Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband, Black, Small (US Version), 1 Count

Ok, so at first I was really, REALLY hesitant about buying the Charge 2 because you never know what problems can arise with new, hot off the press tech. However, I've had wonderful experiences with Fitbit customer service in the past (as in "Hey, my thing stopped working" and they were all like "Sorry about that, here's a new thing- no charge!"), so I feel confident that if anything does go awry, Fitbit will take care of their customers. So, I took the plunge and ordered it. It came today in the mail and I scurried off with it like Gollum and his ring... My precioussssssss! Oh where to begin! Let's see- well it came in lovely, easy to open packaging. Opening up the box felt like I was arousing my Charge 2 from his slumber in his comfy, plastic bed. I immediately noticed that the teal color was more vibrant than its predecessor, and the larger screen gave it an all around sleeker look. The band is now longer, so if the large size from the old Charge was a bit big for you- go for the small with the Charge 2; I have tiny wrists myself, and I'm two notches away from the last ring on the inside! EDIT: I just realized my review was placed under the large size...my Charge 2 is a small. But large or small, only the band is different in length, NOT the screen! The charger was completely redesigned; the days of not having your Charge, well, CHARGE due to it slipping out are dead and gone. The new, blissfully longer charger clips onto the Charge itself, and as long as you align the hole in the charger with the button on the side of the Charge, you're good to go (see picture for reference)! Just make sure you clip it from underneath, and not over the screen or else it won't charge...not that I uh, made a silly mistake like that or anything. *cough* Setup could not have been easier. The entire process from taking it out of the box to having it fully synced and functional was less than ten minutes. Whoa. I was setting it up using the app on my Android phone, and I was expecting that it would need to be charged first but nope! It sprung to life and was ready to go! After it was all synced I checked the battery and saw it was at medium power- right out of the freaking box! Onto features...do you like lots of features? I like lots of features and the Charge 2 has ALL the flipping features you could possibly want. I feel like Fitbit has been personally keeping tabs on me and my current interests. I just recently got into breathing meditation and interval training, and when I heard that the Charge 2 was going to include both these features I was pretty much like, "Shut up and take my money!" After playing with the Charge 2 for about 30 seconds, I came to realize that when you want to choose a feature, for example the breathing exercise, after pushing the button on the side to get to that function, you then hold the button for a second to choose to start it. With the breathing exercise, it allows you to choose between a 2 or 5 minute breathing session. It works by having you breath in rhythm with a ring that expands and contracts on the screen, and it shows your breathing in and out at the bottom with a continuous little graph (see picture to clarify if this sounds wonky to you.) If it comes across as confusing don't worry- Charge 2 guides you through it...it's much more talkative (err, textative?) than the old Charge, and I like it! So for once I was actually excited to hit the hall of pain- uh, I mean the gym, so I could test out my new buddy here. First thing I did was the elliptical; in the past I avoided it because my old charge wouldn't count it as steps. Now all you have to do is select the elliptical option from the workout menu on your charge 2, hold the button on the side and voila! Elliptical steps are now counted! Next I tried out the interval workout option! What's extra awesome about this feature is that it's customizable; the folks of Fitbit really outdid themselves with this one in my opinion. By going onto the app on my phone, I was able to set the intervals to one minute of workout, and two minutes of rest for a total of five sets. Then while I was on the treadmill, I went to the workout menu, chose interval training, and it started right away. Once the minute was up, Charge 2 gave me two little buzzes to let me know to switch to rest mode, and after two minutes gave me another two buzzes to pick it up again. The buzzes aren't very strong, but I still felt them just fine. Then I went onto strength training, and selected weights from the menu (this is all via the charge 2, not the app on the phone). Now the way I strength train is 3 sets of 12 reps, and then a minute of rest in-between. I'm honestly not sure if that minute of rest affects the readings or not, but my guess is no- that Charge 2 calculates everything based on pulse readings. And speaking of pulse readings, it feels like they've improved the technology in that department as well! FYI- I have pretty low blood pressure due to hypothyroidism, so the readings below may seem off, but they're accurate in my case. My resting heart rate is usually between 61 and 66 bpm (beats per minute) So that concluded my gym session. Upon looking at my readings later on, it was kind of neat to compare them. Now the weight training session showed that in 27 minutes I burned 99 calories and had 110 average of bpm. Now with the elliptical, I only did it for 10 minutes, burned 62 calories, and had a 130 average bpm going at a fast pace continuously. With the interval training on the treadmill (here's where it gets interesting folks) for 15 minutes I burned 122 calories with a 148 average bpm. Despite having two minute rest periods several times, I still burned more calories and had a higher heart rate than the continuous workout on the elliptical. Interval training all the way! Although...I wonder if you could do interval training on the elliptical and still have the steps count. I'll have to experiment with that... *EDIT* Yes you can in fact do interval training on the eliptical and have steps count! There's still so much to try! The connected GPS looks like a pretty neat feature, and it's a nice extra to include! I'm not much of a runner myself being bite sized, but you can still track location for other things like walking, biking and hiking. Then there's call, text, and calendar notifications (adding the calendar was a great idea). You can also change bands now, so if you wear out your current band (like I did with my old Charge- bubbling issues anyone?) or just want a different look, you can switch them whenever your little heart so desires. Oh! And there's lots of screen options that you can choose from like a dial watch, extra bold print, and having time/date/steps/heart rate all together (which is what I ended up choosing)- and that's just to name a few! *EDIT* So they added a feature which shows your fitness level by going into the heart rate section of the app and then swiping left to get to that screen. I originally thought it was fitness test type thing, but I misunderstood. The app already calculates your fitness level for you based on several factors (resting heart rate, your bpm during exercises, and other information collected from your profile). So sorry for any confusion! No tests for you. Alas, there is but one problem I have encountered so far. I was walking while holding my phone in the hand that my charge 2 was on, and noticed that it didn't count my steps. So after experimenting for a bit (holding up my hands like I was pushing an invisible grocery cart, though it probably looked more like I was pretending to be A zombie) I came to the conclusion