit Charge 4.Do you really need a fitness tracker? I would say that it has made a reasonably big difference in my life. I generally like the Fitbit app, though it does have glitches now and then. Some can be very annoying, but eventually they get resolved. My wife and I have a friendly competition going with our Charges. All I can say is that it really does motivate you to be more active. The motivational messages are extremely corny, but they do occasionally make me smile. I’ve set my target steps and 10,000 and it’s reasonably easy to get them on most days. If I check my steps at night and they're around 9,200 steps, I force myself to go walk around outside until I get them. You can’t say that a fitness tracker doesn’t make you more conscious of your lifestyle. It also reinforces positive behavior with very basic award recognition, but you'd be surprised how competitive you can get with those badges.My wife uses the features on her Charge more than I. She sleeps with it on almost every night and she really likes the alarm feature. I tried sleeping with it, but I started to get a sore on my wrist so I stopped. On my old Charge 2, I turned off all the notifications and features other than the tracker. I’ve started using them more on my Charge 4. It’s actually more helpful than I thought. There’s no chance of missing a call or text because its vibrations are hard to miss, unlike my phone when it’s buried in my pocket. I’ve gotten used to reading text messages on it rather than pulling out my phone out when I’m exercising. That's especially helpful if I’m biking. The screen is reasonably easy to read, although not in direct sunlight.So what do I like about the Charge 4 over my old Charge 2. The biggest change for me is the touchscreen. This is so much more helpful than the single button system. It works surprisingly well and I haven’t had any complaints. The menus are easy to navigate and contain many more "apps" than the Charge 2. The GPS is nice, but I don’t use it due to the severe battery drain. I always have my phone with me anyway, so it doesn’t much matter. In general, the heart monitor seems to be a lot more responsive than the Charge 2 and the new heart rate notifications are nice to let you know when you're in your target zone.Are there any negatives? The new method for attaching the bands seems a little cheap and flimsy compared to the Charge 2. They’re all plastic now and don’t align as nicely as the old system. I also preferred the full metal body of the old Charge 2. There’s a lot more plastic on the Charge 4, but the addition of Gorilla Glass is a huge improvement. After a year, the screen on my Charge 2 was barely legible until I polished it. I feared that the Charge 4 would take longer to charge, but it charges just as fast, if not faster. Battery life has been excellent so far with the GPS off. The one glitch I've found so far is the stair counter. I normally climb about 20 flights of stairs over the course of a day, but the Charge 4 is giving me 80+. This is definitely inaccurate. I'm going to try a reboot to see if it fixes the problem.On a final note: I wouldn’t get the special edition. The only difference is the additional band and I didn’t like it. It’s too stiff and it takes some effort to get it through the loops. It doesn’t seem to breathe any better than the rubberized band. Fortunately you do get a spare set of rubberized bands with the special edition and they're a huge improvement over the Charge 2. The Charge 2 band was too large for the buckle and often some effort to force it though. The new buckle is large enough to easily accommodate the tongue of the band and it’s simple to put on. The new material is also a little more comfortable and flexible.

