Fitbit Charge 5 In-Depth Review: 9 New Things to Know
Вставка
- Опубліковано 18 тра 2024
- Here's your complete Fitbit Charge 5 In-Depth Review, covering all the new features - and most importantly, how they actually work. Buy the Fitbit Charge 5 here (amzn.to/3PSC3uQ), link helps support the channel, much appreciated!
The Charge 5 aims to take their most well-known wearable series and catapult it forward with a revamped AMOLED display that doesn’t feel like a TI-82 graphing calculator that previous Fitbit Charge units have had, while still trying to maintain the comparatively long battery life that Fitbit units are well known for. All while at the same time pulling in the majority of the Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense advanced health metrics from those units released a year ago.
And in many ways, the company actually succeeds here. In using the Charge 5 for almost two weeks now, I’ve got a pretty strong grasp on where it works well, and where it (really) struggles. Though, some of the most widely anticipated features from Fitbit - the Daily Readiness Score & Workout/Recovery Suggestions - aren’t live yet. Instead, I test everything else that is enabled on the unit, and dive into all the good, and the bad.
Written review with more data: www.dcrainmaker.com/2021/09/f...
/// Video Chapters
0:00 Intro & Pricing
0:47 AMOLED Touchscreen Usability
4:09 Always-on Sport Mode
4:40 EDA Scan Explainer
5:31 Daily Readiness Score
6:14 Workout & Recovery Suggestions
6:46 New thinner design & new band
7:17 ECG Functionality
8:01 High & Low HR Notifications
8:24 Battery Testing
9:56 GPS & HR Accuracy Deep-Dive
12:32 2nd Unit Testing
13:07 Wrap-Up
---
The Site ► www.dcrainmaker.com
Main Camera ► amzn.to/2EWbhMA
Action Cam ► amzn.to/3iEb42R
All Camera Gear ► dcra.in/DCRCamera
Instagram ► / dcrainmaker
Facebook ► / dcrainmaker
Twitter ► / dcrainmakerblog
Strava ► / strava
Most Music ► player.epidemicsound.com/#/
Links may be Amazon Affiliate links, for which I may earn a commission. Thanks!
#Fitbit #FitbitCharge5 #Charge5 - Спорт
I just got a new Charge5 this week to replace an old Fitbit model that has had its day. Thanks for this video have enjoyed it and learned a lot. I don't use the GPS so that is something that does not bother me but it was nice to learn about other features on this Charge5 and also to learn what some of the icons meant. My old Fitbit just did steps told the time and let me know about phone messages/calls and so this new model for me is wonderful. Again thank you for all this information.
Thank you for the transparency Ray. You just saved me 180$. That GPS/HR hardware design flaw is completely unacceptable. Even if people would not use one of the features it would still be a lie from a product offering stand point and a disrespect to the consumers. I was actually looking forward to upgrade my Charge 3.
hey, not to make you spend or anything, but I've had mine since yesterday and first thing out of the box is an update (can't talk about it before the update) and I did not get these issues. so maybe he will do a new review eventually, I don't know
@@guillaumemarchand4557 I was looking forward to finally upgrading my Charge 2. I would have to see if this update actually makes stuff work as advertised. Otherwise, I'll either wait for the Charge 4's to go on sale, or look at a different brand.
@@guillaumemarchand4557 How about after a week of use? If no issue, I might end up buying one as well.
@@guillaumemarchand4557 i just bought mine, your comment gives me hope
@@kevinmahoney9205 at lest get a charge 3, ive had it for a while and its worked amazing
My 2 cents. . Paid $128. Going on week 4 now and no problems with startup or GPS/HR simultaneous function. My battery life has dropped from 5 days to about 3.5 days however. I do have display on all the time during workouts. I dont doubt this reviewers experience but Im glad I didnt read this before I bought mine.
This sweet little product literally came into my home last night and this morning I saw this video in my suggested view queue. I subbed and found this video very helpful. Thank you. I am excited about the next Fitbit evolution. I really have enjoyed each one I have had and am grateful for each improvement. Thanks for the review.
