fitbit charge 2 lcd screen replacement free sample

@NoLifeBen Hi - I think you have got the wrong information in some of your posts so to give you a little more information the 45 day money back is if you change your mind (this is called rejecting the goods) - when you purchase goods it also comes under the consumer rights act 2015 which allows for the provision for a replacement or a repair of a product if it is believed the quality is at fault ie strap bubbling/screen cracking for no reason, buckle breaking, etc. it should also last for a reasonable amount of time - a warrantee lasts normally for a year but different companies have extension programmes of between a year and 3 years on top of the initial purchase warrantee - all in all the right approach in the correct manner can produce more favourable results. - this is not all the definitive information as there are various sites and laws depending on type of purchase

you may also want to exchange "our" with "the" as I see no Fitbit emblem by your name so assume you are not paid by Fitbit and do not work for the company - just to save extra confusion

We don"t want to create frustration in our customers. Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and help you to reach your daily goals to success.Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on that feedback.

The warranty in most of the regions is only for 365 days. (In Europe due to the law, is extended for 2 years). This mean that your tracker will be cover for a full year and in this period of time you can received any replacement is require in case of a defect. But this warranty does not apply to that new tracker extending the time. The period of warranty would be only applicable on your original purchase until the 365 days have expired.

Also, if you received a replacement within the warranty (365 days) it does not mean it won"t be valid after this. So, if your tracker fails again and your tracker still is between the time of the original warranty, you might be eligible for a replacement based on the resolution of our Support Team, this apply until the stipulated time of the warranty has expired.

In regards to the 25% discount option as per our Warranty Policies please know that this is the best option to help you get back on track with the Fitbit family and I"m sure our Customer Support team will be more than glad to help you further with this.I understand you"ve invested in the Fitbit Family; however, we as any other company have policies to follow through.While customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we enforce our warranty consistently.

The scratches on your tracker most likely were not due to heat. If your tracker is ever overheated, you will be able to feel it, and it will not definitely not damage the screen.

If you wish to replace your Fitbit screen, it unfortunately means you"re going to have to purchase a whole new Charge 2. However, I do not advise doing that as your tracker seems to be working fine. Instead, I would advise following these steps to help remove the scratch located on your tracker.

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It’s been a bit over two months since Fitbit announced their latest wearables, the Fitbit Charge 2 and the Fitbit Flex 2 (they also announced some Blaze updates and Alta bands at that time).  This review however is purely focused on the Fitbit Charge 2, which is the successor for the original Fitbit Charge HR.  The name got a switcheroo, since the Fitbit Charge 2 now incorporates optical HR, whereas the original Fitbit Charge did not (but the Charge HR did).  Got all that?  Good.

I’ve been wearing the Fitbit Charge 2 for a bit over a month now, comparing it day by day to other watches and wearables.  Within this review I’ll dive into everything you’d ever want to know about it, from the device usability, to the accuracy, to that of the platform and mobile app.  I’ve got it all!

Fitbit sent me a trial unit of both the Charge 2 and the Flex 2, which as usual I’ll return to them upon completion of this review.  I’ll then go out and get my own through regular retail channels like normal.  If you found the review useful, you can hit up the support links at the end of the post.

The quick start guide paper tells you to head to Fitbit’s site to get setup, while the thicker white manual gives you a bunch of boring safety and warranty information.  Essentially, if you develop a rash and your wrist falls off – it’s your fault.

The charging clip simply snaps onto the bottom of it.  It’s pretty secure, so there’s no issue with it falling off like some of the older Fitbit wearables charging clips.

Note that the band on the Fitbit Charge 2 is swappable.  You can see how you press these little snaps on either end of the pod, and it’ll pop out of the strap.

The Charge 2 is in most ways like existing Fitbit wearables, except with slightly more options and features.  To begin after setup, you’ll iterate through the menus by either tapping the screen or pressing the side button.  However, the unit also supports raising your wrist to see the stats:

So how does accuracy rank?  I’ve been wearing the Fitbit Charge 2 and Garmin Forerunner 35, one on each wrist, 24×7 for the last month.  Here’s a random 5+ days worth of data (in between charges) from steps and how they shake up:

As I’ve noted many times before, it’s generally better to treat these values as a yardstick and for trending.  Don’t fret if you’re trying to hit 10,000 steps and you get only to 9,900.  Just go walk the other 100 steps.  It won’t kill you.  Meanwhile, on the day you walked only 2,000 steps – yes, you were likely lazy.  That’s OK – just accept it.  Most of the times (like you see above), they tend to trend the same.  So largely speaking the Fitbit Charge 2 tended to trend highest of the three.

As you might have noticed, I actually get slightly better battery life than they claim – just shy of 8 complete days between charges.  Not too shabby since they only claim 5 days.

Next is that throughout the day you’ll be reminded to keep on walking.  Fitbit sets a non-configurable goal of 250 steps per hour. While visiting family a few weeks ago, my cousin asked why Fitbit doesn’t allow you to change that warning level, since in reality – 250 steps per hour will still leave you far short of your normal/default 10,000 step goal.  It’s a valid question, since you can change the default daily total, just not the hourly chime.

It’s long been a bone of contention that Fitbit still doesn’t display regular smartphone notifications from other apps, such as WhatsApp, Twitter, and Snapchat.  Only the Fitbit Blaze gets those.  Whereas virtually every other activity tracker on the market receives anything you’ve configured on your phone.  In a world where more and more people are depending on 3rd party apps like Facebook Messenger and others for communication, it’s backasswards that Fitbit still tries to hold the line to legacy call and text only.  And yes, I’m going to keep banging this drum until they change it (it’s the same drum that every other major review has banged as well).

In my case, I used Fitbit’s ‘All Day Sync’ option, which keeps the wearable constantly sync’d to the mobile app (steps/distance/activities/etc…).  In fact, you can even display your current HR on the mobile app – a feature that virtually no other wearable supports.  You’ll see that on the below screen, directly under the heart icon.

