Ever since the rise of smartwatches, fitness trackers have taken a back seat.
But after wearing a Fitbit Charge 6 for a few weeks, I can see the appeal if you want distraction-free tracking – especially for fitness and sleep.
It’s a slim and lightweight tracker that fits easily on your wrist.
And, while the display and navigation seem dated compared to a smartwatch, this device is all about the stats.
New features include YouTube music controls, Google Maps and Google Wallet. Yeah, you might remember Google purchased Fitbit for a cool $2 billion dollars.
My favorite features include 24/7 heart rate tracking, which happens every 5 seconds, or every second when you’re actively exercising. Also, the built-in GPS and long battery life. It can last up to a week between charges.
The device uses a proprietary charging cable with a short cord.
While I take my smartwatch off for bed, I didn’t mind leaving the Fitbit on for sleep since it nearly disappears on your wrist.
I love and hate seeing my sleep stats, but the metrics are easy to understand and you get a daily sleep score, too.
The device tracks more than 40 exercise modes and when I compared it against the Apple Watch, the numbers were very similar.
I like how Fitbit breaks down the time in each zone in an easy-to-understand way – light, moderate, vigorous, and peak.
It’s not fancy, but it is full-featured. If you’re looking for a simple way to track your fitness and sleep without having a small computer on your wrist, the Fitbit Charge 6 is a less connected alternative to a smartwatch.
It retails for $160 dollars, but is often cheaper.
The Fitbit Charge 6 also has notifications for high and low heart rate. You don’t need a subscription to use it, but for $10 dollars a month for Fitbit Premium, you can get extra features like a daily readiness score.
