Fitbit Charge 4 Advanced Fitness Tracker with GPS, Swim Tracking & Up To 7 Day Battery

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Plus Fitbit Pay is now available on all Charge 4 models, not just the more expensive Special Edition. The Charge series has always been workout-focused, and the Fitbit Charge 4 was a real game-changer when it arrived in 2020 thanks to its onboard GPS, which allowed wearers to track runs, walks, and bike rides without carrying their phones.

NB the Fitbit 4 is the last Fitbit to include an altimeter which measures climb in staircases, so better than the 5 and 6 if you are interested in fitness. For me, it's about getting everything Fitbit offers, including GPS, in a slimmer package than the Versa 2. As a fitness tracker, the Charge 4 logs your workouts, sleep, and overall health with flying colors — and it does so while only needing to be charged once per week. why doesnt Fitbit try to provide a tracker or two geared to Seniors which is simpler and easier to operate? The only other current Fitbit wearable with GPS is the ageing Fitbit Ionic smartwatch; neither of the firm’s more affordable Versa and Versa Lite watches has it, nor does the outgoing Fitbit Charge 3 or any of the cheaper fitness trackers.

The lack of a color screen isn't much of a drawback in general use, but does make the various watch faces less attractive than we'd like, and means those packed with more data can be tricky to read due to their numerous shades of gray. Not by enough to be too worried about, but if you’re running longer distances of 10km plus you might want to look at something more accurate.

Both the Fitbit Charge 4 and Charge 5 are slender devices, with a narrow rectangular case that sits flush with the band.Fitbit has also brought its Smart Wake feature to the Charge 4; the company says it uses machine learning to know the best time to rouse you from your slumber, a feature my toddler has perfected without the assistance of advanced algorithms.

You'll be asked to select a plan (either monthly or annual) and enter payment details before you can get started, but you won’t be charged until the initial three months are up. The majority of the software navigation is done by swiping and tapping, and there’s a single inductive button on the left side of the case for going back and launching Fitbit Pay.When you see a contactless or mobile payments symbol at the register, press and hold the left button on the Charge 4 for two seconds. Finally, to battery life, which is quoted at seven days without GPS and five hours of continuous GPS use. The accompanying app is also superb, though you'll need to invest in Fitbit Premium (or at least give the free trial a spin) to really get the most from it. I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. Once you're in, you'll find that everything within the app is easily accessible through large tiles – no trawling through menus.