I just upgraded to the Charge 6, i've been using the Charge 3 since it came out and the only issue I faced was the wear and tear of the band. I also don't understand the premium charge as others have mentioned. I could see paying a small cost if fitbit let me sync with my peloton app so I could track all those classes. I didnt have to pay for sleep and mindful classes with my charge 3🤷🏾♀️
I got the Charge 5 when it came out and have loved it. I don’t track workouts; mainly use it to track steps, sleep, notifications and as a watch during my consults at work. I get about 10-12 days of battery life not using workout tracking and other features. And that is the biggest deterrent for me getting a proper smartwatch
I have a charge 5 sleep is very accurate I use premium but when I haven’t you can track sleep too but you don’t get a sleep profile things like that without premium I got told charge 6 is just a modern charge 5 too as to why I chose charge 5 not charge 6
If you work at any bigger company its basically the main strategy of the 2020s. Sell any stupid subscription service. I work at an bigger hardware company that has 0 software services and they still try to figure out a way to push out an subscription service
Not sure why everyone is saying charging for Fitbit premium is a deal breaker. It honestly doesn’t provide you with that much insight. I’ve never used their workout suggestions. Their wellness videos aren’t really all that compelling to use. The core functionality you get with any basic Fitbit is all you need to lose weight and that is why you buy these fitness trackers- to track how your fitness improves. If you really need someone to interpret the data for you (rather than looking through the graphs yourself) the. They usually give you a free subscription for a few months upon purchase of the device. I wouldn’t overlook the tracker because you don’t get fit it premium included. You don’t need it at all and it doesn’t provide much more insight than the basic data provides.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here … very helpful. I’m trying to determine which fitness tracker to get and was wondering how necessary Fitbit premium is to get the full benefit of the device.
Irishman 🇮🇪here. Great upload as ever Mike. The fitbit payment? It's gone beyond the ridiculous now, you'll be charged monthly for getting out of bed the way things are going 😂.
I have had the Charge 2 + Premium for YEARS. It is still working fine, charges up, etc. However, the "Zone Active" and heartrate are failing to show on the APP (my phone). Steps and sleeping monitor work and are useful. But, I want it all to work. Just ordered a Charge 6 and a nice band. Same day delivery with Amazon Prime in my area
It looks good but lack of music controls ourside of TH-cam music is a major downside, plus the fitbit premium stuff. Switched to garmin a while back and I'm very happy with it over the Fitbit
The fitbit paywall is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen. Why would you buy a watch that's designed for fitness and then also have to pay for the fitness separately???? Same with the google pixel watch! You just paid $350 for a watch, but no, you need to pay more for the fitness stuff??? Why did Google bother buying fitbit if the plan wasn't to integrate into google fit or scrap fit and replace it with fitbit ... I will never understand it
This is got to be one of the dumbest comments I've ever seen. You just bought a TV, why do you still have to pay for cable or Netflix? You just bought headphones, why do you still have to pay for Spotify Premium??? WTF?
@@divertiti and I think you missed the point too. Google purchased Fitbit but it was kept as a separate entity. My query was why keep fit on the watch, add Fitbit and have people pay for Fitbit premium. I have used both and so didn't understand why they were not integrated or at least update fit which was their native app. Point being, Google as it usually does, confuses everything till they decide to get rid of it.
I got the Charge 5 when it came out and have loved it. I don’t track workouts; mainly use it to track steps, sleep, notifications and as a watch during my consults at work. I get about 10-12 days of battery life not using workout tracking and other features. And that is the biggest deterrent for me getting a proper smartwatch
Great review, I’ve had previous versions of the Charge and loved them until they stopped working. A couple years ago I switched to the Inspire which was a big change for me. Although it still works, I still prefer the Charge. Now that some of the Black Friday early sales are out and the Charge 6 is $99 at Best Buy, I think I’ll pick one up.
I had a Fitbit Charge 5 and after a little more than a year stopped working : battery life 1,5 hour ; no heart beats, no steps counting , no screen on when rotating the wrists. I contacted Fitbit Customer Support Center, and that had me do several troubleshooting and resets ... all useless . The watch didn't fell, didn't get close to any magnet, no high heat, no low cold ... it just died while I was walking ...I checked on the Internet and many users had the same experience, so it's not a case , but something related to the product. Unfortunately all these type of device reviews just take in consideration the functionalities but not the quality of the hardware , or issues in the engineering of the products . I 'ld rather to pay more for something more reliable than a Fitbit Charge whatever .
Yup. Every FitBit I've had... 3 now I think over the past several years... have quit working in one way or another in 1-2 years (2 years TOPS). My Charge 5 had the dreaded and COMMON Black Screen failure this week and nothing can fix it based on my attempts and research. I LOVE the Fitbit but I am very concerned over these quality issues. I mean, I've had other devices last me over a decade, two decades, etc. so it's not the type of device... it's commitment to quality manufacturing, design and top notch customer service that is lacking. Google/Fitbit are committed to making disposable products now - because, that's so good for the landfills, right? And oh so good for our wallets right? Oh, and they want you to now do what everyone else and their brother is doing - "hey you, if you want to use our stuff, you're gonna have to support our profits monthly... you don't pay up monthly, we gonna cut you off..." It's like the Mob man. Getting sick of this mentality and corporate philosophy in the modern world...
Thanks for the review. The paywall is the nail in the coffin for me. I don't like to have a physical device that doesn't do it all because I didn't pay a subscription for.
I was gifted a Charge 5 last Christmas. I work out consistantly and used it to the max. Less than 1 year (yesterday) it decided to go black and stop responding. I tried the force reset but it still would not respond...Guess who just ordered a Charge 6 🤦♂️ I'm hoping for the best! Thanks for the video!
If Fitbit(Google) wants to sell me any new devices, they need to allow me to connect multiple devices to my Fitbit account, like they USED to. I'm not removing my Pixel Watch 2 from my account every time I want to use this for sleep tracking, etc. Honestly, I don't even look at any of their new devices because this limitation makes them utterly useless to me.