that if your hand is held up flat (palm up or palm down) in midair, like when holding a phone...the charge 2 doesn't register steps. However, it should be noted that when I put the charge 2 in workout mode, it DID count some of the steps, even when holding my phone, but it didn't seem to accurately count them all. I guess the solution is don't play on your phone while you walk? Or at least leave the hand with the Charge 2 on it by your side when playing Pokemon Go- you can play with one hand, right? Everything considered, this is truly an amazing piece of technology that is priced extremely fairly for all that it offers, including the best fitness app that is included at no extra charge. Thanks good guy Fitbit! In conclusion... This is the one fitness tracker...TO RULE THEM ALL! UPDATE: 9/20 Yes yes, I know what you're all thinking- how could I possibly make this exceedingly long review even better? MAKE IT LONGER! Battery lasted from Wednesday afternoon (after fully charging it) to Monday night. It should be called Fitbit doesn't need to Charge all that often, amiright? Eh? Motivation Man! Every hour (just day hours, or you can customize which hours and days you want in the app) you don't move (or hardly move), Charge 2 gives you a friendly little buzz, and the animated little Motivation Man (as I like to call him) says something cute on the screen like "Take me for a stroll?" or "97 more steps!" (to reach 250). Do it. Don't let Motivation Man down. With the Fitness level tracker, my original score was placed in the good category and I was all happy that I was fitter than I thought. Well, the app suggests that if you want a more accurate reading, that you should go for a ten minute run outside with your Charge 2 synced to your phone for GPS tracking. So although I hate running more than kids who kick your seat continuously on a long flight, I did it. Upon looking at my fitness level thinking that my score was going to shoot up, it dropped down to fair, which is right after poor. Ouch. I mean in all fairness it's accurate but still...ouch. Went from feeling fitter to bitter. What's not accurate, however, is if you're at the gym and your Charge 2 syncs with your phone app for gps tracking. A few times while I was on the treadmill or elliptical, the GPS kicked in and gave me crazy readings. Now don' get me wrong- my step count wasn't affected in any way, the app just showed me a map of the wacky, non-existent trail that went though multiple buildings and over a river. You can just delete it of course, orrrrrr you could show it off to your friends and make stuff up...like I always teleport over rivers when I work out, doesn't everyone? The Fitbit app added a seriously impressive fitness game called Adventure challenge (it's in the challenges section) where your step count is shown on an actual map, like Yosemite Vernal falls to start off with, and the more you walk, the more you travel along the trail. Along the way you come across markers, and when you reach them, it shows you where you are on the trail with gorgeous panoramic pictures (hold up your phone, slowly turn left and right, and the picture pans out either way). There are also random "gems" on the map, and when you click them they either have a fun fact, a health multiple choice quiz, or a health challenge (like do tricep dips on a chair for a minute). You can collect them and earn a badge...or not-completely optional. However, I personally am having a blast with it, and I'm sort of stunned that they're including it in the app for free! It's like having an expensive dinner with Fitbit and when the check comes, Fitbit is all like, "Hey, it's cool. I got this,"...you sure do Fitbit. You sure do.

As a Blaze and original Charge HR owner, figured I'd try my hand at the newest Fitbit Charge 2. Preordered from Fitbit (as well as one from Amazon). Fitbit direct order arrived yesterday, 9/6/16. Breaking the review into two parts: Part One: If you've never owned a Fitbit This is the mid tier product for Fitbit. It replaces the original best selling Charge & Charge HR. Steps, Flights, Heart Rate, Calories Burned, Connected GPS (shows a little map post workout when tied to your phone, and yes, you need to bring your phone with you on walks/runs), and notifications (as of now, just texts, calendar alerts, and displays phone number of incoming calls). Great intro watch/tracker to be your first Fitbit. Does pretty much everything. Yes there are other trackers out there, and some cheaper (in some you get what you pay for). What separates Fitbit is the software and social functions. You won't find a better app with ease of use, not to mention with the largest userbase of trackers it's much easier to find friends and families to participate in challenges. Read on if you want to know some of the features. Part Two: If You've Owned A Charge/Charge HR, and should you upgrade? The Charge watch has been the workhorse of the fitbit line. Worth getting a Charge 2? In a word: YES. Since you're familiar with the Charge already, let's go over some of the issues you may have experienced and highlights/common questions answered: 1) Build Quality: The Charge 2 is a far far superior quality than the original Charge. Right out of the box, you'll notice how much sturdier and thicker the band feels. 2) Swapping out bands is relatively easy. Once you figure out how to press on the band on each side to release, it's fairly painless. I could see someone elderly struggling with it at first. **If you had problems with your original Charge band bubbling, the ability to swap bands and how the tracker is connected to the bands should eliminate the issues you have experienced ** Obviously way too early to make a call on how the device will hold up, but given my experience with Blaze & Alta, this feels similar in build quality, if not better, and neither of those devices have suffered from bands falling apart on a wide scale. 3) Width of the device is nearly identical to the original Charge/HR. The button on the left side of the device is much more pronounced (good thing). You can give it a nice firm click, and it doesn't feel loose or cheap as some of the Charge buttons were prone to. 4) SIZING: The band itself is much longer than the original. I have always worn small in fitbit products, and found myself almost on the last hole. Something to keep in mind if you think you are on the cusp of small/large. Small likely the way to go. 5) Display is nice, 4x larger than the original Charge. The font is displayed crystal clear, and is very bright. Can see it extremely well, even in bright sunlight. It is NOT a color screen. The font is a bright offwhite, as opposed to the original Charge that had a soft almost blue to it. Texts when incoming scroll across the screen. 6) Overall look is sharp. Much better looking than the original. Very sleek and elegant. Actually looks better than the Blaze given thinner profile. 7) Has a breathing/relaxation function. Have only dabbled with this. It actually monitors as you inhale and exhale and prompts you when to take deep breaths, etc. More of a gimmick to me, but some may find this useful. 8) Navigation is relatively easy. When selecting specific workouts (you can customize the list in app), you hit the button on the side to get to the workout screen, then tap to cycle through them (run, weights, treadmill, elliptical, etc). Hold the button and your workout starts. During the workout you can cycle through metrics specific to your activity such as calories burned, heart rate, etc. Some activities will display steps, pace,calories burned, etc. 9) Menu items start with your clock face, then by pressing the button will display Heart Rate, Exercise, Stopwatch, Relax, and Alarm. 