The Fitbit Charge 5 is a powerful fitness tracker that picks and mixes the best features from all of Fitbit’s other devices. It has the on-board GPS of the Fitbit Versa 3, the slim design and bright AMOLED screen of the Fitbit Luxe, and the stress-measuring app of the Fitbit Sense.

It's a huge upgrade from the Charge 4, and if you're starting to get serious about your workouts (whether that's running, gym work, or a combination), it's a great option and a step up from the less complicated, cheaper Huawei Band 7 or Fitbit Inspire 3, all of which come without GPS. The Charge 5's heart rate monitoring is particularly impressive, making it a good choice for anyone with an interest in HIIT or spinning.

When you're not working out, you'll benefit from smartphone notifications that can be read, opened on your phone, or dismissed with a quick tap, plus convenient call alerts so nothing important ends up going to voicemail. There are contactless payments through Fitbit Pay, and you'll receive regular reminders to get up and stretch and reflect on the previous day's achievements. It's effectively a good fitness watch condensed into a band. 

The Daily Readiness Score allows Fitbit Premium users to see their energy levels each morning and plan their day accordingly, and the ECG app lets users check for signs of heart arrhythmia that should be investigated by a doctor. However, these features are locked behind a Fitbit Premium subscription, but you can grab a six-month free trial of Fitbit Premium free with the band and make full use of those features.

We like the Daily Readiness Score a lot, similar to Garmin's new Training Readiness functionality. It's very simple: a low readiness reading would be under 30, indicating you should postpone your planned workout. A high readiness score of over 70 tells you you're ready for a taxing workout sesh. 

The Charge 5's biggest drawback is that it doesn’t offer any music playback functions. We’re not surprised that the watch doesn’t have any on-board storage for our tunes, but there’s no way to control your music at all. This is a shame, as the Charge 4 allowed wearers to control their Spotify playlist during workouts. Hopefully a future update will add a music app to the Charge 5's otherwise impressive suite of features. Still, it's one of the best Fitbits on the market.

Fitbit Charge 5 price and release date

• Released September 2021
• Costs more than Charge 4
• Includes Fitbit Premium trial

The Fitbit Luxe was unveiled in September 2021, and went on sale a few weeks later. It costs $179.95 / £169.99 / AU$269.95 , which is slightly more than the Fitbit Charge 4’s launch price of $149.95 / $129.99 / AU$229.95.

The price includes a six-month trial of Fitbit Premium, which usually costs $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.99 per month.

Design

• Same sleek design as its predecessors
• No physical buttons
• Crisp, bright screen

The Fitbit Charge 5 follows the same Biologic Industrial Design language as the Sense, Versa 3, and Inspire 2, with smooth lines ‘inspired by the human body’ and soft colors. It’s a big departure from the Charge 4, which had a much more angular design.

The Charge 5 also looks more luxurious than its predecessor thanks to its stainless steel case, which replaces the Charge 4’s plastic shell. It’s available in three colorways: black with graphite stainless steel, lunar white with soft gold stainless steel, and steel blue with platinum stainless steel (pictured here). Additional bands are sold separately, including a perforated strap designed for better breathability during sports.

These are big changes, but the Charge 5’s most noticeable upgrade is its display. Rather than the monochrome memory-in-pixel screen of the Charge 4, the new watch has a full color AMOLED display, just like that of the Fitbit Luxe. It’s crisp and bright, with smooth scrolling and animations, and one of the biggest differences between this tracker and the Fitbit Inspire 3.

There’s an always-on option that makes it easier to see the screen at a glance, but we found in unnecessary in everyday use; unlike some fitness trackers we’ve tested, the Charge 5’s display woke reliably whenever we raised our wrist to check the time.

The Fitbit Charge 5 has no physical buttons, but there’s an oval sensor on each side of the case for the watch’s ECG and EDA apps. On the rear of the watch you’ll find the usual optical heart rate sensor, plus the contacts for the charger. This is identical to the charger used by the Fitbit Luxe, and attaches to the Charge 5 magnetically. Unfortunately for Macbook users, it uses a USB-A cable.