Boost Your Training With The New Fitbit product.
The long-awaited Fitbit Charge HR fitness tracker is released at last and it proves to be one of 2015’s most interesting fitness gadgets so far. Fitbit has a long and popular row of training gadgets with the Zip, One, Flex, and Charge, but this is the first one with its own integrated heart rate sensor.
Update 2018: Read about the brand new Fitbit Ionic here.
The previously mentioned devices are all motivational tools that in the end will help you in the often long way of getting in shape and increase your health. The Fitbit Charge HR is especially good at tracking your daily activity statistics and is maybe the best on the market today.
The updated HR version of the Charge is supposed to be worn by more serious athletes, but can of course also be used for normal people. Experienced trainers will find that a gadget like this is perfect for checking their progress.
Heart Rate Sensor inside
The large news with this version is, as you might have guessed, the optical heart rate sensor which constantly measures your pulse. The system is called PurePulse and a couple of LEDs on the inside of the band lights on your skin and the reflected light can be interpreted by the sensor to figure out how fast your heart pumps blood through your body.
PurePulse HR sensor on the inside
A heart rate sensor is alpha and omega for maximum training efficiency. I have written an article about why you should track your pulse and workout in heart rate zones. You can read the article here or click the link below. This is equally important if your goal is to burn fat or boost your cardio health.
Maximum Heart Rate and Training Zones
Functions
Even if the heart rate sensor is the most interesting and important feature on this fitness gadget compared to others, it contains all the features the Charge (without HR) and similar units has had. It has sleep monitor which means you can wear the band twenty-four hours a day – expect when charging.
The activity tracker monitors your daily steps, distance, calories burned and flight of stairs. It tells you the time and has a stop watch function when you hold the button.
This gadget is perfect for athletes.
The fitness tracker has two modes which are Workout mode and All Day Activity mode. The first one tracks current workouts and the second the whole day of activity. All the data, even if it’s your sleep hours or training statistics, are automatically synced to your smartphone or tablet where it’s presented with illustrative graphs that are easy to interpret.
When paired up with a smartphone you’ll see call notifications, Caller ID, on the display on the wristband. This only works if your phone is nearby the Fitbit Charge HR band but is a neat feature that allows you to take a quick look at your wrist when the phone rings, and you’re in a running session. If it’s someone important, you can decide if you should take it or not.
At night, the band will automatically monitor your sleep and check how many hours you had good, deep sleep. In the morning, it wakes you up with a silent vibrating alarm which wakens only you at a chosen time. I have yet to discover that sleep monitoring is really helpful, but I tend to use it to see how many times my one-year-old daughter is up each night.
Design
The fitness band is made of a sturdy rubber-like material with a nice original look. It comes in 4 colors which are black, purple, blue and orange. They call the purple color Plum and orange color Tangerine. Some colors were unavailable when this article was written. The grooves don’t gather much dust even if the surface isn’t smooth.
It is light weight and very comfortable to wear which is important on a wristband designed to be used all day around. It comes in two sizes, Small and Large so be sure to get the correct one for you.
Fitbit Charge HR from the front and side
It has a new metal latch design which is totally secure and an upgrade from the original Charge. This HR version has a pin entering a hole in a way which makes it impossible to lose the wearable, much like ordinary clocks.
The band has a small OLED display which gives you the information you need. Clicking the button on the side will show you in the time, your steps, real-time heart rate, distance, estimated calories burned and flight of stairs. The idle clock function works great and it’s possible to tweak a bit how the watch looks with different fonts.
Is it waterproof?
The answer may disappoint you, but it probably doesn’t matter if you aren’t planning to buy an activity tracker for swimming. For some reason, Fitbit hasn’t rated the tracker as really waterproof, but it is water resistant to 1 ATM.
Usually, on these gadgets, it has something to do with the optical heart rate sensors which are more open to the environments. It is supposed to handle rain, but make sure you remove it from your wrist when entering the shower or pool. It was the same thing with the Withings Pulse O2 Activity Tracker.
If you need a waterproof activity tracker for swimming, I can recommend the TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio GPS Watch.
Sync it to the easy-to-use Fitbit app
It’s necessary to install the easy-to-use Fitbit app on a smartphone or tablet you use daily. I addition to viewing the collected data with nice illustrative graphics and graphs, you can share results with your friends and community and compete with others. If you get the routine to log food in the app, you will get an accurate estimate of calories burned.
The rest of your statistics are easily lined up on the screen and present a great overview of your training. Fitbit is well known for having an app which is very easy to use.
When your personal goals are reached, you’ll get awarded with badges in the app which is surely very motivational.
Previous post: Use Misfit Flash as Smart Home Remote
Battery
The battery life is quite long and lasts for seven days. I would say that’s above average. According to Fitbit themselves, they are safe and estimates it to be around 5+ days. It takes around an hour to charge it up again with a cable put into a USB charger or PC.
24 hours a day wearable tech
The Verdict
This is a fitness tracker which does a great job measuring your whole day activity. The heart rate sensor works well for running and training. You may think it’s a bit expensive, but I’m sure you’ll find it’s worth it when you see all that it can do. I would say this product is perhaps the best personal fitness tracker you get nowadays.
| Pros + | Cons – |
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What’s In The Box?
