GPS question on the Charge 5

[organmeni]

I’m looking at a cheap Fitbit. The charge 5, and I’ve read there are GPS and HR problems, and one will work while the other falls off given the band tightness. However, I couldn’t care less about tracking my route during runs. Is this all the GPS offers for the Fitbit? Or does the GPS affect other statistics/ features?

Thanks

[LZeeW]

Hello @organmeni and welcome to the Community.  Fitbit estimates your VO2max and calls it your Cardio Fitness Score.  Fitbit reports it as a range, but you need to do GPS runs to get a more refined (single number) estimate.  The Charge 5 has dynamic GPS, with settings that let you choose between built in GPS and your phone's GPS.  The GPS/HR issue is reported with built in GPS tracking and some users prefer running without their phones.  If you aren't interested in a more precise VO2max estimate, then there's no reason to use GPS.