Google won't let Fitbit users change over with old google account or new google account. I'm not the only one having this problem. Can't use my brand new Charge 6. Even new accounts are said to be attached to Fitbit. Google watered down Sense 2 and Versa 4 , writing on the wall.
I had the Charge 5 and it died after 2 minutes in the shower. I never paid the Fitbit premium monthly. Does having the Premium plan really help your health I guess I always though if I got plenty of workouts, steps, and sleep; resulting in high SP05 ratings and fairly quick drops in pulse after a workout, that I was doing well. Comments are welcome.
I have had one for 4 days now and the step counter is insanely inaccurate. If I walk 100 steps it usually counts 100 steps. However, it counts steps when im not walking. It counts about 150 when I'm asleep. I work at home sat at a desk. After 5 hours it counts over 3000 steps when all I have done is go the kitchen a couple of times to make coffee! I gestimate it is incorrect by a factor of 10. So, even if the step counter is accurate when I'm walking, at the end of the day the final count will be worthless. Unless there is a solution I will have to return it. I contacted Fitbit support but they could not explain why is is so inaccurate.
@@alanpriest5047oh man sry to hear that. your insane step count when idle seems rly broken. mine is already shipping. let's see if I suffer your fate as well. a factor of 10 is just too much, totally ruins the validity of the stats. thanks for the reply
I have owned every fitbit made. Love the Charge as it fits nicely on my small wrist. I also have the Sense which they are discontinuing. To improve the step count make sure you set your Charge to dominant hand. It can improve your step count because it will be less sensitive.
If they're going to keep that Fitbit they need to offer quite a bit more. I also think they need to drop that price to like $3-4 and I can imagine that they would get a lot more subscribers
Should just remove the subscription completely, since it's unnecessary. I honestly think companies like Fitbit/Google only do subscription fees for the large amounts of people that just forget they are paying a subscription even after no longer using or having the device. It's not even about the features
The Charge 6 is miles better than the Charge 4. My band attacher on the fitbit itself broke off and I'm on the fence between the Mi Band 8, Huawei Band 8, Fitbit Inspire 3 and Fitbit Charge 6. I'm not looking for a perfect tracker but I want my data to be as accurate as possible. The Quantified Scientist noticed quite a few artefacts during running. Also locking FitBit features behind a paywall is putting me off.
I got the band 8 instead of the Fitbit and I'm really happy with it. It was 36 bucks and does everything I need it to do. Mind you it does not have a GPS, Google wallet or ECG, however there is no subscription and you can skip or adjust music even if it's not TH-cam music. The biggest turn off for many though is, you don't get to sync with Google Fit, if you're okay with that it's a really neat device for the price.
@@boxer1639 I didn't get anything yet. And with me wanting to replace my phone for something else, I'm debating whether I should get an LTE watch (which is not happening if there's an extra monthly fee) or a basic watch or fitness band plus a dumb phone. I'm not sure when it'll happen.
Sure, the band attachment point finally doesn't break after a few months, but the charge 6 has the worst heart rate sensor of any Fitbit I've ever used thus far. Twice a week, it consistently thinks my HR is sitting at 150 for 3-4 hours straight while I'm sitting working, and my actual HR is around 70. During intense workouts, especially cardio after 40 minutes or so, the Fitbit will randomly decide my HR is at 60 when I'm completely out of breath and pushing it, where my actual heartrate is over 150. All Fitbits are shitty, shoddy products that have zero quality control and are designed by tiny-dicked little pickle wieners at Google, who should just do the world a favor and become eunuchs.
I am Fitbit user since 2015. This year I needed to replace my old Versa 2. Thought about other brands but there really is not so much options if you need a good health tracker and want to save some money from buying Apple watch or Garmin so I ended with Charge 6 and so far so good for my needs.
This item has a range and was purchased for me from Amazon early last month and it really does help keep my hair from getting damaged but it has helped a ton in terms that are more expensive for my face shape and it really helped with eyebrows but the other one is not very expensive because the hair looks like it’s been really good 😌 it’s really good 😊 and remember the good 😌 thank everybody who came by for this purchase so far it’s so much more than just the one thing you can give you for this and it’s worth that much for your money ❤❤❤
I actually just bought one thanks to Planet Fitness getting me a deal that took $80 off, so I bought it for less. And honestly is not bad. Idk if I'll get the Premium Service, I think the regular service is fine. I like it so far. Simple and practical
@@ankuraggarwal8711 It was for a limited time only, so the deal is already over. But the only way you could've received that deal is by being a black card member ($20 monthly membership). They will always have different deals for blackcard members from time to time. That just so happened to be one for the month of December on 2023. And check the apps inbox. They send the offers on the apps inbox.
@@ankuraggarwal8711 I thought I answered your question a while back. The first one is, deals such as this one get sent to your PF app, and e-mail associated with the PF account. So always check up on them. The second, I believe you have to be a Black Card member, but don't quote me on this one. So check with your local gym. As for this particular deal, its already passed. But maybe down the road they'll offer it again with the release of a new Fitbit watch. So check your e-mail and app once in a while.
Thanks for the detailed review. My Charge 4 is just now failing, and I didn't know whether I should take this opportunity to consider other health trackers. I have been with Fitbit since Charge 2, and I really do want to stick around for as long as possible before Google digests it whole eventually. This review has helped me decide to stay a little longer.
I actually prefer the whoop with it's lack of screen. I wear real watches, so the extra display is kinda pointless for me. I don't like whoops business model of giving you the tracker for "free" but requiring a subscription to make any use of it at all. I don't think Fitbit premium is necessary for the average person. HR, workout and food tracking are the big things people really need to get a baseline idea of fitness and measure progress. I used to wear my Versa 2 all the time until I realized I didn't really need it to know I was in good shape. You eventually get to the point where you don't need the numbers to see and feel progress.
