One of last year’s best wrist-based trackers was the Charge 3, and it appears the next model will be even more impressive.
Fitness gadgets may not be the first thing on our minds right now, but when this whole thing is over and we’re looking for ways to lose any of the excess grams we managed to pick up, there’s a good chance you’ll be eyeing a wearable to help out.
There are numerous options out there, but by the end of April, there’ll be yet another, as Fitbit updates its Charge wearable to be a little more capable.
In fact, it’s the sort of update that takes the best of what worked in the previous version and improves things further, taking the Charge 3 and updating the innards to be a little more capable.
It means that when Fitbit releases the Charge 4 at the end of the month, it will look like the Charge 3, yet have a little more going for it on the inside. Like its predecessor, it will support heart rate tracking alongside step and activity tracking, and there’s also support for blood oxygen tracking in the SpO2 sensor that was in the last model. However, there is something new: GPS.
A built-in GPS in the Charge 4 means you won’t necessarily need to take your phone with you for walks to track your position, with the GPS-enabled exercise mode tracking locations and allowing you to map those routes after you’ve taken them.
Spotify support also joins the list, moving on from the Fitbit Versa and Ionic smartwatch wearables to join a slim wearable to control music from the wrist. It’s a first for Fitbit, which has only seen Spotify support in its bigger devices, though we’ll be curious to know if the music controls will be rolled out to any other services.
There were also more workouts and activities, including Barre, in a wearable supporting up to seven days of battery life complete with sleep tracking thrown in, as well. Depending on if your bank supports Fitbit Pay, you may even be able to use the Charge 4 as a mobile payment, or to get on a bus.
All of this is thrown into a swim-resistant design made for the wrist, making it ideal for walking, running, and even jumping into the drink for a big.
Right now, its use is less likely to be something for a bit of a swim, and thanks to the fact that most of us are in self-isolation, a new Fitbit is more likely to be used to track steps inside as we try to stay healthy. However in the coming months, that could change, though maybe not as quickly as the Fitbit Charge 4 will be released.
Set to be released on April 14, it’s unlikely we’ll all be out and about in time for its release for anything more than the casual walk or fitness-friendly run, but from then — and once this whole coronavirus crisis is over — you’ll find the Fitbit Charge 4 in stores from $249.95.
