The Fitbit Charge HR looks like a typical fitness tracker with a small rectangular Oled screen and only one side button.
The tracking module is built into the wristband, so you cannot swap out the wristband. A stainless steel buckle makes the fitness tracker secure and its textured rubber wristband is comfortable to wear.
Its HR moniker refers to its a built-in heart-rate monitor (HRM) which constantly measures your heart rate. The Charge HR is only splash-resistant though, so do not swim with it.
The Oled screen displays the current time, steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned, heart rate and the number of flights of stairs climbed. You wake the display by double-tapping on it, or by twisting your wrist.
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TECH SPECS
PRICE: $199
WATER RESISTANCE: 10m
WEIGHT: 25g
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RATING
FEATURES: 4/5
DESIGN: 3/5
PERFORMANCE: 5/5
BATTERY LIFE: 4/5
VALUE FOR MONEY: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Pressing the button toggles through the panels. Sleep-tracking is automatic, and it can detect when you are awake, asleep or restless. Sleep tracking is quite accurate, although it does not tell you if you are in deep or light sleep.
It also tracks runs and workouts, but you need to press and hold the button to start and end the workout.
It tracked my runs quite accurately. Compared with my personal TomTom Runner + MultiSport Cardio GPS running watch, the recorded distance was longer by only 5 per cent. The daily activity tracking readings were almost identical to those from my calibrated Nike+ Fuelband fitness tracker.
Battery life - at five days - is pretty good and as advertised.
Trevor Tan
- VERDICT: The Fitbit Charge HR is a feature-rich fitness tracker that is well worth its price tag. It looks rather mundane though.