Same here. I love my whoop bit subscription is model is not something I like, I'll probably not pay again once it has expired. Also they need to release a better hardware / new model....
Did Fitbit fix the GPS issue with the wrist strap being too tight? If I recall this was a issue. But the Fitbit paywall is ridiculous, so $160 and then $9.99 or $120 a year, so let's say $280, a lot of better health trackers for that not named Fitbit. Plus like you said that's $9.99 for as long as you own it (month to month or year to year).
Was happy with my Charge 5 for nearly 18 months when the battery decided to go dead in two days vs. the previous six days life on a full charge. Fitbit was happy to offer me a 50% discount if I would buy a new tracker from them. Of course their offer excluded the now Charge 6 which is what I would've purchased. Would buy one of their smart watches if they had local music capability - I won't pay a monthly fee to have music on my smart watch. I guess it is time to take a serious look at the competition.
Note kind of misleading: the "GPS" in this video was not using the on device chipset but leveraged the connected smartphone's GNSS ("GPS") chipset. The charge 6 (like the charge 5) does have a built-in GNSS chipset but does not work as well. By default Fitbit/Google sets the charge 6 GPS setting to dynamic mode which is uses a combination of the smartphone and built-in device (charge 6) chipsets. However, in dynamic mode it mostly uses the smartphone's "GPS" chipset.
Hi sir, My doubt is about the radiation of these watch's are safe to wear around the whole day. Please make a video about SAR in smart watch and Bluetooth earphones.
I always buy Fitbits annnnnd the 2 year Asurion Insurance Coverage for 20.00, it’s anno hassle insurance policy so that when it gives me issues in three years, after the one year warranty, they replace it with no problem!
I had the Fitbit Charge 5, and the problem I always had was that I could use the heartrate tracking or the GPS, but not both. The GPS receiver was on the bottom of the watch, so if you tightened the watch enough to read your heartrate accurately, it messed with the GPS signal. I'm wondering if the Charge 6 has the same problem.
@@motosI12 Sure, but that kind of negates the purpose. If you just want to use your phone for the GPS, there are less expensive wearables you can get. There are non-GPS Fitbits, for example, that cost less money.
I saw another review suggesting that this is a problem with this watch. As someone else suggested you could do GPS on your phone but I want a watch that will track distance accurately and I find Google Maps timeline sometimes doesn't register a walk I have done at all. I am torn between the Fitbit Charge 6 and the Google Pixel watch 2. I am currently using Strava on my phone to record my walking but the added health tracking on a smart watch might be a good idea too.
thought about buying it but the paywall is probably the dealbreaker since i returned the whoop band just because of it. probably i'm going with a garmin venu 3
I just bought a Garmin VEnu SQ to replace a fitbit inspire 2 that the band attachment broke on. I went out and mowed the lawn for two hours, walking over four miles. The Garmin said I had walked 650 steps. Apparently it doesn't track steps, it tracks arm movements. Sort of pointless since it doesn't say that, it says it tracks steps. The fitbit, which was three years older, had no problem tracking steps during lawn mowing. I'm sending the Garmin back.
I've been using the Samsung Fit2 for close to five years. I find it hard to switch to anything else because of battery issues, bulkiness, and unnecessary features that often drive up the price. However, the Charge 6 seems promising. Although, I've had a bad experience with Fitbit because they tend to push their membership sign-ups.
I had an early Fitbit. I got the top of the line, and it worked pretty good at first. At that point "premium" was just a coaching application which I didn't need. After about 15 months I noticed I wasn't get detailed sleep info., then slowly other features stopped working. It really felt like forced obsolescence ! Then I ran into a woman who had the same experience. TWICE! That confirmed my suspicions. So, I swore off Fitbit. I got a Polar, because someone said the had theirs for 5 years! It's good, but more of a trekking/sports watch. So could we assume that since Fitbit is using a paywall now that they won't stop working in 15 months!? If they're going to be obsolete; they should make that clear up front. But, knowing that, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone! 😢
i wish they make it where you can locate it with a beep from your phone, i have set mine down an forgot where it was i love the way you can find your phone
That paywall was literally the only thing stopping me from getting it. If i'm spending $160 for basic things, I'd rather just fork over the extra amount for a Garmin watch or any other smart watch.
I've been using Fitbit devices for 5+ years. The Sense for 2. Never with a subscription to their paid enhanced features. I get ECG, SpO2, sleep info that meets my needs to confirm I'm healthy.
You get all the data without the subscription which is superfluous. The subscription is more for an interpretation of the data and guidance which not everyone needs.
You get most of the basic data without paying. Heart rate, steps, sleep, calories, distance, etc. What you have to pay for is stuff like sleep insights and daily readiness score.
Recently had a Charge 4 and loved the minimalistic feel and it included meilditatiin and sleep tracking while also being water proof. I was gifted the Charge 5 two Christmas' and didn't like the size. (Seemed too feminine) I'm looking at reviews for the Charge 6 and am just trying to determine if I should upgrade or just buy another Charge 4.
So I do have one question, when connecting it to my iPhone does this Fitbit 6 allow you to receive text messages while you wear it ? Or is it only to exercise?
I just got a charge 6. I am allready disliking the app. I just do not know how to use it. Its a confused but elegantly presented dumpster fire of an app.
To make fit bit premium free, even for 3 years would sell this very well. I, for one would ditch my apple watch Ultra 2 for free premium.. Or, another alternative, including fitbit premium with TH-cam premium, and may be, charge an extra couple of dollars and we have a deal. In this day and age of so many subscriptions, it gets very expensive
I suppose the subscription payment might not be a problem for those people who just want a (bit better) basic exercise watch for a reasonable price, but don't need the bells and whistles of the more expensive watches?
I agree with most of this but I had to ditch the fitbit charge as I frequently go in the ocean and this is the quickest way to destroy this device. I went through 3 in a row until I clicked what was happening.
I just ruined my Charge 5 by doing some yard work with the hose. That was enough to kill it, which is extremely frustrating given it's touted as water resistant.
