After a series of more or less substantial leaks, Fitbit today unveiled the latest addition to its line up of wearables: and the Charge 5, smartband, now a classic for the brand but which this time is enriched with several new features.
If of the fourth generation we had appreciated the integrated GPS, the precise measurement of heart rate and the introduction of Fitbit Pay (and in this regard, here you find our review), this Charge 5 looks quite interesting, adding to all these qualities a renewed and lighter design, some specific health functions so far seen only on the Fitbit Sense and also a color AMOLED display that renews its appearance.
NEWS AND CONFIRMATIONS
The first thing that catches the eye is certainly the high contrast, bright and colorful AMOLED touch display; nice step forward since the Charge 4 had one in the grayscale. According to the manufacturer, the new display doubles the brightness of the previous one, has a sensor to adjust it automatically, and also has the mode always on to always show the time. The revamped design also affects the size of the Charge 5, which is 10% thinner than the 4.
The vocation of the device remains sporty, and in fact it is able to automatically recognize some types of exercises, for example cycling; with the Fitbit Premium subscription there is a feature for the first time Daily Recovery which, based on the activities performed, the quality of recent sleep and heart rate, calculates the personal energy score in order to better plan workouts and recovery times.
As anticipated, they remain available continuous measurement of heart rate, blood oxygen saturation and the GPS sensor to be able to keep track of your workouts geographically without having to carry your smartphone, features already present on version 4.
On the other hand, the presence of EDA scanning is new, which uses the measurement of electrothermal activity to monitor the body’s response to stress (with Premium you can access hundreds of meditation sessions in collaboration with various brands and apps such as Calm) and above all Fitbit ECG app to try to detect atrial fibrillation signals which had debuted on the Sense model (along with many other functions dedicated to health, as we told you in the review) and therefore becomes more affordable here.
It seems the smart functions remain more or less the same, such as the interaction with notifications which can be responded to quickly when coupled with an Android device. The battery life also promises to remain the same, with an autonomy of about seven days, which would be remarkable given the upgrade of the display, certainly more energy-intensive than the previous one; obviously things change with the GPS always active.
Fitbit Charge 5 will hit the market this fall but is available for pre-order from today; costa 179,99 euro and various straps are available to customize it: infinity in lightweight silicone, breathable sports, hook-and-loop in nylon or leather. Those who buy it will be entitled to a six-month Premium subscription, which offers data and statistics on the parameters measured and suggests personalized workouts, including videos, in collaboration with certified instructors and well-known brands such as Daily Burn, barre3 and LES MILLS; a collaboration was also close with Will Smith.