Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker Promises Improved Heart Rate Accuracy

pcmag.com:

Fitbit's Charge 6 fitness tracker, a new version of its most popular product, looks almost exactly like its predecessor but promises a major improvement in terms of heart rate tracking accuracy.

Fitbit says the new model delivers up to 60% more accurate readings during vigorous activities like HIIT, spinning, and rowing compared to the 2-year-old Charge 5. Fitbit uses your heart rate data to calculate calories burned and Active Zone Miniutes, so these metrics should be more accurate as well. 

Moreover, the Charge 6 is the first Fitbit device with support for real-time heart rate tracking on select home gym equipment, including machines from Peloton, NordicTrack, Concept2, and Tonal, with more coming soon. 

Priced at $159.95, or $20 less than its predecessor at launch, the Charge 6 is available for preorder now ahead of a global launch on Oct. 12. It comes in three colorways: black with a matching band, silver with an off-white band, and champagne gold with a coral band. 

For fitness tracking, the Charge 6 offers 40 exercise modes, up from 20 on the last generation, including new options like surfing, skiing, crossfit, and HIIT. It promises up to seven days of battery life on a charge, the same as its predecessor. 

In terms of design, not much has changed this generation, though Fitbit has, in a questionable move, resurrected the somewhat problematic haptic side button of earlier models. The Charge 4 had a recessed haptic button that didn't always work right, but Fitbit nixed it last generation, giving the Charge 5 a buttonless design.

Older Fitbit smartwatches also featured a similar haptic button, which Fitbit replaced on the newer Sense 2 and Versa 4 with a more tactile mechanical button that is much easier to use.