I've used an Alta for a couple of years and figured it was time for an upgrade. I was waiting to see what Fitbit had coming before jumping on something else. I'm not a huge fan of smartwatches so I wasn't interested in the more fully featured Fitbit products. Seeing the Charge 3 released prompted me to consider it.
Coming from an Alta, I was a bit concerned about the size. This has not been a problem. It's larger, sure, but it fits the wrist nicely and isn't heavy at all. I have not had any comfort issues. I ordered a different style band, however, more along the lines of what I'm use to using.
The Charge 3 has a lot more power and features than the Alta, so my opinion of it may be a bit rose tinted compared to those coming from the Charge 2. The battery life is great. The usability is great. The features are much more extensive. I, especially, like seeing my estimated sleep stages, and my heart rate info. I'm looking forward to the update that enables the SpO2 functionality.
As I noted, I'm not a fan of smartwatches. I disabled notifications on my Alta, and, even though I can see more details about my notifications on the Charge 3, I'm likely to turn that down or off. I'm the type of person that doesn't need to immediately see what my phone just beeped about, as I'd rather keep my attention on the task or event at hand. I will note that the vibrate is quite powerful, though.
It's nice to have an altimeter again. My Fitbit One had this, but for some reason the Alta excluded it. As I've pushed myself to take the stairs more and more, I love being able to track it again.
The one flaw I'll note, and it's enough to knock a star off, is the auto brightness doesn't seem to dim enough in low light. Just by moving at night, the brightness of the display has woken me up because it was right next to my eyes. As I saw one person put it, the brightness of the display burns like that of a thousand suns. I've noticed the auto brightness seems to do something sometimes, but it doesn't dim near enough in the dark and can be quite jarring when not expected.
As this was just released, I'm sure all the software faults, that of the missing features in the watch faces noted by others, and the auto brightness issue, etc, will be fixed in due time. Overall, this is a nice upgrade from the Alta and will keep me on the Fitbit platform for another couple of years, I'm sure.
I absolutely love this Fitbit- it’s my 3rd. A little wider than my Alta but doesn’t feel as bulky. I got the all black design and have worn all day every day for the past week. The clock face with hands (my choice) is so much easier to read than squinting at a digital readout. I love that I can see my steps and heart rate without changing screens. I like that I can see who is texting me - personal choice not having my call alert on. Overall really impressed!
Overall the Fitbit Charge 3 is better than the 2. However, I miss having the date on the clock face. And, the Weather feature very often shows, "No Weather Data Please Try Syncing Your Phone" after taping the Weather feature. Even when my iPhone is nearby. So that is an unreliable pain in the ass. Otherwise it could have gotten 5 stars.
Raised to 5 stars with new clock face. Weather I am syncing as needed. All other features working perfectly.
I started my fitness tracker experience with a Garmin Vivosport, a remarkable device with very good hardware but a terrible user experience (the screen is just too small, and it becomes a nightmare since I have big hands) also, it had only an average battery life (that becomes worse when using the GPS). Also, let's be honest, it is ugly.
Because of that, I decided to change to a Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro, a device perhaps not as well built as the Garmin, but with some interesting add-ons like a big, beautiful AMOLED display, an app store, and offline Spotify playlists. Unfortunately, the Samsung Health app experience is years behind Garmin or Fitbit (even if a recent update seems to be just trying to copy the Fitbit app now). The bad: Even worse battery life than the Vivosport and a sub-par integration with your phone (weird system to sync or install apps, sometimes it just takes minutes to connect to the phone).
I was following closely the Charge 3 since it was announced on summer, and I decided to buy it as soon as it was on sale and make a cross-testing with the Gear Fit. After a couple of days, I stopped using the Samsung. The Charge 3 just feels more advanced, and a good compromise between the good things I've found in my last two trackers. Looks great, feels good in the wrist, the touchscreen is fine, heart rate tracking is very accurate (I tested it on the treadmill today, and the Charge 3 was giving me the same heart rate number as the machine at the gym... the Samsung never did that). Moreover, the sleep tracking and the phone app are fantastic. Concerning battery, after three days of use is still at an impressive 75%. The bad: the step count seems a bit off, it doesn't track floors accurately (I live on a 6th floor, and every time I walk upstairs it logs 17!), the screen scroll doesn't feel fluid/reliable enough yet.
