Fitbit’s fitness band is getting a big upgrade with its latest iteration – the Charge 5. Initially announced about a month ago, the Fitbit Charge 5 is one of the biggest updates that the lineup has seen since it was first introduce. Not only is it bringing features that put it on par with the likes of the Versa 3 and Sense, it’s also the first Fitbit the company is announcing after Google’s big Wear OS announcement. That said, the Charge 5 continues to run on Fitbit’s own OS.
The Charge 5 continues to share the same form factor as its predecessors. It’s a slim elongated design which ergnomically wraps around the wrist. However, its now comes with a 1.04-inch colour display which has always on display functionality. It’s gained a full metal chassis as well. The new metal chassis also brings ECG tracking features which were, until now, a Sense exclusive feature.
Other than that, the Fitbit Charge 5 is more of the same. It comes with sensors for blood oxygenation (SpO2), and skin temperature in addition to heart rate and built-in GPS. It also has 7-day battery life and enough memory to store 7 days of motion data.
Fitbit Premium Gets Calm-er
Fitbit’s announcement of the Charge 5’s availability comes together with announcements for new Premium features. Fitbit’s premium tier, which costs MYR38.90 a month or 329.90 a year, will now feature content from Calm. Content from the meditation, relaxation and sleep app will now be available from within the Fitbit app. Premium users will have access to 30 curated pieces of sleep and stress-reducing Calm content.
In addition to this, Fitbit Premium will also be enable snore tracking. The new feature will use the built-in mics in the Versa 3, and Sense to detect snores. The new tracking adds a new dimension to sleep tracking. We’ve actually covered it indepth in our coverage of the feature’s announcement.
Pricing & Availability
The Fitbit Charge 5 is now available in Malaysia for MYR878 from fitbit.com and their retail partners. It is also available globally for USD$179.