10) Clock Faces: There are seven to choose from. Some display day & date, and most have option to where when you tap the display it will cycle through stats (may display heart rate, date, steps taken, how far you are in your goals, your hourly movement reminders, etc). BUT DOES IT HAVE SECONDS? Yes, two of the watch faces are digital (numbers display, not hands) and have seconds displayed. There is only one "classic" watch face with the hands, and no that one does not display a second hand. 11) Notifications: You get basic texts (no pictures of course), both SMS & iMessage. Incoming calls will display the contact and/or phone number. And you get calendar alerts. There is no 3rd party support at this time such as facebook, instagram, etc (The Blaze watch will be offering these soon in next software upgrade, so I guess there is hope the Charge 2 will get those as well). 12) Reminders to Move: Sit on your butt too long and it will thump you with a vibe (250 steps per hour). Today I put it through its first paces with a workout. I use it mostly for light cardio and weights. Heart rate was spot on as it usually was with original Charge HR & my Blaze. No issues with step counting on the elliptical I used to warm it up. I have not used the watch for 24 hours yet, so have not been able to judge the VOX/Cardio Fitness Level rating new to this device. PROS: - It is worth upgrading alone from the Charge/HR simply due to build quality. Pictures do not do it justice. As another poster on a forum where we discuss fitbit devices said, it has that "Apple" quality feel to it. It no longer feels like a cheap rubber tracker. The ability to swap to leather, metal, or other colored bands means you can wear this unit for any occasion if style is your thing. It really does look great. - Monitoring of heart rate using optical sensors has never been a problem for me, and this one seems to be no different. Obviously some folks have trouble with them due to body hair and whatnot, but the sensors on Charge HR, Blaze, and now Charge 2 seem to be spot on. An issue I had with the original Charge was it getting "lost" when I hit higher cardio levels. This doesn't appear to be as much of an issue this time around. That said, this isn't a medical device, so I expect it to not be 100% all of the time. Use it as a tool in your overall fitness profile. - The charger itself is a new clip style (looks like a staple remover), and fits over the sides of the tracker. Fits nice and snug and snaps in. It won't fall out of the charge (actually think that's impossible given the design). No more worrying about it not snapping on and falling off or getting it just right. Big improvement. CONS: - vibration is notably weaker than the original Charge. May be an issue for some using it as an alarm if you're a heavy sleeper. That said, I wore it very tight to bed last night, and it was able to wake me this morning (something I've had problems with on the Blaze from time to time). - text notifications are neat if you've never had them. However I have a Blaze, where you can see the whole message at once. The Charge HR slowly scrolls texts and notifications to you, which can be annoying if you're used to the Blaze. They serve their purpose well though, and I can't ding it for this as it's a step up from the original Charge. VERDICT: I reviewed it as if I were upgrading from the Charge/HR to this device. It is a no-brainer if you've held on to your Charge/HR and not upgraded yet to the Alta or Blaze for whatever reason. I'd rank the Charge 2 ahead of the Alta. If money is no object, spend the extra $50 to get the Blaze simply due to the color display and easier navigation (not to mention ability to see full texts as they come in). Otherwise, for $150, you'll be very happy to have move up from other Fitbit products. The Blaze is their high end product at the moment, but the Charge 2 is a very close second. I'll happily answer questions as I did for when I originally reviewed the Blaze out of the gate, and edit this review to reflect common questions or any issues I face as I put the device through its paces in the coming days.

Update 10/23/2016 after having worn it daily for a month ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've worn the Fitbit Charge 2 daily for about a month now. Below are my observations and some more tips: Heart rate monitor: The device seems to lose my heart rate every now and then. I have to reposition it on my wrist and/or wait and then it comes back after a bit. This is true both when I'm exercising and when I'm not, but it occurs more frequently when I'm exercising and perspiring. I still like the fact that it is constantly monitoring my heat rate (every 5 seconds) as opposed to every 10 minutes on the Apple Watch, so this is not a deal breaker for me. Calorie tracking: My primary reason for getting the Fitbit Charge 2 was that I wanted a more accurate picture of how many calories I am burning each day. I figured a device that constantly measures my heart rate (even with it losing my heart rate every so often) would give me a fairly accurate enough number that I can rely on it to manage my weight. The proof is in the pudding, so I have been very strict about counting my calories each day to see if I can trust the number-of-calores-burnt that the Fitbit is giving me. And I can say that it's accurate enough for my use case as I have lost 6 pounds since I started wearing it. Weight loss plan (TIP): My plan was to lose 1 pound a week, but when the Fitbit asked me how aggressive I wanted to be with my weight loss plan, I chose 1.5 pounds per week. My rationale was that I wanted some margin of error in case I over ate or happened to underestimate the calories because there are many instances when I cannot readily obtain the nutritional data. I must have done a pretty good job estimating my calories because I have lost 6 pounds in a month, which is exactly 1.5 pounds per week. I just count calories and do not limit what I eat. I eat ice cream, pizza, chicken wings, drink beer, whatever, but I am strict about entering all the calories which stops me from over eating. Before I had the Fitbit, I always assumed I needed around 2,000 calories a day, but I was surprised to see that I was burning around 2,800 calories a day. Which means I am eating more now with the Fitbit than previously when I was counting calories without the Fitbit. Like right now, it says I can eat 500 more calories so I'm going upstairs to grab some chocolate cookies packed with calories! My original review below stands, and this is still a solid 4 star product. I doubt that I can purchase a better device for the money that can do what the Fitbit Charge 2 does. As an Apple fanboy and an Apple Watch owner since its launch in 2015, I think the key question you need to ask yourself is, "Do I want a smart watch or a fitness tracker?" If your answer is that you are looking for a fitness tracker, then I can, without hesitation, recommend the Fitbit Charge 2 over the Apple Watch. Reason 1: Frequency of the heart rate monitor The Apple Watch measures the heart rate too infrequently (every 10 mins). Unless you specifically tell it to measure your heart rate or you start a workout activity. However, this drains the battery pretty quickly. I just to want raise my wrist and see my heart rate, which I can do with the Fitbit. The Fitbit also constantly monitors your heart rate every 5 seconds while maintaining great battery life compared to the Apple Watch. Reason 2: Battery life The Fitbit lasts me 4-5 days before I have to charge it. I have to charge the Apple Watch daily. This is with raise-wrist-to-turn-on feature enabled, and All-Day Sync disabled (which