All things considered, this is the best tracker I've ever had. My real rating would be 4.5 stars, but as I hope that it is still going to improve, so I am giving Fitbit the benefit of the doubt for now. Well done Fitbit, now keep it up!
EDIT: Update after one week:
- The battery is still at 40%, this is beyond impressive!
- Fitbit already sent a firmware update to the phone, it seems to have fixed the problem counting floors, and steps. The tracker seems to be more accurate in general.
- The biggest problem remaining is the touchscreen scroll, but it is not really that annoying.
I’ve now been wearing my Fitbit Charge 3 for several days. For those who report that steps, the date, etc, cannot be seen on the clock face, I’m guessing that they either didn’t read or didn’t comprehend the directions. There is a choice of 4 clock faces. The face with the digital face can simply be tapped to see steps, heart rate, stairs, miles, the date. Just just tap the clock face and it will scroll through all of them! I haven’t tried the other faces, since this one is great! I love the Activity part of this watch. I can set the activity for a walk, run, hike, swim, or other activities and clock my distance. It gives me stats on my pace, distance in miles or km, steps, stairs climbed, etc. I like the fact that I can see my pace per mile, not just my overall pace. I have used 3 other hiking and walking apps on my phone, and I like this one the best! I can compare activity for different days, weeks, or months. My watch has not crashed as others have reported and I have had absolutely no problems using it. I did read and follow directions, so maybe that’s the difference. I found the directions very easy to follow! I love the sleep report and the watch is very comfortable to wear while sleeping. There are options to set the watch to vibrate when I get a text message or a phone call. I love this feature since I am between cell phone towers and my phone frequently does not alert me to phone calls or texts. I don’t have to have my phone in the same room to get alerts. I set a reminder for bedtime since I have a tendency to stay up too late. A vibration wakes me up in the morning without the sound of an annoying alarm clock or phone alarm sound. What’s not to love! Love this watch!!!
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
- 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 wristband Fits a wrist between 5.5 - 7.1 inches. Large wristband Fits a wrist between 7.1 - 8.7 inches
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. Compatiblity: Syncs with iOS 10 and later, Android 5.0 and later and Windows 10 devices. Windows coming soon. Small wristband Fits a wrist between 5.5 - 7.1 inches. Large wristband Fits a wrist between 7.1 - 8.7 inches.
I liked the charge 2 and I love the charge 3. Everything is working great after I installed the updated firmware. Handsome watch and black band. Much easier to navigate. It's a very good fitness watch, not a smartwatch.
This is my first Fitbit and I think it’s great. I haven’t worn a watch on my wrist in 20 years and it’s really comfortable. Comes with 2 bands - small and large - so getting your size shouldn’t be a problem. It was easy to set up with the iPhone app. I really like this model because it’s water proof. I have showered in it, washed dishes and even went swimming in it with no issues. I’d totally buy it again.
It’s not perfect but isn’t bad either. I don’t think it’s worth the price.
Used for the past two weeks. Overall, very happy with product. Silent/vibration is strong and wakes me in the morning (without waking the wife), a feature that was lacking in the Charge 2. Fitbit listened in this regard and incorporated a stronger mechanism that is much appreciated!! The battery lasts for more than the listed 7 days, thats with all notications, etc on. The only options I changed was turning off all day synch and dimming the light (it's more than bright enough for me to see during the day). Haven't tried the waterproof yet, guess I'm accustomed to take the watch off due to moving coming from the Charge 1 and 2. Like the current watch face that's offered that shows time, date, and steps. The only hit is the small update bugs but that's to be expected with a new product. Love the watch, Fitbit really hit it out the park on this iteration of the Charge product line! Highly recommend.
Bought the less expensive version a few years ago & really glad I upgraded to this version of Fitbit (the HR Charge 3). It does all I need it to, all I want it to, has some fun surprises, useful new-to-me tools, and I feel it’s growing with me as I move forward in my health journey. It (happily) lacks distracting bullsh*t that people like me (insomniac artist-musicians riddled w/ dissociative tendencies) can get lost in (and pulled/lured off-course by). It’s a powerful tool and when it vibrates to let me know I have 10 more minutes to get steps in this hour, I feel loved.
It’s a strange world we live in, but technology is proven good here.
0 comments:
Post a Comment