16.5.2020

I have previously had a Fitbit Blaze, but I was disappointed with its battery life and eventually the battery stopped holding charge, so I was interested to see how the new Fitbit Charge 4 compared. Overall, I would say it is an improvement in most areas (although some are not as good as the Blaze)! It keeps its charge much better (although it is new) and is good for day to day wear but the battery life with GPS is disappointing. It is supposed to be up to 7 days normal wear and 5 hours GPS. It all depends on how active you are. I probably get 4 days normal (but I work outdoors and rack up 10,000 steps by 10am!)for GPS I would say make sure its fully charged first and you might make 5 hours.To begin with it was not straight forward to set up and like all fitbits it is not good if your internet bandwidth is low especially as all support is online! There is no way to manually set the time (which I have found an issue when travelling through different time zones in the past)It took a while to get the charger working (no smiley face) initially but I think it is just because the battery was so low to start with.The charging cable is uselessly short especially as a lot of the set up needs to be done whilst plugged in which resulted in my crouched on the floor under the side table! The charger is a much better design than previous models as you do not have to remove the strap and it has a clip to lock the watch into place, which is great once you get it working!Over the course of the first week there were daily firmware updates which were a bit annoying but I do now have the advertised functions ( I didn’t use Spotify, payment or any of the premium features and I did miss being able to control the music stored on my phone ( I am old fashioned that way)).The itself strap comes with 2 alternative sizes which is useful but only one has the band to keep the free end in which is a bit of an oversight. the strap itself is very plastic-y and not very comfortable. A softer silicone material would be nicer, but I suspect this will be more hardwearing. The strap attachment mechanism is much stronger than previous models.The display is black and white and it is very difficult to read in direct sunlight especially as the default display time is so low (the auto hibernate kicks in after about 5 secs which isn’t enough time for my eyes to adjust to the display) and there is no always on option or ability to delay the auto hibernate. The wake action of raising your wrist needs to be done quite firmly and often fails. (It was a pain when trying to take the photo!The screen itself is an ok size and the swipe/ button functionality take a bit to get used to. I found all the buzzing a little annoying and difficult to stop an activity once it was in progress as it would keep going through a loop of pausing then telling me to press to finish but when I did I got the DND/sleep mode options. I think it just takes a bit of getting used to.So on to some of the functionality...WorkoutsThe fitbit has inbuilt GPS so there is no need to take your phone and do not get the same connectivity loss. It auto detects workouts and you can track six activities on the device, but you can edit in the app/dashboard for example I can change the outdoor activity to horseback riding but it didn’t do anything to modify the stats which would have been nice. If you do autodetect though GPS is not turned on, so you won’t get a map. Various activities log different data but I was quite happy with the heartrate zones, energy burned distance & elevation. GPS does drain the batteryAs well as counting steps you record Active Zone Minutes which basically ranks your activity so that a higher intensity workout in the cardio heart rate zone is worth double a lower intensity work out with heart rate in the fat burning zone. It has a daily target of 22 an average of 7 days divided by 150 minutes of weekly exercise. You can customize all your targets in the app.Sleep & O2- Fitbit gives you an overall score for your sleep, showing awake, light REM and deep sleep periods. I tend to find the less deep sleep I get the more tired I am, and it all seems to be at the start of the night! It estimated my O2 fluctuations, but I am not sure for me this is especially useful, I think the just like to play with the sensor!Female tracking and food and water intake I just can’t be bothered with as its too much data input for me and my fluid comes not just from water! I did try to use it to log alcohol consumption though as it made me think about how much and when!Notifications can be enabled for calls and text messages, calendar updates but not WhatsApp messages ????Overall it does what it says on the tin and has a reasonably easy interface. Battery life and screen needs improvement but am I happy? YES!