I would recommend you do, too). Both devices charge pretty fast plugged into the computer's USB port. Reason 3: Sleep tracking I could not find a full featured app for the Apple Watch to track my sleep. A big part of this limitation is because of the battery life. If you wear the Apple Watch to bed, your battery will be drained by the time you wake up. Which means you will have to charge it to continue wearing it for the rest of the day. The Fitbit wins hands down here. On the Fitbit, you don't have to press a button or tell the app that you are going to bed. Just go to bed wearing the Fitbit and it will automatically track when you go to bed and when you wake up. And from my experience, it's pretty accurate. Reason 4: Weight lifting tracking The Workout app on the Apple Watch does not even have weight lifting as an activity. The Fitbit Charge 2 has a dedicated weight lifting activity. The calories burned while weight lifting seems reasonably accurate enough to be useful (it is in line with what various sites on the net say). Reason 5: Comfort level The Apple Watch was pretty comfortable, but it was fairly heavy (at least the 42mm Stainless Steel one that I had) and bulky as an "always on my wrist" fitness tracker. The Fitbit Charge 2 is more unassuming, much more comfortable and much lighter. As a Fitness tracker, I would definitely recommend the Fitbit Charge 2 over the Apple Watch. That is, unless you are an avid runner or a swimmer, then the built in GPS and the 50m water proof rating on the new Apple Watch 2 may tip the scale in Apple's favor. However, you also need to consider the price. WISH LIST ---------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some improvements on my wish list. 1. The screen is not a touch screen. To interact with it, you tap on the screen and it uses the accelerometer to sense that it has been tapped. This is fine except I have noticed the screen inadvertently changing views (you tap the screen to change to a different view) when it is jolted while lift weights (I was dumbbell pressing and the two dumbbells collided, which changed the view). I would have preferred the touch screen to avoid this issue. 2. The raise to wake the screen works well, but it would be awesome if the screen could be constantly on. I realize the battery life considerations. 3. When running, lift wrist to wake screen does not work well. This gets annoying because you have to modify your stride or stop completely to quickly check the screen. This was never a problem on the Apple Watch. If Amazon would let me, I would deduct half a star for this problem. 4. I noticed that the Fitbit Charge 2 loses my heart rate when I perspire. When I wipe the sweat away and reposition the Fitbit, it picks it up again. The issues above aren't show stoppers though, and I feel that this is a solid 4.5 star product and that it is the best Fitness tracker on the market right now in its price range. After I purchased one for myself, I liked it so much that I purchased two more for my in-laws. They were both Jawbone UP24 user and loves being able to easily check their heart rate and step count on the device. We've all added each other as friends, so we can do challenges together as well as competing with each other (pretty fun!). SOME USEFUL TIPS ----------------------------------------------------------------- TIP 1 (reboot it every time you charge): You may discover issues like sync taking longer than usual, not receiving notifications, etc. One of the first things you should try is to reboot your Fitbit. Rebooting it doesn't delete any data -- it just turns it off and back on again. It only takes a few seconds and is easy to do, so I do it whenever I charge. To reboot your Fitbit, attach the charger and wait for the battery icon to appear. While still attached to the charger, press the side button to wake it up, and then hold the side button down (approximately 4 seconds) until you see the Fitbit logo and it vibrates (may not vibrate if you have vibrate turned off). TIP 2 (how to avoid fingerprints on the screen): The screen is not a touch screen. So you do not have to tap the screen itself to change the views. If you hate getting fingerprints all over the screen, you can just tap the band right below the screen. In fact, I find that it works better than tapping the screen itself. TIP 3 (sizing): If you go to Fitbit's site, there is a document that you can print out to measure your wrist size. If you are fall between a small and a large, buy the small. My wrist size is 6.75 inches and the small is plenty big (there are still 5 notches remaining on the band if I want to make it bigger). TIP 4 (Sedentary vs Personalized Daily Calorie Estimate Setting): The Fitbit app shows you how much calories you are allowed to consume per day under the "Food" module. You will see that one of the things it tells you is the amount of calories you can consume that day. It will say something like, "300 calories left for the day." What was confusing was that the calories left for the day continued to decrease throughout the day even as my calories expenditure increased, and I thought, "How come even though I am burning more calories each minute, it keeps telling me that I should eat less when I haven't eaten anything all day?!" The answer was because my Daily Calorie Estimate Setting was set to Personalized. When set to Personalized, Fitbit uses your past activity history to estimate your calorie burn for the day and increases or decreases if you're more or less active than usual. This means Fitbit may initially tell you that you can consume 2000 calories based on your past activities on previous days, but if you are not consistent with your activities on a day to day basis, this number will continue to slowly decrease throughout the day as Fitbit realizes that you are not being active on average as the previous days. This is a good setting if you know that you will be consistent with your activities on a day to day basis. This is the default setting. When set to Sedentary, you have to "earn" your calories. So the calories left remaining will start out low each day, but it will increase throughout the day depending on how much calories you burn. This setting may make more sense and is probably less dangerous if you are worried about going over your daily allowed calories. What makes it even more confusing was that I could not find the place to change this setting on the Fitbit mobile app. You had to change it on the Fitbit web site where it was well hidden. On the Fitbit web site, the option to change this is under "Log" (one of the links across top), then under the "Food Plan" section you should see a little settings icon (image of a gear) on the upper right corner. THE FITBIT MOBILE APP (Update 10/2/2016) -------------------------------------------------------------------- I really like the Fitbit mobile app. I have lost 3 pounds since I've been wearing the Fitbit. A big part of this is due to the convenience of being able to track my calories directly in the Fitbit app. It has a large food database as well a feature to add your own custom food. The Fitbit considers the calories from the food when it calculates whether you are within your daily caloric goal for your target weight. I've used calorie tracking apps before, but it being directly integrated into the Fitbit app makes it so much more convenient. And as a result, I use it more. Another thing I like is that when you leave the app running in the foreground, you can see the number of steps and heart rate changing in real time. I suspect this will drain the battery faster on both your phone and the Fitbit, but I like watching it when I'm running or walking on my treadmill.

