Honest Review of a FitBit Charge 3

[SunsetRunner]

I have had the Charge 3 for a few weeks now and I have been a FitBit customer for a few years.

The short version: Yet another unimpressive piece of kit. It doesn't feel innovative, it doesn't feel premium, it surely is not a stylish item, rather something I need to hide under a shirt sleeve.

The long version: I purchased the FitBit Charge 3 after all the noise and marketing campaigns that announced its release. Once I unboxed it the first impression was very underwhelming. Regardless the technicalities around the materials, the rubber band feels just like that: rubber. The screen also feels very rushed and, if you look carefully, it have a massive bezel all around.

This is just the beginning, after charging the device and waiting, out of the box, for 30 minutes or more to complete the first upgrade I was left with a device that displays all but what I need. Shure, you can change the clock face but either nobody at FitBit feels like listening to feedback, or they have never went out and compared other products with their own. There is a third option: people just got used to subsequent releases of underwhelming products that by now anything looks like innovation.

The software on this device is so poor that I would not even know from where to start the description.

The gestures are not intuitive and the menus are so layered that it is virtually impossible to navigate them. It does not help that the haptic button is difficult to reach and not very sensitive and needs to be pressed multiple times just to get back to the beginning.

To log an exercise I need to tap/double tap (so many gestures), slide right, (clear notifications that might pop up in the meanwhile), tap on "Exercise", select the exercise *treadmill", click start, click start again. We're logging! Now let's stop it. Twisting the wrist does not always wake the screen (which is a problem also when simply wanting to check the time). So.. double tap. Press the haptic button on the left (with my thumb as I wear a watch on the left wrist). The exercise is paused. Let's stop it. Haptic button again. Click on "Finish". Oh.. not on the clock face yet. Haptic button again. And again. Oh here it is. I'm back after tens of click. How was this UI/UX designed? Last minute much?

Some might say that it is just a matter of getting used to it.. it is not. A carefully thought out and researched UI should be intuitive. Unfortunately we are getting used to many UIs being utterly terrible. 

The clock faces themselves look dated. What I want to see is a big set of digits telling me the time and underneath it the date. I don't need to be constantly reminded of the number of steps or my heartbeat. This is just so stressful!

To conclude... just another inexpressive piece of kit that feels cheap, looks cheap, and it is difficult to operate. This will be the last device I buy from FitBit. I won't even begin to comment on the Social side of FitBit that also seems rushed with a complex UI, nonexistent UX, and messaging system form the last century. 

[ljcluvspugs]

I also agree with this review. I have had fitbit for years. Started with the Alta, loved it, moved on to thea Charge 2 and used it faithfully for 2 years. Only upgraded because I wanted the watch to be more flush to my wrist and have the scratch resistant screen. Both of those things are fine, but I am already on my 2nd replacement since Christmas. The Charge 3 is so glitchy for notifications, charging, battery life, and syncing. The telephone support has also declined drastically. I have been trying to avoid switching to an Apple Watch but I am well on my way.....

[wokingviking]

I switched to an Apple Watch and I have to say there are only 2 things I miss, the community and the live steps but that is nothing when what I get is a fantastic watch that does more than what it says. It’s the best product I have purchased for a long time. It works better than a Fitbit, it’s more reliable, it’s more comfortable, ok it’s more expensive and the battery lasts 2 days but I have never become angry with it or wanted to stamp on it like my Fitbit 3. 

Fitbit need to learn from the reviews on this site. I got an email saying they are updating the software to look more up to-date but tbh there was nothing wrong with the software in-fact I miss it a little.

fix the hardware!, 

[Anne0314]

I'm completely disappointed in Fitbit. I received a Fitbit HR 3 from my husband last Christmas. After having it for 7 months it started to malfunction and we called support for help. They suggested we try to reset the watch and that did solve the issue. Fitbit said they had problems with the HR 3 and we could get it replaced with the same watch or give us a 50% discount if we upgrade. Sounds great right? Not! We spent 150.00 on the HR 3 7 months ago. If we upgrade to the Versa it's another 115.00. We will end up paying 265.00 for the Versa, when we could order the Versa for 240.00. So I would be paying more and money and have more of a hassle. I said just send me a check and I will upgrade but we can only get our money back before the 45 days after our purchase. Our Fitbit has a 1 year warranty and if we decided to get the same HR 3 our warranty doesn't start over. We will only have 5 months left. But as the support tech said they "think" the problem is solved. FYI keep this in mind when you purchase a Fitbit!

