Following from the recent leak of the Fitbit Charge 6, it didn’t take long for the Google-owned company to officially launch its next-gen GPS fitness tracker today. In line with the launch is the confirmation of the physical button returning on the wearable, alongside several enhancements and a cheaper price sticker.
The most notable change on the outside of the Fitbit Charge 6 is the return of the navigation button that was ditched in the Charge 5 (review). This is then paired with a 1.04-inch AMOLED touchscreen for more flexible controls during workouts. The tracker retains the aluminum chassis and glass panel, though it is now getting three new watch bands in addition to the sports and loop options.
Beneath the device is a new set of sensors that ships with upgraded optical heart rate monitoring. Fitbit touts this sensor is 60 percent more accurate than the previous model, subsequently improving other metrics that rely on heart rate levels. Furthermore, the Charge 6 retains other vital health tracking tools like ECG and a skin temperature sensor.
Concerning the fitness tracking capability, the Charge 6 added more than 20 exercises and supports pairing with exercise machines via Bluetooth. It also gets six months of free premium Fitbit subscription for extended views of Daily Readiness and access to thousands of workouts from professional fitness trainers.
Fitbit’s Charge 6 battery life is rated at 7 days with combined use, which remains unchanged from the Charge 5. Similar to the Fitbit Sense 2 (review) and Versa 4 (review), some Google apps are coming to the new fitness tracker, including Maps, Wallet, and YouTube Music. What’s still missing is the ability for on-wrist voice calling. However, users are going to take advantage of basic notifications and quick replies.
The Fitbit Charge 6 is already available for pre-order globally and costs $159 a pop which is cheaper than the Charge 5 that debuted at $179. You can pick it up in three different case colors, namely black, gold, or silver.
Would you consider buying the Fitbit Charge 6 because of the Google apps integration? We’d like to hear your thoughts on this.