I've had a long history with Fitbit. I think it started around 2012 or 2013. I've been them a while. And a lot of it hasn't been that pleasant. It all began with the Fitbit Flex. Luckily I took out a extended warranty on it when I purchased it through Amazon because it suddenly died when it was just over a year old. In addition, even before that flex died, I had problems. They touted back then that you could shower with the Flex yet the band disintegrated after a few months. My extended warranty hadn't kicked in yet and fitbit's customer service wasn't exactly that friendly about it. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get them to replace that band. Then, when the Fkex completely died, I was able to get a new flex. I figured that it would last a while especially if I didn't get it near any water . But it was just under a year old when it died. I never showered with it or got it around water either. It just didn't hold up. Then, after that I bought the Charge HR. It didn't have a removable band and once again the band begin to disintegrate and it was only around 6 months old when that started happening. I tried to put it back together with Gorilla Glue and it looked so tacky that I was ashamed to wear it - especially at work. Why do have I stayed with Fitbit so long? I'm not really sure. I know that there are a lot of great trackers out there now but I guess because Fitbit was the first tracker I've owned and loved, I stayed with them. They were among the first to introduce technology that really motivated you to get up and move. Whole social networking Community spring up around the Fitbit. And for me personally, it motivated me for the first time in years! When I first got it I was quite overweight and I began getting 10000 plus steps everyday. Even on days when I worked late and I wasn't able to hit the walking trail or the treadmill, if I was close to that step goal I would jog around in my house and go up and down my stairs to hit that goal! I was so stoked when that buzzer would go off on my wrist indicating that I had reached my step goal for the day! And even motivated me to stop looking for the closest parking spot at the grocery store just so that I could get in more steps! It definitely wasn't your mother's old fashioned pedometer. Also, I've been with them since 2012/2013 and I have a history on their app of Lifetime miles and I didn't want to lose that. I guess it's just blind loyalty. That's not my typical style and for all that I've been through with them, it's kind of undeserved. But fast forward to today and I'm kind of glad that I hung in there with them. I love the Charge 2! I love the replaceable bands. I love that you can buy quality bands at a reasonable price that look like jewelry without having to go through the Fitbit company. (Remember back when the Fitbit Flex was new and you could only buy replacement bands from Fitbit that were ridiculously priced and in order to get the basic black, you always had to buy some extra colors that you didn't want in a 3-pack because the price of the black band alone was almost as much as the three pack. Then, other companies started making them and selling them on Amazon in all kinds of cool colors and designs at cheap prices. Unfortunately, as soon as I bought a whole slew of them, the second Fitbit Flex died and I was stuck with them.) I love the new charger style as well. With the Charge hr, sometimes the Fitbit would just fall right off of the charger. I would put it on to charge overnight and wake up thinking my Fitbit was charged and ready to go only to find out that it was dead. With this little clamp, it stays right in place. I love the extended battery life that the Charge 2 has and all of the reminders about getting up to walk. I'm really enjoying it and I'm hoping and praying that this investment holds up. I hope it lasts longer than a year. If it doesn't I will update my review!) So far, I think this is the best version yet!

Having just upgraded from the Charge HR, I can say that I am pretty pleased with the purchase. I had a Charge HR (the previous iteration of this product) about a year ago. I stopped using the Charge HR after about six months of use, due to irreconcilable differences between it and I. The Charge 2, in many ways, solves a lot of my issues with the HR. Keep in mind, I am writing this review after having my Charge 2 for less than 72 hours; I will update this review in the future with a description of how it holds up over time. Firstly, IF YOU'VE NEVER OWNED A FITBIT, let me digress. This particular band tracks how many steps you've walked, your heartbeat, your workouts (automatically or you can manually trigger it to begin tracking), your sleep (length + quality), how far you've walked/ran (but not well), how many flights of stairs you've climbed, and how many calories you've burned per day. You can set an 'interval mode' when you're working out, in which you set the amount of time each interval and rest interval is and then the band buzzes to let you know when to switch. You can also track how many calories you've eaten within the Fitbit app or link it with an external calorie counting app (like MyFitnessPal or Lose It!) in order to see the difference between what you've eaten and what you've burned. The Charge 2 also has guided breathing exercises (Which I love! Because I get anxious on the metro), 'Reminders to Move' (buzz notifications if you haven't walked 250 steps within that hour), and the ability to set 'silent alarms' (which is my favorite way to wake up in the morning; the band buzzes, noiselessly, and doesn't disturb anyone else around you). The FitBit app itself gives you a variety of different reports about all of your stats for that day/over time, along with a 'fitness score' based off of your heartbeat during exercise and your resting heart rate, which you can track how it improves over time. You can also track your weight and set personalized weightloss plans based on how fast you want to lose/gain/maintain. As a prior FitBit user, the Charge 2 was very familiar to me and I wasn't overwhelmed by the functions. It has a much bigger screen than the HR (thank goodness) that lends itself particularly well to one of its golden extra (in my opinion) features - displaying basic push notifications when in range of your phone. Within my one bedroom apartment, that means that no matter where I am, I will get these notifications on my wrist without having to hunt down my phone. Great for screening calls! Of course, one thing I am disappointed about with this functionality is the fact that notifications are limited only to text messages (it will display the body of the text message if you choose), phone calls, and calendar notifications. Hopefully that will be updated in the future. As for fitness tracking, it's great. Not sure what more to say about that. It will do everything and anything that you expected a FitBit product to do and will do it well. I've noticed a better accuracy for step counting and heart rate than my HR, which is great. It also seems to