Fitbit Charge 6 review – a lot of mediocrity
16-11-2023
Translation: Eva Francis
It’s mainly an activity tracker, but also kind of a smartwatch. I tested the Fitbit Charge 6 and was impressed with many aspects, but saw quite a few catches, too.
Ever since Google bought Fitbit, the parent company’s smartwatches and the subsidiary’s fitness trackers have become more and more similar. The watch faces and menu graphics of the Pixel Watch and Fitbit Charge, for example, look very alike. And they’re synchronised with the same app. But how much smartwatch is there really in the new fitness tracker? Here’s my Fitbit Charge 6 review.
Good fitness tracking – but fee-based additional subscription
The core function of the Fitbit Charge 6 is still tracking fitness, sports, health and sleep data. Since you can’t display many characters and graphics on its small 1.04-inch display, you’ll mainly be using the Fitbit app, which is available for Android and iPhone, to view your data.
The Charge 6 tracker features a heart rate monitor, records an ECG and tracks steps and activity. If you wear it at night, it also records your sleeping behaviour. While the latter happens automatically, you have to press a button to start tracking sports activities.
Source: Lorenz Keller
There are 40 activities to choose from. Tracking runs appears to be precise, and thanks to the integrated GPS tracker, distance measurement is also accurate. You’ll see the detailed analysis in the app. The tracker itself only shows basic information such as the number of steps, distance, activities, heart rate, blood oxygen and so on.
After tracking your sleep, for example, you only see the number of hours and Fitbit’s sleep index rating in the form of a score on the small screen. In the app, you can see the sleep phases in a diagram and compare them with your 30-day average or even the average of other users in your age group.
What I also notice immediately is that the menu items «Sleeping Heart Rate» and «Restlessness» have a lock on them. This means they can only be used if you have a Fitbit Premium subscription. You get a 6-month Premium subscription for free when you buy a new device. After that, it costs 8.90 francs/euros per month or 70 francs/euros per year. The Premium subscription includes additional functions such as a daily form index, sleep profiles, stress index, workouts, meditation and mindfulness exercises and more.
Source: Lorenz Keller
The free basic functions are sufficient. Why is there a paid subscription to begin with? Many users are annoyed by this – including me. And Google is far too aggressive in advertising its subscription. I’m reminded of it every time I use the app. This is unnecessary and feels like a slap in the face.
One week battery life – but only in theory
Fitbit advertises a battery life of up to one week. In everyday life, however, you’ll need to charge it more often. With regular all-day tracking and the always-on display switched on, the runtime in my test was three, rarely four days. If you switch off the screen and don’t forget to manually switch the watch to sleep mode every evening, it’ll last just about five days.
If you regularly record workouts and use the many functions a lot, you’ll run out of battery after two days. One of the reasons you buy a tracker is because it doesn’t need to be charged as often as many smartwatches. The device I tested doesn’t have this advantage.
I didn’t like the short charging cable either. It’s only 50 centimetres long. As the connection with two pins is specific to the Fitbit Charge, you can’t just use any longer cable. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be a longer version, so you’ll need a USB extension cable.
Google services – but everything far too complicated
The big advantage of the merger between Google and Fitbit is that the fitness trackers are equipped with more and more smartwatch functions. You can use the Charge 6 to pay with Google Pay, listen to YouTube music and receive navigation instructions from Google Maps.
The difference to the smartwatch is that you can’t download any additional apps to the tracker. You only get what’s installed. Spotify, for example, isn’t available on it. But you have to take your mobile phone with you when you go for a run anyway, so you might as well use Spotify on your phone. What’s more, the tracker can neither store music nor connect directly to headphones.
What’s really strange is that every song you play on Spotify generates a new message, from which you can pause the music or skip to the next track. This triggers another notification.
The storage space is so limited that you only have one clock face available at a time. You can only change it in the app. And it takes 30 seconds to load every time – which feels like an eternity.
Source: Lorenz Keller
Unfortunately, many of the smartphone functions are far too complicated. To call up your credit card in Google Wallet, for example, you have to start the application on the watch and manually enter a four-digit code using a dial before you can pay; there’s no space for a keyboard on the small screen. At least the Wallet stays unlocked while you’re wearing the watch.
Notifications are also tricky. If you get several at the same time, it gets messy. In addition, the vibration motor in the Charge 6 produces an unpleasant shaking that reminds me of the early days of this technology. Oh, and you won’t see on the screen when new messages have arrived. Instead, you’ll have to swipe to go and look for them. At least you can use pre-written response with some messengers.
Source: Lorenz Keller
Wristbands interchangeable – but unstable
Although the Fitbit Charge 6 is quite thick at 1.17 centimetres, it’s nice and compact overall. It’s only 3.87 centimetres long and 1.86 centimetres wide. The good thing about this? The tracker weighs less than 40 grammes. The disadvantage? The touchscreen is very small and therefore not ideal for reading.
Whether you like the elongated look is a question of taste. What’s definitely not nice is that the actual screen has thick black edges all around it. I do like, however, that the Charge 6 is waterproof to a depth of 50 metres. This means you can keep it on when showering or swimming.
Source: Lorenz Keller
While cheap trackers often come with a permanent silicone wristband, Fitbit offers interchangeable wristbands that can be fitted with a simple click system. I’m not a fan of silicone, so I tried a woven textile wristband. Chic, comfortable and a highlight in my opinion.
Unfortunately, however, the strap came undone several times when I took off my jacket or sweater. Nothing happened, but that’s not great and I’ve never experienced this with any other watches or fitness trackers.
Source: Lorenz Keller
Conclusion: a solid tracker – but too many catches
The Fitbit Charge 6 does its job. I particularly liked its core features – tracking daily activities. But at around 150 francs or euros, it’s too expensive for just that. There are various good alternatives from Xiaomi, Huawei and Honor for less than half the price.
Having said that, if you use the Charge 6 for more than just basic tracking, it has its shortcomings. Its ideas are always good, but there’s always a catch in how they’re implemented. I wouldn’t mind if this was the case for one or two features, but I noticed it much more often. Therefore, you’ll have to weigh up carefully whether the shortcomings I mentioned are a dealbreaker to you or not.
If you want to use smartwatch functions in particular, a real smartwatch such as the Google Pixel 2 is much better, even if its battery doesn’t last as long.
Header image: Lorenz Keller
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