[Mary-Hayesville]

Like so many others who had enjoyed their Charge 2, I expected the Charge 3 to be even better. NOT!!! The biggest issue is that it will not sync or pair with my iPhone.  Customer service acknowledges the problem with the syncing/pairing but it looks like it’s been a problem for months with no resolution. In addition, the screens are cumbersome and difficult to navigate—no easy access to the data you need.I had zero problems with my Charge 2 but with a cracked face thought I should go ahead and replace it. Charge 3 will be returned and I’ll wear the Charge 2 until i find a better replacement. 

[JudyCr69]

I don’t have any of the others to compare my charge 3, but I am loving this one more each day. I heard on the news that studies found keeping track of your steps, sleep & calories didn’t help losing weight at all compared to those who didn’t keep track. It has certainly helped me this summer. I move around more and actually stay in bed longer to sleep to my set numbers. I LOVE the sleep tracker so much. I used to worry about lack of sleep, but this tracker has alleviated a lot of that stress.❤️

Sent from my iPad

[dianeincr]

I agree about the Charge 2.  I expected the Charge 3 to be pretty much like the Charge 2, only waterproof.  

I've had it for over a month and can't even get it to a usable state.  Took it to a computer store and finally got it set up on my phone and computer, but nothing works.  I can't even get a clock face that is readable.  My clock options box is totally blank.  I've been in contact with support for over a week and after they couldn't solve my problem, they escalated it to their advanced team.  That was several days ago.  I am still waiting for a reply. 

So, like you, I am still wearing my Charge 2. I don't want a replacement Charge 3.  I have wasted so much time on this and still don't have a working device. 

[SenseiCRO]

I am a basic user of a tracker and I do not expect much of it,

BUT:

1. if I buy a product I want that it runs as declared

2. when it updates the firmware, I expect improvements, not malfunctions of what worked correctly before the update

3. when the tracker battery is empty, I expect that the charger will charge it

4. when I ask for help I deserve some answer at least if not help

5, this FitBit Charge is a GigPiece Of A s*h*i*t, I wish I knew that before buying it.

[dianeincr]

I've been with Fitbit for years also and loved every other Fitbit I've had.  

I have been trying to set this up for over a month and am waiting on a response from the advanced support team. This is after a week of no solution and still no working Fitbit.

How is the Garmin forerunner working for you?  How does it compare to other Fitbits you've had?  Does it have a heart rate that you can see when you work out and does it have a calorie count for the day?

Thanks

[Penguingirl84]

I know what you mean, I got this product 8 months ago. The first one lasted 4 months before it stopped syncing and started going off at random times. The second one lasted about three months before the screen stopped working. I got a replacement this morning and it crashed after 10 minutes so now Fitbit is sending me my fourth Charge 3 in 8 months. I almost wonder if it is time to give up and move onto a different company

[Mary-Hayesville]

I gave up. Returned the Charge 3 and bought a new Charge 2 from EBay. Works perfectly!

Sent from my iPad

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[SunsetRunner]

It is time indeed. 

[SunsetRunner]

It is. 🙂

[Zonker845]

a little off topic?

[SunsetRunner]

I was looking for the right place to give an honest review of the Charge 3.

As support staf know I've been complaining about all sorts of things. 

I was lured by the hype. I enjoyed my Charge 2. Which bombed out and as I don't live in Britain the warranty is not covered the same. 

Back to charge 3.

From the get go it's a bomb. 

This is, compared to the charge 2, a HUGE DROP in quality. 

From software to the hardware. 

Software reacted like an Irishman after pay weekend and needed constant updating and rebooting the device. Setting it up was like the Sydney Opera House.  Slow and painful.  But either they've fixed the bugs or I've gotten used to them.

Then we get to the hardware. I'm in month 10 of owning the charge 3. I'm on my 4th set of straps.  The straps are the lowest of lowest grade. When they break you will see inside that the bonding is like the south African house of parliament. 

I only changed my charge 2 strap once. 

So strap quality.... very poor. 

If you do decide to buy a charge 3, either order a spare set of 10 or look at metal or leather straps if you can afford it. 

 

 I'm at the duct tape phase as I can no longer shell out money for straps that aren't going to last.

As a keen archer I know about backing a bow. So here is a strap that broke that I'm trying to salvage using contact adhesive and backing.

 

 

 

The screen.... of my word the screen.... my charge 2 faced a lot of abuse. I'm a paramedic and constantly doing rescues etc.

The charge 3, the screen is so soft. Within 1 hour of wearing it it was already scratched. 

If you live an active life style or have kids etc. The charge 3 will look very worn within about a month. The screen is soft plastic. Again a massive drop in quality. 

 

My charge 2 took a lot of rough stuff. From house fires,  car accidents, rescues,  even went in to the sea when I went in to save crew from a boat that capsized. Now that was quality. That was only the second set of stairs that Fitbit supplied to me. And they awesome compared to charge 3 sham straps

A lot of blood, sweat and victim's tears in my charge 2. Recorded many a CPR etc.

 lots of abuse and looks better than my new charge 3. Pity the charge two sensors bombed out literally a month after the warranty expired.