track 'flights of stairs' wayyy more accurately than the HR, which was totally off. And it's giving me a much more reasonable 'calories burned' count. The distance tracking is still off, however. That doesn't matter much to me, but I'm sure it will for some users. Ascetically, the band itself is much more pleasing to look at, as well. FitBit has incorporated some metal accents and the whole device doesn't look as 'plasticy' as its predecessor. I'm extremely happy with this purchase thus far! PROS: - A dependable fitness tracker - Great step/heart rate tracking - A really great app with tons of different reports and features - Reminders to Move has finally been brought to the Charge line! - Phone/text/calendar notifications are extremely useful - The bigger screen displays more information - Build quality feels nice, especially compared to the HR - Love love love my silent alarms! - Finally! Replaceable bands in the Charge line. DRAWBACKS: Each of these are categorized as 'software' or 'hardware' issues. Software issues could potentially be solved with future firmware/app updates, so keep that in mind. - (Software) 'Reminders to Move' are pre-programmed to be 10 minutes before the end of the hour (for example, at 9:50). This doesn't necessarily give me enough time during my work day to get up and get my steps in. If it were up to me, I'd prefer a good 20 minutes. - (Software) Push notifications are only available for text messages, phone calls, and calendar notifications. I assume that FitBit will be expanding notifications in the future for all apps, but that may not be true nor within their plan for this product. - (Hardware) Not waterproof, so not for swimming or running in the rain! (Still bummed that FitBit isn't waterproofing their gadgets.) It is 'splash-proof' and I believe there is a video somewhere of CNET or a comparable review site dunking it in a tank of water and claiming that it survived. But, this I do not recommend. - (Hardware) Distance tracking? Not accurate. It may give you a rough estimate, but it is really not accurate at all. There isn't a GPS within this band; it uses your phone's GPS only when it is nearby. IN SUMMARY: - If you're new to the fitness band world and not sure what you want, get this. It's great for the price and comes with a bunch of great features and good dependability. - If you're an average fitness band user looking for an upgrade, get this. It's definitely one of the best on the market right now within this price tier. - If you want it for primarily distance tracking or to be usable while swimming or anything extreme (climbing mountains, hiking in the snow, etc), don't get this; get a GPS-embedded, waterproof fitness band instead.

I previously owned the Charge HR and upgraded to the Charge 2 because of the GPS for running and biking, would give me an option to ditch my Garmin Vivoactive. So far after having used it for over three weeks I like mine a lot. **Wristband / Build Quality** The wristband feels more sturdy and the material is somewhat nicer. What's great is that you can now also swap it, though I haven't tried that yet, since the wristband is so much better than before. The build quality in general seems much better, and unlike the Fitbit Charge HR, the new version doesn't feel "cheap" anymore. **The Display / Screen** The display is not just better but also bigger so you can display more information, which is useful for getting real-time stats on your exercise. Unfortunately, when flicking through screens to choose my exercise, I wish I had a second button instead of having to tap on the screen. Also wish I could customize the information displayed during exercise but I'm sure this will come with a later software update. The screen itself while still out of plastic (wish it was sapphire glass!), seems more scratch resistant. I wear my Fitbit when sleeping, during boot camp exercises and more. So it does get dirty and knocks the ground or walls occasionally. While my first two Fitbit Charge HRs got scratched within days and weeks, the new Charge 2 doesn't have a single scratch yet after three weeks. Generally I was afraid that with the newer and bigger screen the Fitbit Charge 2 would become heavier, catch more attention (which I don't want) and have less battery life. Fortunately neither has been the case so far. So that's a big positive for me. **Battery and Charging** Battery life is also improved. Even with the display turning on with wrist flicks I'm getting close to 7 days. The new charger is also much better. With the old Charge HR the cable would easily fall off and you'd miss charging it. Now you just clip it in and it just works! **Exercise Tracking** Exercise tracking works for the most part automatically, except for when you want to have the phone GPS active and for rather stationary workouts like at the weights in the gym. You can track: Running, Cycling, Walking, Weights, Interval Workouts, Treadmill, Elliptical and generic Workouts. The workout option is the one option to track anything other than the other activities. It works for things like skiing or snowboarding but it's far from ideal and I wish Fitbit will add more sports eventually. The GPS tracking had some trouble initially and was inaccurate but it seems to have improved with a recent firmware update. I just wish it would automatically use GPS tracking without manually having to turn on the exercise as I keep forgetting to activate tracking when I cycle for instance. Some other folks reported inaccuracy with the step tracking. I don't have that at all. If you do you can always adjust your stride length to make sure it's tracking it automatically. When biking my Fitbit also doesn't track my cycling as steps but as outdoor cycling activity. Unfortunately my commuting is often not really tracked because it's shorter than 10 minutes, which is something my Android Wear Huawei Watch automatically does with Google Fit. If you are a serious runner or cyclist then the information displayed likely won't be enough for you. You get some of the standard stuff like your current heart rate, pace and average pace. But you won't be able to view your average HR or HR max or your current split pace and the sort. I myself, while liking these features can live without them, as you do get splits and heart rate charts in the app later at least. I hope that Fitbit will eventually add more metrics to the display to see during workouts with a software update. If you buy this, you are buying into the Fitbit eco system, which is somewhat closed. While you can sync with some apps such as Runkeeper, MyFitnessPal, LoseIt, Withings, MapMyRun, Endomondo, and Strava you won't get as much of a choice as with other devices. Fortunately there are some unofficial services that help to sync your Fitbit with services like Apple Health or Google Fit (or other apps). See: [...][...] [...] [...] **Sleep Tracking** Not much has changed here since the original Charge. You get the overall sleep time, restlessness and so forth, but it's certainly not as good as what I got with a Jawbone