The Fitbit Charge 5 activity tracker retains the most popular features of the Charge 4 tracker, such as integrated GPS, Spotify support and Active Zone Minutes to keep you motivated. With more advanced health tracking features than before, including a wrist-based ECG app to monitor your heart health, Charge 5 makes it easier to take charge of your health and fitness.
As with a close competitor, the Whoop band, you can closely track your heart rate with 24/7 monitoring on the Charge 4 and 5 trackers. However, Charge 5 takes it a step further with a wrist-based EDA (Electrodermal Activity) sensor that monitors stress levels. An ECG sensor alerts when it detects a heart rate that is too high or low.
Other health features include oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring and the ability to track skin temperature changes. Charge 5 also tracks your sleep cycles and produces a daily sleep score to help you better understand your sleep stages and habits.
Although the fifth-generation Charge hasn’t been fully designed or re-imagined, it offers several improvements for your active lifestyle. One of the biggest changes is a vivid AMOLED color touchscreen display. It’s twice as bright as the previous Charge and has an always-on display for your convenience.
As with the previous version, Charge 5 is loaded with fitness features to keep you healthy and active. You can even go for a run without bringing your phone, as Charge 5 has built-in GPS. It also features 20 exercise modes and all-day activity tracking to help you meet your fitness goals. Want to exercise with a fitness mirror? You’ll get credit for that, too.
Charge 5 is water-resistant up to 50 meters and can withstand pool workouts, runs in the rain and other activities where it might get wet.
Charge 5 has many standard features, but you can take advantage of the included six-month subscription to Fitbit Premium to determine whether it’s worth paying extra for premium features. For example, Fitbit Premium members have exclusive access to a Daily Readiness Score. Each score is personalized with recovery and intensity suggestions based on your body. A Premium membership also allows you to access over 150 guided video workouts and set workout plans based on your goals.
The battery life is the same as the Charge 4. Although it lasts up to 7 days with regular use, that number drops to just 5 hours with continuous GPS.