When you’re not working out, you’ll appreciate smartphone notifications that can be read, opened on your phone, or dismissed with a single tap, as well as convenient call alerts to ensure that nothing important goes to voicemail. Fitbit Pay accepts contactless payments, and you’ll receive regular reminders to get up, stretch, and reflect on the previous day’s accomplishments. It’s essentially a good fitness watch in the form of a band. The Charge 5 has the appearance of a bracelet rather than a watch, with a slim chassis and an equally narrow strap that comes in two length options and more sold separately. Straps are interchangeable, even more so than on the Apple Watch, thanks to a small clasp that can be lifted on each side of the chassis. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly secure on your wrist. While the Charge 4’s display was lacking, the Charge 5 features an AMOLED display with pure blacks surrounding the more colourful elements. The contrast really helps elements like the time on the home screen stand out in a way that the previous entry simply couldn’t. On sunny days, it’s also simple to read and interact with. That’s a good thing, because the Charge 5 lacks physical buttons. Unlike Apple, which relies on a digital crown and a button, Fitbit is entirely focused on prodding your watch’s display. The Fitbit Charge 5 feels like the Swiss Army Knife of fitness trackers, and some features are bound to be more useful than others. Not only does the Charge 5 include basic features like heart rate tracking and step counting, but it will also track your workout using built-in GPS, which is impressive given its small size. But that’s not all. The Charge 5 comes with an ECG app as well as a new electrodermal activity (EDA) tracker. The ECG tracker will detect atrial fibrillation, whereas the EDA test will detect sweat secretion, which can be a sign of stress. There’s also a library of mindfulness sessions to help you reduce stress, with various length exercises to fit into your day.