25.12.2020

I bought this on 24/12/20 and will be discussing each aspect of the tracker, since as I can imagine new buyers will be puzzled due to the contrasting reviews as well as giving a summary & pros and cons list.I’ve upgraded from the Fitbit charge 2 to the black Fitbit charge 4 (on sale for £99 instead of £130)Battery:Battery works well but you MUST not play around with it until it’s fully charged. My screen was glitching until it reached 100% however it acts completely fine now. I’m on day 2 of using this watch all day and it’s currently on 75%, so it definitely is true about lasting up to 5 days. Charging it is fairly simple and very similar to the charge 2,sometimes it doesn’t click in straight away but once it’s charging it’ll alert you by vibrating and showing you on the screen. Charging is also very fast which is great.Functionality:It performs like a touch screen and slides very well. I found that with the charge 2 you was constantly pressing very hard but luckily this one act a lot like a phone in regards to swiping and tapping.Brightness:There are 2 settings, dim and normal. I do feel this could be brighter as there is a slight darker brightness in comparison to the charge 2, which may not be suitable in bright summer daysComfort:It’s very comfy and never been irritated by it, I found with the charge 2 it was a bit itchy and loose despite having it tight. Fitbit provides you with 2 straps; a longer one and a standard size. Personally I like buying the strap sets on Amazon just for a bit more of personalisation, the strap feels and looks high quality, along with the tracker.Tracking steps and sleep:The steps and sleep is extremely accurate, on the first day trying it I paced around testing to see if it’d exaggerate or decrease the amount of steps I really did, luckily they were accurate.Heart rate:I feel this heart rate monitor is extremely accurate, I compared it to my Fitbit charge 2, and found my charge 2 would continuously say I was in “fat burn mode” - meaning I was supposedly 100+ BPM when just standing still which just wasn’t true. This one seems a lot more truthful and accurate.GPS:Unfortunately i haven’t been running yet, however based on the reviews, it seems fairly accurateWater resistance:I don’t think I’d go swimming with it despite how water resistant anything is, however I’m very comfortable with washing up and putting my hands in water without worrying about breakage which is a massive bonus.My main comment to those buying one/just bought one:You won’t be able to use the tracker instantly. Turns out this is a standard thing everyone has to go through with a charge 4; the settings doesn’t work until the 1.96 update you must do through the Fitbit app. This also means you have no access to clock faces, weather, Spotify or agenda. How do you access the 1.96 update? Honestly it’s not too clear. You basically have to continuously sync your phone and charge 4 until eventually the download is available. Here I’ve provided a screen shot (you can look it up yourself, it IS fixable. As after under 12 hours, the settings completely functions and there’s no problem)PROS: Amazing quality, accurate tracking for everything, worth the money, great for everyday use, looks brilliant, better than the charge 2CONS: comes with No instruction manual and the one online isn’t the best for new users, id be uncomfortable buying it for someone who isn’t tech savvy/impatient, the app/manual never states you have to wait around a few days hoping for an update, you can’t use all of it instantly until the updateDo I think it’s worth buying and why:I do think it’s worth the money because it’s not like the problems I’ve mentioned with it are permanent, they’re fixed within a couple days, no big deal. It looks amazing and clearly functions just fine. It has a much more sleek look to it which makes you feel you’ve got your money’s worthIn comparison to the charge 2:Charge 4 is the tiniest bit thicker, it’s got GPS & water resistant, has more sports available to track, more phone-like features, looks worth what you paid for, I’d say the charge 2 looks worth about £50 in comparison.Hopefully this helps people make their mind up, I spent 2 days toing and throwing due to the mixed reviews. It seems a lot of people are either not very familiar with how a Fitbit works/very picky. This is my 2nd Fitbit product and I confidently recommend it.

21.7.2020

Initially extremely frustrating as this watch is "touchy" as to whether it is going to sync or connect with the app. The app itself is just as bad as the watch. It sat and charged for over 2 hrs and there was nothing going on. There won't be, because it will not do anything until it connects to a phone. You can track your progress on the computer, but set up and everything has to be done on a phone. I didn't know this. I also didn't know that the app I updated a week prior was no good. If you already had a fitbit, you have to uninstall the app and reinstall it again. Also, you may not want anything else that uses blue tooth around during the initial setup. Both bluetooth and wifi have to be on,as well as location availability. I cannot even tell you what I had to do to get this thing to work... but it went something like this... Turn off bluetooth, remove old fitbit Charge from account, uninstall fitbit app on phone, reinstall fitbit app on phone, restart phone, (plug in Charge 4 to Charger if not already done), enable wifi, enable bluetooth, in the bluetooth section on phone click Charge 4 to pair with it. Enable location information. Once paired the app will ask for the four digit # that is on the device. Then you are set to go.It really took much longer than this - going back and forth and checking if one thing or the other worked... but all in all, that's what I did to get it working. It took almost three hours beyond the two hour charge time. As at least one person has noted, it seems more like a prototype. There are a lot of issues with this thing connecting and you have to undo and redo everything on your phone and the app... play around with it a bit... eventually, it seems like it is doing things in a certain order that gets it done. And customer service doesn't know the order, they just have you do it, undo it, redo it until it works.Once I got it working, I really like it... but... I feel like it's a gamble every day as to whether it is going to sync/connect or not. These things are way too sensitive... I had the correct app version and everything... but something about adding the app after the Charge 4 was charged as opposed to prior... turning the phone on before the fitbit was plugged in... all these little intricacies just are not acceptable for a modern device. There's too many bugs and kinks with this thing that they need to sort out. Hopefully there'll be a software update that we can apply. I'm giving this 4 stars and crossing my fingers that it doesn't go all ape sh on me.Update: There's been a software update which helps to leave the screen on for a longer period. You have three options: Default, medium, and long. The long lasts for about 5 seconds or so. Better than naught.Also, like I said, it is a toss up as to whether/when this will sync successfully. Not THAT big of a deal for me as I don't need real time data on my sleep data... or any other long term comparison data. Which is mostly what I use the sync for. But still, it is annoying. I cannot get it to sync when I want. I DO have to plug in the watch for it to sync. And I just leave it by my phone for several hours and eventually it will sync on it's own (usually a half hour to several hours). If I try to force sync, it won't sync. Again, hoping for a software update to correct this. Hopefully....Another annoying feature... if you track your sleep... and you wake up in the middle of the night, and go back to sleep like an hour later, it will not track your sleep for the same night, it is now "tomorrow night". It will only track detailed data after three hours of sleep, so if you sleep for less than 3 hours, that won't track either. It doesn't add this late morning sleep to either "today" or "tomorrow", so you get no accumulated data.