I just wish it had an "Auto DND" (Do Not Disturb - senses when you're sleeping) for notifications like the Mi Bands do... They used to have it, but it was removed in a firmware update and many are pissed. Here's a sample from the Fitbit forum..."The option was removed with the mid-2020 Firmware update. You now have only Do Not Disturb and Sleep Mode which have to be turned on manually. You can set a schedule for Sleep Mode but that only works if you have a regular sleep schedule which not everyone does (any parents out there?) and doesn't help if you're trying to squeeze a nap in. No one, especially exhausted parents, is going not remember to hit DND before they crash. The Auto-Detect for sleep simply worked. Now we have to choose between removing the tracker before sleeping, remembering to hit DND, or putting up with getting notifications and being woken up the one morning you managed to be able to get a little extra time to sleep in. Come on FitBit...how much user testing did you do before removing the sleep auto-detect feature, and how many parents did you talk to?"
I have the charge 4 and 5. I love the color on #5. Zone minutes are really off on the charge 5 I get more on the charge 4 and floors tracked which the # 5 doesn't have.
I had the premium subscription for a year mainly to track my sleep. I didn't bother renewing it because it's plenty useful without it for tracking steps, calories, zone minutes and general sleep. The sleep tracking (without premium) shows you the amount of time you slept as well as how many minutes were spent in REM, light and deep sleep in actual time. Meaning it tracks the ups and downs of your sleep in a graph. I don't even remember what the premium tracked above that, other than the sleep animal, which I don't need to know.
The fact that Google took away features from my Fitbit that I paid for when they bought the company makes it almost impossible for me to buy another Fitbit. They put a really bad taste in my mouth doing stuff like that
well folks, my fitbit charge 5 just stopped working, it's on a reboot loop... after talking to google support, they told me the obvious, my device warranty expired so they won't replace it, i did get a 50% discount promo, but the last Fitbit devices, charge 4 and 5 have been like disposable plates... my charge 3 lasted forever, only replaced it because I received a newer one as a gift... anyways, now i dont know if i should but another fitbit device or go with something else, I'm tired of stuff only lasting a year or 2 at the most...
I just upgraded to the Charge 6, i've been using the Charge 3 since it came out and the only issue I faced was the wear and tear of the band. I also don't understand the premium charge as others have mentioned. I could see paying a small cost if fitbit let me sync with my peloton app so I could track all those classes. I didnt have to pay for sleep and mindful classes with my charge 3🤷🏾♀️
I got the Charge 5 when it came out and have loved it. I don’t track workouts; mainly use it to track steps, sleep, notifications and as a watch during my consults at work. I get about 10-12 days of battery life not using workout tracking and other features. And that is the biggest deterrent for me getting a proper smartwatch
How accurate is sleeping tracking?
do u use fitbit premium or just the standard ?
@@ytcontent11 just standard
I have a charge 5 sleep is very accurate I use premium but when I haven’t you can track sleep too but you don’t get a sleep profile things like that without premium I got told charge 6 is just a modern charge 5 too as to why I chose charge 5 not charge 6
Can you use stopwatch in the background without having to pause the workout tracking?
Can’t believe they are keeping Fitbit Premium.
That needs to be ditched. It defeats the purpose of a budget fitness tracker.
😂 I know
Only because of that I wouldn't by it😢
If you work at any bigger company its basically the main strategy of the 2020s. Sell any stupid subscription service. I work at an bigger hardware company that has 0 software services and they still try to figure out a way to push out an subscription service
Hail Google 🙏🏼
Not sure why everyone is saying charging for Fitbit premium is a deal breaker. It honestly doesn’t provide you with that much insight. I’ve never used their workout suggestions. Their wellness videos aren’t really all that compelling to use. The core functionality you get with any basic Fitbit is all you need to lose weight and that is why you buy these fitness trackers- to track how your fitness improves. If you really need someone to interpret the data for you (rather than looking through the graphs yourself) the. They usually give you a free subscription for a few months upon purchase of the device. I wouldn’t overlook the tracker because you don’t get fit it premium included. You don’t need it at all and it doesn’t provide much more insight than the basic data provides.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here … very helpful. I’m trying to determine which fitness tracker to get and was wondering how necessary Fitbit premium is to get the full benefit of the device.
The last time I used this, all that info was free
I will consider getting fitbit if they are going to remove premium payments.
Premium payments are optional and I find the service superfluous. I get everything I need without it.
monthly payments are unfortunately here to stay
What do you miss out for not paying the subscription??@@vripiatbuzoi9188
Irishman 🇮🇪here. Great upload as ever Mike.
The fitbit payment? It's gone beyond the ridiculous now, you'll be charged monthly for getting out of bed the way things are going 😂.
I agree I have a Fitbit Charge 6 HOWEVER I DON’T HAVE PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION
I have had the Charge 2 + Premium for YEARS. It is still working fine, charges up, etc. However, the "Zone Active" and heartrate are failing to show on the APP (my phone). Steps and sleeping monitor work and are useful. But, I want it all to work. Just ordered a Charge 6 and a nice band. Same day delivery with Amazon Prime in my area
It looks good but lack of music controls ourside of TH-cam music is a major downside, plus the fitbit premium stuff. Switched to garmin a while back and I'm very happy with it over the Fitbit
what's the Garmin competitor to this>?
Would you rather recommend fitbit charge 6 or garmin vivosmart 5?
Good choice but for me, I don’t want a smart watch. I love my analog chronometers, and the tracker is just a tracker
The fitbit paywall is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen. Why would you buy a watch that's designed for fitness and then also have to pay for the fitness separately???? Same with the google pixel watch! You just paid $350 for a watch, but no, you need to pay more for the fitness stuff???
Why did Google bother buying fitbit if the plan wasn't to integrate into google fit or scrap fit and replace it with fitbit ...
I will never understand it
I agree. Fitbit products are amazing and would sell better if premium was included, especially for those who are paying for TH-cam premium.
