Updated: We outline all the key differences
Charge 6 is Fitbit’s flagship fitness tracker band. The follow-up from Charge 5 features some tweaks under the hood, but little in the way of design changes. To the untrained eye, they look the same.
That’s where we come in. We’ve reviewed both devices, and we’re here to reveal the key differences between Charge 6 and Charge 5—and find out which is the right fitness tracker for you.
> Read our full Fitbit Charge 6 review> Best fitness trackers reviewed
Price and colors
Fitbit Charge 6 costs $159/£139/€159—though prices might vary depending on retailer discounts.
Originally, Fitbit Charge 5 went on sale at $179.95/£169.99. However, you can easily pick up a Charge 5 from retailers now for around $120/£100.
In terms of colors, Charge 6 comes in obsidian, porcelain, and coral. Fitbit Charge 5 comes in black, grey, blue, teal, and white.
Design
Charge 6 uses the same case, design, and screen tech as the Charge 5—so the differences here are pretty imperceptible.
But there are two key points to be aware of:
Fitbit Charge 6 embodies the same case and design as Charge 5—but this time in 100% recycled aluminum. But with one key addition: the physical button is back, which can be used to summon the menu and navigate back to the home screen.
Charge 5 was solely a touchscreen device, and this was universally hated. And it seems Fitbit/Google got the message loud and clear.
Sports tracking
The key change here, and the biggest overall, is that Charge 6 uses Google’s much-improved heart rate algorithms, which were debuted on the Pixel Watch 2.
Fitbit says that this improves accuracy over Charge 5 by 60% during HIIT workouts, spinning, and rowing.
In our testing, we found excellent heart rate accuracy across a wide range of tracked activities, although we still encountered a few rogue readings along the way. But this is a big step up from previous Fitbit bands when it comes to tracking high heart rate workouts.
Fitbit has 20 new workout modes for Charge 6, including HIIT, CrossFit, and skiing modes, so it’s better suited to workout classes all around.
Both devices feature GPS tracking of workouts, so you can take them for a run. The accuracy was found to be poor in our Charge 5 review, and sadly, things haven’t improved on Charge 6 either.
We struggled to get a good GPS lock when using Charge 6’s internal GPS sensor, and when we did, distances were wayward and tracked poorly.
It does help if you tweak the settings to use Connected GPS, which uses your paired smartphone for GPS instead. Either way, neither Charge bands are suited to hardened runners.
Fitbit Charge 6 can also broadcast heart rate data to third-party fitness equipment and apps via Bluetooth, so you can see data in real-time. It works with Peloton bikes, the Peloton app, and NordicTrack equipment.
Health sensors
Fitbit Charge 6 features many of the same array of health sensors as its predecessor—and it’s still the most advanced fitness tracker on the market.
Both devices have an ECG sensor to check your heart rate rhythm and produce a graph in the Fitbit app that can be shared with your doctor.
However, both can monitor for potential irregular heart rhythm notifications, including signs associated with AFib, making them useful wellness-focused wearables. It can also notify users of abnormally high or low heart rates.
There’s also an electrodermal activity sensor (EDA), which looks for signs of physical stress, which feeds into the Fitbit stress trend tracking. However, it’s not something we found hugely insightful in our review period on Charge 5, but interesting for those who find stress something they’d like to track.
The heart rate sensor algorithms have been improved for high heart rate, but there’s no real difference in terms of basic daily HR tracking, which was already excellent on Charge 5.
The Fitbit platform is one of the best out there—and a huge draw to the Charge series of trackers. Both will keep tabs on sleep and key wellness metrics as part of the Health Metrics Dashboard, which shows your current levels of resting HR, breathing rate, SpO2, and body temperature against personal baselines.
All of these are expanded in detail by the Fitbit Premium subscription, which is another $9.99/£7.99 per month on top.
Smart features
The biggest changes between Charge 5 and Charge 6 are in smart features and the adoption of Google services.
Charge 6 supports Google Maps integration and displays turn-by-turn directions on the screen. This worked well in our testing and may be a useful feature.
Google Wallet is also supported, so you can make payments from the wrist using Google Wallet instead of Fitbit Pay on Charge 5. Fitbit Pay support was quite limited, and this is a feature users have been crying out for.
This makes Charge 6 feel even more useful—and certainly makes for a better all-round device.
Verdict: Which is best for you?
Everyone is a winner with this update. If you’re into HIIT classes or getting sweaty at the gym, then getting Charge 6 over Charge 5 seems like a no-brainer. Add in the new Google services, and it may even be worth upgrading.
If you’re not much of a gym-goer, but are here for general wellness and health tracking features, then picking up a cut-price Fitbit Charge 5 is a great way to save some money.
But remember, if it’s steps and sleep tracking you want, then Xiaomi Mi Band 8 and Huawei Band 8 are both even cheaper.
