Fitbit Charge 5 - reviewed after using six months.
Pros, Cons, Features, Comments, Tips
The Fitbit is well built, durable, comfortable, industry leader, with many pros and cons. It is mostly accurate and still reasonably private with personal data - which the app stores with the company. Limited benefit without using the app. See more following in pros, cons, features, comments, and tips. I have used this watch very little for workouts, but worn nearly full time. I think it is a good value and purchase.
PROS: Large collection of features and physical data with surprising abilities. Using capillary measurements, gives very accurate heart rate with some exceptions. Overall, an excellent tool for heart condition monitoring and care. Can encourage and motivate by happily vibrating at key accomplishments like 5000 steps and other increments, minutes of exercise, daily or weekly scores for meditation, sleep scores, or goals in weight, calories, or other self care. Handy and functional timer, alarm, oxygen sensor, and heart monitor. EKG and GPS have some issues, so see Cons. Automatic detection of what exercise you are doing sometimes works (you can also tell it what you are doing). The watch can warn you if your heart is working too hard when you are sedentary or tell you to get off your duff if you have not taken 250 steps in the last hour (you set the vibration strength). The battery charge can last all week for me, but easily charged if removed for shower or other activity. (Can handle the water though and has a water sensitivity adjustment). Fairly good options for changing watch face, metric parameters, and various settings.
The free app shows clever development over time so that it includes charts, interpretation of data, links to videos, and many more features. Optionally, you may pay an annual premium fee to unlock a larger set of features. Most settings are made in the app. The app collects data and syncs when near the watch. Other app features include battery charge, many alerts, observations, and allows entry and tracking of weight, food, mood, water, and more. I find the daily heart rate chart and sleep score charts quite valuable.
CONS: The learning curve is steep and takes time to get used to. Although you can do much from the start, expect to be somewhat frustrated until you are used to features. Step counter can be fooled by certain manual activities (like playing lively rag time on the piano). GPS antennae seems to have issues and does not always work - according to tests. I have not studied this more. ECG / EKG seems accurate, but is very sensitive and often returns the result “inconclusive” instead of normal sinus rhythm or AFib. During many busy activities, the user may not notice the vibration, although timer and alarm are rather persistent (vibrator is adjustable in app). If your heart is beating very rapidly, the watch will congratulate you on your exercise even if you are seated with a heart out of control.
The App does Not Work without internet connection !!! You guessed it, your data is in a Google cloud far away, so if you want to show your doctor or someone some information, you can’t without a connection. A feature that is supposed to make an ECG chart that is readable for your doctor (or you) does not work for many people (there are suggestions and tips online). Blood oxygen reads too low and does not match measurements at a clinic, often low by up to 6% points but appeared to be more accurate after 6 months. Waking up the watch screen by moving wrist or tapping seems to have variable sensitivity and can be frustrating (there’s a setting for hours you must tap the screen if you want to see it). There are many features and calculations that the watch is making that will require study to learn about or understand.
FEATURES: Watch will turn off some features during hours you set, perhaps your sleeping hours. Good collection of faces to choose from. Very colorful. Tracking for weight, menstrual cycle, mood, and other information you may optionally enter, such as water and food intake. Determines levels of activity to fat burn and cardio workouts. Parameter defaults are for age, heart at rest rates, and sex, but can be set by user.
COMMENTS: Yes, Google bought them out, but had to fight with the European Union for approval - and had to make a privacy concession to get it. They promised to not make user data available outside the company for ten years, at which time that will be reviewed. It could be assumed that non-European customers will be treated similarly for convenience sake. See BBC clipping below.
Other brands have released blood pressure models that are somewhat accurate or need calibration. As of January 2023, Fitbit is still working on blood pressure methods for their devices.
Clever combinations of data make interesting and fairly accurate conclusions about sleep, health, mood, and exercise.
TIPS: Not all replacement charger cords make good contact. I suggest purchasing a charger dock (like the CAVN brand). It is really handy, affordable, and easy to use. Wearing the watch as loosely as comfortable seems to give the best results, but tightening up for workouts is recommended. To use the EKG option, it is best to sit in a chair with an arm-rest, relax, and do not move your left arm or hand where the watch is worn. The screen/face is very scratch resistant, but a protector is helpful in some activities. Some protectors that attach by loops over the straps have weak reviews, but good “stick-on” covers are available at low cost.
Google purchased Fitbit in November 2019 for $2.1 Billion. Fears of damage to competition caused the European Commission to elicit promises from Google. According to the BBC:
Google has now promised:
• not to use health, fitness and location data from Fitbit devices for advertising, for users in the European Economic Area
• to store Fitbit data in a "silo", kept separate from any other data used for advertising
• to maintain third-party access to the Fitbit platform
• not to degrade the user experience of third-party smartwatches when paired with an Android phone
The commitments must be kept for 10 years. Amazon does not permit me to site the URL, sorry.