So you returned it?
Great review. I was all set to get myself a Venu2 and then saw this Fitbit 5 so thought I'd check it out as a cheaper option. The GPS and HR issues are a complete deal breaker for me, so a Venu 2 it is. Thanks Ray.
UA-cam videos chat 💬 💜💜
I recently purchased the Charge 5, upgrade from Charge 4. I like the screen illumination and ease of setup. Thanks for all your solid information.
Fitbit should take note of this detailed review and feedback on HR / GPS issues. Well done.
@google
The most comprehensive review I have seen thus far. I just started considering a fitness watch to really track everything I do and this looks like a winner. I don't run outdoors so I'm sure the gps can track my elliptical just fine so that's not a concern but everything else looks awesome. As of this writing this is 130 bucks at Best Buy so a decent value too. Thanks for the review.
Did u bought? What do you thought about it?
I already purchased it and im a big newbie too fitness watches and milkimg their features. I appreciate the explanations. I did have to go back n forth between the manual to get some of the explanations since i an def a slow learner. The explanations were super helpful. I did pause in some of the sections because you navigate the menu pretty quickly for newbies but the pause button works fine so I cannot complain.
Thanks for all the hard work you're putting into these videos - you're my go-to source for all things wearables and sports tech.
Thanks for the review. My health care provider has given me a choice of Fitbits to use in order to monitor my daily steps to keep my premiums low (which feels like a tether). Any way,
I have been using the Charge 2, which I like, but one of the choices is Charge 5. One of the issues I had in the past with Fitbit is the band. It also gives me a rash and I had to buy a stretchable band to replace the original one. I'm still deciding but your review was very helpful.
Love your videos influences my purchases for sure.
Your video was very enlightening. I have a Fitbit 4 which I use as a watch but as a “monitor” for my heart rate. I have been diagnosed with CHF along with my high blood pressure ( which has gotten a little lower with the CHF) so it’s accuracy is extremely important to me. We check it’s accuracy with the heart rate taken by my cardiologist at my appt. and it has been spot on or one beat off in either direction. The rate has gone as low as 41 during sleep and awake when I feel “funny” so I use the time and heart rate feature as well as the graphing of sleep patterns for my heart rate( which used to be quite good with out Premium but now had to buy premium to keep.), because my doctor spot checks the readings. My rate “go to the ER” level is 36-35 but luckily it hasn’t gone that low in a few years. It was at 30 once, but I was hospitalized at that time and it was addressed. I’ve been contemplating getting the new one.but that’s 1/10 of my monthly SS and another drug I take would raise it up to almost 1.5 tenths. I liked your video but have a ?? If they have to fix the glitches will they automatically be added to ones already purchased, will you get an email to go to the ap and upgrade the Fitbit or are you just “out of luck”? Thanks for a great presentation.
Thanks for this info.......I have dealt with bradycardia since COVID and monitoring my heart would be a major reason for getting this watch since my Samsung Gear Fit 2 seems to be malfunctioning. Any updates...did you buy the 5?
@@WriterandPhotographer my oldest daughter bought me the Fitbit 5. It is still quite close to the numbers my cardiologist gets clocking the time on his watch and listening with the stethoscope. The only thing is it likes to change between its other functions to show me when I need to do more for them and then I put it back on heart monitor. No biggie! I rely on my Fitbit. It is also easier to link to my phone and it reminds me to charge it when low.
Thank you for the review. I'm not sure if fitbit has made any changes but my Charge 5 does a solid job with built in GPS and Heart rate.
Good to know. I just bought one this very minute b4 watching this video
Me too
I’m glad I saw this. I almost ordered one
I have some Medicail disablity learning and mental health issues and this is the main reason we got the Fitbit five because it helps track anxitey and depression and my heart rate issues thank you for this review I can’t wait for my Fitbit on Wednesday to help with my disablities
Thank you for thoroughly testing
Thanks much for the in-depth discussion of GPS and HR issue.
Thank you for the review !!!!! i just got my charge 5 and didnt know all the settings and how to use it.
