So... I ordered my Fitbit last Sunday when it was released, before there were any Amazon reviews, and I started to freak out after seeing the scores of some of the early reviews and thought I had jumped the gun. I received it Monday night and have been wearing it non-stop since with no issues.
Reading through some of these reviews, many of the concerns are regarding the lack of the date on the clock face.
1) This feature is not a priority for me in a Fitness tracker. I'm more interested in a device that can track your heart rate, sleep patterns & cycles, blood oxygen levels, stairs climbed, steps taken, calories burned, miles walked/ran, etc.
2) It appears Fitbit's going to add more watchfaces with the date included so I'll keep an eye out for that.
Manufacturer response to another review:
"**Update** Thanks for your review! We read it loud and clear. We will be releasing more clock face options soon, including options that display the date. We appreciate your time and patience."
This is my first wearable so admittedly I don't have much comparison to previous Fitbits or the Apple Watch, but so far I'm loving this thing, both functionally and aesthetically. I bought it because I used to be in great shape and very athletic, even up until about a year ago, and I now find myself chronically low on energy and I want to better understand how well I'm sleeping and just how sedentary my lifestyle has become. I've already noticed some sleep habits that need to be adjusted, such as getting more sleep and going to bed at a more reasonable hour each night. I find the device itself very comfortable (I don't even notice it's on my wrist, even at the gym) and I'm enjoying exploring the phone app and its features and visualizations.
A couple existing features which I haven't used are the exercise goals and diet/weight tracking. I use Map My Run to track and improve my running pace and route and MyFitnessPal to track my diet and weight... and am not sure there's much value-add to my current process with this device... but I'll keep exploring it's features. I have also not put the water-resistance to the test and am hoping another reviewer will be the penguin in front of me off that ledge.
I would also love to see more user-customization options of the app visualizations and perhaps more integrated charts with multiple health dimensions tracked together with calendar-style heatmaps or something.
I love how much data this little thing tracks and how well it's visualized and presented in the app. I read that Fitbit is working on a Sleep Score? where I can understand my blood oxygen levels while I sleep. I'm looking forward to that launch and maybe that'll shed more light on my fatigue.
I've used Fitbit trackers for years now, but I've always used the most basic type available. I decided that I needed to upgrade my Fitbit so that I could get a better understanding about my daily activity, and I tried the Flex 2, the Blaze and then the Charge 3. The Blaze was too big on my wrist, which told me that the Ionic and the Versa were also going to be too big, and I'm going to have my phone on me for 97% of the time, so having all of those extra features seemed pointless. The Charge 3 is the perfect size, and it provides me with all of the insights I need about my daily activity, including how well I am sleeping (which is just amazing btw). So for half of the price of the Ionic/Versa, the Charge 3 gives me everything I need/want, it is super comfortable and is extremely stylish.....it's a win/win/win!
I have been waiting for a tracker that has as many features as this has: water resistant, sleep tracker, pulse taker (mine is within 1-2 beats per minute from my Dr's office!!) step tracker, it synchs with my food tracker, plus it does the weather, connects to my phone and will even remind me once and hour to get up and move!
I don't really use the notifications page (for connecting to email, phone or texts) but I'm trying to figure out a way to put my ICE on that page. That would make this tracker perfect, especially for those of us that need to carry our allergy or emergency contact info with us!
I had been waiting for this Charge 3 for a month. It finally came yesterday, I set it up and it seemed to work well. It tracked my steps and heart rate, time was correct, everything seemed fine. I wore it all night and when I got up this morning it would not sync. Tried everything, turning off my phone and back on, reinstalling the Charge, finally it synced. Once. Since then all morning it will not sync again. My bluetooth shows it is not connected and when I tap it, it tells me Connection Unsuccessful. I had been using my original 3 year old Charge and it had been working just fine. Maybe they haven't worked the bugs out yet. Gonna give it another day or two, if it doesn't start working right I will return it. Might have to go with a different brand.
Update: I finally got it to sync and it has been working well for the past couple of days. Don't know if it was a glitch or just because it was new.
My original Charge was nearby so I moved it far away, so maybe it was interfering. Now I'm really happy with my Charge 3..
relatively comfortable to wear, feels solid. Tracks steps well and active minutes the same way it does with my Alta. I don't know about sleep because I don't wear it to bed. Happy that I can keep it in the shower as I typically forget to remove those before shower (have worn a waterproof watch for most of my life and rarely took it off except for its regular cleaning). Stays in place during cardio exercise. Shows me the time when I lift up my wrist. Works as you'd expect a fitbit to. App integration is perfect. You might want to read about fitbits somewhere else if you want more info about all the cool stuff they do, since the charge 3 is not the only one to do those things and it might give you a better idea of what device you might want.
The bad:
Display options: This MAY change if fitbit decides for it to, it's software related so there's hope! I would like to be able to decide what items show, such as distance calories etc. I do not want the calories on there as their count is always completely off. I do not either want heart rate. And, I agree with everyone else about a need for clock faces that show the date. And about the need to be able to decide which apps show or don't. Very important to me as well ! Let us chose what is displayed so that we don't waste tie and space with things that aren't relevant to us, that's a step backwards from even the tiniest silliest trackers such as the zip!!