With some relaxation out of the way, it’s off to workout we go.  No better way to get the heart rate up.  Well, actually, I can think of better ways.  But the Fitbit doesn’t seem to have a workout category for that.

One of the key changes to the Charge 2 is the ability to have unique workout modes.  Previously in the original Charge HR you just had ‘a workout mode’, but not ‘modes’.  Meaning, it was all or nothing.  Now, you’ve got specific modes for different types of workouts.  If you run, it’ll categorize it as running.  Same goes for cycling, and so-on.  Further, by doing this it can leverage Connected GPS capabilities (aka your phone) to provide GPS tracks for outdoor workouts.

All of these can be configured within the app.  And as mentioned earlier some workout types (like ‘Run’) support the ability to use what Fitbit calls ‘Connected GPS’, which means it’ll use your phone for GPS.  That’s because the Charge 2 doesn’t have a GPS chipset within it.  So it’ll connect to the Fitbit app (which has to be open) on your phone and then record distance and a map using that.

However, it’s super-limited.  For example, you can’t specify a warm-up or cool-down.  And even though you’d think from the above screenshots that you’d be able to create additional entries in that list, you’re limited to a whopping two entries, just the ones seen.  In fact, I’m really not sure why they even have the ‘Add’ button, since you can only have one move, and one rest.  Shrug.

Well, most of the time anyway.  I’ve had a few cases where it just simply craps out mid-way through the bike or run, for no apparent reason – like below.  This is actually a 48.79mi ride (not 15.62mi) that started/ended in roughly the same spot.  GPS stopped mid-way, yet it continued to track time.  Though, it totally hosed up the HR and related metrics, which are truncated to the abbreviated distance.

(Note: Fitbit is looking into what might be occurring on this and other activities I saw similar or troublesome ‘Connected GPS’ behavior.  I’ll circle back once I hear back with the results of their investigation.)

Once your workout is complete you can look at the stats on the Charge 2 itself, or afterwards on the app and/or site.  Here’s how it’d look on their site:

Overall the new workout modes work well.  It’s a nice improvement that helps differentiate it from other wearables that may just have a generic mode, including the older version of the Charge.  Also note that this is separate from the automatic exercise recognition, which won’t show up on the wrist band itself, but rather only afterwards on the app (I’ll cover that in the app section).

Finally – one last important thing to mention somewhere besides the data charts is that the Fitbit Charge 2 is somehow still not officially waterproof.  Rather, it’s splash and rain proof – but the company says it shouldn’t be showered or swam with.  Still, I ignored that.  I showered with it every day, without issue.  Just like I showered with the Charge and Charge HR every day and it came out fine.  I also went swimming with the little baby at the pool, but that’s more like casual splashing.

But I wouldn’t do any extended lap swimming with it – as I suspect it’d kill it.  Still, it boggles my mind that somehow Fitbit continues to make non-waterproof activity trackers.  This isn’t rocket science, and every other competitor makes them waterproof – often to 50m of depth (more than enough for an activity tracker). Sigh.

With the Fitbit Charge 2, I first looked at sedentary/continual HR monitoring.  In this area, the unit generally does well.  It’s within a few beats of a heart rate strap in most sitting/walking/typing/etc situations.  As I sit here right now, the Fitbit Charge 2 is at 63bpm, while on the other wrist the Garmin FR35 is at 61bpm.  Close enough given recording update rates/etc…  I’ve been watching these values over the course of the last four weeks, and by and large they are virtually always within a few beats of each other, baring any slight differences in update rates (how quickly one might respond to a given stimulus).

One slight annoyance of the Fitbit platform compared to others is their definition of resting HR, which isn’t the lowest HR recorded over the course of the day, but in theory the lowest HR while you’re awake.  However, it seems to often misinterpret that.  Meaning, I can sit still and watch TV and get a 40-41bpm resting HR within a few minutes.  But it won’t show that on my trending data.  Instead, it’s always in the 50’s.

Fitbit’s own site contradicts itself here, where in one sentence it says it uses sleeping HR data, and then the very next sentence it says it doesn’t.  Either way, it doesn’t much matter since it ignores the very data it records.

With that in mind, let’s dive into some results.  I’m going to highlight a handful, but you can hit up the tables in this post to use the DCR Analyzer and dig more deeply into any of the comparative workouts.  Oh, and one final caveat – unfortunately, Fitbit doesn’t correctly export HR data for activities that don’t have GPS with them.  And by ‘correctly’, I mean ‘at all’.  I noted this problem way back in my Fitbit Blaze In-Depth Review, but alas, nothing has been fixed.  So that’s severely limited my analysis capability, since it makes it much less precise to compare HR accuracy.

You can see that right off the bat all three units disagreed.  For whatever reason the traditional chest heart rate strap was crapping itself until I adjusted it at the 6 minute marker, then it was happy from there on out.  Meanwhile the Fitbit Charge 2 spiked early on (inaccurate) while the Garmin FR35 stayed a bit more constant.  In those first 5-6 minutes it’s hard to assign a specific winner, however my (pretty educated) guess knowing my HR intensities is that the FR35 was most correct.  The Fitbit Charge 2 spike was incorrect, and it’s unlikely that I’d have been at that high of a HR early on.  You see all the units converge as I went up a short climb.

Next, you’ll notice a short segment where I stopped briefly at a stoplight.  You can see the HR recover between the different units.  The Charge 2 actually does a better job of the recovery than the Garmin FR35 optical HR did, though not as correct as the quick recovery seen on the traditional chest strap.