Theyre Woke DEI idiots. Not Engineers and businessmen.
This is got to be one of the dumbest comments I've ever seen. You just bought a TV, why do you still have to pay for cable or Netflix? You just bought headphones, why do you still have to pay for Spotify Premium??? WTF?
@@divertiti and I think you missed the point too. Google purchased Fitbit but it was kept as a separate entity. My query was why keep fit on the watch, add Fitbit and have people pay for Fitbit premium. I have used both and so didn't understand why they were not integrated or at least update fit which was their native app. Point being, Google as it usually does, confuses everything till they decide to get rid of it.
@@divertitiyou're not very bright are you?🤦🏿♂️
I got the Charge 5 when it came out and have loved it. I don’t track workouts; mainly use it to track steps, sleep, notifications and as a watch during my consults at work. I get about 10-12 days of battery life not using workout tracking and other features. And that is the biggest deterrent for me getting a proper smartwatch
Great review, I’ve had previous versions of the Charge and loved them until they stopped working. A couple years ago I switched to the Inspire which was a big change for me. Although it still works, I still prefer the Charge. Now that some of the Black Friday early sales are out and the Charge 6 is $99 at Best Buy, I think I’ll pick one up.
If you have a Sams Club membership, it is on sale there until Nov 18th for 89 and comes with an extra sport band :D
@@christachick89Best Buy has a price match guarantee so you can still purchase it for 89 at BB if you show them the Sam's price.
Cool story.
A charge over an inspire 3? Why's that? Curious.
I had a Fitbit Charge 5 and after a little more than a year stopped working : battery life 1,5 hour ; no heart beats, no steps counting , no screen on when rotating the wrists. I contacted Fitbit Customer Support Center, and that had me do several troubleshooting and resets ... all useless . The watch didn't fell, didn't get close to any magnet, no high heat, no low cold ... it just died while I was walking ...I checked on the Internet and many users had the same experience, so it's not a case , but something related to the product. Unfortunately all these type of device reviews just take in consideration the functionalities but not the quality of the hardware , or issues in the engineering of the products . I 'ld rather to pay more for something more reliable than a Fitbit Charge whatever .
Yup. Every FitBit I've had... 3 now I think over the past several years... have quit working in one way or another in 1-2 years (2 years TOPS). My Charge 5 had the dreaded and COMMON Black Screen failure this week and nothing can fix it based on my attempts and research. I LOVE the Fitbit but I am very concerned over these quality issues. I mean, I've had other devices last me over a decade, two decades, etc. so it's not the type of device... it's commitment to quality manufacturing, design and top notch customer service that is lacking. Google/Fitbit are committed to making disposable products now - because, that's so good for the landfills, right? And oh so good for our wallets right? Oh, and they want you to now do what everyone else and their brother is doing - "hey you, if you want to use our stuff, you're gonna have to support our profits monthly... you don't pay up monthly, we gonna cut you off..." It's like the Mob man. Getting sick of this mentality and corporate philosophy in the modern world...
I am not good with technology and I understood most of what you presented; thanks.
Thanks for the review. The paywall is the nail in the coffin for me. I don't like to have a physical device that doesn't do it all because I didn't pay a subscription for.
I was gifted a Charge 5 last Christmas. I work out consistantly and used it to the max. Less than 1 year (yesterday) it decided to go black and stop responding. I tried the force reset but it still would not respond...Guess who just ordered a Charge 6 🤦♂️ I'm hoping for the best! Thanks for the video!
If Fitbit(Google) wants to sell me any new devices, they need to allow me to connect multiple devices to my Fitbit account, like they USED to. I'm not removing my Pixel Watch 2 from my account every time I want to use this for sleep tracking, etc. Honestly, I don't even look at any of their new devices because this limitation makes them utterly useless to me.
Google won't let Fitbit users change over with old google account or new
google account. I'm not the only one having this problem. Can't use my brand
new Charge 6. Even new accounts are said to be attached to Fitbit.
Google watered down Sense 2 and Versa 4 , writing on the wall.
I had the Charge 5 and it died after 2 minutes in the shower.
I never paid the Fitbit premium monthly. Does having the Premium plan really help your health
I guess I always though if I got plenty of workouts, steps, and sleep; resulting in high SP05 ratings and fairly quick drops in pulse after a workout, that I was doing well. Comments are welcome.
well sir...not really sure we give a dam.
nope....looks like no one gives a dam yet. @@ladamsfrog3730
The variety of textures in the kislux pack is impressive. From smooth leather to textured suede, there's something for everyone.
I’m keeping my charge 4 just for the spotify 😂 this device is so much 1 step forward 2 steps back whyyy
Its a monopoly bro. Bast4rds got too much money up their butts haha
How long is the battery life with GPS switched on or off? Thank you.
I have had one for 4 days now and the step counter is insanely inaccurate. If I walk 100 steps it usually counts 100 steps. However, it counts steps when im not walking. It counts about 150 when I'm asleep. I work at home sat at a desk. After 5 hours it counts over 3000 steps when all I have done is go the kitchen a couple of times to make coffee! I gestimate it is incorrect by a factor of 10. So, even if the step counter is accurate when I'm walking, at the end of the day the final count will be worthless. Unless there is a solution I will have to return it. I contacted Fitbit support but they could not explain why is is so inaccurate.
Any new developments, did you end up keeping it or has it remained that inaccurate? thanks
@@p0t4t0nastick it remained inaccurate. It didn't remain with me. I returned it to Amazon and got a refund
@@alanpriest5047oh man sry to hear that. your insane step count when idle seems rly broken. mine is already shipping. let's see if I suffer your fate as well. a factor of 10 is just too much, totally ruins the validity of the stats. thanks for the reply
@p0t4t0nastick yeah. It's a shame. I really like the device but it is just not fit for purpose for my requirements
I have owned every fitbit made. Love the Charge as it fits nicely on my small wrist. I also have the Sense which they are discontinuing. To improve the step count make sure you set your Charge to dominant hand. It can improve your step count because it will be less sensitive.