Clunkiness: if you have a tiny wrist like mine this thing is going to look gigantic on it. And I'm a sports watch wearer so I've always had some clunky thing on my wrist - but watch-shaped it still looks less big! Thankfully the tracker in itself is quite beautiful in this color and of course one can always acquire other bands some of which are thinner.
Heart rate sensor : accuracy is doubtful on every single watch tracker out there so let's not talk about that. What bothers me is that when it's turned off the green light still blinks constantly. Quite annoying. With other trackers that has been known to irritate my skin so I'll see with this one. Visually it's annoying, and, I would imagine, a waste of battery. I would like for that to stop when heart rate is turned off.
Personal conclusion:
I could not keep this device as it turns out any fitness tracker with heart rate and / or constant bluetooth gives me weird arm pains and this one was no exception. I was very sad to part with it however. Very pretty and functional. Of all the fitness tracker brands I've tried (Garmin, Misfit, Xiaomi, Withings...) the Fitbit app and website are just the best, and I love the exercise mode on the charge 3 and auto exercise recognition, whcih FItbit devices do best compared to other brands.
P.S.: I apologize for the rolled up socks and stray pencil in the background of the video, room was messy.
Feature Product
- Better measure calorie burn, understand resting heart rate & more with 24/7 heart rate tracking and a battery life of up to 7 days (varies with use and other factors)
- Choose from 15+ exercise modes like run, bike, swim, yoga, circuit training and more, set a goal, and get real-time stats during your workouts to see how you can keep getting better ; With aerospace-grade aluminium, a smooth-flush case and Corning Gorilla Glass 3, Charge 3 is comfortable and durable.
- Automatically record time spent in Light, Deep and REM sleep stages and see activity trends, health insights and personalized guidance in one place with Fitbit Today
- Swim proof and water resistant to 50M so you can track swims and wear in the shower. Also connect to smartphone GPS for real-time pace and distance during outdoor runs and rides
- Stay connected to your day with everyday apps for weather and more and get call, text and smartphone app notifications on your wrist. Small band: Fits wrists 140 mm - 180 mm in circumference, Large band: Fits wrists 180 mm - 220 mm in circumference
Description
Get a deeper understanding of your body, your health and your progress with Fitbit Charge 3. This swim proof advanced fitness tracker does more than count steps-it tracks 24/7 heart rate, calorie burn, 15+ exercises, goal progress, sleep and more. Every day, you'll find valuable insights about your health that will empower you to take action, improve yourself and reach your goals. Add your cards to the Fitbit app, then use Fitbit Pay to make easy, secure payments on-the-go.
Just replaced my Polar. Love it. Easy to set up and like the additional silent alarms and intuitive dashboard. Very light weight and syncing was a breeze. This was the first day... We shall see what future use indicates...
I have had a Charge 1, 2, and now my wife has the 3rd. She loves it. I am leary doing a review of a device so soon after purchasing it (my Charge 1 failed after just a year), but my 2 has lasted for over a year and still going strong.
The device's screen is easy to see. Swiping up or side to side is a little tricky and you have to do the motion perfectly for it to register. Depending on your view, it could be a good or bad thing. It being waterproof is fantastic! The side button is nifty.
All that said, it seems to track the same stuff as my Charge 2 (at first glance at least). The screen size and able to use apps now makes it a bit more useful.
All in all, I feel it's a great update to the Charge 2, and when my Charge 2 eventually dies then I will absolutely get the 3.
This is my third model of Fitbit. It doesn’t disappoint. I use the rubber type band while swimming. I bought an additional blue colored stainless band to dress it up. Both the sleeping and heart rate functions have improved. I have POTS postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome so I like to see my heart rate through out the day and while sleeping. It’s nice that it can be worn swimming to check both time and heart rate while in the pool. I like the bands. They are comfortable and secure.
A little early to do an in depth review. I’m all set up and everything working as advertised, so far so good. I was really worried the blue gray band would be too gray for my liking, but I was pleasantly surprised with how the color is more blue than gray. It really should have been called “denim”. As others have stated, it needs more faces. I REALLY miss having one with the date! Overall there are enough reasons to upgrade if you have the charge 2 like me. I’m so glad I did! So far my favorite 2 things are the count DOWN timer, and setting a calorie burn goal.
I own a Samsung Gear Sport. Were it to work as advertised, I would not have bought this Charge 3. At first, the Charge 3 would not notify me when the phone range or when I received text messages. There was no option in the app for fixing that. It took a call to their technical support the find out that there are two places in the app to adjust "notifications." It is totally unintuitive. However, once, I did that plus a few other tricks, it now works. To find the hidden notifications page, tap the top righthand corner of the first page on your app, then tap the Charge 3 image, then find notifications somewhere down the middle of the page. That's where you want to be to turn on text and phone notifications.
WHAT I LIKE
* It measures heart rate and tracks steps pretty accurately without my having to calibrate it.
* It detects exercise and sleep automatically. I don't have to set it.
* It vibrates when I am near and get a text or call. I can read the messages on my watch (but I need my reading glasses; the text is small).
* It has an alarm function.
* It notifies me of events in my phone's calendar.
* It has an ultralong battery life. I'm on Day 2 and the app still says the battery is fully charged.
* Attractive form factor.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE
* The watch face is plain. There is no color.
* The font can be tiny. I need my glasses to read messages.
* The GUI needs work. Why have two areas for adjusting notifications? The second one is hidden and totally unintuitive.
Overall, I like it.
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