TechRadar Verdict
The Fitbit Charge 6 is an unobtrusive fitness band with a wide spread of features.
Fitbit Charge 6: One minute review
TheFitbitCharge 6 is Fitbits most advanced band-style fitness tracker.
Run with a phone?
Sure, the Fitbit Charge 6 can take location data from it instead.
Encountering such issues with one of the wearables key features is not ideal, though.
We have already seen it sell at a significant discount too.
Its a petite band, not a watch.
A Fitbit Charge 6 weighs 37g according to some spec run-downs, although our scales say its just 30g.
This strap is your classic under-and-over silicone affair, similar to the defaultApple WatchSeries 9 sports band.
That aside, the Fitbit Charge 6 is a great-looking tracker.
And even if it looks unnervingly similar to the Charge 5, the style has not aged much.
Its so similar, in fact, that the main external change is deceptive.
It looks like theres a button on the side right, but it isn’t a button.
Its just a non-moving tactile, pressure-sensitive surface, like the Charge 5s side wall.
In classic wearable style, swiping up from the watch face takes you to screens showing your daily stats.
Swiping left and right takes you to features like exercise tracking, ECG and so on.
As in previous generations, sleep tracking is a key strength.
Well, other than sleep data not appearing on the watch until after you sync with your phone.
This is likely down to the phone app doing some of the data processing legwork.
Theres no on-watch music playback either, a feature lacking even in the top-end Sense 2.
This just involves controlling music played through a connected phone, but there is a bit more to it.
you’re free to select recently played artists its not just basic playback controls.
The Fitbit Charge 6 also getsGoogle Mapssupport, just like the Versa 4 and Sense 2.
Manage your expectations, though this doesnt mean maps on your wrist.
Instead the watch can relay instructions from aGoogleMaps session taking place on your phone.
Still, its a neat, potentially useful feature.
For most folks this is a straight upgrade, as more banks tend to support Google Wallet/Google Pay.
On the health, rather than wealth, side, ECG is a highlight.
Its not an ECG, but you do get alerts if the Charge 6 notices anything odd.
Plus, its just not something most people are likely to do regularly.
Sure, theres no altimeter, but the GPS can be used to calculate height data anyway.
If you fasten the Fitbit Charge 6 strap too tightly, the GPS is liable to not work.
This is apparently down to the signal being blocked by your wrist.
Sometimes it would never attain a lock in the first place.
Either way, its not good news for the Fitbit Charge 6s fitness cred.
The Fitbit style is, as ever, aimed at a lighter-exercising crowd rather than the marathon trainers.
It will, by default, automatically start logging walks and runs if you dont do so manually.
And while these wont record a GPS-derived map of your route, it means exercise tracking can be zero-effort.
Youll feel a little vibration buzz when you go from one heart rate zone to another.
Fitbit uses Bluetooth, but unfortunately its a locked-down system that requires active support.
Not every platform that supports, for example, HR chest straps, will work with it.
It reportedly doesnt work with Zwift yet, which is a shame.
Fitbit Premium also unlocks a few additional stats, like your sleep profile and Daily Readiness.
Readiness estimates how ready you are for a workout, a classic feature of a higher-end fitness wearable.
Is Premium worth it?
Features score: 4/5
Fitbit Charge 6: Should I buy?
Thats not just GPS, but also ECG, which checks for signs of heart problems.
In some cases, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is almost as useful and costs a lot less.
That’s $9.99 a month.
However, by lacking GPS it skirts around our main issue with the Charge 6.
And it can still connect to a phone to take its location data.