Looking to upgrade my alta, watched many videos on the charge 5, this is the BEST ONE! Thanks for clarifying the GPS vs. HR utilization problems. Still bought one, but just a wonderful review.
Excellent review. I was using an analog watch for the past several years and it finally broke, so mostly just needed a new watch; but figured a smart watch would be better. The Fitbit 5 I think meets my needs. I walk a lot, but always have my Phone with me, so phone gps is fine. I also love how light weight the Fitbit is and it is very inexpensive. Seems to have everything I want. Thanks for the info.
Great review. Makes me wonder how nearly every other site has given this such high marks and either ignored or brushed aside the GPS issue.
i dind't even know about this issue. i was turned off by the features that you need to pay to activate. I hate when the device is capable of something, but puts it behind a paywall.
That was an awesome and detailed review. Thank you.
Thank you. Your review has helped me decide to get this model. I don't need all the smart watch features although cool. Fit bit has the best customer service. I had to finally replace my Charge 2 from 2015 today (7 years)! They gave me a discount on any purchase. Fit bit happy customer
My phone comes with me when I run anyways, so the GPS/HR thing isn't a big problem for me. Though it's good to know that it's an issue with the device. This video has been really helpful in figuring out an upgrade to my poor tired Alta.
Nice review. I got Charge 5, but gave it away 4 days later as I had problems syncing it. Tried everything that was recommended with no luck and looks like it’s another big and known problem for the Fitbit Charge 5. Went back to Charge 4. Once that will stop working will probably switch to another product.
Thank you for the honest review!!!!
Great review. I have GPS accuracy issues with fitbit charge 4 (always ~1 KM off). Basically 160 -180 bucks for watch with non working GPS is too expensive.
Thank you for not kissing up to them like other reviewers and staying objective for the review. I know that speaking to the manufacturer can get you in the 'friendly zone' but I am glad that has not affected your review.
Great review around GPS and heart rate correlation
Great review! I just upgraded to the 5 yesterday! I had the charge 2 for 3-4 years and the band on that thing was worse then the 4. But it may have been the way from whom I purchased them made them 🤷🏻♀️ but I’m loving my New new 5! 🤩 Thank you for all of the awesome Info! 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼
What color you get?
Thank you for the quick review. Would like to see a SG4 to FC5 comparison review of accuracy in the future if you can. Currently using a FC4 and I am looking at one of the two but I do not like the fact that Fitbit makes you pay a monthly subscription for features and I also don't like how long they take to roll out features. The FC4 took forever to get Sp02 and Temp features added.
Thank you for this review! I was considering replacing my old fitbit to the charge 5 because of the in-built GPS. I decided to wait untill fitbit releases a model with functioning GPS. Thank you for saving my money!
Thank you - very helpful in assisting with my decision to upgrade.
Great review. Just purchased mine as an upgrade to my Charge 2 (yes, i got a lot of use out of that one), and i am not seeing issues with heart rate or GPS. Both appear to be improved over the Charge 2. I run with my phone for music, so always get a double GPS of my runs for comparison, and Charge 5 appears to correlate well with the iPhone 11 GPS. Very happy so far with improved design and features.
HELP NEEDED PLEASE: I am expecting my Charge 5 today, I will do the update if it has one. I've never had a fitbit or any such tracking device except my phone. Will it keep track of my steps and synk to phone if the GPS happens to not work right? I need to to keep track of my steps for work (I can't run or hard impact exercise due to my knees) At my work we get a discount on health insurance if we do 50,000 miles every quarter (we pay $108 a month , compared to $$300 a month for our insurance) I'm tired of having to carry my phone on me at all times to keep track of steps. Thanks for your help.
@@randijames7231 probs too late as you already have it, but yes it tracks steps independently of gps
@@eddyr3691 thank you very much. I so far love it. It is doing exactly what I need it to do. Thanks for the reply
I'm finally upgrading my charge 2 too. Only because it started acting funky though. I've had this thing forever lol...
