Fitbit Charge 5 arrives with thinner design, EDA sensor, ECG app and new Daily Readiness feature

(Pocket-lint) - Fitbit has officially announced the adjacent iteration of its flagship fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 5.

The confirmation follows weeks of extended leaks regarding the tracker's design, specs and features, and present we person each the details. That includes the terms and merchandise date, with the latest Charge disposable for £169.99 / $179.95 erstwhile it ships this fall.

From a plan perspective, Fitbit has pivoted distant from the boxy signifier of the erstwhile 2 Charge generations, alternatively favouring a thinner, much rounded and sleek tracker.

This is backed up by a brighter, AMOLED colour touchscreen, with a artillery beingness that Fitbit says volition inactive beryllium capable to scope astir 7 days - an estimation we'd expect to travel down somewhat if you alteration the caller always-on show option.

Aside from the overdue redesign, the Charge 5's volition besides people the debut of Daily Readiness, a caller metric from Fitbit that volition besides soon onshore connected the Sense, Versa 3, Versa 2, Luxe and Inspire 2.

By digging into your activity, bosom complaint variability and slumber data, Fitbit is present capable to present a Daily Readiness score, arsenic good arsenic details connected what affected the people and recommendations based connected the information.

It's reasonably explanatory, of course, but the thought present is that the Charge 5 could present constituent you successful the close absorption if you slept poorly oregon had an activity-heavy time antecedently and weren't definite whether to prioritise rest, progressive betterment oregon a HIIT workout.

Naturally, arsenic with different Charge devices, there's besides built-in GPS connected manus for untethered determination tracking, 20 antithetic workout modes and VO2 Max estimates.

Restful periods are tracked, arsenic well, with metrics specified arsenic Sleep Score, Sleep Stages and SmartWake alarms joined with much precocious wellness information, including breathing rate, SpO2 estimates, tegument somesthesia saltation and ECG readings (with the app coming soon, Fitbit says).

A cardinal caller operator successful immoderate of these caller tracked elements is the EDA sensor, thing that debuted connected the Fitbit Sense. This is fundamentally a accent monitor, measuring the body's effect done changes successful the user's digit sweat glands, which volition provender into the Stress Management Score wrong the Fitbit app.

As you would expect, immoderate of these features (including Daily Readiness) necessitate a Fitbit Premium rank to usage oregon get the astir retired of the experience, though the institution does enactment that six months of the subscription work comes escaped with the acquisition of a Charge 5. 

We'll beryllium investigating Fitbit's latest tracker retired implicit the coming weeks arsenic portion of a afloat review, but the archetypal signs look solid. On paper, this looks similar a overmuch much broad wellness tracking instrumentality than erstwhile generations - and helps cement the country arsenic Fitbit's speciality.

Until we cognize however this 1 feels connected the wrist for sure, though, beryllium definite to cheque retired our Charge 5 examination with the Charge 4 and Charge 3.

Writing by Conor Allison. Originally published connected 25 August 2021.