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Fitbit Charge 4 is Fitbit’s latest fitness tracker, now part of Google. Introduced in late March 2020, I took a closer look at the portable device for you. It actually marks all the important must-haves: heart rate monitors, GPS, music controls, and even NFC. But for me, the fitness bracelet had its difficulties in everyday life.
In Germany, the Fitbit Charge 4 costs 149.95 euros. Of course, you’re targeting a different target group than Xiaomi with its Mi Band 4, which is available for 25-30 euros. However, for me personally, it is incomprehensible why Xiaomi manages to install a color OLED screen at that price, while Fitbit uses an unattractive monochrome screen at six times the price. However, in my trial period, that wasn’t the only thing that unfortunately bothered me about this tracker.
Fitbit Charge 4 technical data
- Monochromatic OLED touchscreen, 1 inch diagonal, 160 x 100 pixels
- GPS
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Accelerometer with 3 axes.
- Altimeter
- Optical heart rate monitor (continuous measurement)
- Water resistant to a depth of 50 meters.
- Contactless payments (NFC) through Fitbit Pay
- Operating time: up to seven days or 5 hours with continuously active GPS
- Charging time: about two hours.
- Features: Notifications, Sleep & Workout Tracking, Music Control, Spotify Connect, SpO2 Measurement, Cycle Tracking
- Compatible with Apple iPhone 5S and later, iPad 5 and later, Android 7.0 and later, as well as macOS 12.2 and later
- Dimensions: 35.8 x 22.7 x 12.5 mm
- Scope of supply: Charge 4, silicone wristband, charging base, quick guide
- Price: 149.95 euros
Positive: Fitbit Charge 4 can store detailed data on pulse and other activities for up to a week. It even keeps daily summaries for 30 days. The pulse is recorded every second during workouts, otherwise every 5 seconds. This continuous measurement is, of course, more accurate than with cheaper trackers, which measure only once per minute.
Equipment and processing
The Fitbit Charge 4 is supplied with a silicone strap, which of course can be changed later. A longer second half is also included in the scope of delivery, because the side with the insert holes is actually quite short and looks good on me. In addition to some documents, the scope of delivery only includes the small charging station with magnetic contacts. It fits them on the back of the Fitbit Charge 4.
Above you can see the back and the corresponding contacts. The manufacture of the Fitbit Charge 4 is good, but I am bothered by a design decision, which I will address a little later: on the left side of the portable device there is a capacitive button for operation, which you must press regularly. The button is unreliable and since the screen always reacts with some delay, one tends to press the button very firmly to make sure the input is processed as well. One can only speculate how long the button will last.
I like the Fitbit Charge 4 optically, otherwise very well and it sits very comfortably with me. So the watches on my wrist bother me quickly, I can’t really deal with anything in the long run because it bothers me when I write. Since the Fitbit Charge 4 was positive, because it hugs the wrist easily.
The Fitbit app
Benny had tested the Fitbit Inspire HR fitness armband in March 2019. Benny didn’t write much about the app, so I feel compelled to post some criticism – the app is now visually outdated and the confusion makes it easy to overshadow the apps. they are not worthy of reference like Mi Fit. Per se it is great to offer so many features. But in the Fitbit app you have to search for so many entries and submenus that you quickly lose your appetite.
After all: the app synced your data with me quickly and absolutely reliably. You also have the option to disable permanent sync and just go to work manually. Even if, in my opinion, the ease of use is low, one cannot complain about the variety of functions of the application with the best will in the world.
The so-called hotspot minutes are new. The app saves when you need sports and allocates points – you must reach 150 minutes per week. If you get a higher pulse, the minutes are counted twice. It’s a statistical trick somewhere, of course, but it’s kind of nice. The app measures pulse zones that are assigned to you individually based on your age, weight and resting heart rate.
