Will Charge 4 display show me heart rate and speed/pace while walking?

[SunsetRunner]

I have almost no experience with smartwatches or fitness trackers, so please explain things to me with that in mind.

I’m looking for two metrics (yes, that’s right — only 2!):

First, I want to see my heart rate as I’m walking. I don’t want to see a record of my heart rate after my walk. I don’t want charts and graphs. I don’t want to look at my smartphone at all. I want to walk and lift my wrist up and look at the device and see my current heart rate. This one seems pretty straightforward to me as the products appear to list this information unambiguously.

Second, and so far I’ve been unable to see what Fitbit products – if any – do this: I want to see how fast I’m walking, as I’m walking. Again, don’t want a record, or chart/graph afterwards; don’t want to look at my smartphone at all. I want to walk and life up my wrist and look at the device and see my current walking speed. It looks like I will have to convert from pace (1 mile in __ minutes) to speed (__ miles per hour), and I can do that. But I’m not sure which devices will display this information on the device’s display in real-time as I’m walking.

So, what, if any, Fitbit products will do these two things?

[Julia_G]

Hi, @SunsetRunner , all Fitbits with “exercise mode” will give you the information you require, on your wrist (as well as afterwards on your phone).  You will need to turn on exercise mode.

My favourite Fitbits for doing this are the Versa 2 (because the screen is lovely and big and easy to see) and the Charge 4 (because it has built in GPS chip so will give most consistent pace info - doesn’t rely on a connection to your phone - but even the more basic Inspire HR will do what you require.  

You might want to compare trackers by going here .  The features you need are exercise mode and heart rate (obviously...)

I hope this helps!

[SunsetRunner]

Julia_G, thanks for your reply. I did compare several devices on the website (I'm in the US) but couldn't find specific enough descriptions of "exercise mode" to be confident I could see the info I need. Exercise mode is a setting/program I have to start when I go out for a walk?

It looks like the Versa 2 doesn't have a built in GPS... I may have neglected to mention in my original post that I don't want to rely on my phone for any aspect of using whichever device I decide on. I'm "partial" to Fitbit only because I have had a Zip for years and love it. I'll download an app if I have to in order to set up the device, but want something that I can use without having to do anything with my phone on an ongoing basis. Synching, maps, whatever -- no thanks. I only need the two measurements, available in real-time on the device, even if I don't have a phone with me.

I'd like to buy the least expensive device that will do what I want, so I'm checking into the most likely choices with people who use them via the forum.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @SunsetRunner , you do not need GPS, or even your phone, for the Fitbit to tell you on your wrist as you require, your HeartRate and your pace.  However, without GPS your pace may not be quite as accurate - but will certainly give you a good idea.  As you probably know from using your Zip, Fitbit uses your stride length (which it sets automatically based on your height, but is adjustable by the user) to calculate your distance - I.e. it is the number of steps times your stride length.  It uses the same metric to calculate your pace.

As for your non syncing requirement, I don’t know of any such device that will give you the stats you want -  including the very expensive Apple Watch or Garmins that does not require you to sync at least occasionally to a phone, computer or tablet.  For one thing, unless you sync occasionally, these devices will not even keep accurate time.

That does not mean you have to have your phone with you to get those two stats you are after.  It does mean you will need to sync regularly (I would say a minimum of once a week) once you are home.

If you need more information on the exercise mode then please let us know, but the short answer is, yes, you set up which main stats you want to see while you walk and then you start the mode when you begin your walk.  At any point you can glance at your wrist, see your main preferred stats and scroll through to see the others (stats include pace, heartrate, steps, distance, duration of activity, time of day).  You can see all of these without your phone.  

But if you NEVER sync you will find your Fitbit ceases to work properly (and you also won’t be able to take advantage of updates or some other features).

I hope this helps.

[SunsetRunner]

Julia_G, thank you; most helpful info. I'll see if anyone else chimes in with additional info, but this is really useful to me. Do you think at this point that I'd likely be happier with the Charge 4, or should the Versa 2 still be in the running?

[Julia_G]

Hi, @SunsetRunner , it really depends on whether built in GPS is important to you.  I have both Fitbits.  I personally prefer the Versa 2 overall, but the Charge 4 does have the built in GPS chip and I do like getting a nice map of my hike or run (I don’t bother for day to day walks).  At the moment I have set aside my Versa 2 and am using the Charge 4.  But I expect longer term I will switch back to the Versa 2 unless Fitbit brings back multi tracker support.

In your case, if all you are seriously interested in is pace and heartrate, and you are price conscious, you might want to seriously consider the Inspire HR.  It is a super little tracker In my opinion  - small, unobtrusive, a range of nice bands available and my feeling is it works really well - a souped up version of earlier Fitbits like the very first HR version.  It has faults (nothing is perfect!).  I’d say the biggest one is it is hard to read in bright sunlight (but that is the same for Charge 4). The pace and HR info you get won’t be any different than what you would get from the Versa 2, and it is a lot smaller and cheaper.  It would be my current top choice for a small and reasonably delicate but well featured Fitbit - for someone who doesn’t want a lot of “smart watch” features.

For more bells and whistles, ability to pay etc and a much bigger tracker, but still no GPS, there’s Versa 2.  

If you feel you want built in GPS it is currently either the Ionic, now a couple of years old, or the newer, Charge 4.  The Charge 4 has many of the  “smart watch” features of the Versa 2, but not all of them, and the screen is black and white (Versas are colour), it’s smaller and much harder to see in sunlight.

There are also rumours that I have seen on the internet for a new Versa to be launched in the autumn.  It might, some people have guessed, have GPS.  I have no inside info on this.

It really is a matter of working out which features are most important to you.  That’s why I shared the compare trackers page.

If you don’t understand any of the feature, do ask!

[Jydn]

i just want the home screen to show time+date+heart rate AND steps