Fitbit’s Charge 4 is the company’s first tracker with built-in GPS

If you’re in the market for a new fitness tracker, especially since gyms have shutdown due to the coronavirus, Fitbit’s new Charge 4 might be of interest. 

Its design isn’t revolutionary compared to its predecessor, the Charge 3. In fact, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if you placed both of them right next to each other. It has a touchscreen display, inductive button for navigation (rather than a traditional button, this one dips into the side of the tracker and vibrates when triggered), and a sleek swim-proof case.

But the major improvements are under the hood. 

For starters, Fitbit has finally added built-in GPS to its fitness trackers — a feature that was previously reserved for its pricier, more feature-packed smartwatches. Another new addition is its Spotify integration, which lets you control music right from the device. 

Fitbit also added Active Zone Minutes, an entirely new metric which tracks your effort throughout each workout based on your heart rate zones.

For those of you concerned with battery life, the Charge 4 still boasts a week’s worth of juice. But of course, that’s all dependent on how much you use it.  

Currently on pre-order for $149.95, the new addition to the Charge lineup officially goes on sale starting April 13. 

No more tethering to your phone, sort of

Unlike its predecessors which require tethering to a phone’s GPS in order to log metrics, the Charge 4 relies on built-in GPS. Effectively, it means the tracker is likely to log your distance a lot more accurately.

After using GPS to track a workout, you can sync the Charge 4 to your Fitbit app to view a heat map. This provides you with a visual of how intense your workout was based on your heart rate zones (i.e., fat burn, cardio and peak) along your route. That way, you can identify where to improve performance based on different terrain. 

Unfortunately, the tracker doesn’t come with on-board music storage. So, if music is essential to your outdoor runs or bike rides, then you’ll still have to take your phone with you.

That said, the device does come equipped with Spotify music controls. Using the Charge 4, you can skip or shuffle songs, select music from recent playlists, and “like” songs right from the display. But, again, that’s only as long as your phone is nearby and tethered. 

I know what you’re thinking: All of this sounds like it drains the battery fast. But the Charge 4 lives up to Fitbit’s reputation for lasting battery life with a rating of up to seven days on a single charge. With GPS always-on (for instances where you’re going on a hike or a long run), however, you’ll only get about five hours. 

A new way to measure your workouts 

To help get your blood pumpin’ a little more during exercise, Fitbit has introduced a new feature called Active Zone Minutes. 

Essentially, it uses your heart rate zones to track your effort during energizing workouts like HIIT (high-intensity interval training) or even Zumba. You’ll earn credit for each minute of moderate activity that you’re in the fat burn zone and double the credit for activities where you’re in the cardio and peak zones. 

Each time you switch zones, the Charge 4 will alert you in real time so that you can decide whether you want to push yourself harder or slow it down a bit. After each workout, you’ll be able to see a summary of your Active Zone Minutes along with how many you need to reach your specific goals per week. 

Of course, since everyone’s threshold for entering these zones varies, your heart rate zones are determined based on your age and resting heart rate. As your resting heart rate changes, your target zones will automatically adjust to help you better understand how your body is responding to your workouts. 

By default, the daily goal on the Charge 4 is set to 22 moderate minutes or 11 vigorous minutes per day. But you can customize the metrics if you’d like to push yourself a bit harder or even a little less.

Fitbit’s recommendations are specifically based on guidelines from the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association, which both advise getting 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. 

It’s a similar concept to Google Fit, which uses “Move Minutes” and “Heart Points” to track activity. While Move Minutes are earned for steps, Heart Points are awarded whenever you participate in strenuous activity. 

Fitbit says Active Zone Minutes will first roll out to the Charge 4 before eventually reaching all of its smartwatches.

Additional features 

Like the Charge 3, the Charge 4 features an SpO2 sensor to measure your oxygen levels throughout the night. This helps to identify patterns in your breathing that may indicate disorders like sleep apnea. 

You can also track your sleep stages such as light, deep, and REM sleep. Each morning, these metrics will be used to provide you with a Sleep Score to see how well you slept throughout the night. 

Other sleep specific features include Smart Wake, which uses machine learning to wake you at the most optimal time of your sleep cycle, and Sleep Mode to silence notifications and dim the display at night.

Additionally, the Charge 4 comes with smartphone notifications. So, any alerts you receive on your phone, you’ll also receive on the tracker. 

It also has Fitbit Pay, so you can pay directly with the tracker wherever the contactless form of payment is accepted.

As for its companion app, Fitbit has added seven new programs to the Premium version including  beginner bodyweight, intro to HIIT, mindful eating, intro to gym cardio, and more. You’ll also soon be able to stream video workouts to help achieve those Active Zones. 

While Fitbit Premium normally costs $9.99 per month (or $79.99 per year), the company is currently offering users a 90-day free trial. 

You know, to help get us through these days of self-isolation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Price and availability 

As mentioned before, Fitbit’s Charge 4 will set you back $149.95. In terms of color options, it comes in black, rosewood, and storm blue/black. 

There’s also a Special Edition model, which costs $169.95 and comes with a granite reflective case, black woven band, and a classic black band.

You can pre-order the Charge 4 now on Fitbit’s site, Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy. Both versions will be available in stores starting April 13, but of course, that all depends on which stores, due to social distancing efforts, will actually be open by that time.