Now as much as I’d like to dig into all my runs in more detail, as I noted earlier that’s actually really tough to do since the export on Fitbit’s site doesn’t export GPS-less HR data.  For example, I can compare this HR graph during a trail run using screen clips – but it’s difficult to accurately see:

Still, in the above you can see distinct differences of opinion between the two units, somewhat common as I was starting out on a cold morning.  The Garmin FR35 shows a more gradual increase in HR, while the Fitbit Charge 2 seems to flat-line out a bit early on.  Both seem to roughly trace each other, but there are many nuances that aren’t clear.

Or at least, the optical HR sensors did.  This also isn’t surprising. It was a cool day riding, and since my wrists were exposed, that would have impacted the optical HR sensors in that area.  Further, most optical HR sensors on the wrist have a tough time – and both the FR35 and Fitbit Charge 2 differ significantly here from the chest strap (connected to the Edge 820).

However, if I had to assign a ‘less sucky’ winner, it would be the FR35.  The Fitbit Charge 2 is clearly furthest afield from the other two in most cases, especially the part where I’m standing around – which is kinda funny.  But even on the first half there’s large gaps where it’s just lost.  If you want to dig into these files more, you’ll find that mess here.

I wish I had a better way of analyzing more data.  Other GPS based activities I did failed to record fully/properly, such as a 3hr ride, which is missing vast chunks of data.  And then another run that was outdoors with GPS and thus also exportable HR also failed to set the GPS data, therefore I can’t compare HR data either.  Still, the rough pattern I see is that for steady-state runs the optical HR sensor seems mostly fine.  Cycling generally appears to suck.  However for more varied intensity running you see slowness to respond in some areas while being a bit better than responsiveness that I saw on the first edition Fitbit Charge HR (non-2).

One last item – in theory I’m supposed to get a Cardio Fitness Score upon completing runs, which is essentially your VO2Max renamed.  Fitbit says that may take some runs to appear, but in reality it still hasn’t shown up for me after any runs or rides (it sounds like it only works on runs).  Perhaps my runs have been too hilly for the scoring algorithm to work.

With the Fitbit Charge 2, it uses what Fitbit calls ‘Connected GPS’, which means that it uses your phone’s GPS antenna.  The Fitbit Charge 2 doesn’t have GPS itself.  In order for Connected GPS to work, you need to be within range of your phone, and Bluetooth must be enabled on said phone.  Further, the Fitbit app *must* be open and running in the background for this to work.  And even with all those requirements, I find it sometimes finicky, especially if the Fitbit app hasn’t been opened extremely recently.  It seemed best practice was to open the app up and then lock your phone’s screen (as you’d likely be putting it in an armband while running, or your back pocket while cycling.)

For the most part, the vast majority of GPS units succeed on bike rides.  Mostly because the higher rate of speed actually makes things easier for most devices.  Connected GPS on the Fitbit Charge 2 is no different.  You can look at the entire activity file here.  However, I’m going to pick out some ‘harder’ sections – things like bridges/overpasses/buildings/etc.  Starting up, a case where one direction you go around a roundabout, while another you go under an overpass.  All three units handled this perfectly.

Right around the corner from the above I make a sharp turn near some tall buildings.  This is the only spot where you see a slight bit of variance on the Connected GPS of the Fitbit Charge 2, which is that purple line jutting across the road for no apparent reason.  But seriously, this is no more than 10-15m in distance offset.

One thing I found interesting that I’ve never seen before is that the Fitbit app/device/etc appears to actually be smart enough to not plot points where it doesn’t have good GPS signal strength.  Check out the below.  The way it works is that there’s a stoplight I was at that put me below a large building/shopping below (the road passes under it).  The FR35 and Edge 820 both plotted wonky-ass points in the vicinity.  Whereas the Fitbit Charge 2 actually plotted no points here.  It simply waited until it exited and then plotted a point.

Which makes no sense.  It was never paused (no such function exists), and the tracks match identically.  It’s like it just lost distance in space somewhere…magically.  There’s widespread reports of this sort of thing happening in other reviews as well as Fitbit’s forums.

Still, I wouldn’t let the above dissuade you one way or another.  It’s an extremely difficult passage through what is a tunnel in one of the world’s largest buildings.  GPS does wonky stuff in tunnels – and even more so in tunnels in the middle of a city.  What is key here is that the units very quickly recovered upon exiting the tunnel and nearing the Pyramid at the Louvre.  After which, they were fine.  Oh – if you’re curious, you can dive into these GPS tracks here. You’ll note on this run the distances were 7.13mi for the Fitbit Charge 2, and 7.03mi for the FR35.  Basically, within stated accuracy rates of +/- 2%.

Next, what about non-connected accuracy of distance?  Well for some runs I did just that.  I left my phone behind and let it determine distance based on the accelerometer.  You won’t get a GPS track, but you will get distance.  In many ways, that’s actually not to shabby.  Just to keep things simple – here’s the distances reported by the Fitbit Charge 2, and that of other GPS devices on the same activity:

On that final treadmill activity, the actual distance isn’t known.  While I had gotten on the treadmill, I didn’t realize that it started with some amount of distance already on it.  I noticed around the 1 mile marker that it was a bunch ahead of that, but alas, I have no idea if that was 1/3rd of a mile or 2/3rds of a mile – which in this case makes all the difference.

Over the last few months Fitbit has refreshed their mobile apps (or at least, their iOS app).  Nothing major, but just cleaned up the look of things a bit.  The mobile app is ultimately the epicenter of where you’ll check various Fitbit stats, be it your own stats, or friends that you’re taunting through your stepilicious activity.

One of the big benefits of the Fitbit ecosystem is how many people use it.  In my case I only have a whopping 4 friends, one of which is actually using their Fitbit still.  Still, I can see how I rank up against her.  I can also find other friends and check out my current friends’ badges.

Additionally, a handful of other pages are within the app related to other devices or services.  For example, a water bottle from Thermos that integrates with the Fitbit platform will show you how much you drank.  And then of course the Fitbit WiFi scale as well.