28.11.2020

I upgraded from an Alta HR to this Charge 4 and for the cost, I'm very pleased with my decision. Removing my old device, replacing it with this new one, and then syncing it to my phone all were very easy, although I did need to look up how to do it. As one reviewer mentioned, there is no explanatory material in the box -- it's all online.It took me a while to look up and figure out how to take advantage of all of the Charge 4's features, since I had to toggle back and forth between various websites, including the official instructions manual, various Fitbit Q & A pages, and a few blog sites. However,there IS an official instruction manual online and it is DEFINITELY worth browsing through before you get frustrated trying to figure out what up and down swipes do versus left to right swipes. (And you just push the button on the left side to "go back" to the previous screen.) It appears to me that some reviewers never discovered that online manual or they wouldn't have some of the "complaints" they have. Once I explored the online information, I found the features easy to use and was happy with everything except the blood oxygen saturation data.I thought the promotional information was a little misleading, since with the Charge 4 all you get is a graph giving your estimated oxygen variation, not an actual number for your blood oxygen level. Obviously, I didn't clearly understand the difference when I was doing my research prior to buying this model, but I also think they could make their comparison charts and promotional information more clear. I also do not think Fitbit gives adequate explanations about the estimated oxygen variation graph itself. This aspect could use a little improvement.However, beyond that one complaint, I am very pleased. It is not too often that you can get this much valuable information about your sleep, activity, and fitness levels for such a reasonable cost. Although my Alta HR also gave very detailed sleep information, the Charge 4 does it equally well, and that is actually one reason I purchased this rather than an Apple watch. I have sleep problems, so this is one thing I monitor regularly and I'm happy with the data and the clarity of the charts and graphs on the Fitbit phone app. I do wish that they could combine sleep data for a person like me, who wakes up in the middle of the night and has a difficult time getting back to sleep for a second sleep "session". If you have more than a short period of wakefulness, Fitbit breaks your sleep analysis into two separate "sleep sessions". However, this is a relatively minor issue for me.The Charge 4 is also very light and comfortable and I don't even notice that I'm wearing it. It has a low profile, so I'm not bumping it into things all the time, either. The screen is much more visible than on my old Alta HR, although in bright sunlight you can't always see it clearly.One reviewer mentioned that you need to take it off the charging cable to see if it is fully charged. That is not the case. You just have to move the charging pins around a little bit and a picture of a battery comes up on the screen. It shows you visibly and in a % how much charge you have. That is really not an issue at all, although I don't like having to search around for the charging "holes" on my watch, so I bought a charging dock, which eliminates that issue.All-in-all, I'm giving it 5 stars because of all the information it provides for a relatively inexpensive cost. I think there could be some improvements, but I'm happy with my purchase.

