If you love Fitbit, then the new Fitbit Charge 4 is sure to impress with the addition of GPS. This means that you will be able to track where you go, wherever you go. Check out our full review of this addition to the Fitbit family. You may also want to review the Fitbit Charge 5 or compare the two.
When Was The Fitbit Charge 4 Released?
The Fitbit Charge 4 was initially introduced on the 15th April 2020 and cost £129.99 on release. The price was a huge shock to most people. The expectation was that it would come with a much larger price tag due to the additional GPS and Fitbit Pay.
Interestingly, the low price also fares well when you compare it to the Fitbit Versa 3 that has an integrated Alexa but does not offer GPS.
What is the Fitbit Charge 4 Design Like?
When it comes to looks, you would be hard-pressed to tell any difference between this model and the Fitbit Charge 3. However, first impressions can be deceptive! You can choose from two different styles: black or storm blue. There is also a special edition that comes with two different straps for you to choose from.
One area we did feel slightly let down by was the lack of colour screen. Fitbit decided that the Charge 4 was not the edition for this step forward. However, the lack of colour does not affect the functionality. After wearing it for a few hours, you will forget it was ever a problem!
The charger has not changed in design. You just need to clip the watch onto the charging port for it to work. A full charge will set you up for a minimum of a week’s worth of use, even when you use your GPS to track your daily activity.
What Is Included In the Fitbit Charge 4 Spec?
When you get hold of this new fitness tracker, you will be pleased to see that is has retained its lightness and slim style. Meaning that it will sit comfortably on your wrist without you even noticing it is there for most of the time.
Every step you take will be tracked. Furthermore, you can get updates on your daily progress by using the screen counter. In addition to your steps, your heart rate will also be measured per second during your workouts. And when you are not exercising, it will update every five seconds. This way you know precisely what your current heart rate stands at.
The GPS has to be the most stand out feature of this new device as it fulfils the need to track your exercise in a way that Fitbit has not offered in the Charge series before. There is also a range of other great features that come as standard in this watch; they include:
- Fitbit Pay for all your contactless transactions.
- Spotify to play music when you are exercising.
- Water-resistant up to 50m so that you can wear it when you swim.
- Touchscreen that lets you move through menu options with ease.
How Good Is the Activity Tracking In the Fitbit Charge 4?
The Fitbit Charge 4 was designed as a fitness tracker, and so you would expect it to have a good range of tracking features! Currently, you can track six specific activities, plus all your steps. To make life easier for you, you can programme shortcuts to the activities you use the most, and you can keep an eye on your steps on the screen too.
The great thing is that you can head into the app when your workout is over and see how well you exercised, how many calories you burned and other interesting data. If you selected the activity so that the GPS kicked in, then you will also be able to see the route you took as well as your speed and total distance.
Pros and Cons of the Fitbit Charge 4
If you are seriously considering getting hold of one of these fitness trackers you may want to take some time to check out our pros and cons to get a fair overview of what it offers and what it lacks!
Cons
- No colour screen, which seems a bit behind the times!
- Only offers basic data analysis for the activities it tracks.
- Only tracks six activities.
- You have to pay a monthly subscription for the premium app.
Pros
- The addition of GPS is very welcome!
- It is lightweight and comfy on your wrist so that you hardly notice that you are wearing it.
- You can use it to play music as you exercise to help keep you motivated.
- The price is great when you consider it has not increased from the previous model.
- The battery life is great when you consider it lasts for a week, even when it uses GPS for activity tracking.
- The compatible app is impressive and offers a wide range of data so that you can track and monitor your progress.
Is It Worth Buying a Fitbit Charge 4?
If you are looking for a fitness watch that offers GPS and allows you to track every move, then this is a great choice, and we would happily suggest that you get hold of one! In addition to the easy to use interface, you will gain access to a top-class app that can help you to analyse your workouts, track your sleep and help you to change your habits. Plus, if you upgrade to the premium app, you can make the most of workouts and guides to move your fitness up a notch or two!
Ultimately, this is a really great watch by Fitbit, and we have no problem with suggesting that it may be the perfect option for you if you want to track your fitness accurately and stylishly.
If you’re now looking for the latest offerings from Fitbit then check these out:
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Last Updated on September 28, 2021
Emma brings over a decade of freelance copy and content writing experience and is our Editor, Social Media Manager, and regular contributor. Specializing in long-form content such as blogs, articles, lead magnets, and white papers, Emma also provides businesses with email marketing, website copy, and landing pages.
Beth says
What information does the Fitbit Charge 2 provide for the swimming component?
Emma Morris says
Hi Beth
The Charge 2 isn’t waterproof it is only water resistant, which means they are rain-proof and splash-proof and can stand up to even the sweatiest workout. However if you would like to track your swimming, and you are using an Android device, please follow these instructions to manually log that activity:
On the Fitbit app dashboard tap the Exercise tile to open your exercise history. This is the tile that says “Track exercise” if you haven’t worked out today.
Tap the stopwatch icon in the top right corner.
Tap Log Previous.
Adjust the activity details and tap Log It.