Inspire HR vs Charge 6 - Your opinions

[KatieH12]

Hi! Just looking for a bit of advice - I’ve had an Inspire HR for the past 5 or 6 years, but am looking to upgrade soon to something with a few more features, more accurate HR and potential GPS.
I’ve been looking into the Charge 6 and found a lot of mixed reviews. I like the look of the ECG, Google Maps feature and HR accuracy, and like the option of tracking GPS using the watch if I want to, but always run with my phone so it's not a huge issue if it's not too accurate. I’m also used to the small display having had an Inspire HR. Just wondering if the model has any other issues I’m missing and need to consider please? Or if anyone has gone from an Inspire HR to a Charge 6 and what they thought? Thanks!

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[DramaQueenDiva]

I actually have a Charge 5 and an Inspire HR.  I like the Charge 5 screen better because it's easier to see in the daylight.

[bobdob]

I went from an Inspire HR to Charge 6 about 18 months ago. It was getting difficult to charge and at the same time needed more frequent charges, otherwise I probably would have stuck with it.

To me the charge is mostly just a nicer-looking screen (even though most of the available clock faces are on the cartoonish side) and a bit more comfortable fit because it's flatter. It also has a glass screen instead of plastic.

Basically, I don't have much use for the new features it has. The SpO2 measurement is an interesting idea that I was excited about, but it seems that it is really limited to keep people from suing when they use it to make inaccurate medical decisions (you cannot just check your current O2 level and the data it gives you for overnight is "variation" in O2 level). The EKG is nifty to play with... once or twice. I don't personally have a need for the maps or gps features. And since the music control is limited to Youtube Music, also useless for me 🙂

I did encounter a major downside. About 3 months after purchase it started dying on me. Rarely at first, then more frequently, I'd have to do a reset (multiple tries actually) to get it to wake up. Ultimately I think that the issue was being triggered by the battery running out and corrupting some data - and occasionally I was seeing it drain very quickly so that it was hard to prevent it. A full factory reset helped - until the next unexpectedly drained battery.

I eventually got a replacement, got much more careful about charging it (I try to charge it before it goes below 50%), and haven't had a problem in nearly a year now. The subsequent firmware update may have helped too. So while there were some months that I would never recommend the Charge 6, I think you would find it a good upgrade - if you get it when it's on one of its $99 sales.