5.12.2020

I am a first time FitBit user, and have had my Rosewood Charge 4 for about a month now. I am overall very happy with my purchase.First, the positives:- it has made a real difference to my motivation to exercise and meditate more regularly. N.B. I use it for cardio circuits and strength training. I have not yet tested the GPS properly on a run.- heart rate analysis in general is great, especially during exercise. The different heart rate zones (fat burn, cardio, peak) are useful indicators. I cannot however comment on how accurate this is, as I have not used it in conjunction with a heart rate monitor.- sleep analysis is great.The sleep score and bedtime reminders have made me a lot more strict about getting to bed on time.- SmartWake alarm feature has made a real difference to how well rested I feel when I wake up. I no longer rely on my phone alarm, and instead wake up gently at my lightest stage of sleep which is great.- Battery life is amazing. Once charge lasts me at least 5-7 days.- No issues with syncing so far (although a different story when it comes to text/WhatsApp notifications - see below).The negatives:- The screen display sometimes doesn't light up when you tilt the watch towards you. It often takes a more exaggerated gesture / button press to light it up.- Text/WhatsApp notifications are EXTREMELY temperamental. Multiple times a week I find that my FitBit has not synced to display my phone notifications, and find a message on the app stating "Notification service not running. A phone restart is required to re-enable notifications on your tracker". What's even more frustrating is that a restart doesn't resolve this issue. Instead, the only solution appears to be going into my phone settings, clearing data for the FitBit app, and then logging into the app again and enabling notifications. I think this is a wider issue with FitBit compatibility with Android phones, and is not Charge 4-specific. I am currently using a Huawei P20 Pro.- The Spotify feature occasionally disconnects and unlikely to be of much use. It's more like having a remote on your wrist - useful if you're playing Spotify from your phone without your phone nearby and want to pause/skip a track. The only real use I've found for this feature is when I'm listening to music in the shower!- The Charge 4's strap is quite bulky on smaller wrists and the rubber is pretty inflexible (see picture). My wrists are very small - around 5ish inches - and this means there is a lot of space left when I tighten the strap as far as it can go (for me, the third hole from the smallest). I bought a woven strap separately to try and remedy this, and it does look better but hasn't completely resolved the issue due to the width of the device and strap connectors. If this likely to bother you, get a different FitBit watch.- The rubber on the Charge 4 strap does wear slightly with use (giving it a grey-ish tint).None of the above are dealbreakers though. If you're a first time fitness tracker user you are likely to still be very happy with your purchase!

30.11.2020

I purposely waited 2 weeks to post this review so I would know that the charge that lasted a week wasn’t a fluke. And it wasn’t. I received this unit exactly 2 weeks ago to the day, charged it to full and have only charged it on Sundays since.In full disclosure, I do not keep my phone’s Bluetooth setting on all the time, nor do I use all the available bells and whistles of the Charge 4, I only track certain parameters:• Steps and reminders to move (when studying and working, ya sometimes forget to get up!)• Stairs• Sleep (it’s kinda close most times)• Zone minutes• Miles• Calories and weight• Heart rate.I also track my fluid intake and only sync with the app once or twice daily. That’s all I need.I do participate in weekly, sometimes daily or weekend challenges and syncing like this serves this purpose as well.I don’t like the distraction of unnecessary notifications and I don’t give apps a lot of access to my personal info so the Fitbit app doesn’t have access to my contacts, texts, etc. and I don’t use GPS, the available training program, etc. Since I'm using an older S7 which doesn't have the battery life of newer Android phones, I don’t want to drain my phone’s battery with unnecessary power usage. Even with all the time I use it, this app doesn't do that.I occasionally give access to my location or utilize the activity timers. Activities are also customizable through the app. Contrary to the alert inside the app, location is not necessary to sync – only Bluetooth communication between the unit and the app. If you’re a marathon runner or you like tracking everything, the Charge 4 is an inexpensive way to enable many connectivity options.I’m very happy that the Fitbit-compatible bands I used with my Charge 3 also fit this model (pictured). As with the Charge 3, the description says this unit comes with 2 bands but it’s really 1 ½ so if you damage the clasp, you can’t use either. Also, the original bands aren't as adjustable as I'd like, whether you use the large or small. Fortunately, there are many options out there that are even better than the basic bands included with the unit.My only other complaint is that the charger is attached to a slow charging cable, so it matters not if I plug this into a fast charging outlet. It takes a long time to charge but, since I’m only charging once weekly, I guess I can live with that.Almost forgot to mention that the clock face options have greatly improved since the last model. This is a very versatile tool at a great price point. In response to the pandemic sitch, there's an option in the app for free access to training tools for which there's usually a fee (for a limited time). The available challenges and community resources can be quite useful, especially now if you’re feeling isolated or just need to learn new fitness methods. Once you set up your unit to your liking, you'll quickly get the hang of it, I think it'll be a great addition to anyone's health and wellness routine, beginners and beyond.

