Is there anyone who likes the charge 3?

[mrswasden]

I see so many negative comments on the charge 3 it is deterring me from purchasing. Does anyone like the charge 3? Is it worth purchasing? I have the alta now and want to upgrade to something with a screen.

[JEM-1]

I'm so happy you asked this ... I'm wondering the same thing!!! I want to upgrade from the original Flex that I've been using for years with no problems at all. I've seen so many great reviews about the Charge 2 but it's not sold in stores any longer. Charge 3 reviews on amazon are pretty bad, so like you I'm hesitant to buy it. I hope you get alot of responses here!!!!

[JonDavidL]

I love the Charge 3!  I was excited last summer when I heard they were going to release it, then I came on here and saw all the negativity and complaints etc.  I held off.  Then I finally bought one in January of this year after realizing that there are millions of the trackers out there and only a very very small number of people are on here with issues.  Mine has worked flawlessly.  Zero problems.  It looks sharp (awesome with dress clothes) and with a change of the band it can be casual looking with a pair of shorts. I use it with an iPhone 7 running iOS 12.2. and have no problems.  I sometimes think the issues on here have to do with phone compatibility.  Make sure your phone is listed as compatible by Fitbit.  My only issue would be that the SPO2 sensor still hasn't been activated (at least for us the end user to see the data) and I also have an issue with how slowly Fitbit moves to update everything (not just the CH3 but all their products).  I wish they added new clock faces every month.  Started adding apps to the CH3 beyond the stock ones.  A calendar app would be awesome!  Overall I think the CH3 is one of the nicest watches Fitbit has produced to date and I absolutely love mine. Good luck on your decision. 

[jt11]

Very disappointed!

[SunsetRunner]

nope, very disappointed

[Baltoscott]

I suspect most people come to the device forums because they have a specific problem they are trying to solve.  If your Fitbit is working, there isn't much to say; though there are quite a few of us in the community that try to help others figure out whether the problem they are experiencing has an easy fix that is just not intuitive, or if they need to contact 'help.' 

In answer to your question, though, I like my CH3.  It has replaced my CH2 as the Fitbit I wear most often. 

Bands are super easy to change for a different look, you don't have to take it off when you swim or shower, connected GPS works better (much more likely to connect without fiddling with the app) on the CH3 with my iPhone Xs, than the CH2 did. Basic info on all metrics on watch (steps, stairs, number of 250 steps/hour periods met, resting HR and current HR, miles, calories, active minutes ...). Notifications seem to be reliable.  Since it is a band, rather than a watch like the Versa or Ionic, you can wear it on one wrist and sport some other watch on the other wrist and look only a little geeky, and, like other Fitbit's I have had, it provides great insight at my 24/7 fitness, sleep, and daily activity.

Of course it is not perfect, and I've experienced some bugs.  The screen is hard to read in bright sunlight -- but I can shade it with my hand; I've lost the display altogether a couple of times -- fixed by changing to a different clock face in the app, then changed back; it logs more 'steps' on my bike commute (from road vibration) than I get with my Versa, Ionic, or CH2, -- though all wrist-based trackers have this issue to one extent or another, so I just accept it as part of my daily step count and recognize that bike riding IS activity even if not technically steps ... also, it does not make toast.  

[Username77]

I recently upgraded from a Flex2 because i'm a swimmer.

Pros- heart rate, enhanced sleep tracking (when it works properly)

Cons - WON'T SYNC

It's been very disappointing so far. Can't get it to sync properly and regularly. This is a common and known issue but Fitbit doesn't seem to know how to fix it.

Based on that I would hold off on getting this. I am probably going to return mine and be very, very sad to go back to the Flex2.

[s-a-b-b]

I was also hesitant to buy the charge 3 since the reviews seemed to be split between 5 star and 1 star. I've had my charge 3 a few weeks and other then my own error while connecting it to my account, I forgot to make sure I only had 1 Bluetooth devise turned on, I haven't had any real issues. I used the fitbit one and surge previously and have enjoyed the updated features of the charge 3. It tracks steps and flights of stair similar to the surge, I haven't had any syncing issues different than what is normal for fitbit (it always syncs faster on my computer than on my phone). The only issue I've had is trying to figure out how to connect to the GPS on my phone, haven't got that to work yet. I usually give up so I can actually get my workout in rather than spending the time trying to figure out technology. Overall, I have really enjoyed the charge 3 and am glad my took the leap of faith to buy it.

[Decoherence]

As another member has said, people who have problems are more likely to come here to check or complain. People who don't mostly won't. 

I've had no serious issues with mine, and I'm fairly fussy/attentive to my devices' performance. One occasion when syncing was problematic (hard to say whether such a problem is in the device or the phone app), one when the screen became unresponsive (I just rebooted it, didn't wait to see whether it would clear). So not perfect, but nothing serious. My wife's seems to have had no issues at all. 