- The activity tracker wristband (Large or Small)
- USB charging cable
- USB dongle for synchronization and setup
- Free membership to fitbit.com
- Free Fitbit App
Where Can I Buy Fitbit Charge HR?
Get Free Shipping if you buy it on the Fitbit Store or use Amazon.
If you are in or close to USA click the top link to check recent price and additional info. If you are in or close to United Kingdom, click the bottom link.
Be sure to check the size! It comes in Small and Large.
More Info or Questions
If you want more info before buying, be sure to check out the reviews from other users here.
What others say:
“The heart rate monitor is also very accurate–the results match my Garmin (with the chest strap).” – By RUBI2S
“Bottom line; the Charge HR is well worth the money. No product is perfect but this one does perform as promised.” – By Kristopher Baker
“Lastly, I really like the addition of Caller ID functionality! It has helped a lot when I run – if it’s my boss calling, I’ll stop and answer the call! If it’s my mother-in-law.. I might wait until my jog is over.” – ByJohn Senko
Do you have any questions or comments on my Fitbit Charge HR review, do not hesitate leave a comment below.
Specification chart
| General Design: | |
|---|---|
| Type | Wristband |
| Dimension | 8.2 x 0.8 x 0.4 inches |
| Size | Small 14-17 cm and Large 16-20 cm |
| Materials | Rubber-like material and steel buckle |
| Interaction | Button |
| Interface | OLED display |
| Battery Type | Rechargeable battery |
| Battery Life | 5-7 days |
| Charge Time | Between 1 and 2 hours |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Purple ('Plum') and Orange ('Tangerine') |
| Water-Resistant | Yes, 1 ATM |
| Water-Proof (depth) | - |
| Sensor | 3 axis accelerometer |
| It Tracks: | |
|---|---|
| Steps Taken | Yes |
| Flight of Stairs | Yes |
| Distance | Yes |
| Activity time | Yes |
| Calories Burned | Yes |
| Sleep Duration and Quality | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes (PurePulse integrated HR sensor) |
| Pulse Oximeter | - |
| 24/7 (All day) | Yes |
| Other features: | |
|---|---|
| Inactivity/Idle Alert | - |
| Time | Yes |
| Silent Vibration Alarm | Yes |
| Caller ID | Yes |
| Music Control | - |
| Trophies/Rewards | Yes in App |
| Connectivity: | |
|---|---|
| Wirelss or USB | Both |
| Device Compatibility | Windows, Android and iOS |
| Sync Method | Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Mobile App | Fitbit App |
FITBIT is an awesome product based on your review. Having the ability to monitor your heart rate at all times is really going to save lives. Heart attack and stokes are silent killers. Thanks for sharing for sharing this with your visitors.
Thanks! Fitbit has awesome products, and this new version of the Charge with built in HR sensor is really cool I think. Heart rate sensors are mainly used for training purposes. The Withings Wireless Smartphone Blood Pressure Monitor gadget is more suited for checking if your blood pressure send you any dangerous signals.
But people should always consult a doctor if they suspect high or low blood pressure and not trust a gadget. 🙂
Take care.
Hey Andreas – thanks for the detailed info on the Charge HR – fitbit seem to be the leaders in fitness tracking, would you agree or is there someone better?
Awesome that it now comes with the heart rate sensor. Makes it a seriously useful tool!
Hi Nate! Fitbit has for sure made a name for themselves in the activity tracker market. I often hear people talk about them like ‘Fitbit’ is synonymous with fitness trackers. “I train with my fitbit.”
Of course there are a few other brands and products I like in particular like the Garmin VivoSmart and the Withings Pulse O2 which is packed with technology. The O2 has a built in heart rate monitor as well like the Charge HR.
Take care. 🙂
Hi Andreas
Very thorough and easy to follow review. I exercise a lot and being healthy has always been important to me. I am writing this in my workout clothes having just come back from the gym! But I have never tried the Fitbit although I have often heard of it. I think we all get into a rut when we exercise so this could be something useful for me to keep me motivated and to push myself from session to session. A tad expensive but then again less so than a personal trainer 🙂
Hi Emily!
Thanks for your comment. I find activity trackers to be very useful for motivation. I work the whole day in front of a PC and such monitoring of my movements has really made me aware of how little I in periods actually move. Every other day or so I go for a run or train in other ways, but the days I don’t have time I at least try to walk a decent amount of steps.
I agree it can be a bit pricey, at least as a entering-level fitness tracker. Fitbit has several other alternatives like the Charge (without heart rate sensor) and the Flex. Or you could go for something like Garmin Vivofit. You can find even cheaper fitness trackers too.
Hope this site is helpfull. 🙂
Take care.
Excellent review Andreas and a really good read. When you sync it to your smart phone or tablet, do you get a breakdown of your different pulse speeds etc? I know you said you get a graph but what does the graph tell you. And does it show missed beats? Just interested to know.
Thanks, Olive