Thanks for providing a really clear, objective and detailed review of the Fitbit5 which I was considering buying as I would like to monitor my sleep and activity. I am concerned about the problem with GPS and heart rate monitoring which you have highlighted and this is really useful to know.
I think with updates, they might have fixed a few of these issues. I've been using mine since January 1st, officially (got it as a gift on New Years Eve), and went on a walk today, I messed up and had my phone in my pocket, so it didn't map my walk properly. I did the walk I wanted. It just didn't map what I did properly. I love my fitbit charge 5!
Hìñďì mý batìy
Well Rainmaker what a informative review, other people that review product like this do not review the products in a actual use situations. So good congratulation on a fantastic production.
I've watched many reviews of the Charge 5 and yours was the ONLY one that highlighted that serious flaw; kudos! I have the Charge 4 and I'm generally happy with it; will wait for the Charge 6, or go with another brand altogether, when it comes time to upgrade.
Any flaws with the charge 4?
@@jcap8391 Not that I've noticed.
I'm trying to decide on my first tracker
The 4 seems like such a better device for what I am looking for (Spotify, weather app) than this flawed new release
Good comment, thank you
@@jcap8391 I have the charge 4 it was gifted to me, and I loved it until the band broke off while have my coat on i had no idea until it fell on the floor outside. I researched this model and apparently many people were having the same problem it was a known problem to the company and thats why I think they changed the fitbit charge 5, but I still don't trust it. One it snaps off its useless!
Hey, i have charge 4 . I wear this watch for tracking my steps and calories.. when i move my arm it counts as a step does this happen with you? Also i dont understand how are the calories going upto 1500+ . Could you please explain me?
12:24 Great commentary, and content!
Thanks for this, I’ll be sticking with my old charge. The nerve of these companies charging so much for defective products
Greeting from Brazil! Been following you for almost 10yrs! The best!
Thanks for the great review. However, my experience with Charge 5 has been more frustrating. Since Charge 5 was released I have had four, yes! 4 watches 3 of the watches had displayed, and battery problems, and 1 the watch itself broke where the band attaches. I am currently looking for another watch, for now, I wear a Timex which seems to keep on ticking.
Really good, no-nonsense review. Very helpful. 10/10
Thanks!!
Thank you for this review.
Thanks, this goes off the list for my next watch.
Thanks for your honesty
Good review! I wouldn’t have expected stand-alone gps on your wrist to work. Putting it in a phone meant having a big leg up from the cell site and a very linear, power-hungry front end. Great job of quantifying the over-optimism. I’ll buy the tracker on sale and ignore GPS “feature” now that I can see why its on sale. Thanks!
competitor watches don't seem to have the same GPS issue as the charge 5, even on their cheaper models
Thank you Ray for this review! I'm looking for a new wristband to wear all day as an activity and sleep tracker. Now I'm using the Vivosmart 4 and I'm very happy with it but it's getting a bit old. During my exercises I combine it with a Forerunner 945 and this setup works great for me. I would consider a Fitbit but do you see Garmin releasing a Vivosmart 5 soon? It seems that Garmin have abundant the wristband market.
I’m stuck between a Garmin Venue & the Fitbit Charge 5.
Fantastic review! Thank you.
Thanks for the review!, Great video.
I have just bought it (July 2022) for my wife, she has heart & breathing problems. I finally could test ECG function in a country that it's not available + Spotify music controls!, She don't care about built in gps due battery performance (come from a versa lite with 3/4 days battery life and move forward charge 5 to get at least, one week battery life. Now, I'm using an Asus Vivowatch BP for blood pressure monitoring, it has built in gps too, once triyed and 0 problem with that and heart rate.
Thanks for a thorough review. I have had an Alta Hr for years and am looking at the Charge 5.
Thanks for the review! The HR/GPS flaw is one thing but Fitbit has lost me earlier as a customer due to the subscription fee. I switched to Garmin and am very happy about it.
the issue with garmin my small wrist. some on the watches are too big for me :(
I love Fitbit Charge’s size! Other brands are uncomfortably big
Thank you for the great and honest review!!! 😀 This is very helpful
Thank you for the review 👏🏻
You are the only reviewer I found that has been honest about the GPS. Everyone else has said they have no comment or no knowledge etc. Of course Fitbit wont admit the issue I'm sure, they got Will Smith using it so it has to be good right. Lets keep the big name hyped up manufacturers honest by not buying the defective stuff.
thank you for this.