In the application you can track your previous activities up to the last minute. The new SpO2 measurement, on the other hand, improves sleep tracking and can provide information if you have breathing problems. Unfortunately, I currently get up frequently at night with a thick nose, because I am allergic. The Fitbit Charge 4 was also able to correctly perceive these interruptions while sleeping. Where We Are Sleeping: In the future, the fitness tracker can use Smart Wake, an update should follow, to select a good time to wake you up depending on the preset time. Then try to avoid the deep sleep phases.
Out to sport
Unfortunately, during my Fitbit Charge 4 test, I had significant problems with GPS detection. I live in Kiel and although my Xiaomi Mi Note 10 quickly received a signal, the Fitbit Charge 4 could only present me with a large question mark. I couldn’t determine why, but multiple restarts of workouts with a new signal search did not improve. Sometimes I was lucky and the GPS was recognized, but in 6 out of 10 cases, the portable device did not want to detect a signal permanently, even if it waited a few minutes. Fitbit has at least promised an update, which should allow the smartphone to use the phone’s GPS signal when it’s actively connected; Unfortunately, this is currently not possible.
At some point, my training partners were so far away that they wanted to run alone, so I had to do a lot of workouts without GPS. Since Fitbit should urgently improve, I shouldn’t have gotten a device here Monday, because I did some research and other testers probably didn’t have the problem. But I can only describe what I have experienced with the Fitbit Charge 4 and therefore I consider this to be a factor that I definitely want to mention. This is probably something that could be removed with an update.
As a joke, I also carried a Mi Band 4 with me when I jogged alongside the Fitbit Charge 4 to compare how the recorded running distance deviated. The Fitbit Charge 4 registered almost exactly the same value as a docked Mi Band 4, for which the smartphone’s GPS had to be used, at a distance of about 8 km. If the GPS worked, then the values always fit here. This also applies to the pedometer, which did not determine any phantom steps when writing.
By the way, if you switch from one pulse zone to the next in sports, the bracelet vibrates. This will annoy users who play a lot of different sports – only shortcuts to 6 workouts are saved in Fitbit Charge 4. So if you want to add some variety, you need to adjust the shortcuts in the Fitbit app first. It’s great that Charge 4 can automatically recognize when it’s running, it worked perfectly during testing. So if you forget to turn on tracking, no problem.
There’s even an automatic pause mode available. If you have to wait at a stoplight or meet a friend while jogging and chatting briefly, this is recognized and training automatically stops or continues after the break.
Annotations
The operation may seem familiar to Fitbit Charge 3 users, but it was a constant annoyance to me during the trial period: you can select menu items directly through the tracker touchscreen and swipe forward through the menus , but cannot go back. So if I switch to the workout selection by swiping and tapping, I can only go back out by pressing the left button. Cleaning, that doesn’t work. Why This decision is still absolutely useless to me and avoids intuitive operation. I do not understand what Fitbit set up there and the operational concept seems like shit to me, I have to say it very clearly.
It looks best in terms of the mentioned battery life. Adding a week with a load is really not an art. If GPS is used then there are 4-5 hours on it. What I think is a real shame: you can use Fitbit Charge 4 to track workouts or control music playback; unfortunately you can’t do both in parallel. For users like me, who often listen to music while exercising, this is a drop of bitterness.
The Fitbit Charge 4 also displays notifications and the weather. Like most wearables, the screen automatically turns on when you raise your arm. If you want to save electricity, you can turn it off or, alternatively, activate the screen permanently.
My conclusion
Of course, out of curiosity, I compared what my colleagues say about Fitbit Charge 4, and found enthusiasm almost without exception. Unfortunately, I can’t share the latter due to my issues with GPS detection, malfunction via physical button, and overloaded app. In terms of features, the Fitbit Charge 4 is a 1st portable device and highly recommended. But usability needs to be improved very urgently. And a color touchscreen priced at around 150 euros would also be great if competing products offer less than a third of the price.
What remains is a fitness bracelet that stays in memory due to a stubborn GPS, but an accurate and continuous pulse measurement and additional features like SpO2 measurement. With a new operating concept and a tidier app, I’d be much more excited. At the moment I have to say: hui functions, consolation ugh.
