PROS
- Interchangeable bands
- Large display for at-a-glance information
- Comfortable to wear
- Consistent tracking
- Cardio Fitness score is a useful metric
- 5-day battery life
CONS
- Actual accuracy is a little off
- No GPS (GPS Connected mode requires your smartphone)
- Gesture recognition is ropey
- Basic notifications
KEY FEATURES
- All-day activity tracking
- Sleep tracking and silent alarm
- Cardio Fitness Level score
- Multi-sport with automatic tracking
- Breathing exercises
- New customisable bands
- Notifications
- Manufacturer: Fitbit
- Review Price: £129.99
WHAT IS THE FITBIT CHARGE 2?
Fitbit says that its original Charge and Charge HR were its best-selling fitness tracker. So it's not surprising Fitbit has taken everything that proved popular on the original and used this as a basis for the Charge 2.
First off, the heart rate monitoring of the Charge HR now comes as standard, so there’s just one model of Charge 2. This helps bring down the sheer number of Fitbit trackers available, which was becoming confusing. The PurePulse heart rate monitor of the original makes a return, and brings with it continuous and resting heart rate monitoring.
Packed with everything you could want, except GPS, the Charge 2 covers all of the basics. You can consider this device more of an evolution than a reinvention, but by correcting many of the shortcomings of the original, the Charge 2 proves to be a great all-rounder.
FITBIT CHARGE 2 – DESIGN AND SETUP
The main change with the Fitbit Charge 2 is its more sizeable display – it's four times larger, in fact. This means significantly more at-a-glance information and better handling of notifications from your connected smartphone. The original Charge had only a tiny slither of a screen, displaying one metric at a time.
It uses a black-and-white OLED, and you can adjust the brightness; I never experienced any problems reading the screen outdoors. The display turns on when you rotate your wrist to look at it, helping to conserve battery life.
Annoyingly, maybe one in four times the display failed to turn on automatically. There is a button on the side to manually turn it on and toggle through the different displays, but for times when your other hand is occupied, the finicky display is a frustration.
Each of the menus has a number of sub-menus that you access by tapping the screen. Again, this was occasionally a little hit and miss. You need quite a firm rapping of the display to get it to trigger.
Otherwise, the Charge 2 isn't a great departure from its original design, aside from being slightly more slender. The elastomer strap is comfortable to wear and since it uses a standard watch buckle, putting it on isn’t fiddly – unlike some previous Fitbit trackers that used difficult clasps. I didn't encounter any discomfort with it on, even when I became particularly sweaty during a run.
Where the Charge 2 does deviate from previous models is in its potential for customisation. Much like the new Flex 2, you now have the ability to change the bands. Fitbit has Classic, Luxe leather and Special Edition options. There’s an array of colours available, too, and the Special Edition versions have rose gold and gunmetal finishes for the tracker itself to add another layer of class and sophistication. These cost a little more (£149.99) than the standard editions, though.
I was sent the standard black elastomer band version for review. I definitely prefer some of the more vibrant colour options I saw in the flesh at IFA. Swapping out the bands is incredibly easy thanks to release clasps on the underside. You can swap them out within seconds. The Fitbit Charge 2 is available in three different strap sizes; small, large and XL. It's important to choose the right size for your wrist for reasons I'll come to later.
The Charge 2 works with Fitbit’s Android and iOS app, and setting it up is as straightforward as any other tracker. Simply create a profile, entering your gender, height and weight, then select a number of goals. These include the usual steps, sleep and weight targets.
Once paired over Bluetooth, you can then sync your activity to the app and receive rudimentary notifications from your connected smartphone. These only include caller ID, SMS messages and calendar reminders.
I can't remember the last time I received a standard SMS message from anyone that wasn't a marketer, so how useful you'll find this is questionable. I'd have much preferred basic cross-app notifications, even if it was just an icon to say which app was responsible for the the buzz in my pocket.
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