Excellent review. Right to the points, no BS. Thanks
love ur review 👍 pretty ² detail👍👍
Thank you for telling us about that gps design flaw. Another reason for me to keep my Galaxy Active 2.
Got mine on sale for $125.00 and bought it because of that, for slightly longer battery life (charged last week Monday and 42% charge today, Sunday), and sleep analysis which includes oxygen check. Battery usage will vary on your settings and usage, but I only use this for walking. As of today it doesn't have the app for UHC MOTION, but it will sync with the phone's Motion app. GPS isn't a deal breaker for me, and who knows maybe a firmware update will fix it.
Hi JR, I just changed from an inspire 2 HR, it broke after 3 years, then I used a Charge 4 for a few days while waiting on my 5 to arrive via mail. So far,.im impressed, I don't need ot use GPS, what I was wondering what does that feature mean with the U?
Sorry, UHC feature?
My fit bit charge 5 battery lasted one day. Thanks for the tips
I was a Blaze user since 2016 and then went to Versa 2 in 2020 and then Sense in the same year. In 2021 the Sense was causing my wrist area to rash up both bottom and top so I took back the Sense and now got a Charge 5 to try for next few days. Bad thing is we have to pay more for the hole wrist band ver. Maybe I needed a looser band. I washed it thoroughly too, multiple times a day.
I appreciate going to bat with Fitbit for us, but that sounds like a mess with the GPS/HR. For a regular user, it needs to just work.
This whole antenna thing sounds like the iPhone 4 "you're holding it wrong," debacle.
I'm happy you made this review. I have an old garmin 645 and was looking to upgrade but def not looking into the pay-walled over-engineered ecosystem that is Fitbit.
Thank you for the honest review. Does the band still break every 8 weeks, like the original Fitbit charge 3 and 4 bands? I ended up buying a cheap no name replacement after going through a bunch of real ones, just couldn't deal with the low quality of the original products anymore.
Great review. This is a real review
Good & practical review, thx!
Thanks for the review, you saved me $180!
Thanks for the review, i was looking forward to updating from my Fitbit inspire 2 to this new charge 5, but ill think ill pass and look into getting else now.
Thanks for clarifying the GPS vs. Heart rate. Now i feel like I’m not missing something!
Great review, thank you. Really weird that they were design it like that. It’s like with one of the iPhones when it would lose some reception by just holding it in your hand lol. How was the accuracy of the heart rate monitor at very high heart rate? The old ones had trouble being accurate above 160.
Fantastic review.
Thank you for this video. I just got a charge 5 and i have trouble setting some things up. This weill help. Sleep worked when i got it but i must have done something to mess it us. Doesnt work on manual or auto. Thank you for doing these videos.
Excellent job! Thank you!
really helpful. thanks for the effort and sharing. thumbs up.
Great vid. I was going to change from my Sense (because the battery life is now less than two days, with no answers about that provided by Fitbit). But after seeing how defective the Charge 5 is, I'll look into Apple watches etc now instead.
Thanks for the info, I am completely new to this therefore found this helpful. Charging it today and will start wearing it tomorrow!
Hey there Ray! I've got a question, if I were to adjust the band super tight for optimal heart rate readings, would you say that the charge 5 or the charge 4 has a better HR sensor and HR readings? I don't really need GPS since I take my phone with me anyway, I only care about the HR, so if I were to strap both the charge 4 and charge 5 super tight, which one would give a better reading?? Also in your opinion overall, and without considering price, which one is better the charge 4 or charge 5? (in terms of overall performance and ignoring price points). Also compared to the sense or versa 3 or versa 2 which fitbit has the best HR sensor and HR readings when working out? Thanks!!!
Thanks, It was a good review for me. I got it as a Christmas present.
helpful for those already familiar very informative.
