The new Fitbit Charge 5 sports a sleeker design that’s ten per cent thinner than its predecessor and an AMOLED colour touchscreen that’s twice as bright.
And following in the footsteps of the Fitbit Sense, the new Fitbit Charge 5 is also equipped with an Electrodermal Activity (EDA) sensor to measure the body’s response to stress. The ECG app, which can be used to detect Atrial fibrillation (AFib), will soon be available on Charge 5. With round the clock tracking, the Charge 5 will notify you if your heart rate is above or below typical ranges, as these may be an indication of a heart condition that requires medical attention. The one caveat is that it’s not designed for use by young people under 22.
Other measurable wellness metrics include breathing rate, skin temperature variation, SpO2 and sleep evaluation. The Charge 5 also has a built-in GPS, 20 exercise modes, automatic exercise recognition and can estimate V02 max. Despite all these features, the battery is also large enough to stretch up to seven days.
The Charge 5 also supports contactless payments as well as notifications from your smartphone. If you’re using Android, you can send quick replies as well.
It’s also easy to change up the Charge 5’s look, thanks to a ready choice of lightweight silicone infinity bands, breathable sport bands, plush nylon hook and loop bands, and hand-crafted premium Horween leather bands.
Fitbit Premium
It seems that the Charge 5 is designed with Fitbit Premium in mind that’s where most of the best features are. However, the Charge 5 does come with six months of Fitbit Premium included so you can evaluate for yourself. Fitbit Premium will be offering a new Daily Readiness experience (Charge 5, Sense, Versa 3, Versa 2, Luxe and Inspire 2), which can help you understand if you should work out or prioritise recovery.
It does this by calculating a score every morning based on your fitness fatigue (activity), heart rate variability (HRV) and recent sleep quality. Fitbit says that the service will also generate an analysis of what impacted that score and will also offer suggestions, such as a recommended target Active Zone Minutes goal.
Premium users can also access over 200 workouts from certified trainers and popular brands like Daily Burn, barre, obé and LES MILLS. For mental wellness, there’s over 300 meditation and mindfulness sessions from the likes of Ten Percent Happier and Deepak Chopra. Premium members will also have access to deeper analysis and guidance to improve sleep quality. Fitbit will also be partnering with Calm to provide Premium members with Calm content.
Charge 5 will retail for $288 starting 4 October 2021, and includes a six-month Premium membership. The Charge 5 will be available at major retailers such as Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, E- Gadget, Gain City, Harvey Norman, online at Amazon and Fitbit’s Official Store on Lazada and Shopee. You can also pre-order online at Fitbit.com.