Ultimately the app works fairly well.  It covers pretty much all the basics you might want.  It doesn’t however go into much of the deeper analytic and insight pieces that some activity trackers are doing now, where they analyze your patterns and offer suggestions in areas such as sleep.  But for the most part Fitbit is overall one of the leaders when it comes to their activity tracking smartphone app.

You’ll find the Fitbit Charge 2 within the product comparison tool for activity trackers.  It’s not currently in the GPS-based product comparison portion, since it lacks a GPS chipset.  If there’s interest, I can look at adding it into that database nonetheless.  In any case, you can mix and match it against various activity trackers in the database.  For the purposes of comparison below, I’ve compared it against the Garmin Vivosmart, Polar A360 and the original Fitbit Charge HR.  But again, you can create your own comparison charts here.

As with almost all Fitbit products, they tend to be a popular and well rounded offering.  And the Charge 2 is mostly in that same vein.  The unit includes new sport modes that help you to get better data about your specific activity.  Plus, the separable bands are nice should you want to mix things up.  And 24×7 HR accuracy continues to be generally good.

When companies get as big in market share as Fitbit, you start to see the slowdown in innovation, while competitors continue to push forward and innovate faster.  We’ve seen that here with what are largely modest updates to the behemoth that is Fitbit.  They got to that position for good reason of course – their platform is largely clean and easy to use, as are the wearables themselves.  But when you look at the nearly 1-year old Vivosmart HR from Garmin, it’s more capable in virtually every way than the Fitbit Charge 2 (at the same price normally, though $30 cheaper right now on sale).

So my general advice on activity trackers is that if you find the features meet your requirements, select a device that matches your friends.  If your friends/family are all on Fitbit, then it likely makes sense to match that – so you can benefit from the various social encouragement features.  Inversely, if you already have a Garmin bike computer, then it makes sense to stay on Garmin so you get a single cohesive picture.

I’ve partnered with Clever Training to offer all DC Rainmaker readers an exclusive 10% discount across the board on all products (except clearance items).  You can pickup the Fitbit Charge 2 (or any other Fitbit Charge 2 bands) from Clever Training. Then receive 10% off of everything in your cart by adding code DCR10BTF at checkout.  By doing so, you not only support the site (and all the work I do here) – but you also get a sweet discount. And, since this item is more than $75, you get free US shipping as well.

Fitbit Charge 2 is a multifunctional wristband that includes an accelerometer and an optical heart rate monitor. Its pedometer is one of the most accurate on the market. But there is no protection against water, so you cannot swim wearing this wristband. The second generation inherits Fitbit Charge HR and offers more functions at the same price. So it is worth upgrading the device!

With regard to the set of functions and accuracy of tracking, the wristband is one of the best on the market, but the price seems to be a bit high. Fitbit Charge 2 has not achieved the level of smart watches category. There is no built-in GPS and a headset with a microphone, there are no templates for messages to answer, in general, the autonomy is not impressive. The gadget copes well with fitness tracking, but doesn’t do any more.

The general design remained to be the same as one in Fitbit Charge HR — it is a modular set consisted of a screen and two parts of the wristband. Straps can be detached easily, but they do not tear accidentally. It is necessary to get used to the wristband so that it fits your arm tightly and records the pulse, but does not clamp your wrist.

The case is now completely filled with the display. The wristband became thicker. There is a physical button for browsing screens on the one side of the wristband body, it changes information about steps, pulse, calories, training modes. On the back side there is a small protrusion of the heart rate monitor. There are no complaints about the convenience of the device. The straps became more pleasant than ones in Fitbit Charge HR, after a few days you get used to them even at night. The only shortcoming — the screen can accidentally turn on from a sudden arm movement during the sleep.

On the official site Fitbit Charge 2 is available with silicone and leather straps, you will have to pay for the leather one some additional sum of money. Silicone colors are the following: black, blue, turquoise, gray, green. The leather is light, dark and brown. Restrained colors are suitable for classical style, brighter colors suit young people more. Overall, the design of the tracker is simple that doesn’t not stand out.

When ordering, you can choose a suitable strap size. Fitbit has a PDF with a tape on its official site — you can print it out and wrap it around your arm to find out your size.

We have tested the fitness wristband Fitbit Charge 2. This wristband is much more functional than cheaper models like Xiaomi Mi Band 2, but for this cost it has too many drawbacks.

Failures during the sleep registration. It should be borne in mind that if you wake up for 2 minutes to drink water, then the wristband will most likely count about 10 sleepless minutes, even if you immediately fall asleep;

Old graphs in the application. The wristband can display statistics — mostly about sleep — in the old form as it was before the firmware updating. And there are no beautiful graphs from Fitbit!

Charge the device while taking a shower, this will minimize the inaccuracy of the data and will allow you to wear the wristband for a longer period of time during activity;

If the Bluetooth connection consumes a lot of battery charge or you simply do not want to use it, then just turn off the permanent synchronization function in the settings;

The manufacturer declares that the device is protected from splashes. Still it is better not to use Fitbit Charge 2 in a shower or in the swimming pool and protect it from rain;

Fitbit is one of the best applications among all fitness trackers in relation to its convenience and sets of functions.The program for all portable gadgets designed by Fitbit is the same one, if you had a wristband before, then you will understand how it works quickly. The application is compatible with Android and iOS, connects via Bluetooth.

Most fitbit charge 3 display have the same brightness and different colors. Another screen feature is the fitbit charge 3 display which has a vibrant color options.

The vibrations of any color smartphone, make it feel more like a smartphone. And the fitbit charge 3 screen gives has a vibrant color of your smartphone, and there is a battery-sized option for people who don ’ t like to see their vibrations in color of their smartphone. The smart phone charger also has a vibrant colorful design, which makes the fitbit charge 3 a nice option.

