As good as it is to see smartwatches like the Apple Watch , Fitbit Versa , and upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch push fitness and health functions as core to ownership, it ends up lots of people still choose an easier and less expensive physical fitness tracker.

That’s why Fitbit’s still making them. Its latest physical fitness tracker is the Charge 3 and it enhances on the Charge 2 in every method.

Available in October for $149.95 ($169.95 for the Special Edition), Fitbit states it concentrated on 3 crucial pillars: a more exceptional style, enhanced health and wellness tracking, and smartwatch performance.

Comfier and more trendy

At very first look, the Charge 3 looks just like the Charge 2, however Fitbit’s modified the style so that it’s more gender neutral, trendy, and comfier.

Rubber silicone isn’t really the only band alternative any longer. In addition to the stylish bands, a few of which now have perforations so that they’re more breathable, there’s a range of woven heathered ($35) and Horween leather bands ($50). My favorites are the casual, however elegant woven heathered straps since they do not shriek physical fitness to everybody.

These bands, unlike the ones for the Fitbit Versa, are a lot easier to switch out. The single button system is struggle-free and smooth.

I’ve never ever been a fan of how Fitbit’s physical fitness trackers feel — I’ve constantly discovered them unpleasant and too stiff on my little bony wrists — however the Charge 3 is truly comfortable. It’s 20 percent lighter than the Charge 2 and the aluminum body is much better contoured to twist around wrists.

The OLED display screen is now a touchscreen (Charge 2 wasn’t) and is nearly 40 percent bigger than on the Charge 2. It’s likewise made from a more scratch-resistant and resilient Corning Gorilla Glass 3. In addition, the screens’s likewise brighter and more noticeable outdoors.

Adding to the Charge 3’s more superior building and construction is a brand-new inductive side button. It’s not a mechanical button — pushing it starts a vibration similar to the synthetic house button on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus and the haptic buttons on the HTC U12+. It’s delicate and I had no concerns with it throughout my short hands on with the Charge 3; Fitbit states it’ll work great even if your fingers are sweaty or damp.

7-day battery life, water-resistance, blood oxygen levels tracking

The Charge 3 has a lot of the exact same functions as the Charge 2, consisting of a 24/7 PurePulse heart rate display and linked GPS, however Fitbit states its users desired more.

So the Charge 3 has even longer battery life: as much as 7 days on a single charge (up from the 5 days of power on the Charge 2).

The physical fitness tracker’s likewise completely waterproof approximately 50 meters and includes brand-new swim-tracking functions.

The Charge 3’s likewise Fitbit’s very first physical fitness tracker with an SpO2 sensing unit (exact same one as on the Fitbit Ionic and Versa smartwatches) for keeping an eye on blood oxygen levels.

New sensing units, nevertheless, aren’t the only brand-new functions on Fitbit’s brand-new physical fitness tracker. Like with the Versa smartwatch, the software application’s likewise efficient in female health tracking (for logging duration and ovulation information) and will reveal this info on the tracker instead of just in the Fitbit app.

Additionally, Fitbit’s introducing a brand-new Sleep Score beta function later on this year that utilizes the PurePulse heart rate tracking to assist users get a much better concept of their sleep quality. Ball game’s based upon a variety of aspects: sleep period, sleep structure (i.e. light, deep, REM), and revitalization (heart rate levels and breathing quality throughout sleep compared with reseting levels).

The objective with this Sleep Score is to assist find early indications of allergic reactions, asthma, or sleep apnea, the business states.

Fitbit’s likewise made the software application a bit more individual with much better assistance triggers, which need to assist users remain encouraged.

More smartwatch-like

Though the Charge 3 isn’t really a smartwatch, it has actually acquired some functions from Fitbit’s smartwatches.

Charge 3 users can see all their phone notices right on the wearable’s screen, along with response and turn down calls (coming quickly).

Android users will have access to fast replies for text. iOS users will not get such performance since Apple does not enable other wearables to do so.

On the Special Edition Charge 3, there’s integrated NFC for Fitbit Pay. Fitbit states

The Charge 3 likewise includes a number of light-weight apps that make it more smartwatch-like. There’s a more robust alarm, calendar, time, weather condition, as well as a Fitbit leaderboard app (coming quickly).

Fitting into the household

If you’re trying to find a full-featured physical fitness tracker that likewise has some smartwatch functions, the Charge 3 has a lot to use.

It’s truly light, comfortable, and it costs less than the Versa smartwatch ($200). You truly have to weigh exactly what you get and do not get. For simply another $50, you can get the Versa.

Fitbit’s been blurring the lines in between its physical fitness trackers and smartwatches and it’s absolutely difficult to find out which wearable is right for you. Eventually, it boils down to individual choice. Perhaps you do not desire a bigger square screen with more smartwatch functions. Or possibly you choose the longer battery life on the Charge 3. Fitbit’s offering option. It’s up to you to determine which of its wearables suit your way of life.

Read more: https://mashable.com/2018/08/20/fitbit-charge-3-hands-on/