Up. You won't see light, deep and REM sleep and you generally don't get any advice on getting better sleep. You also get silent alarms, which I like but you won't have flexible alarms where you get woken up when your sleep is the lightest like with a Jawbone Up. **Social Aspect / Motivation** Fitbit still hosts the largest platform, and most of my friends are on it. So if you like challenges and like to compete with friends then there's no way around it. I hope at some point as more people use Fitbits with HR tracking we'll also get challenges that are not step based. The reminders to sleep and exercise are nice as well, though I still frequently ignore them unfortunately! **Relax Feature** I find this one relative useless so far, since I prefer closing my eyes when meditating instead of having to look on the Charge screen for breathing cues. **Waterproofing** I've been hoping Fitbit would finally waterproof the Charge. Unfortunately that still isn't the case. Though admittedly I almost never tracked any swims with my Garmin Vivoactive (which is waterproof) so it wasn't a big let down for me. **Conclusion** All in all I love my Fitbit because of its great build quality, software and seamless functionality. I don't have to switch around a lot and it just keeps working in the background for me which is great. It just doesn't get in the way. Even if I don't use the Fitbit software for weeks, I know that I still will have all the data. If you ever had to deal with Garmin's software or Android Wear you know what I mean. Too many times did I get incomplete workouts because my Garmin would bug or the sync wouldn't work. Not so with the Fitbit. Likewise you don't want to keep replacing your fitness tracker because it breaks every two months like my Jawbone UPs always did. All of that makes the Fitbit Charge 2 a great allrounder for those interested in tracking their fitness and like to keep things simple and easy.

My first Charge 2 was wonderful until it stopped reading my HR correctly after 5 months. My Charge 2 would tell me that my HR was 130+ when I was sitting or not even wearing it. On top of that, the wristband broke around the same time. I contacted support and they tried to fix the problem by having me restart my Fitbit however it did not work. Customer support was nice enough to offer me a replacement after going back and forth a few times. Unfortunately the replacement Fitbit sent me was defective. I put the Fitbit on and tighten the wristband and position the Fitbit to the correct spot on my wrist but the Fitbit would not pickup my HR. After a few hours it started to read my HR however the reading was completely off. I took the Fitbit off and it continued to give me an outrageously high HR. It said my HR was 150 when I was just sitting or not wearing it. That's riduculous! I tried resetting the Fitbit many times but it did not solve the problem. I ended up wearing the Fitbit for a few months to see if it was just a one time fluke (I was also too lazy and feeling too frustrated to contact customer support AGAIN). Unfortunately the Charge 2 continued to read my heart rate incorrectly. To add onto the problem, this new Fitbit would think I'm walking when I'm just driving. I understand that most Fitbit will do this sometimes but mines was doing it all the time! No way I walked closed to 10000 steps each day. I've been lazy as F and I've been doing a lot of sitting these past few months LOL. I finally found some free time today and hollered at customer service. They asked me to reset my Fitbit, so I did, but as I was doing so, my Fitbit battery suddenly drained and my Fitbit died. WHAT? After waiting for my Fitbit to come back to life the rep asked me to fire up the app and sync my Fitbit to the app. We tried 5 times and even reset the app but it didn't work. UGH this is now the FOUTH issue I'm having with this Charge 2. What a nightmare. The rep quickly offered me a 50% discount for a new device or get my Fitbit Charge 2 replaced. NO WAY was I willing to get a THIRD Charge 2 and risk having to go through the headache of contacting customer service again if my THIRD Fitbit turns out to be defective too. I pestered the rep to see if she could give me a better discount, refund me, or give me credit to upgrade to a better model. Sadly, the rep and the supervisor did not have the power to offer me a better deal. *When I asked for a refund or credit for a better model, the rep responded with this: "I really understand your frustration Kimberly, however please be assured that our product team is constantly working to ensure that our products go through rigorous testing so that they can last and endure as expected." LIES! Obviously Fitbit doesn't tell well enough if I've received two defective Charge 2. *I asked if my warranty will be extended if I obtain a THIRD Charge 2: Rep - If the device is out of warranty we will be unable to replace it and we may offer a discount to purchase a new device. Rep - I understand your concern Kimberly, but if you decide to use the 50% discount to make a upgrade the new device will have a new warranty. Rep - When you receive a replacement device, the replacement device has 30 days of warranty or the remaining of the original warranty. Rep - So if the device fails which is not something that we expect to happen you have 30 days from the moment that the device is received in order to contact us again and get a replacement if necessary. Sigh, this offer is not good enough. I wonder if I can sue for giving me a headache if my THIRD Fitbit also turns out to be defective... *I then inquired about what happens if I have to claim a FOURTH Fitbit? Me: would I qualify for a different model at that point Me: or just another 50 % off discount Rep: That would be a very unusual situation Kimberly and to answer your question, the amount of replacement devices that you receive does not makes you applicable for a free upgrade since that is a program that we don't have at the moment. Me: Is it unusual that I received two fit bits that do not work Me: Or is this fairly common Rep: The reason is that the two devices that you have received failed in different areas Kimberly. Even this is not an expected situation. Uh huh.... *Lastly, I asked if I will be sent a refurbished Charge 2 if I choose the replacement option: Rep: Depending on available inventory, we sometimes issue factory-certified refurbished products as warranty replacements. These are typically products that were returned to Fitbit unused for reasons like wrong size and wrong color. Me: Well that's not good Rep: In most cases however, warranty replacements are brand new products that we package without accessories for easier shipping. Me: how Do I guarantee that I get a NEW one Rep: Since that depends on the warehouse Kimberly we have no control about if a new or factory-certified refurbished device will be sent. I really wished Fitbit had a better buyer protection plan for unfortunate people like me. If you're reading this Fitbit, I would really like my money back or an upgrade to the Blaze or Ionic.