Due to the fitbit charge 3 replacement feature, it glass lens protector, and protect the user from the damage or drops. Most screenbiters 3 screen replacement kits for the fitbit charge 3 display are equipped with a protective to, the glass lens protector, and the phone itself. There are also options to choose from, such as black fitbit charge 3 screen replacement, and fitbit charge 3 color available. Some of these charge 3 also come in a variety of colors, designs, and materials.

Most for the fitbit charge 3 screen replacement tools have the option to choose one with a light and colorful display. Other chargers in bulk are more affordable, find new fitbit charge 3 screen replacement tools and even.bitbit 3 chargers are easy to find and replace compatible with the new fitbit charge 3 feature.

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Chu,A.H.,Ng,S.H.,Paknezhad,M.,Gauterin,A.,Koh,D.,Brown,M.S., &Müller-Riemenschneider,F.(2017).Comparison of wrist-worn Fitbit Flex and waist-worn ActiGraph for measuring steps in free-living adults.PLoS ONE,12(2),0172535. PubMed ID: 28234953 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172535Chu,A.H.,Ng,S.H.,Paknezhad,M.,Gauterin,A.,Koh,D.,Brown,M.S., &Müller-Riemenschneider,F. (2017). Comparison of wrist-worn Fitbit Flex and waist-worn ActiGraph for measuring steps in free-living adults. PLoS ONE, 12(2), 0172535. PubMed ID: 28234953 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.017253510.1371/journal.pone.0172535)| false

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Ellingson,L.D.,Schwabacher,I.J.,Kim,Y.,Welk,G.J., &Cook,D.B.(2016).Validity of an integrative method for processing physical activity data.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,48(8),1629–1638. PubMed ID: 27015380 doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000915Ellingson,L.D.,Schwabacher,I.J.,Kim,Y.,Welk,G.J., &Cook,D.B. (2016). Validity of an integrative method for processing physical activity data. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(8), 1629–1638. PubMed ID: 27015380 doi:10.1249/MSS.000000000000091510.1249/MSS.0000000000000915)| false

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Kooiman,T.J.,Dontje,M.L.,Sprenger,S.R.,Krijnen,W.P.,van der Schans,C.P., &de Groot,M.(2015).Reliability and validity of ten consumer activity trackers.BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation,7,24. PubMed ID: 26464801 doi:10.1186/s13102-015-0018-5Kooiman,T.J.,Dontje,M.L.,Sprenger,S.R.,Krijnen,W.P.,van der Schans,C.P., &de Groot,M. (2015). Reliability and validity of ten consumer activity trackers. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 7, 24. PubMed ID: 26464801 doi:10.1186/s13102-015-0018-510.1186/s13102-015-0018-5)| false

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Lee,J.A., &Laurson,K.R.(2015).Validity of the SenseWear armband step count measure during controlled and free-living conditions.Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness,13(1),16–23. PubMed ID: 29541094 doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2014.11.002Lee,J.A., &Laurson,K.R. (2015). Validity of the SenseWear armband step count measure during controlled and free-living conditions. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 13(1), 16–23. PubMed ID: 29541094 doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2014.11.00210.1016/j.jesf.2014.11.002)| false

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Lyden,K.,Keadle,S.K.,Staudenmayer,J., &Freedson,P.S.(2014).A method to estimate free-living active and sedentary behavior from an accelerometer.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,46(2),386–397. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a42a2dLyden,K.,Keadle,S.K.,Staudenmayer,J., &Freedson,P.S. (2014). A method to estimate free-living active and sedentary behavior from an accelerometer. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 46(2), 386–397. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a42a2d10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a42a2d)| false

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Sushames,A.,Edwards,A.,Thompson,F.,McDermott,R., &Gebel,K.(2016).Validity and reliability of Fitbit flex for step count, moderate to vigorous physical activity and activity energy expenditure.PLoS ONE,11(9),e0161224. PubMed ID: 27589592 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161224Sushames,A.,Edwards,A.,Thompson,F.,McDermott,R., &Gebel,K. (2016). Validity and reliability of Fitbit flex for step count, moderate to vigorous physical activity and activity energy expenditure. PLoS ONE, 11(9), e0161224. PubMed ID: 27589592 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.016122410.1371/journal.pone.0161224)| false

When I reviewed the Fitbit Blaze a few months ago, one of my main complaints was its bulky design and the identity crisis over what it actually is: a smartwatch, a sports watch, a fitness tracker, or all of the above to a certain extent. That was never a question with the company"s best selling tracker, the Charge HR. From the first look, you knew it was an activity tracker first and foremost, and anything else that it could do was just a bonus feature.Now the Charge 2 is here to carry the torch. It"s an all-around better Charge HR with several significant improvements that nearly put it on the same level as the higher priced Blaze. But are they enough to justify jumping over from the old Charge HR and is this still one of the best trackers available on the market now? The answer, in a nutshell, is yes. If you need more words, I have more than 3000 of them for you below.

Svelte designThe Charge 2 looks nice on the wrist and doesn"t draw attention the way the Fitbit Blaze or Surge do. It"s also very comfortable to wear.

Automatic sleep and exercise trackingNo need to manually log anything, the Charge 2 recognizes when you"ve been sleeping, napping, running, walking, cycling, and so on.

Proprietary and finicky chargerFitbit still comes up with a new proprietary charger for each of its trackers. And this one has to align perfectly to work.

Fitbit appThe Fitbit Android developers never seem to be done with their app"s design. One section gets updated, the other stays behind. Rinse and repeat.

The Charge 2 mixes and matches many of Fitbit"s recent tracker ideas in one model. The design is reminiscent of the Alta with the central tracker unit and removable band mechanism, but with the width and the back of the old Charge HR, and a band similar to that of the Blaze. What you get is something that, surprisingly, fits so well together that it looks clean. Sporty, sure, but well refined over Fitbit"s first generation of trackers. You wouldn"t look weird slapping a metallic band instead of the rubber one and going to a formal event wearing it.