Had mine a week now. Charged it once and have had no problem with the gps. There was a large update when I first initialised it so maybe that fixed the problem
Thank you for this review. I was going to take the leap from Charge 4 to 5 but now I think I'll wait. What about the Sense?
Thanks. I'll keep my current charge with which I am very satisfied.
Dude, I literally stumbled upon your UA-cam channel and found you focused on all of the same issues that I was curious about. To be honest, I'm smitten with the WITHINGS scan watch for my personal needs as a stage 2 cancer patient. I was looking for something to aid my mother in her recovery from her massive stroke and keeping vitals in check. Would you have a suggestion as to what brand or model you found in your research that would be ideal in your professional opinion?
Terrific review thanks! Looking for a tracker/smartwatch that can monitor health as accurately as possible. The GPS is not a huge deal, do you recommend this or is there something better.....please let me know thanks again!
Thank you for all that! You saved me money too. I have had 2 Fitbit 4. Within a 7 months, with the 1st one, the band broke. I made such a fuss with them (disabled Navy vet) that they sent me a new unit, no charge! In April I was camping in the Texas woods. Swimming in a deep spring lake. Guess what happened? YES! The band broke and the whole unit sank into the bottom of the lake! Fitbit was important to me and my doctors; I suffer from painsomnia which is now under treatment - because they saw the data. Before the Fitbit, the doctors dismissed me and wanted to send me to a psych eval!
I don't know what to do; get the Charge 5 and duct tape it to my arm, or try another product. Any recommendations?
Amazing video. Very informative.
Wow this was very informative. Thanks.
Best review on the internet, ❤️. This is product design flaw, the GPS module used is low spec to cut costs or not optimised or paired with a bad antenna.
I've been getting the daily readiness score for two years (on a Luxe) and on my new Charge 5 since I got it two weeks ago. The ecg also works on my Charge 5.
The GPS onboard the Fitbit is not necessary for me, as long as the phone GPS capability is there, I am good with that. Helps save the battery too. Thanks for that great review. Currently I have the Charge 3 and am having the dim screen issue that seems to be common. I love the Fitbits and will be buying this one soon. I did wonder about what the charger prong looks like.
Fitbit charge 5 has a very bright screen. I've owned about 10 different sports watches, most of them were fitbit but I've never seen a watch with such a good screen. I can read all my notifications and read it in the sun too.
Thanks for this amazing review, HR / GPS are deal breakers for me, i was considering buying one ... now i will watch a review on the Versa 3 and see if i go with the versa or switch completely to Garmin FR255 or FR955
Wow, how can manufacturers release something so fundamentally flawed in terms of HR/GPS? Great review
Unbelievable that they manage the screw this up!
Exactly, I'm even more anxious about my decision as to which device I choose.
it’s now fixed after the new update
@@preet7905 is it actually?!?
@@pluto4040 yeah in the new update yesterday
I stared using a HR 5 last January. I wear the device fairly tight, and have only a little delay in GPS acquisition, but it’s tracking & heart rate monitoring is good!
Very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you Master
Top notch review thx
I've been really frustrated with the 5. I've only gotten about 1.5 days per charge. I've deleted a couple apps but did not get improvement. Did not know about the GPS settings so changed from dynamic to phone (walker/hiker not runner, so always have my phone). Hopefully that gets me 3+ days which will be workable though not ideal. However I like the always on during workout so hopefully I still get the 3+ days with that enabled. Thank you for the review. Very helpful
I’m another longtime Fitbit owner. The 4 I’m using now is ok as far as the gps and HR readout. Your experience is a big fail for the 5 and I’m buying another 4 while still available. Your review is outstanding!
I just picked my Charge 5 up on Monday 9/27/21 unpacking and starting up everything worked fine. It had the initial "update" that most devices have, but would never update completely. It eventually just went into a reset loop where the Logo would pop up every few seconds and eventually the screen would not turn on at all. After 2 hours with Fitbit's customer service, I decided it was easier to just return it.
I'm having issues getting my screen to come on. It's been charging for over an hour now