Why I bought and love the Fitbit Charge 2 instead of the Apple Watch. So about 7 months ago I bought the Fitbit Charge HR for my birthday gift to myself and saying I was a religious user of this new gagit would be an understatement. The Fitbit has changed my life and made me so much more aware of my body and health. It becomes a fun, interactive game about one-upping yourself everyday towards a healthier, fitter life! Because of my love for Fitbit, I recently decided to upgrade to the Charge 2. But before I put my money down for Charge 2, I was on the fence about switch to the Apple Watch, which does all the same heart rate, calorie, step tracker features. After doing research on both, I decided to stay a Fitbit girl. As much as I would have liked to be able to answer a call, shoot out a text or check the weather from my wrist, there were a fundamental features the Fitbit had that made my decition not to switch. (Besides, don't we all have too much technology bugging us throughout the day as it is???) Here are my reasons for sticking with Fitbit: PROS: 1) Battery Life The Apple Watch needs to be charged every night after being used throughout the day. The Apple Watch takes 2.5 hours to charge back to 100% from zero. This didn't work for me. I love that I can keep my Fitbit on all day and all night. Its imparitive that I track my sleep for health reasons and I also want my daily calorie burn to be accurate. With my old Fitbit Charge HR, I only needed to charge it for about 30 mins while I showered every 2-3 days. And now with the Fitbit Charge 2, I'm down to charging it for just 30 mins every 5 days. It's amazing! 2) Calender Reminders: I am a planner! There is not one hour of my day that goes unscheduled in my iPhone calendar. I love that the Charge 2 is Bluetooth compatible to receive calendar notifications that pop up on the screen. [Ex: Meeting in 15mins at 4:00pm] I find this really helpful to keep me on track with my day without having to look at my phone. This feature also allows texts to pop up on your Fitbit screen but I keep this disabled to diminish distraction. 3) Exchangeable Bands I love how the Charge 2 allows you to switch out the band with its exchangeable different colored and styled bands. It's pretty easy to do, but (warning) I bought bands from an 'off brand' company on Amazon and they are a bit tougher to pop out. I have to use a tool to push down on the release buttons to get them off. The 'off brand' bands are also longer so there is always extra band that I have to tack down even tho I ordered a small. I would spend the extra money and buy Fitbit's bands. (I took a photo of this.. the purple band is the generic brand.. you can see its quality and length is different) 4) Look & Flexibility I love the Charge 2's large screen with fun grafics and it's less bulky and more flexible than my first Fitbit Charge HR. I felt the Apple Watch was not as sleek, more masculine and less flexiblilty for workouts. Just kind of boxy. I liked the idea of being able to Bluetooth my music from the watch or track a run with it's GPS, but it wasn't as comfortable. (Also being able to do more things with it is why I think I'd battery life is so poor) 5) Silent Alarm My old Fitbit Charge HR has this feature as well, but it's worth mentioning because it's changed the tone to my every morning now! You may set waking alarms or alarm reminders throughout the day that gently vibrate on wrist. No more noisy alarms and scrambling to turn it off. Just soft vibration pulses that don't jult you awake. I - love - this. 6) Simple & User-Friendly The Apple Watch's processing is just too slow. I become frustrated very easily when my iPhone takes too slow... I didn't want to have to deal with that on my wrist as well. I love the simplicity of the Fitbit Charge 2 in that you can just pull up your wrist to see the time and your heart rate and tap through to see steps, calories, miles etc. (You can customize your home screen and stat order in the app) 7) Extra (New) Features The stopwatch is super helpful and I love the assisted assisted breathing trainer. You can select either 2 or 5 min meditation / breathing sessions that visually cue you to slow your breathing and help to calm and center you throughout the day. These can be put on a schedule and you will be reminded. Added bonus** The feature where you put up your arm and the screen turns on automatically to show your home screen is much quicker and more consistent in this model.. I used to be frustrated with the HR when I would have my hands full and the screen wouldn't come up to show me the time. FITBIT CONS The only con I experienced with both the Fitbit Charge HR & Charge 2 is that while I'm working out, the heart rate senso isn't always able to read your pulse. I think it is due to the slight sweat that builds up under the band where the sensor is. I hope for future models they are able to fix this and make it able to read heart rate no mater what as long as it's on your wrist. And if I had a wishlist: I'd love to see the weather/temperature on my Fitbit. Thanks:))) p.s. Please like this if you found this helpful. I never wrote reviews let alone reviews this long but I hope it helped! 6 MONTH UPDATE!!!! The screen cracked straight down the middle and I don't even know how, I just looked down one day and it was like this.... not too happy. Also I wish the band was skinnier. I am starting to get a tan line from wearing the thicker band. I want a high quality Fitbit that is water proof, slim, and has wearable clip options rather than just a band.

El precio fue bastante accesible y no tardó nada en llegar a mi domicilio. Es fácil de utilizar, pero yo le compraría una mica a la pantalla porque después, por el uso, tiende a rayarse un poco y se ve feo.

Diese Fitbituhr ist einfach klasse. Leider kann die mit einem Apple Handy nicht all Ihre Funktionen ausspielen. Das muss vorher klar sein, ist aber nicht deutlich beschrieben.

Worked mostly as advertised. Th reason why I didn’t give 5 stars is that the GPS for tracking mileage on runs is off. Been trying to find out how to calibrate.

خفيفه و استخدامها سهل

I wanted to record sleep data and exercise. This device does exactly that, and does it well. It looks good enough, works as advertised, and seems built to last. That's all I can ask for. The bonus is that, when I bought this around Christmastime, the price here was much less than anywhere else. I found the band to be mildly irritating. That isn't a knock on the Fitbit, just something I felt I should mention. After 4 months I replaced it with a metal band found here on Amazon--cost around $12, and now feel like I have the perfect device.