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Fitbit Charge 5 Tracker Design and Features Leaked in New Video

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Google-owned Fitbit appears to be readying an update to its Charge fitness tracker lineup, based on a leaked video and renders of the wearable shared online.


With a price tag said to be $179, the Fitbit Charge 5 will be $50 more expensive than the current Charge 4, but there are some obvious hardware changes on the way that have more in common with the Fitbit luxe, not least being a full-color rounded display that traces the curve of the ergonomic wrist strap.

The images suggest the device will have capacitive touch areas on the sides, and according to the leaked video, the Charge 5 will additionally have built-in GPS and ECG sensors, as well as an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor that claims to track your stress levels.

The EDA sensor plays into the company's Daily Readiness Score, which is a subscriber-only Fitbit Premium feature ($10 per month or $80 per year). The score is based on your exercise history, sleep, and heart rate, and is used to recommend what exercise routine you should undertake each day.


Every device purchased comes with a six-month trial of Fitbit Premium, which is clearly competing with Apple Watch and its Apple Fitness+ integration, with guided workouts and programs on offer on top of sleep tools and other health insights.

The Fitbit Charge will be available in at least three colors, and there's no word on the specific release date for the fitness tracker-cum-smartwatch, but Google is likely to place it strategically around the launch of the Apple Watch Series 7 that's expected to be announced in the next month or so.

Article Link: Fitbit Charge 5 Tracker Design and Features Leaked in New Video
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/08/24/fitbit-charge-5-tracker-leaked-video/
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I bought a FitBit once. Wouldn’t even turn on. Sent back, refund accepted. Bought an Apple Watch.

Having said that, I use a Polar H10 for heart monitoring and don’t rely on the AW5 as it keeps failing to keep connected to my pulse, no matter how I adjust the strap.
 
I've been using the Charge 4 all of this year, and I really like the way it handles gps with the phone for exercise, plus tracks sleep patterns, which is often very interesting. Hopefully the shift to colour on the new device doesn't reduce the battery life too much. I mean it is not like the screen is that often on. But yeah, 5+ day battery is its killer feature. Oh, wireless charging or some way of connecting USB c would be really nice!
 
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Psychicbob said:
I bought a FitBit once. Wouldn’t even turn on. Sent back, refund accepted. Bought an Apple Watch.

Having said that, I use a Polar H10 for heart monitoring and don’t rely on the AW5 as it keeps failing to keep connected to my pulse, no matter how I adjust the strap.
Click to expand...

tldr; returned faulty FitBit but let Apple keep money for faulty Watch
 
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So glad my wife and I both bit the bullet and got Apple Watches.

The straps on FitBits were very poor quality, and then of course they changed the design so you couldn't get replacement straps.

We didn't think we would benefit from all the functionality on the Apple Watch, but have got more out of them then we thought - plus of course, they work with all our other Apple devices and we're not being used as advertising fodder by Google :)
 
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I could see having a subscription for workouts, but to have full access to the software/data? Nah. I thought the data siloing would disappear after being acquired by Google, but I guess not yet.
 
Wonder if this one is now a Google designed device.

I hate how bad the Charge 4 turned out to be. GPS is useless (unprecise, power hog, crashes during use which ends losing what you already tracked) and especially the fact the HR sensor seems to be only working when you are not moving. As soon you move (run, workout) it's simulating a heart rate based on perceived steps (shaking)... when i'm running it often drops to 80-100 bpm. When i strap it around an orange and run the same (orange carried) the orange will have a 150+ bpm.

So unless this is 100% re-designed by different people i'm not buying and finally getting an apple watch after using Fitbits for 7 years.
 
I've been using the Charge 4 since mid-2020. I hadn't used a Fitbit in about a year at that point. With COVID I wanted to start tracking to help keep my activity level up. It's a good band, no complaints. Still, if there were a similar option that didn't involve Google and had a 5 day battery like the Charge, Inwould consider it.

Strongly considered the Apple Watch, but not a fan of the battery life. Also, I sleep with my Fitbit. Not sure how comfortable that would be with the Apple Watch.
 
H3LL5P4WN said:
More expensive, probably falls apart like the rest of their shoddy hardware, an unsecured bluetooth connection, and now a subscription fee?

Is this some sort of joke?
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Yeah I had 2 Fitbit fall apart on me, build quality sucks, I do wonder if Google will remedy many of its shortcomings
 
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A decent looking device, all many need in reality. I know a lot of people that don't want a permanent device on their wrist. This is ideal to use for exercising and nothing else.
 
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Hundreds of workouts? Did they buy some production company to get those workouts? Will they be linked youtube videos? Definitely need to know what exactly besides a "score" one will get for $8 per month. If they are trying to compete with Peloton and AF+, the workouts are core products by themselves as well.
 
kc2kth said:
I've been using the Charge 4 since mid-2020. I hadn't used a Fitbit in about a year at that point. With COVID I wanted to start tracking to help keep my activity level up. It's a good band, no complaints. Still, if there were a similar option that didn't involve Google and had a 5 day battery like the Charge, Inwould consider it.

Strongly considered the Apple Watch, but not a fan of the battery life. Also, I sleep with my Fitbit. Not sure how comfortable that would be with the Apple Watch.
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I occasionally fall asleep with my Apple Watch and I can't say it's ever bothered me (or that I even noticed it). The thing with sleeping with the Apple Watch is that it doesn't get charged, so you spend the next day trying to charge it in short bursts
 
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Looks like an Apple Watch underwent mitosis.

fit5mitosis.gif
 
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As a pure fitness device, this looks fine, and the price is fine, assuming it works better than prior FitBits. You couldn't then dress it up for work or going out, but not everyone needs to.
 
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Fitbits have really good sleep tracking though. Apple Watch is embarrassingly bad.

i have to schedule when I go to sleep? I have to tell it when I’m up? And the sleep tracking itself or borderline useless. “You slept, probably.”
Fitbit shows way more detail and even has a score. It knows when you go to sleep and when you wake up.

i like my Apple Watch, but tempted to get a Fitbit just for Sleep tracking.
 
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