The main unit has a full black front in the middle of which is the display. There"s a 5mm border approximately on all sides that you can"t see unless the screen is on and you notice that not the whole front is used to show information. Fitbit did a great job of blending the display in the black plastic and glass so that the end result is a uniform look, regardless of whether the Charge 2"s screen is on or off.

The side of the Charge 2 seems to be made of anodized aluminum or stainless steel, with one button on the left side (if you"re wearing it on your left wrist). The button has a good amount of travel and a satisfying click when pressed, an essential feature when you"re exercising and need it to be responsive.

The entire device is well built and finished with no vulnerable aspects or unsightly seams. I dropped the Charge 2 once by mistake and it fell straight on the screen but nothing broke and there wasn"t a single scratch on the glass. I have also inadvertently hit the door a couple of times without any visible scuff.

Compared to the half dozen or so trackers I"ve worn around my wrist, the Charge 2 has got to be the best. The Misfit always worried me because it"s prone to fall off, the Fitbit Blaze was too bulky, the Garmin vivoactive looked like those old calculator watches, the Amiigo was ridiculously thick, and so on.

However, most things are just right with the Charge 2. It"s slightly thicker than the Fitbit Blaze and Misfit Shine 2, but it"s smaller and svelter than the former, and doesn"t risk popping off from its band like the latter. It"s comfortable to wear and goes unnoticed most of the time.

I have the teal Charge 2 in a small band size and it fits well on my wrist and hugs it perfectly. I"ve been wearing it for several weeks now and instantly got used to its size and feel on my hand. Whether I"m wearing short sleeves or long sleeves, I don"t find an issue with the Charge 2, mostly because its relatively small width doesn"t interfere with long shirt, sweater, or jacket sleeves.

This removable band was my fiancé"s favorite feature when he saw the Charge 2. He has the older Charge HR and his unit, like many, suffered from the dreaded air bubble. He had to get the whole tracker replaced because he couldn"t just take the band off and get another one. The separate tracker and band design here solve that issue altogether.

Fitbit sells several sizes, colors, and materials of bands for the Charge 2, and the third-party solutions are also starting to pop up, offering plenty of choices from the cheap to the extravagantly expensive. From my past experience purchasing cheap bands for different Fitbit trackers on eBay, I know that you can easily find good ones for $3-4 if you don"t mind the slow shipping.

If there"s one frustrating thing Fitbit keeps doing again and again, it"s the proprietary chargers. To add insult to injury, every tracker I"ve had from the company (One, Charge HR, Blaze, Alta, Charge 2, and Flex 2) uses a unique charger, making the whole situation even more ridiculous. Bought a spare cable for your Blaze? Well, you can"t use it now that you"ve moved to the Charge 2. Because reasons!

The only saving grace in the Charge 2"s cable is that it isn"t as ridiculously convoluted as the Blaze. You don"t need to pop your tracker off its band and put it inside anything to get it to fill up. Instead, the cable uses a clip design to wrap around the sides of the Charge 2 with two pogo pins (the gold dots visible on the bottom of the clip in the image below) that plug into the back of the tracker.

Fitbit"s setup hasn"t changed a lot in the past couple of years. The same thing I"ve said about the Blaze remains true of the Charge 2: after signing in to the Fitbit app, you add a tracker, select the Charge 2, input a 4-digit code that shows up on your tracker, let it connect and update its firmware, and you"re done.

Fitbit"s onboarding after the tracker is set is improving with time, and with the Charge 2, you get a detailed tutorial on the tracker"s different features, a few graphics explaining how to wear it and charge it, and the option to choose between your dominant and non-dominant wrist.

Like every other Fitbit tracker, you get to customize what your Charge 2 shows, does, and how. This is done through the Fitbit app, as there"s no way to access the settings from the tracker itself.

You can enable all-day sync to keep your stats aligned between the tracker and your phone, manually initiate a sync, set a personal greeting, add silent alarms for the Charge 2 to vibrate and wake you, choose which hand you"re wearing the tracker on, enable "quick view" to have the display turn on when you flip your wrist toward you, choose the design of the main clock, activate or turn off heart rate monitoring, and more.

Finally, you can personalize a couple of the Charge 2"s display options, including the main goal that it counts toward and the different stats that are shown when you gently tap the display while it"s showing the clock.

The Fitbit app hasn"t changed much since my Blaze review. There"s a beta version available that introduces the new dashboard found on the iOS app, but it"s not yet public so not everyone can make use of it.

Everything I said and showed in the Blaze review"s app section still holds true so you can check that out for all the details. The gist is that the Fitbit app is very capable and full of stats for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly periods, and those are available for all the different metrics that Fitbit measures like steps, distance, calories, active minutes, and so on.

There"s one new metric that the Charge 2 introduced into the Fitbit app on my phone that wasn"t there with the Blaze (and I don"t think it"s been updated to support it yet): Cardio fitness.

This takes into effect your resting heart rate, weight, height, age, and other characteristics to give you a cardio fitness score, which is essentially an estimation of your VO2 Max. Your level is displayed on a scale and Fitbit shows you the potential impact of regular and intense exercise. It serves as one more incentive to improve your score.

I have said it time and again in my previous reviews, but it bears repeating: wearing an activity tracker isn"t going to magically make you a healthier person. Unless you"re willing to put the effort and use its data as motivation to keep improving, you"re not going to get anything out of wearing a Fitbit on your wrist the entire day. But if you consider it as one more tool in your arsenal, one that easily lets you gamify your approach to a healthier lifestyle, it"s easy to see the benefits.

The Charge 2 has a lot to offer in that context. It"s comfortable to wear and almost easy to forget it"s on my wrist. The display is visible outdoors and indoors, and the contrast between the white text and black background makes it easy to read even in direct sunlight.