If they're going to keep that Fitbit they need to offer quite a bit more. I also think they need to drop that price to like $3-4 and I can imagine that they would get a lot more subscribers
Should just remove the subscription completely, since it's unnecessary. I honestly think companies like Fitbit/Google only do subscription fees for the large amounts of people that just forget they are paying a subscription even after no longer using or having the device. It's not even about the features
but what do you get without the premium app? DO you get the sensors? the heart rate, gps? That's really what matters right?
strap an iphone to your arm lol i have seen many people do that
The Charge 6 is miles better than the Charge 4. My band attacher on the fitbit itself broke off and I'm on the fence between the Mi Band 8, Huawei Band 8, Fitbit Inspire 3 and Fitbit Charge 6. I'm not looking for a perfect tracker but I want my data to be as accurate as possible. The Quantified Scientist noticed quite a few artefacts during running. Also locking FitBit features behind a paywall is putting me off.
I got the band 8 instead of the Fitbit and I'm really happy with it. It was 36 bucks and does everything I need it to do. Mind you it does not have a GPS, Google wallet or ECG, however there is no subscription and you can skip or adjust music even if it's not TH-cam music. The biggest turn off for many though is, you don't get to sync with Google Fit, if you're okay with that it's a really neat device for the price.
What did you end up going with?
@@boxer1639 I didn't get anything yet. And with me wanting to replace my phone for something else, I'm debating whether I should get an LTE watch (which is not happening if there's an extra monthly fee) or a basic watch or fitness band plus a dumb phone. I'm not sure when it'll happen.
@@pixelgaming7261 ok cool, thank you for the reply
Sure, the band attachment point finally doesn't break after a few months, but the charge 6 has the worst heart rate sensor of any Fitbit I've ever used thus far. Twice a week, it consistently thinks my HR is sitting at 150 for 3-4 hours straight while I'm sitting working, and my actual HR is around 70. During intense workouts, especially cardio after 40 minutes or so, the Fitbit will randomly decide my HR is at 60 when I'm completely out of breath and pushing it, where my actual heartrate is over 150. All Fitbits are shitty, shoddy products that have zero quality control and are designed by tiny-dicked little pickle wieners at Google, who should just do the world a favor and become eunuchs.
This or Pixel watch 2?
I am Fitbit user since 2015. This year I needed to replace my old Versa 2. Thought about other brands but there really is not so much options if you need a good health tracker and want to save some money from buying Apple watch or Garmin so I ended with Charge 6 and so far so good for my needs.
This item has a range and was purchased for me from Amazon early last month and it really does help keep my hair from getting damaged but it has helped a ton in terms that are more expensive for my face shape and it really helped with eyebrows but the other one is not very expensive because the hair looks like it’s been really good 😌 it’s really good 😊 and remember the good 😌 thank everybody who came by for this purchase so far it’s so much more than just the one thing you can give you for this and it’s worth that much for your money ❤❤❤
@mike what would you suggest today Apple Watch or Fitbit ?? I don’t know if Google is sunsetting the fitbits !!
It's $99 for black Friday now
I actually just bought one thanks to Planet Fitness getting me a deal that took $80 off, so I bought it for less. And honestly is not bad. Idk if I'll get the Premium Service, I think the regular service is fine. I like it so far. Simple and practical
how did planet fitness got you a deal ? because I have a membership with them as well
@@ankuraggarwal8711 It was for a limited time only, so the deal is already over. But the only way you could've received that deal is by being a black card member ($20 monthly membership). They will always have different deals for blackcard members from time to time. That just so happened to be one for the month of December on 2023.
And check the apps inbox. They send the offers on the apps inbox.
What fueters are behind the paywall?
@@ankuraggarwal8711 I thought I answered your question a while back.
The first one is, deals such as this one get sent to your PF app, and e-mail associated with the PF account. So always check up on them. The second, I believe you have to be a Black Card member, but don't quote me on this one. So check with your local gym. As for this particular deal, its already passed. But maybe down the road they'll offer it again with the release of a new Fitbit watch. So check your e-mail and app once in a while.
@@eyeofsauron2812 I don't understand your question
Thanks for the detailed review. My Charge 4 is just now failing, and I didn't know whether I should take this opportunity to consider other health trackers. I have been with Fitbit since Charge 2, and I really do want to stick around for as long as possible before Google digests it whole eventually. This review has helped me decide to stay a little longer.
I only got one clock face not the dozen or so they show online that I could install. How do a get an analog looking face ?
I’m not paying for Premium!
I just sold my Charge 5. Is the only difference the Google maps? I had found it accurate just not many features.
Great review! What features do I miss out on without the subscription? Are there any smartwatches without paywalls?
In India it's like 1 dollar💀
I actually prefer the whoop with it's lack of screen. I wear real watches, so the extra display is kinda pointless for me. I don't like whoops business model of giving you the tracker for "free" but requiring a subscription to make any use of it at all. I don't think Fitbit premium is necessary for the average person. HR, workout and food tracking are the big things people really need to get a baseline idea of fitness and measure progress. I used to wear my Versa 2 all the time until I realized I didn't really need it to know I was in good shape. You eventually get to the point where you don't need the numbers to see and feel progress.
Same here. I love my whoop bit subscription is model is not something I like, I'll probably not pay again once it has expired. Also they need to release a better hardware / new model....
Did Fitbit fix the GPS issue with the wrist strap being too tight? If I recall this was a issue.
But the Fitbit paywall is ridiculous, so $160 and then $9.99 or $120 a year, so let's say $280, a lot of better health trackers for that not named Fitbit.