If you are an outdoorsman or adventure seeker or

Paramedic, police, firefighter, mechanic, OCR competitor, labourer.... the charge 3 due to the constantly breaking straps is not for you. Stick to the charge 2 if you hardcore and don't mind the out of date fitness tracker. it is soft and not durable. 

5 years on average life span for a normal watch strap.... charge 3, 4 straps in 9 months.... that's very ridiculous. 

There are 3 points in project management. 

Time

Cost

Quality

If there is a stuff up in one, the two others must take the strain. If there are 2 problems it's left to the last item. 

So we know hardware quality was given up and suffered. So maybe shareholders wanted more profits so cost had to be cut or to increase profit quality had to go down, either way, this is how project management works. Or the hype the company created for launch date was not feasible so short cuts or sacrifices needed to be made. Quality was definitely on the chopping block. 

On a positive. Where the strap links to the body.... that is legitimately good. Charge 2 popped off a few times.  Charge 3 never had that issue.... so that's a winner. 

The button on the side is also great but sometimes touchy. After pushups the button was accidentally activated and you find yourself on a different screen, but I really like it. The charging station is nice but doesn't always seat properly, so you hear the click and think it's in... but it's not and your Fitbit doesn't charge.tthe charge 2 if seated you knew it was seated and charging.

I like my charge 3.... I just don't like the cheap easy break straps and the soft scratch screen.

Overall I'm very happy with it and wear it every day. Feel naked without it.

I hope this helps buyers to avoid disappointment. In this economy money is tight and throwing it away on a bad product will make you unhappy. Remember that if you outside the UK, USA OR CANADA  you are not entitled to the same guarantees and warranties. 

Purchasing for foreigners is also a mission from hades.  So if you order,  order relevant replacement parts and accessories once off. DO NOT RELY ON THE STRAPS THAT COME WITH YOUR WATCH UNLESS YOU INSURE IT.... get alternate straps as your first priority. When I got mine there was not all these new cool straps like now.... which is foreigners can't quite afford. So also not in the budget side of things.

The latest software update and app and looks and operation are really cool and smooth.

Peace.  

B

[BlackD]

This is the worse piece of fitness equipment on the market! I purchased the Fitbit 3 four months ago and have no recourse for refund. My only option is to except a third Fitbit 3 sent to me as warrant for the original not working! After three times it’s pretty clear to me that I’m dealing with a product that’s not what I want to be dealing with! The warrant department at Fitbit said go back to Best Buy for a refund because all they could do is send me another replacement face and charger. Best Buy only warranty if for a few days after purchase. So my options is to keep accepting replacements for the next year and a half under the warranty! 

[spokanemichael]

Could not agree more. Loved the Alta hr which died after two years. I do not like the charge 3 at all. I find it all of the above and also inaccurate as well. The software premium requires an upgrade which I find an insult after paying what I did for this. Not a fan of Fitbit after all of this. Time to move on to the competition. 

[underworldrayne]

I went back to my charge 2 after a few 'good' months with the 3 before the screen started to artifact on me. White lines interrupting the screen until recently it just stopped showing a screen period. This thing is so incredibly faulty I don't even think the HR monitor on it was all that great. Be at the gym, pushing hard and your heart rate barely stays in peak or drops below 110, which is complete bullcrap. Lift your arm and it tracks it as a floor. The auto read on workouts is a bust too. Hour long workout..registers 30 if lucky. Sync issues and Bluetooth connection errors galore. Restoring Bluetooth, phone etc to get it to FIND and SYNC. I SAY discontinue the crap or release an updated fixed model. What a waste of time and money. The charge 2 is way more tougher and accurate. A little dated in it's aesthetic but a much more quality fitness tracker. 

[Nnbowers]

I have a charge 3 and also gave one to a friend. They both are high maintenance and buggy. They quit synching all the time and we have to plug them in and do reboot to get them to synch. They suddenly go black and to get them back, again have to plug in and reboot. The steps are totally innacurate. Mine showed 7,000 steps while I was just driving. It shows stairs climbed when there are none.  App is very basic.  I am currently looking for a better tracker watch.

[MattUk81]

Wow guys,

I decided to return mine, bought it yesterday haha and already I can see that the steps count it’s nonsense!!

I’ll just get a polar chest band to monitor my heart at the gym, shame, I was excited about this product, but 99% of the reviews aren’t good at all. I even did some research before to buy it, but official websites lack of real comments!

[Mary-Hayesville]

I love my iWatch (Apple). More expensive but worth every penny. Fitbit should do a recall on the Charge 3.



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