FitbitCharge 5 Activity Tracker with 6-months Premium Membership Included, up to 7 days battery life and Daily Readiness Score, Steel Blue / Platinum Stainless Steel

This feels like half the weight of the Charge 4. Very light on the wrist such that you really do forget it’s there.The strap is very good; the fastening system not at all intrusive. Mine did detach a week after buying it whilst picking/carrying the toddler and being so light I didn’t notice it was no longer on my wrist. Thankfully some honest soul found it and handed it in. Note it detached where the strap meets the case, not at the fastener. No idea how it happened - I had never fiddled with the strap fixings.The functionality with the premium membership on the App is fantastic - mine came with 6 months free. £80/year after that seems excessive though. Most of the premium stuff seems like nonsense that can be got for free elsewhere eg all the mindfulness stuff can be got on YouTube. But the app is great and you can get lost in all the data.Sleep tracking is very interesting but it really only confirms what you already know; eg wake up and think you’ve had a bad nights sleep? Well, the app will tell you that. Wake up and feel you’ve had a greats nights sleep? The app will concur. So, after the first 2 weeks the detailed sleep tracking seems less exciting. You know (without needing an app) if you’ve slept well or not.It has ECG, pulse oximetry (which isn’t an on demand measurement - it just seems to do it when you’re sleeping as part of sleep monitoring), stress tests. It will monitor you for AF (heart irregularity) which is useful for older folks more at risk and notify you.I like that plain text messages (iMessages only, sadly - not WhatsApp etc) will show up on the screen meaning I don’t need to get the phone out of my pocket. I like the timer and countdown features.Not much else to say other than it’s clearly well made, worth the ‘brand’ and does everything excellently. The paid app experience isn’t worth it beyond the free 6 month trial, in my opinion.Would recommend!

There seem to be a lot of differences in opinion about the Charge 5 and I think a lot of it depends on what you are upgrading from and whether you are a serious runner/sportsperson.Personally I love my new tracker but I upgraded from an Inspire so the Charge 5 offers me a lot more functionality with the heart rate monitor and the more detailed sleep data etc. I am able to get a lot more information than I could before and I'm finding it very interesting and useful - I am taking advantage of the 6 months premium membership and enjoying the extra stats but not sure that I will keep it afterwards. I especially love the colour screen - the joy of being able to read the screen in the sunshine! I did try the screen always on function but it is very dim so you can't really see it and all you do is eat up the battery so doesn't seem like a useful function.I am not a runner so I can't comment on how good it is for that but I love the active minutes and find myself walking that bit more briskly to earn more. I know there are some issues with the GPS but I always have my phone with me and use Strava to track my routes - even if I took up running I can't imagine that I would ever want to go out without my phone!The battery life is great but does mean you have to consciously check the battery level rather than just charging every couple of days otherwise I suddenly discover it is low just when I'm about to go out. Having said that it does charge up really quickly so you can just pop it on charge for a short time to top it up if necessary.I thought I would upgrade the strap as soon as I got the tracker but actually I find it stays done up, is very comfortable and I love the way the end tucks in. I may get a new strap at some point but I don't feel desperate for one.If you have had a Fitbit before you will be familiar with the app and I find it very user friendly with lots of useful things to track. I have issues syncing with my phone but its a Huawei and I know I just need to put up with that until I can upgrade to a different phone so I'm not letting that affect my rating.

Okay so to begin with I'm a veteran FitBit user and had a FitBit Charge 4 prior to buying the 5 version. The most annoying thing about the former was its complete lack of visibility in anything other than overcast or dark conditions. The latter is the opposite as its bright and colourful display lends itself to any lighting from pitch black to bright daylight. This is a game changer and on its own worth the upgrade. Battery life is another area in which the Charge 5 wins hands down. Add to that the overall improvement in feel and look of the Charge 5 and you're left with one happy customer!

I bought the Charge 5 at launch, so I was a bit concerned by the reviews about poor GPS tracking as that was one of the key reasons I wanted it (that and the colour screen). I've found it to be comfortable, it does everything it is supposed to and my experience of the GPS tracking is that it is very good. Battery life is excellent, it obviously depends on how you use it but I get about a week between charging up. I'm using the free 6 months trial of Fitbit Premium at the moment, I doubt I will continue with that as it seems to offer very little that I need above normal functionality - but it's a free trial so I can't knock it.Pros:Functionality is good, has all the features I need.GPS tracking, heart rate tracking, step count, all seem accurate.OEM strap is comfortable to wear all the time - I haven't felt I needed to try other straps yet.Great battery lifeCons:The screen, while colour, isn't as large or as bright as my old Samsung Gear Fit 2 (from 2016).Related to the above, the watch faces aren't as vibrant or detailed as I would like.The device has frozen a couple of times, needed to be resurrected from the app.I'd give it 4 1/2 stars if I could due to the cons above, but if you want a good all round tracker then the Charge 5 is a great option and I would recommend it.