Is anyone happy with the Charge 5?

[Markcw98]

I thought you might like to hear some positives on this forum.   Every article is problems and unhappiness:(   So, here is my shot.   I am new to the community but have used fitbit watches for years.   I recently bought a Charge 5 for my wife, whose Charge 2 became unresponsive.   I have a charge 4, which I love.  I am also a runner and use a Garmin watch for runs- mainly because of the ease of being able to post my runs on Strava.   But- I wear the charge 4 also and always compare and add the heartrate info (my Garmin does not have that).  

My wife did not like the Charge 5- mainly did not like the band but also felt like it did "too much."  No problem- I swapped with her and now I use the 5 while she is using my charge 4.   She likes the band and is exploring the features of the watch.   But- I am very happy to be at the better end of this deal with the charge 5.   I love the easy to read color screen, the fact that it seems faster to respond than the charge 4- setup was very easy.   I like the band but am worried it may wear out sooner than the Charge 4 band- but not that costly to replace.   I like the all touch controls and was very comfortable using them after a few hours.   I like the watch face choices but hope more will be offered in the future.   I have always liked the longer battery life of the Charge- both the 4 and 5 last 5-7 days, depending on use.   I tried ECG once and it was inconclusive.   EDA required 3 minutes of holding the sensor- not sure I need that but may try again in the future.  

All the basic functionality is there and the color display tops the list.  A very satisfied customer.  One addition I would love to see- add the weather app to the Charge 5.  It is great on the charge 4 and so convenient to swipe to vs digging out your phone (not that big a deal- but would be nice).  

What do others LIKE about it?  Thanks.  

[JackKinFL]

I started with an Inspire 2, moved to a Charge 4 and now have a Charge 5.  I've been happy with all of them, mostly because I believe I understood their limitations before I started using them.  I passed my Inspire 2 on to my wife is because I go for lots of walks and hikes and I didn't like carrying my phone around with me all the time just so I could have a GPS map of where I went.  I got a Charge 4 for the built-in GPS and was very happy with it.  I swapped out the band for an elastic band and never had any real issues with it.
When my son started doing fitness stuff outside (running, hiking, etc.) we wanted to get him a tracker so I passed the Charge 4 down to him and got myself a new toy.

So far I am very satisfied with the Charge 5 and have had no significant issues with the tracker itself.
Yes, I would like more battery life but it's a very small tracker with a bright color screen so that's asking a lot from it.
I do occasionally have issues with getting the GPS to connect to the satellites before I start an activity but I found that starting the exercise manually and then standing still with my wrist exposed to the sky helps it connect much faster.  Once locked on, I don't lose connection very often unless the sky view is fairly obstructed.
I again swapped out the band for an elastic band and have no issues with this one tracking my stuff or falling off.  I didn't have band issues with the stock bands either.  I just don't like the material.
The display is much easier to read in sunlight than the Charge 4, though I would like a few more clock faces that aren't all artsy looking.  I love the Retro Double Stat face for the Charge 4.  It has a clock and two stats (Steps and HR and the ones I'm most interested in throughout the day) on it.  The closest I've found on the Charge 5 is Target.  A simple Clock and one stat (but you can tap to see others) without any crazy lines or cut off numbers.
As a pedometer I find it plenty accurate for my needs.  This one tracks most of my steps when I'm pushing a shopping cart while my Charge 4 wouldn't.  I also can't wear a watch at work so I just take it off and stick it in my pocket and it keeps good track that way too.

The way the bands connect to the tracker and the rounded edges of the tracker body seem to be less prone to getting caught on things (sleeves or pockets) so that's a plus for me too.
I've also banged it into things on more than one occasion and haven't managed to hurt the screen at all so far.  No screen protector installed on it either.

So overall I'm quite happy with my Charge 5 and I hope it lasts me a long time.

[SebWotan]

I am happy with my Charge 5 too. It does exactly what I want it to do: track my exercises, heart rate, steps and calories burned. It tracked my sleep and also remind to move every hour. It worked well for that, the battery life is good for me (7 days). Keeping in mind its limitations and not using all bells and whistles (I never used notifications from calls, messages, not the GPS either, no music streaming) it is very enjoyable tool. 

[Markcw98]

Thanks for posting.   You hit on some of the main things I like also.   I am surprised with your battery life comment, as I am actually used to working with watches that only hold a charge for a few days- not the 5-7 days I have been getting with the charge 4 or 5.  I usually need to charge my Garmin Forerunner after about 3 days- and those are only 40 minute runs.  The Garmin is also older, inherited from my son, so the battery may be hitting end of life.    Friends of mine have the Apple watch which needs a charge each night.   And, the magnetic charger is really simple for the charge 5 vs the clip on for the 4.   So, I like the Charge over the others.   

Regarding the screen choices- I did like Target but right now am using Runliner.  It shows progress on steps, distance and zone minutes and shows time, date and heartrate.  A simple slide down shows the actual numbers for all the key metrics.  You may want to try that one.  

I am also a runner, but have been walking lately until my knee heals up.  I always have my phone with me and I use the Garmin- but I have tried to track runs with the Charge 5 and it is fine.   I do like to track on Strava and Garmin makes it easy.   

[Markcw98]

Thanks for the post.   I will just say ditto 🙂   I do like the sleep tracking.  I have kept the notifications on for text- it is easier to look at wrist to see if I need to respond- especially if I am running.   I always have my phone and use bluetooth headsets for music.  I do not see the need for music on the watch as I like the security of a phone, if needed.   

