Fitbit Charge HR: The Pros and Cons of an All-Day Activity Tracker with a Built-In Heart Rate Sensor

I've been scratching my head for a while trying to figure out how to review the Fitbit Charge HR. In fact, fitness trackers of this kind, from the Garmin Vivosmart to the Jawbone Up, to the ostensibly more sophisticated likes of the Microsoft Band are a very troublesome area.

Fitbit Charge HR Review

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Our original review of the Fitbit Charge HR continues below but be sure to check the Charge 2 review to see what new additions have been included and how the app has since evolved.Related: Fitbit Surge Review

The Charge Hr had a great performance in this round of tests, earning a well-deserved 8 out of 10. This model has a claimed battery life of up to 5 days, and uses a designated Fitbit charger. Unfortunately, we found that this model was prone to disconnecting if it experienced the slightest bump or any amount of jostling.

This tracker takes about 1-2 hours to fully recharge when the battery is dead. The Fitbit app is great, with an intuitive layout that is very user-friendly. The Charge Hr syncs within 2-10 seconds, allowing you to see logs of your activity levels on your mobile device. The watch band felt nice on this mode, very easy to put on. This device isn't waterproof, only water resistant and is marketed as sweat, rain, and splash proof.

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James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.

Both the Garmin and the Fitbit are rated for up to 5 days of battery life. In our tests, we found the Fitbit lasted 4 days, while the Garmin lasted 2 to 3 days. While battery life will depend on how actively you're using the watch, we're not surprised that the Garmin didn't last as long on a charge, owing to its larger display.

Automatic heart-rate monitoring is the Charge HR's most prominent feature and one that we will significantly miss after sending it back. Considering it can do this and still deliver near-week-long battery life is mighty impressive, even if having to recharge is a bit frustrating - but that's a small price to pay for real-time information and accessible data with or without the app running.

Above the heart-rate monitor is another rectangle with a small square and two pins that the accompanying charger plugs into. No separate cradle needs to be attached like with the Samsung Gear Fit, and there is no risk of losing the tracker itself during charging like the Fitbit Flex.

Battery life gave us between five and seven days on a full charge, which considering the active heart-rate monitoring is certainly better than some. However, when compared to the likes of the Withings Activité and Misfit Flash which last in terms of months, it's a different kettle of fish - neither of those offer a built-in heart-rate monitor.

*Sale applies to select Fitbit products on Fitbit.com while supplies last. Products on sale and bundle offers are subject to change throughout the promotion period. Offer ends 14 February, 2023 at 11:59 pm GMT. Purchase is limited to ten (10) Fitbit products. Exclusions apply. Cannot be combined with other discounts or applied after the order has been placed. Terms of offer are subject to change. Void where prohibited.This offer is limited to purchases of: i) a Fitbit Sense 2 and (ii) a 24mm attach sport band; or (i) a Fitbit Versa 4 and (ii) a 24mm attach sport band; or (i) a Fitbit Charge 5 and (ii) a Charge 5 sport band. Offer is limited to one (1) bundle per order. Ends 14 February, 2023 at 11:59 pm GMT. Cannot be combined with other discounts or applied after the order has been placed. Terms of offer are subject to change. Void where prohibited.The Fitbit ECG app is only available in select countries. Not intended for use by people under 22 years old. See fitbit.com/ecg for additional details.

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The device comes with a small charging cable that plugs into the back of the strap and hooks up to a standard USB socket. A full charge will only take a couple of hours and a press of the button will let you know the progress.

If you caught the review of the Fitbit Charge I did a few months ago, you saw how I enjoyed the product and what I thought about it for the features that it offered. I was waiting for Fitbit to release the Charge HR because I knew it was the next step up in helping keep track of activity.

By now I am used to having an activity tracker, but for those who are not familiar with Fitbit, I suggest you check my previous review as well. Just a quick rundown, the Charge HR has a display. The display shows the time, date, steps taken, your heart rate, distance walked (miles), and stairs climbed.

GAW designed the study, recruited the participants, processed the data, performed the data analysis, interpreted the findings, and drafted the manuscript. LJSJ participated in recruitment and data collection. TCS interpreted the findings and reviewed the data analyses. MRF conceived the project, participated in the data analysis and interpretation of findings, edited the manuscript, and supervised the project. All authors reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

I agree with a lot of what was stated, but what I would like to add is: please, put back what I had with the Charge 2. With the Charge 2, I could quickly review what I have accomplished for the day, in the order of my priorities and remove anything I don't want to see when scrolling through the list, like my sleep stats. Who cares once it was reviewed first thing in the morning? The big pictures are annoying, you could list 3 or 4 items if you put a signature icon to the left and the info on the right. This would eliminate an enormous amount of scrolling. Try to look at this device as a quick view of your goals not an email from your grandmother that requires studying for 3 days to determine if she needs a visit or to go to a long term care facility. Also, the updates could be a little quicker when you connect, it does require a lot of patience.

- And l seem to be tracking 10 flights of stairs today at 2pm. I've gone up 1. My charge 2 wasn't this inaccurate. And should we really be having problems like this considering this is like the 8th fitbit model sold?

Don't waste your money, I've never reviewed a product before but this is the worst tracker ever. You can't tell what time it is, doesn't stay on long enough to read which by the way with the sun out you can't read it. No GPS But yea it counts steps you are not walking and is water proof.

With it you can track workouts, heart rate, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes and steps to name a few. It can also monitor your sleep automatically and wake you up with a silent alarm. With the OLED display you can see call notifications, daily stats and the time. Over 4,000 Amazons shoppers gave it 4.1/5 stars and great reviews.

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