Interacting with the Charge 2 is easy. I turn my wrist toward me and the main display lights up to show me the time and my progress for the day. Tap it gently and I can cycle through the stats that matter the most to me like my hourly activity, floors, and active minutes. If I need to check my heart rate or manually launch an exercise or stopwatch, I can do that with the button.

The silent alarms have easily become the best way to wake me up. I"ve been using them since 2013 on my Fitbit One and I can"t imagine going back to something that beeps or rings or sings or whatever. Another cool feature are the reminders to move which serve as a gentle nudge to get off my desk and walk a little every hour. I have a tendency to drown myself in work so I appreciate this option.

However, the notifications are... just there. If you"re expecting to use the Charge 2 as a pseudo-smartwatch, you"ll soon be disappointed. The display is too tiny to let you see anything more than a few characters at a time. And you only get call, text (choose only one between WhatsApp, SMS, and any other texting app on your phone), and calendar notifications, and they"re not even there to stay. One vibration, the message displays on the screen for a few seconds, then it"s gone. You can"t cycle through past notifications or bring the last one back up should you need to.

The greatest thing about the Charge 2 is that if I completely forget about it, it"ll keep chugging along, automatically monitoring my sleep and any nap longer than an hour. It"ll also magically figure out when I"ve been walking, running, riding a bicycle, participating in any sport (basketball, football, etc) and create an activity for it without my intervention.

And that"s all, I must remind you, without even touching the Charge 2. I love not having to manually log or track anything. The data is just there whenever I want to check it out.

But when I feel the need for more immediate stats or better tracking, I can launch exercise tracking on the Charge 2 and cycle through the duration, heart rate, current and average pace, and other live stats on the display without having to reach for my phone. The Charge 2 also triggers the GPS on my phone for runs, walks, bicycle rides, and so on, to map the activity and get a more exact estimation of the distance instead of relying on my stride"s length.

Finally, I have tried the guided breathing exercises and I found them quite useless for me. You"re supposed to follow a growing and shrinking circle to inhale and exhale for 2 or 5 minutes, but having my eyes glued to the screen completely ruined the experience because I had to keep glancing down at my wrist to check what I was supposed to be doing. So I failed at relaxing.

It"s easy to nitpick at this or that feature, but all in all, the Charge 2 provided more enjoyable experiences than frustrations. Oh and that"s not even taking into consideration Fitbit"s social element and the challenges you can participate in with friends or the new adventure trails you can virtually walk on.

I can"t be very impartial when talking about Fitbit"s trackers. I wore the One for three years and it helped me turn my entire life and lifestyle around (I had the will, it just provided constant motivation), so I"ve been familiar with the brand since 2013; I have seen where Fitbit started and where it is now and I appreciate the multitude of options that have been brought into the mix as time has passed.

The Charge 2 constitutes the culmination of Fitbit"s efforts both in design and features. It looks and feels great, it works well, and it"s easy to use whether you prefer a hands-on or hands-off approach to exercise. It tracks most metrics you expect from a wrist-worn band, including heart rate, and it provides the bare minimum of notifications just to quench your thirst for a smartwatch.

The question remains whether you should choose the Charge 2 or go for another tracker. In its $150 price range, the Charge 2 is challenged by dozens of trackers who offer something similar, give or take feature x, y, or z, but I"ll concentrate on the most immediate and well-known competition.

In Fitbit"s own product range, the Flex 2 (0) offers swim tracking and better waterproofing but completely foregoes the display so you can"t see any exact stats or notifications (review coming later), and the Blaze (0) has better notifications and a larger display but nothing else (see my review). The $50 price hike was justifiable when the Charge HR had a small screen, no manual exercise mode (Multi-Sport), no text notifications, and a glued-on band. But now that the Charge 2 has solved all of those issues, I don"t think there"s enough incentive to get the Blaze unless you really like the watch look. In Fitbit"s range, it"s clear, the Charge 2 reigns.

The story is slightly different when you look at the other trackers on the market. The Misfit Shine 2 (0) offers a completely different value proposition. It"s a less involved tracker, it"s waterproof, and the battery lasts months, but there"s no automatic exercise recognition, no heart rate monitor, and no display to see any detailed stats or notifications (see my review).

The most direct competition that spells trouble for Fitbit is Garmin. Eighteen months ago, when I got my vivoactive, the Android app and the limited features were very frustrating, but Garmin has greatly improved the entire experience over time and its sales have skyrocketed. It"s now the second largest smartwatch seller in the world according to IDC (which counts Fitbit as an activity tracker, not a smartwatch by the way), and it"s easy to see why. Garmin knows sports and sport stats like no other and it"s finally putting that expertise to use.

The old Garmin vivoactive (0) offers waterproofing, swim tracking, customizable live stats on the screen, automatic sleep tracking, smartly adjusted daily step goals, better notifications, music controls, and more, but it doesn"t automatically recognize exercises or have a heart rate monitor. It also looks like those old calculator watches.

The Garmin vivosmart HR (0-150) is clearly Fitbit"s closest competition among all the trackers I"ve mentioned above. It has a similar design, a continuous heart rate monitor, reminders to move, and brings better notifications, music controls, waterproofing, and super detailed exercise stats for the same(ish) price as the Charge 2. What it doesn"t have are the automatically recognized exercises (though knowing Garmin, it might update that any day) and the Fitbit social aspect (but at the rate Garmin is selling these now, it may not be long before it has its own large community). The only thing remaining is the look. I find the vivosmart HR bulky and ugly and I"d much rather wear the Charge 2 on my wrist all day, but that"s my personal preference.

All things considered, I think Fitbit has struck a great balance in the Charge 2. It"s the ultimate activity tracker that keeps an eye on all of your stats every day, has a sleek design, and doesn"t pretend to be a smartwatch or a sports tracker.