[bj5485]

I am just getting back in the fitbit world after a few years away. I bought the Charge 5 back in January and have had no problems whatsoever. I have lost 20+ lbs. and it inspires me to get moving every day. I appreciate this forum and was glad to find a positive place to contribute.

[SunsetRunner]

I’m happy with my charge 5. It does everything I want it to do. 

[azwxguy]

I am also a happy Charge 5 user. Started with a Charge 2, worked through two Charge 3's, and now a Charge 5. I'm also a Premium subscriber and happy with all of that additional data. No problems to report myself, but I do spend time here in the Community attempting to help others.

[nelsonkeller]

I completely agree with you! I've been a Fitbit used for years and I've had the Charge 3, 4, and recently upgraded to the 5. The pretty soft gold with the cream strap is a cleaner, nice look and less of a sports watch-look, which I prefer.  I love the colour screen and am happy I can actually read it outside without any trouble. I also love the easy touch screen to swipe to all the options. I had to learn how to optimize my battery by turning off the 'Always On' and switching to dynamic GPS. I really like the strap as it feels light as a feather and doesn't get in the way like the 4 did. I really like the additional Readiness score and how accurate the heat rate, sleep patterns, and all the other options that is has. I also like how easy it is to get answers and help if I need it from the community and the live chat. Instead of getting frustrated, I go to both of these help options first and so far have found the answers. I have passed down my 4 to my son and he loves it too. Overall, I'll give my Charge 5 a 4.7/5!!!!

[Milwaukee]

I don't know that I'd find it surprising that most posts here deal with "problems and unhappiness."  If my Charge 5 was working as it was supposed to do, I would never have needed to post in this forum.  I'd suggest that the folks here are going to be mainly those who ARE having problems, or they'd be out happily walking, running, biking or whatever.

I take a little exception to the statement about understanding the limitations of the device.  I don't expect perfection; however, I DO expect the functions that I paid for to be functional!  I specifically chose the Charge 5 b/c of the health metrics functions.  So far, none of these are working other than resting heart rate.  If I wanted just a basic tracker, I could have gotten one for a LOT less money, but I paid more in order to have this information (and will continue to be charged more for a Premium membership once my trial runs out).

Anyway, it's good that at least some users are actually getting what they paid for without spending hours on the forum or on chat, trying to get access to the extra features that they expected to receive.  I wish I was in your shoes!

[JerrytheK]

I had a charge 3 and some other fitbit model before that. While each device had little problems they were tolerable. My experience with the 5 is absolutely horrible. The main problem is that the heart rate measurement is total crazy. This afternoon  I was sitting at a table for 4 hours at a birthday party and somehow fot 200 zone minutes including 48 from the cardio zone. This is not even remotely possible. While I am rarely that sendentary for that long, a few days ago I got 50 zone minutes for a leisurely 30 minute car ride. Unfortunately this renders the zone minutes totally useless, probably makes your readiness score unreliable and probably can also distort your overall fitness score. Maybe other things too.

Overall, I like the brighter display, hate that active minutes are no longer on the app (yes, I know you can get them on a PC) and don't trust the validity of all the fancy premium metrics, partially but not exclusively due to the heart rate problem. I am going to ask FItbit for a replacement as not everyone seems to have this problem but barring that I will probably go back to the charge 3 while I look at other brands.

[annie212]

I wish I liked it but it's been 3 months of trouble and now it's dead.

I had hoped the synchronization problems would stop with the recent update but today it has completely died.

Other problems.... thought I was walking when in a slow train (daily), wildly inaccurate heart rate, very difficult to get out of water mode.

I really liked my Charge 4 but I won't be replacing the deceased 5 with another Fitbit 

[mmazzini1]

After some ups and downs in the beginning, i have to say that i really like my Ch5. Super wearable, great App functionalities and the screen is great, such an improvementvs my Ch2. Strap is supple and comfi. Latest firmware made also battery life slightly better. Slashed watch face is awesome. Another happy customer 

[9v9z9f]

Can you play music on the watch? I like the sleep mode when I remember to use it.

[9v9z9f]

I had my watch early part of this year too, it helps me move too. I find it useful because I can be a couch potato sometimes.

[Purp]

I got zone minutes sitting on the toilet yesterday!?!?

[azwxguy]

Well, you know...  There may have been some, ah-hem, exertion...  I don't know. I get steps for washing dishes, but otherwise I value all the things that it tracks. Maybe a future AI integration will be able to fine-tune the detection process by asking, "what was it you were doing just now?"

[charleskn]

I used my Charge 4 for two years until my wife bought me a Charge 5. Despite the poor selection of clock faces, I love the easier to read display. There are plenty of buggy quirks, but nothing serious. Except for occasional sync issues, that seem to self-resolve over the day, my Charge 5 has been mostly trouble free. I do use my phone's GPS for runs, but have tested the internal GPS, which wasn't great and also isn't bad. I was concerned about the switch given all the posts, but so far I am overall happy with the switch, but I am not parting with my Charge 4, either.

[Bailey07]

I love it compared to my two previous devices.  The Charge 5 is the first Fit-bit device with a screen bright enough to see in the Phoenix daytime while outdoors.  Every other device I had to find shade in order to read even the clock face.

[mikey_pdx]

On balance, I am happy with it. There are some things I dislike, but for the most part it's exactly what I wanted to replace my Microsoft Band 2 when it died years ago. Color display, notifications, onboard GPS, band-style form factor, fairly lightweight, easy to use (mostly). Could stand to be more customizable (such as moving the Exercise app to be one swipe away from the main screen), but it's not bad.

Now if the iOS app would just add dark mode (yes, I *know* about the feature suggestion thread)...