Plus like you said that's $9.99 for as long as you own it (month to month or year to year).
still has the gps issue. Interesting they didn't fix that. For running/ walking without your phone it's pretty rubbish
I have the charge 5 and have never had this issue. I wear mine really tight w no problems
Was happy with my Charge 5 for nearly 18 months when the battery decided to go dead in two days vs. the previous six days life on a full charge. Fitbit was happy to offer me a 50% discount if I would buy a new tracker from them. Of course their offer excluded the now Charge 6 which is what I would've purchased. Would buy one of their smart watches if they had local music capability - I won't pay a monthly fee to have music on my smart watch. I guess it is time to take a serious look at the competition.
Just switched to Garmin after 10.yrs thanks to Googles BS
Same thing happened to me.... I wonder if others are seeing this pattern too...
But is ECG comes free with watch or do we need extra subscription for many other features?
Note kind of misleading: the "GPS" in this video was not using the on device chipset but leveraged the connected smartphone's GNSS ("GPS") chipset. The charge 6 (like the charge 5) does have a built-in GNSS chipset but does not work as well. By default Fitbit/Google sets the charge 6 GPS setting to dynamic mode which is uses a combination of the smartphone and built-in device (charge 6) chipsets. However, in dynamic mode it mostly uses the smartphone's "GPS" chipset.
Very helpful!
Which watch do u use?
I’m trying to find one that will be some what accurate. I have versa 4 and it’s not even close
@@addictedtorun2027 I'm using a Garmin Epix Pro.
Hi sir, My doubt is about the radiation of these watch's are safe to wear around the whole day. Please make a video about SAR in smart watch and Bluetooth earphones.
Gay
Can you use the stopwatch while tracking workouts? In the background? And not having to pause the actual workout?
I always buy Fitbits annnnnd the 2 year Asurion Insurance Coverage for 20.00, it’s anno hassle insurance policy so that when it gives me issues in three years, after the one year warranty, they replace it with no problem!
I had the Fitbit Charge 5, and the problem I always had was that I could use the heartrate tracking or the GPS, but not both. The GPS receiver was on the bottom of the watch, so if you tightened the watch enough to read your heartrate accurately, it messed with the GPS signal. I'm wondering if the Charge 6 has the same problem.
you can use your phone for GPS connection
@@motosI12 Sure, but that kind of negates the purpose. If you just want to use your phone for the GPS, there are less expensive wearables you can get. There are non-GPS Fitbits, for example, that cost less money.
@@motosI12 kind of defeats the purpose of a smart band, other smart bands can do both
I saw another review suggesting that this is a problem with this watch. As someone else suggested you could do GPS on your phone but I want a watch that will track distance accurately and I find Google Maps timeline sometimes doesn't register a walk I have done at all. I am torn between the Fitbit Charge 6 and the Google Pixel watch 2. I am currently using Strava on my phone to record my walking but the added health tracking on a smart watch might be a good idea too.
thought about buying it but the paywall is probably the dealbreaker since i returned the whoop band just because of it. probably i'm going with a garmin venu 3
Just switched to Venu after 10 yrs of FB. Google has ruined it.
I just bought a Garmin VEnu SQ to replace a fitbit inspire 2 that the band attachment broke on. I went out and mowed the lawn for two hours, walking over four miles. The Garmin said I had walked 650 steps. Apparently it doesn't track steps, it tracks arm movements. Sort of pointless since it doesn't say that, it says it tracks steps. The fitbit, which was three years older, had no problem tracking steps during lawn mowing. I'm sending the Garmin back.
Boo to subscriptions. The Fitbit paywall, on top of the TH-cam Music one since you can only control that music, is so aggressive.
I've been using the Samsung Fit2 for close to five years. I find it hard to switch to anything else because of battery issues, bulkiness, and unnecessary features that often drive up the price. However, the Charge 6 seems promising. Although, I've had a bad experience with Fitbit because they tend to push their membership sign-ups.
My Fitbit stopped charging after three and a half months. Fitbit did not honor my warranty because I had bought it at Amazon!!! DO NOT BUY A FITBIT!
I had an early Fitbit. I got the top of the line, and it worked pretty good at first. At that point "premium" was just a coaching application which I didn't need.
After about 15 months I noticed I wasn't get detailed sleep info., then slowly other features stopped working.
It really felt like forced obsolescence !
Then I ran into a woman who had the same experience. TWICE!
That confirmed my suspicions.
So, I swore off Fitbit.
I got a Polar, because someone said the had theirs for 5 years! It's good, but more of a trekking/sports watch.
So could we assume that since Fitbit is using a paywall now that they won't stop working in 15 months!?
If they're going to be obsolete; they should make that clear up front.
But, knowing that, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone! 😢
I had the same experience with my fitbit versa and my charge 5. I was curious about the Charge 6. I came to TH-cam to see the reviews
i wish they make it where you can locate it with a beep from your phone, i have set mine down an forgot where it was i love the way you can find your phone
Every is fine, I have a problem with charging, Charger doesn't work. Please your show from the beginning. Charging Thanks
If I’m going to use one mostly for exercise should I buy an apple se or the Fitbit charge 6?
I was on Amazon getting ready to buy as I listened to this. I'm not getting it bc of the "paywall" 😂
This is actually a good review.
Is it compatible with iPhone 16 pro max
This vid was really useful, I was wondering about the accuracy and cost/benefits of this device, so thanks for looking into that.
Not buying just because of Fitbit premium
Great review Mike, thank you!
Did anyone noticed that it is always off regarding calories calculated ? It is off by 1800 calories for me !
That paywall was literally the only thing stopping me from getting it. If i'm spending $160 for basic things, I'd rather just fork over the extra amount for a Garmin watch or any other smart watch.
Do you need fitbit subscription to use it? what do you miss out on without the subscription?
I've been using Fitbit devices for 5+ years. The Sense for 2. Never with a subscription to their paid enhanced features. I get ECG, SpO2, sleep info that meets my needs to confirm I'm healthy.
@@carll2222 cool! thank you) i haven’t had one before, so i wasn’t sure.
You get all the data without the subscription which is superfluous. The subscription is more for an interpretation of the data and guidance which not everyone needs.