Start a 90-day trial of Fitbit Premium for personalized guidance, customized health programs, mindfulness content and 240+ video workouts you can do at home.

Say hello to one of the world’s leading apps for health and fitness. Use the Fitbit app on its own to join our community, track basic stats, and stay motivated on your journey. Or, get a Fitbit tracker or smartwatch to see how your activity, workouts, sleep, nutrition and stress all fit together. Either way, you’ll find the information and inspiration you need to reach your goals—all in one place.

GET ACTIVE: See how small moves add up by using your smartphone to track steps and distance. Or pair with a Fitbit tracker or smartwatch to see all-day stats like steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed and active minutes.

WORK OUT FROM HOME: Access free video and audio workouts that you can do on your time, right from your living room. You’ll find sessions for HIIT, cardio, strength, yoga and more. Plus, start a 90-day trial of Fitbit Premium to unlock 240+ workouts from popular brands like barre3, Daily Burn, and POPSUGAR.

SLEEP BETTER: Discover how long and how well you’re sleeping, then improve your nightly routine with Fitbit’s innovative sleep tools—including a nightly Sleep Score, sleep goal setting, bedtime reminders and graphs that show your time in light, deep and REM sleep.

EAT SMARTER: Keep your nutrition in check with easy-to-use tools to set goals, log food and water, track calories in and out and see if you’re getting enough protein, fat and carbs. For more personalized programs to help you reach weight and nutrition goals, try Fitbit Premium.

TRACK HEART RATE: Understand your overall health by using your watch or tracker to record your heart rate 24/7. In the app, find valuable data like resting heart rate trends, time spent in heart rate zones during workouts and a cardio fitness score.

- Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account when or shortly after your trial or subscription expires, if applicable. Upon payment, users can see the cost of renewal in their emailed receipt or iTunes order history.

If recent headlines were any indication, Amazon’s fall hardware event was all about Amazon’s forthcoming home robot, Astro, and its new home surveillance drone. Buried in the deluge of announcements, however, was the Halo View, an $80 fitness tracker that bears a striking resemblance to the recently released Fitbit Charge 5. The similarities become even more pronounced when you consider the View’s new display and its ability to track your heart rate and sleep quality. In many respects, it seems as if Amazon created a Fitbit Charge 5-like wearable at a price point that makes it far more accessible. Or did it?

We analyzed the two to find out. We have yet to test the Halo View, however, so note that the comparison below is based on the View’s specs and our hands-on review of the Fitbit Charge 5. We’ll dig even deeper once we get our hands on the new wearable.

Band sizesSmall: fits wrist 129.5mm - 170.2mm, large: fits wrist 170.2mm - 210.8mmSmall / medium: 129.5mm to 195.6mm, medium / large: 160mm to 226.1mm

Like the Fitbit Charge 5, the follow-up to the Amazon Halo Band is essentially a bracelet with a rectangular body and a color AMOLED display, one equipped with haptic feedback. The View, however, also features a digital home button. That’s something the Fitbit Charge 5 lacks, which my colleague Jay Peters found makes returning to the homescreen particularly challenging. Amazon has yet to reveal specific dimensions for the View, but we do know it’s slightly lighter than the Charge 5. The small band and capsule weigh 20.6 grams, while the large band and capsule weigh 21.85 grams. In contrast, the Charge 5 weighs 28 grams and is 10 percent thinner than its predecessor, according to Fitbit. Amazon hasn’t revealed how thin the View is or the size of its screen, however, we do know the Charge 5 offers a 21.8 x 14.7-millimeter display, which we found to be too small.

The Halo View is Amazon’s newest fitness tracker. It features a color AMOLED screen that displays activity information, sleep scores, and more at a glance. It also comes with a yearlong Halo membership, giving you access to various wellness perks.

On the accessory front, both the View and the Charge 5 offer three default colors with options for additional bands, so you can customize the device’s appearance. The View comes in active black, sage green, and lavender dream, while the Charge 5 is available in steel blue / platinum, black / graphite, and lunar white / gold. Amazon says additional bands will be available for the View starting at $14.99 each, including fabric, leather, and metal variants for $29.99 apiece. The Charge 5 comes in leather, metal, and fabric variants, too, but they’re more expensive. The leather bands, for example, start at $49.95.

While both sport two band sizes, the View can accommodate larger wrists. The latest Fitbit offers a small band for wrists that measure between 129.5 and 170.2 millimeters and a large band for wrists that fall between 170.2 and 210.8 millimeters. In contrast, the Halo’s small / medium band size is for wrists measuring between 129.5 and 195.6 millimeters and the medium / large size should accommodate wrists between 160 and 226.1 millimeters.

Being fitness trackers, both the Halo View and Fitbit Charge 5 share similar sensors. Each touts an accelerometer, as well as sensors for monitoring your blood oxygen level (SpO2), heart rate, and skin temperature. Users can easily gain information about these through the display, which also shows activity, sleep scores, live workout tracking, move notifications, and more. They’re both also water-resistant up to 50 meters, and both claim to offer up to seven days of battery life.

However, the Charge 5 boasts a few sensors and features the View doesn’t. The Charge 5 comes with a new electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor that measures your body’s response to stress. Fitbit uses that information to then generate a Stress Management Score, which Fitbit Premium members can access via a report with additional information. Fitbit said it also plans to introduce a new EKG app in the future that can share your results with your doctor after checking your heart for atrial fibrillation. The Charge 5 also offers built-in GPS and the ability to make contactless payments (via Fitbit Pay), two things the View lacks.

The Fitbit Charge 5 is Fitbit’s latest fitness tracker, and it offers access to new tools like an EDA Scan app to manage stress as well as a six-month membership to Fitbit Premium.

When it comes to smartwatch-like functionality, we know very little about the View besides the fact you can access text notifications on it. The Charge 5, meanwhile, provides notifications for texts, calls, calendar events,