The Fitbit Charge 6 is the latest addition to Fitbit’s wildly popular lineup of fitness wearables, offering a sleek design and health-tracking features. As an activity tracker, the Charge 6 goes beyond counting steps, providing insights into heart rate, sleep, stress, and menstrual cycles.
With improved accuracy from the Charge 5, built-in GPS, and Google integration, the Charge 6 aims to be the perfect balance between a smartwatch and a fitness band. In this review, I’ll be taking a closer look into whether the fitness tracker lives up to its claims, and whether it’s worth investing in.
The WH verdict:
Fitbit Charge 6
| Android and iOS compatible | Yes |
|---|---|
| Battery life | Up to 7 days |
| Screen size | 1.04 inches |
Fitbit Charge 6: How we tested
Who I am: I’ve been the ecommerce editor of Women’s Health for over two years and have tested dozens of fitness gadgets in that time. I’m also a three-time marathoner and avid gymgoer who believes in a balanced approach to health and fitness to avoid burnout.
How I tested the Fitbit Charge 6: I wore the fitness tracker around the clock for a week. This meant I was able to track seven nights’ worth of sleep, workouts and general activity. During this trial period, I ran the Seville Marathon, enabling me to assess how it holds up during strenuous exercise. I also compared the data from the Fitbit to the Oura Ring, which I’ve been wearing for nearly three years, to assess the accuracy.
Read more: Oura Ring review
What Is the Fitbit Charge 6?
The Charge 6 is the latest offering from one of the first brands to popularise activity trackers: Fitbit. The health and fitness tracker has Google features included, such as GPS tracking, over 40 exercise modes, Google Maps, and Google Wallet.
The accompanying app displays helpful health data, such as your sleep from the night before, your daily step count, and your daily readiness score.
How accurate is the health and fitness tracking on the Fitbit Charge 6
As I’ve been wearing my Oura Ring daily for nearly three years no tracker has accrued more of my health data, which makes the Oura data perfect for comparing to my Fitbit data to assess the accuracy of the Fitbit. I took the data from the same day in my Fitbit app and my Oura app and assessed the reports to see how Fitbit compared.
When looking at the activity and calorie burn, the Oura Ring and the Fitbit are close with the Fitbit reported calorie burn only being 200 less than Oura. The heart rate was a bit further off, however, with Fitbit reporting my bpm to be lower than Oura’s measurement.
The Oura Ring has been compared to a medical-grade ECG device in a clinical setting and was found to be 99.9% accurate, so we will assume in this comparison that the Oura data is closer to being correct. The Fitbit data isn’t wildly inaccurate, but this shows that it is a little off.
Fitbit Charge 6 data compared to the Oura Ring: activity and heart rate
The Oura Ring is famous for its sleep tracking, so I was especially interested to see how the Fitbit compared in this category. While the total sleep was only 19 minutes shorter, the reported sleep stages are quite different.
The deep sleep stage is almost the same, and awake is only about 10 minutes shorter on the Fitbit, but the REM and light sleep stages differ greatly. From this, we would advise that while the Fitbit is great for measuring how much sleep you’re getting, it’s not getting the stages of sleep exactly right.
Fitbit sleep data (right) compared to Oura Ring sleep data (left)
Read more: WHOOP review
Fitbit Charge 6 straps
While the Fitbit comes with a silicone strap, with black, white and orange to choose from, if none of them fit your style there are plenty of options online to peruse instead. You can switch up the colours to suit your outfit or opt for a metal strap if you want it to look more like jewellery.
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Chofit Straps Compatible with Fitbit Charge 6
Is the Fitbit Charge 6 comfortable to wear?
I usually hate sleeping in bulky smartwatches, but the slim design of the Fitbit made it comfortable to wear around the clock. It’s lightweight and the screen is rectangular, so it felt more natural to wear than a standard watch.
The only times it was slightly irritating was when it was especially warm, as I felt my skin under the silicone band getting itchy and irritated. In these instances, I just loosened the strap slightly and the sensation went away.
Read more: Apple Watch Series 10 review
How long does the battery on the Fitbit Charge 6 last?
The brand claims to have a battery life of up to seven days, and I can confirm that in my experience the battery lived up to what was promised. Despite having a very active week in the lead-up to my marathon and wearing the Fitbit during the aforementioned marathon, the battery lasted a full week.
Is the Fitbit Charge 6 user-friendly?
One of the best things about the Fitbit is how easy it is to use. I’ve used smartwatches before that have taken a few days to get the hang of, but with this one from Fitbit, I’d mastered it within a couple of hours. The interface of the device itself is super simple, and the accompanying app is easy to use.
The Women’s Health verdict: Is the Fitbit Charge 6 worth it?
If you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive, fairly basic fitness tracker to help track your sleep and steps and aren’t looking for something super in-depth, the Fitbit Charge 6 would be an excellent option for you.
As someone who has tried many fitness trackers, I found the Fitbit data to be fairly entry-level, which is ideal for those who are new to health data and are looking to make some healthy changes, such as getting more sleep or getting some extra steps in.
The seven-day battery life is impressive for a fitness tracker at this price point and has earned it some brownie points from us. We’re also big fans of how user-friendly the device is, both in terms of how simple it is to use and how easily interpretable the data is.
BUY THE FITBIT CHARGE 6 HERE
Jessica O’Donnell is Women’s Health UK’s Ecommerce Editor, specialising in testing the latest and greatest product releases in Beauty, Gym Wear, Fitness, Health and, as well as finding the best deals during sales events such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
Jessica is passionate about helping women choose products that will help them look and feel their best. She looks after some of Women’s Health’s most important guides, including the best mattresses for back pain, the best fitness trackers, and the best bikinis for big busts (she’s got range!).
Jessica has been a writer since 2018, and her work can be found in publications such as ELLE Australia, Harper’s Bazaar Australia, Runner’s World and Cosmopolitan UK. When she’s off the clock, Jessica can easily be found either nagging her friends to join her for a long run, bragging about her Oura Ring sleep stats, trying out a new pilates studio or adding to the ever-growing stack of books on her bedside table.
You can keep up with Jessica on Instagram @jessicajeanodonnell