Charge 5 info about its features

[Giampi71]

This morning Fitbit app update has included the Charge 5 among the devices that can be set up.

Shipments should therefore start soon. While Fitbit has started to accept pre-orders since quite few times the manual is not yet available and there are still some details not clear.

Let's list them

- Is the gyroscope present? in other words will Charge 5 be able to track swim laps in real time like differently than the predecessor Charge 4? No

- Is the Weather app present like the predecessor Charge 4? No

- Is the Relaxing Guide app present like the predecessor Charge 4? No

- Is Spotify app present like the predecessor Charge 4? No

- More generally can I control music of any player? No

- Can stats in the display re-organized or hidden if not needed (for example Female Health icon)? No

- Does Sleep Data and Sleep score tracker display finally work (bug present on C3, C4, Inspire 2 since the origin)?

- Does Charge 5 use GPS to provide distance while walking/biking or is it still using the steps by stride algorithm?

Anything else?

Moderator Edit: Personal info removed

[Matty70]

Maybe, just maybe, they should fix all the issues with the app and the firmware across devices before launching new ones every week what do u think? I bet soon ppl will start saying this doesn't work this doesn't appear. Well no surprise, my sense s not showing breathing rate since December last year, but now there is the new charge 5 on the market!

[nihahi]

I think another SIGNIFICANT question is the method of connecting the device itself to the band. There is absolutely no mention of any modification or improvement of something that has been an ongoing issue for many years. The Charge 4 group has a multi-year, multi-page thread of users who had the plastic connection break, thus rendering their device unwearable. Just recently, the mods actually shut down that thread, without any indication that a basic manufacturing flaw had been resolved. If it is the same design with the Charge 5, there is no reason to believe that it will not remain an ongoing problem...all Fitbit has to do, is state that the design feature has been improved. Silence on this is again quite "telling".

[Ugiphil]

@SilviaFitbit Do you have any info regarding Charge 5 music controls (see above)? Would be disappointing to have to wait until all the Charge 5 reviews roll in to find this out from a 3rd party, when Fitbit could surely provide the info at this stage. Thanks.

[WalkaboutGaijin]

@Rich-laue, A 3-axis accelerometer serves the same function as a gyroscope but without limitations including precession, the fact that a physical gyroscope would be too large to fit in a watch, and the motor that drives its rotation would consume too much battery power. Even aircraft have switched to accelerometers to replace gyroscopes

[Giampi71]

I read the manual (that is quite poor in terms of information I have to say) and updated my initial post.

I miss the information for my last 2 questions but it's unlikely I can answer as I'm not going to buy the Charge 5 based on my findings so far. But I will keep monitoring reviews and other users' posts.

[eclair61]

I can't believe I paid so much for what I thought was an "improvement" from C4 to C5 to find I don't have weather. Seriously? Is weather really that hard to add?  I hope I'll be able to return this.