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From the manufacturer
Fitbit Collection
 Charge 5 |  Sense |  Versa 3 |  Versa 2 |  Luxe |  Charge 4 |  Inspire 2 | |
|
Battery life (in days)
| Up to 7 | 6+ | 6+ | 6+ | Up to 5 | 7 | Up to 10 |
|
Water resistance
| 50m | 50m | 50m | 50m | 50m | 50m | 50m |
|
Tracks activity & sleep
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
|
24/7 heart rate & AZM
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
|
Text, call & app notifications
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
|
Play music
| ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
|
Hundreds of apps & clock faces
| ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
|
Alexa & Google Assistant
| No | Yes | Yes | Alexa Built-in | No | No | No |
|
Built-in GPS
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
|
Heart rhythm assessment w/ ECG
| ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
|
Stress management & EDA sensor
| ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
|
Daily Readiness Score
| ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Compare with similar items
 | Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness and Activity Tracker with Built-in GPS, Heart Rate, Sleep & Swim Tracking, Rosewood/Rosewood, One Size (S &L Bands Included) | Fitbit Luxe Fitness and Wellness Tracker with Stress Management, Sleep Tracking and 24/7 Heart Rate, Black/Graphite, One Size (S & L Bands Included) | Fitbit Inspire 2 Health & Fitness Tracker with a Free 1-Year Fitbit Premium Trial, 24/7 Heart Rate, Black/Black, One Size (S & L Bands Included) | Garmin vívoactive 3 GPS Smartwatch - Black & Gunmetal (Renewed) | Fitbit FB417BKNV Charge 4 Fitness Wristband - Storm Blue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Rating | (12162) | (22159) | (7469) | (49011) | (777) | (3449) |
| Price | $107.43 | $147.90 | $128.95 | $58.95 | $129.95 | $148.90 |
| Shipping | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details |
| Sold By | Amazon.com | B&A Marketing | Amazon.com | Class Value | GPS Nation | PAL Distributors |
| Battery Life | 7.0 days | 7.0 days | 5 days | 10 days | — | — |
| Brand Name | Fitbit | Fitbit | Fitbit | Fitbit | Garmin | Fitbit |
| Color | Steel Blue/Platinum | Rosewood/Rosewood | Black/Graphite | Black | black | Storm Blue / Black |
| Compatible Devices | Smartphone | Smartphones | Smartphones | Smartphone | Smartphone | Smartphone |
| Screen Size | 1.04 inches | 4 inches | 0.96 inches | 0.72 inches | 1.2 inches | 50 |
| Item Dimensions | 1.45 x 0.9 x 0.44 inches | 9.72 x 1.13 x 0.49 inches | 1.43 x 0.69 x 0.4 inches | 1.47 x 0.66 x 0.51 inches | 1.69 x 0.51 x 1.69 inches | 9.72 x 1.13 x 0.49 inches |
| Item Weight | 1.02 ounces | 1.06 ounces | 0.92 ounces | 1.10 ounces | 1.44 ounces | 0.02 ounces |
| Sensor Type | Temperature | Temperature | Wearable | Temperature | Wearable | — |
Videos
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4:55
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4 THINGS You Need To Know Before Buying Fitbit Charge 5
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Fibit Charge 5 - Is It Worth It?
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Fitbit Inspire 2 vs Charge 5 vs Luxe
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What Its Like Wearing This For 1 Year
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I Love The Fitbit Charge 5 - But Not Everybody Will!
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 13, 2023
Color: Steel Blue/PlatinumVerified Purchase
The Fitbit stays charged for days and charges very quickly. It’s a useful tool. It doesn’t seem to measure my sleep accurately and I’m not sure if that’s because I have an app playing in the background on my phone to help me get to sleep or not. I basically bought it to measure my steps which I feel it does more accurately than my phone. It also motivates me to walk at least 250 steps an hour by showing me how many steps I’ve left to my goal at ten minutes to the hours which most days I appreciate. The band it came with was awful as it gave me a rash and I was relieved that I could easily change the strap, so I bought a leather strap which is a great color and very stylish. I have bought a couple of straps so I can change them depending on my outfits or mood and plan to buy many more straps as there are so many choices on Amazon. It is a really nice size and I’ve synced it to my phone to receive my text messages too, so I don’t always have to look at my phone to see who has sent me a text, instead I can quickly glance at my Fitbit to see if it’s a text I really need to read at that moment or if it can wait until I have the time.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 3, 2023
Color: Steel Blue/PlatinumVerified Purchase
More features than my old Charge 2. Still a little wide for a small wrist. I was a little concerned about the new style band holding, but it has been holding securely and I am hard on straps. I did buy additional bands for style and swapping them out has been simple.
Too soon to say anything about accuracy.
Too soon to say anything about accuracy.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Jennifer A Utley
Skin irritation and burning.
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on March 5, 2023Color: Steel Blue/PlatinumVerified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Keeps falling off my wrist. The band release is faulty
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on March 16, 2022Color: Steel Blue/PlatinumVerified Purchase
McBookworm
Smarter, stylischer Chronograph fürs Handgelenk
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on June 6, 2023Color: Steel Blue/PlatinumVerified Purchase
Nicola
Prodotto che potrebbe essere veramente il top ma...
Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on July 17, 2022Color: Steel Blue/PlatinumVerified Purchase
Graciekp
Great tracker.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 15, 2023Color: Steel Blue/PlatinumVerified Purchase