Am I the only one who noticed him wearing his gold ring with Cable protector on it, to make it tight I guess😅
Iwould have swallowed the paywall... but in the feedback the altimeter was something many people ask to return. Without the floor is a no go.
Mine finally broke after about a year and a half but i loved it when it was working. Didn't pay for any subscription though
Do you have to pay monthly to get your steps, ecg, heart rate?
What do you get or not get if you don’t want to pay monthly?
You get most of the basic data without paying. Heart rate, steps, sleep, calories, distance, etc. What you have to pay for is stuff like sleep insights and daily readiness score.
The armbands on the charge 4 are causing some skin irritations on my wrist. Not sure if this is a known issue
Hello fellow Mike OBrien. It's nice to meet another one
is this compatible with strava?
Great video review 💯💪🏾
the premium and not letting Spotify play blew me
Recently had a Charge 4 and loved the minimalistic feel and it included meilditatiin and sleep tracking while also being water proof. I was gifted the Charge 5 two Christmas' and didn't like the size. (Seemed too feminine)
I'm looking at reviews for the Charge 6 and am just trying to determine if I should upgrade or just buy another Charge 4.
Should iPhone users get this too?
So I do have one question, when connecting it to my iPhone does this Fitbit 6 allow you to receive text messages while you wear it ? Or is it only to exercise?
Yes
I had the Charge 5 for 3 weeks... The metal sensor melted my skin lol...
I just got a charge 6. I am allready disliking the app. I just do not know how to use it. Its a confused but elegantly presented dumpster fire of an app.
What are some alternatives without the pay wall
None
@@yoaiou uuuhhh, sure there are. As a matter of fact, Fitbit is probably the worst
The problem with Fitbit from what I’ve been told is the battery longevity. I’ve heard you won’t get more than a year with the same watch.
Since he has a problem with this being $160 how about now that its black friday and its $99 is it worth it now?
To make fit bit premium free, even for 3 years would sell this very well. I, for one would ditch my apple watch Ultra 2 for free premium.. Or, another alternative, including fitbit premium with TH-cam premium, and may be, charge an extra couple of dollars and we have a deal. In this day and age of so many subscriptions, it gets very expensive
I suppose the subscription payment might not be a problem for those people who just want a (bit better) basic exercise watch for a reasonable price, but don't need the bells and whistles of the more expensive watches?
I agree with most of this but I had to ditch the fitbit charge as I frequently go in the ocean and this is the quickest way to destroy this device. I went through 3 in a row until I clicked what was happening.
I just ruined my Charge 5 by doing some yard work with the hose. That was enough to kill it, which is extremely frustrating given it's touted as water resistant.
Nice review that answered a lot of my questions. Can you address step accuracy,. please? Does it count vigorous handwashing or typing as steps?
it counts everything as steps... walking, running slepping, breating, wind in your hair... everything
@@alanpriest5047 Oh, dear - I was afraid of that. Thanks!
Does it still have the same charging apparatus?
As soon as you said they had the pay wall I was out. Wanted this to track my sleep. Guess Ill look else where
Do the notifications make a noise to notify you?
Thanks for the review!
I just wish it had an "Auto DND" (Do Not Disturb - senses when you're sleeping) for notifications like the Mi Bands do... They used to have it, but it was removed in a firmware update and many are pissed. Here's a sample from the Fitbit forum..."The option was removed with the mid-2020 Firmware update. You now have only Do Not Disturb and Sleep Mode which have to be turned on manually. You can set a schedule for Sleep Mode but that only works if you have a regular sleep schedule which not everyone does (any parents out there?) and doesn't help if you're trying to squeeze a nap in. No one, especially exhausted parents, is going not remember to hit DND before they crash. The Auto-Detect for sleep simply worked. Now we have to choose between removing the tracker before sleeping, remembering to hit DND, or putting up with getting notifications and being woken up the one morning you managed to be able to get a little extra time to sleep in. Come on FitBit...how much user testing did you do before removing the sleep auto-detect feature, and how many parents did you talk to?"
It has that lol
Does it have storage space and can I connect earphone with it?
No
I have the charge 4 and 5. I love the color on #5. Zone minutes are really off on the charge 5 I get more on the charge 4 and floors tracked which the # 5 doesn't have.
Does it work with a heart rate chest belt ?
Is it still worth it without the premium subscription?
I had the premium subscription for a year mainly to track my sleep. I didn't bother renewing it because it's plenty useful without it for tracking steps, calories, zone minutes and general sleep. The sleep tracking (without premium) shows you the amount of time you slept as well as how many minutes were spent in REM, light and deep sleep in actual time. Meaning it tracks the ups and downs of your sleep in a graph. I don't even remember what the premium tracked above that, other than the sleep animal, which I don't need to know.
How much is it?
The fact that Google took away features from my Fitbit that I paid for when they bought the company makes it almost impossible for me to buy another Fitbit. They put a really bad taste in my mouth doing stuff like that
Nice reviews
Love from India ❤
Well presented. I like the colour of this devise.
What do you think about that Fitbit Paywall? I was ready to buy until he disclosed the Paywall. Deal breaker.
Why deal breaker when it's optional.
What are you doing with this thing? I log 11 different workouts a week and get like 8 days of wear
u planning on doin the xiaomi watch 2 pro?
The paywall sucks I was about to buy It, but changed my mind.
well folks, my fitbit charge 5 just stopped working, it's on a reboot loop... after talking to google support, they told me the obvious, my device warranty expired so they won't replace it, i did get a 50% discount promo, but the last Fitbit devices, charge 4 and 5 have been like disposable plates... my charge 3 lasted forever, only replaced it because I received a newer one as a gift... anyways, now i dont know if i should but another fitbit device or go with something else, I'm tired of stuff only lasting a year or 2 at the most...
Gah I really don't understand the paywall every company is doing now. Paying for the device should be all the money they get from me.
I didn't find an auto brightness feature on charge 6. Is that a bug? Because the official website states that it has an ambient light sensor.