2.6.2020

I've been using the Charge 4 for a couple of weeks and while I generally really like the tracker and enjoy the features and aesthetic, as others have mentioned here in their reviews the battery life is terrible when you're using it with GPS enabled. For those that aren't aware, the GPS is not on by default and you enable it when you click that you're about to start exercising, and if you leave the GPS off then you'll get a full week of battery on a single charge. I went on a 30 minute run and it worked great and seemed to accurately record my GPS location when it had synced with the app afterwards. However when I went for a 3 hour walk a few days later with the GPS enabled,

29.6.2020

Ive recently updated from 2 to 4 - the major change benefit is the GPS tracking which works quite well - dont expect it to work automatically though - you have to wait at least 20 seconds before setting off for the GPS to home in on your location - but having done so its quite accurate and it means you dont have to carry your phone to track your route.Apart from that there really isnt much of a change from previous versions in terms of functionality. Steps work ok and theres a bit more flexibility on the app - the sleep function is useful and for me seems to work better than the 2 ever did - but apart from that no real surprises. Theres no option to have an always on display,

3.7.2020

In one phrase: this is a great fitness tracker / smart watch.Battery: I have it for more than 2 weeks now and the battery life is very good. It all depends on the GPS of course, but if you run 30 minutes a day with GPS on you will have it lasting 3 days. It always takes a little less than 2 hours to charge, it doesn't matter if you use a super charger or your computer USB port.UPDATE: Now you can use "Dynamics GPS", meaning it'll use your phone GPS when available, saving battery and increasing precision.GPS: the accuracy is okay, it syncs quite fast, you can stretch while waiting. But I don't think you gain much from it. Apart from a bit more accurate distance measurement and fancy looking maps (route)

3.5.2020

I've been a Fitbit user for a number of years, originally having the Flex 2 and most recently the Charge 3.I found, as others had on the internet, that my Charge 3 was becoming increasingly frustrating and pretty useless when calculating my running and cycling distances. Growing ever frustrated, I switched to the Charge 4 on hearing Fitbit had introduced an in-built GPS, in the hope of having relatively accurate data.On these grounds, I am not disappointed. The GPS is really very good, particularly for what you pay. Having tested in on a number of different runs and cycles, predominately in woodland, I've found that it's very accurate (particularly in comparison to the Charge 3).I'm not so bothered about the Spotify or pay features (if you're UK-based),

3.7.2020

In one phrase: this is a great fitness tracker / smart watch.Battery: I have it for more than 2 weeks now and the battery life is very good. It all depends on the GPS of course, but if you run 30 minutes a day with GPS on you will have it lasting 4 days. It always takes a little less than 2 hours to charge, it doesn't matter if you use a super charger or your computer USB port.GPS: the accuracy is okay, it syncs quite fast, you can stretch while waiting. But I don't think you gain much from it. Apart from a bit more accurate distance measurement and fancy looking maps (route) in the app, there's no gain. I recommend you turn it off and increase your battery life and you still are gonna get all the metrics that really matter.Heart Rate Monitor: my readings are very accurate!

Fitbit Charge 4 - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail