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Fitbit Charge 4 tested: jogging without a smartphone, but with GPS

26.5.2020

Translation: machine translated

I don't like taking my smartphone with me when I go jogging. So it's just right that Fitbit has equipped the Charge 4 with GPS. But the fitness tracker is also practical for everyday use.

Lately, only the Ionic from the Fitbit range of wearables had GPS on board. Even the Versa 2 with Alexa as a voice assistant retrieves the location data from the connected smartphone. Over the generations, the range of functions of the Charge models has increased and has now reached GPS and NFC for mobile payments with the Charge 4.

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Convenient, informative wristband

The Charge 4 sits comfortably on the wrist and doesn't get in the way at the desk, during sport or when putting on and taking off a jumper. The clasp sits securely but is still easy to open and close. I wear the fitness tracker a little looser in everyday life, but this doesn't cause any problems for the heart rate monitor. For sports, I tighten the strap by two holes to prevent it from flapping.

The Fitbit Charge 4's display is monochrome and shows several shades of grey. I am satisfied with the automatic brightness setting so far. Even when jogging in bright sunlight, I can see all the important information at a glance. This is no longer the case with the colourful displays of the Versa family and the Ionic since the last colour change.

Fitbit promises a battery life of up to seven days. This is definitely possible. In my case, the Charge 4 loses around 13 per cent of its battery charge per day with continuous heart rate measurement. Even with small deviations, this is enough for a week of use. However, if you switch on GPS, the battery life shortens rapidly. Around 30 per cent is then lost in an hour. This is fine for occasional jogging, but not for long bike rides - and you need to be travelling fast for a marathon.

Pulse sensor and charging contact on the underside.

The charger can only be used for the Charge 4. It requires a USB-A port and fortunately works quickly. The 20 minutes in the bath after running are enough to charge more than enough energy for a typical day's ration.

The Fitbit Charge 4 is mainly operated via the display. You swipe across the touchscreen and tap icons. There is also an invisible button on the left-hand side that cannot actually be pressed, but confirms a touch with a slight vibration. As a little more pressure is required, I usually pressed both sides of the fitness tracker to use the button. Among other things, it is used to interrupt and end an activity measurement and to go back one step in the menu. If the display does not switch on automatically when you raise your arm, you can activate it using the button and switch it off if necessary if the set waiting time for automatic switch-off is too long. For me, this is four seconds.

The button on the side is a small notch.

Sport, exercise and sleep

The Charge 4 counts your steps, measures your heart rate and calculates calories burned. The fitness tracker also counts floors climbed and monitors your sleep - including deep sleep and REM phases. New compared to other Fitbit wearables are the "active zone minutes", which replace the "active minutes". Your heart rate must reach at least the fat-burning zone to collect these minutes. They are based on a recommendation from the American Heart Association, which recommends 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.

Depending on the selected watch face, you can see the current status of one or more of these parameters directly on the "start page" of the Charge 4. With a swipe gesture from bottom to top, you can call them all up in a clear list. One number should suffice as information here. If you want to view or analyse the data in more detail, you need to open the Fitbit app.

Fitbit's automatic activity detection is on board the Charge 4. This means that you don't have to switch on tracking for every activity. The fitness tracker recognises walking and cycling very well, but does not switch on the GPS automatically. For other activities, however, a general indication such as "sport" is often given. If this is not enough for you, you can rename them afterwards. If things are going well, the software will automatically recognise the Tango hours over time, for example.

You can actively track six different activities with the Charge 4: running, cycling, swimming, treadmill, outdoor training and walking. The GPS also switches on here when it makes sense and can also be deactivated in the respective settings. I have learnt to appreciate the car break when jogging and cycling in the city. I no longer had to press the pause button myself at traffic lights so as not to mess up my pace.

I was initially confused by the fact that activity tracking doesn't start after clicking on "Start", but that the GPS is switched on first and I have to start tracking with another tap. During sport, the wristband vibrates every time I change the heart rate zone. This can be helpful information, but it can also be very annoying. Depending on how you train. Fortunately, this notification can be switched off in the settings.

The symbols for the sports are animated, but the shutter speed of the camera swallows up half of them.

Notifications and little helpers

The Charge 4 is more than just your good or bad sports conscience. If it is connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth, it shows you notifications. In the Fitbit app, you can select which ones you want. You can choose from calls, text messages, appointments, emails and all apps that you select from the list. You can reject or accept calls directly on your wrist, but you should also have your smartphone close to your ear. Depending on the formatting, you can even read the entire content of emails and archive, delete or open them directly on your smartphone.

Other functions include a remote control for Spotify, a calendar and a weather display. A connection to the smartphone is required for these functions. You can use the timer and alarm clock as well as the relax function independently of your mobile. The latter guides you to breathe calmly for two or five minutes. As the wearable vibrates on your wrist, you can lie down comfortably and close your eyes.

If your bank or payment service provider participates in Fitbit Pay (overview), you can make contactless payments with the Charge 4.

Perfect for me

The Fitbit Charge 4 is a fitness tracker with a large, if not the largest, range of functions currently available. For me, all wearables that can do more fall into the category of sports watch or smartwatch. The Charge 4 is ideal for my needs. Its range of functions suits my sporting activities and I can go jogging without a smartphone. It sits comfortably on my wrist and is easy to use. The short battery life with active GPS is not a problem for my sporting activities.

Smartwatches

Fitbit Charge 4

28.80 mm

If you don't need GPS in your fitness tracker, the Inspire or Inspire HR - with heart rate measurement - as an affordable alternative if you want to stick with Fitbit. If other manufacturers are also considered, the Mi Smart Band 4 from Xiaomi is still unbeatable in terms of price for its range of functions.

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Jan Johannsen

Senior Editor

Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.de

When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.

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