And yes, it's fine for what I want: provides reasonably accurate activity tracking (given the limits of a wrist-mounted accelerometer and barometer), works well for smartphone notifications (my phone is often silent and I don't always feel vibrations when I'm walking with it in my pocket, so this is useful to me), and the battery life is slightly better than specified. I'm not a power user, but it does what I expected it to do. 

[Jessieh1981]

I am extremely dissatisfied. It either tracks thousands more steps per day, or thousands less. The heart rate on it occasionally jumps up to the 200s which I know is not even close the correct. I would definitely not recommend this to anyone that wants accurate info.

[Fatherofgrace]

I like my charge 3. The device and app both worked flawlessly for months and still somewhat do. The problem I got is after I did the firmware update it isn't showing everything on the device. It still works and showing on the app but but we're 100% until the update.

[SunsetRunner]

I bought my Fitbit Charge 3 less than 2 weeks ago. several days ago the screen will not swipe, so I can not check out the other items. I have reset it several times and that did not solve the problem. I've contacted customer service and all they told me was the same thing I already did.

So that was a complete waste of time. Since I have discarded the box it came in the store I bought it from will not take it back. You spend a lot of money on something you expect to work and it is very frustrating when it doesn't.

[JEM-1]

I was wondering the same thing since the reviews are so mixed. I decided to go for it and bought the Charge 3 (formerly had the original Flex). I'm really enjoying mine. I'm hesitant to put it in water though so I don't. But, I really like all the reminders throughout the day and seeing the notifications I set up, seeing the stairs and heart rate is great. But what I really like seeing is my sleep pattern. After about one week I had a sync problem but after doing a little research, realized I still had my old Flex on my account. Once I removed it from my account, no issues. I hope this continues 🙂

[AlvaroFitbit]

Hello everyone. Thank you all for your feedback and comments about the Charge 3. If you wish to see any changes please share them in our Feature Suggestions board. Search for the idea first to see if one already exist so you can add your vote. The more votes an idea gets the more likely the developers will try to implement it.

@Jessieh1981 Let me help you with your heart rate reading. I suggest you clean the back of your device with cotton and rubbing alcohol and restart it. Turn the heart rate off, save and sync then turn it on save and sync again. Also check these tips to improve the heart rate reading on your device.

@Fatherofgrace what is missing from your device. Could you describe which items or stats you aren't seeing?

@SunsetRunner since you already followed Support suggestions please them know that the issue persist so they can further assist you.

@JEM-1 you shouldn't worry about getting your device wet as you are able to swim with it. If anything happens you can always check the warranty and let our Support team know but this isn't expected.

Let me know how it goes.

[Donweezy55]

Im a huge fan, but you cant go in thinking its a smart watch.  It's a fitness tracker, and in my opinion the best.  The battery life is great, I get a week out of it by turning screen wake off.  I dont want it lighting up anytime I move my wrist at night.  What it wont do is reply to texts, change your song on spotify, take voice commands.  But if youre looking for something to track your runs, swim, sleep, and heart rate, its perfect.

[SunsetRunner]

I've had mine since November last year & love it 🙂

There were a few bugs when I first got it & I wasn't happy with the watch faces until the last update but now it's awesome does exactly what I wanted it for & I can wear it in the shower or pool!

[MegLikesGoats]

I got mine over the winter holidays as a upgrade to my Charge 2, and I really like it. It was syncing slowly for awhile, but it turned out to be the fault of my (very old) iPhone. After upgrading phones, it’s pretty flawless on the synching. Echoing others, spo2 doesn’t show in any apps or a readable way yet (even though the sensor is definitely lighting up), but I do find heart rate to be more accurate vs the Charge 2. I haven’t had mine track steps at weird times (like during driving, as some have experienced), although the floor counter does seem to be a little batty at times. Overall, though, it’s a useful tool to track the things I need it to track at a price that doesn’t make me hesitant to use it. It has survived some kettle bell whacks. 🙂

[MarreFitbit]

Welcome to the Community Forums @MegLikesGoats, @SunsetRunner, and @Donweezy55! Thanks for sharing your experience with the Charge 3. I'm glad to hear you're having such a great time with it. 

We'll be around if there's anything else we may do to help you. I hope you have a nice day! 

[JudyCr69]

I’m late, but I hope you bought the charge 3.  I LOVE mine.  I’ve returned several over the yrs because  they were either too complicated, ( I wasn’t smart enough:) or I was not impressed with the accuracy tracked,  But, the charge 3 is so fabulous!!  It has helped me take more steps, of course, but the greatest benefit is the sleep feature.  It is so true and actually makes me stay in bed longer!  I’m bad about waking and getting up.  I have tried going back to sleep so my Fitbit will track more sleep and it works!!  Thankful that I kept it, kept trying to learn everything about it and adamant about wearing it all of the time., except swimming, showers and hot tub😎.  Love it!!  Totally recommend it.❤️ 

[vietvet66]

I have had mine for about 6 months, so far it is working just the way it should. I like the size of the screen, but make sure you get a screen protector.