Google’s Fitbit Charge 6: Holiday Gift Material?

The Charge 6 is Fitbit's first fitness tracker to integrate with Google's ecosystem, marking the first step in a promise Google made when it bought Fitbit in 2021. When I gave my initial impressions of the device shortly after its release in October, I called out its uncomfortable default band and multiple missing features, things I hoped would have been better on such a landmark device. After spending more time with the tracker to more thoroughly test how it can keep up with workouts over a month, I’ve discovered that it has more than a few redeeming qualities — including precise workout tracking and in-depth sleep reports, even without a monthly subscription. It does the job, even if I find the app selection limiting.

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Fitbits have their place in the industry. They've contributed to studies on everything from detecting mental illness to creating better predictive models for pancreatic surgery. The same things that make Fitbit a good wearable for research — its low cost and easily approachable basic functions — are still there. But for the more discerning customer, Fitbit has actually lost some capability in recent years. For instance, you can't load your own songs onto a Fitbit anymore.

Post-Google, can the Fitbit Charge 6 compete with more open devices like the Garmin vívosmart 5, which is around the same price and has the same look? Garmin isn’t owned by a tech giant like Google the way Fitbit is, so it isn’t subject to the same constraints. Garmin offers apps like Spotify and Deezer, for example, while Fitbit now only offers Google’s YouTube Music on the Charge 6, a far cry from what it used to have.

After more time with the Charge 6, I would say it still holds its own against the competition. It offers solid fitness tracking without the bells and whistles, with an easy-to-navigate app. It could give great value to users who don’t need a mini-phone on their wrist but just want solid, reliable fitness and sleep tracking. In those areas, Fitbit still excels, and the Charge 6 does add some new finesse powered by Google AI and algorithms.

Throughout a month, I put the Charge 6 to the test. I tried out the tracker’s three new Google apps, I exercised by following along with workouts on the app (which monitored my heart rate in real time) and I tried different straps to find the perfect fit. I also tracked when I had to charge it, and for how long.

The Charge 6 comes with six months (!) of Fitbit Premium, which I began to appreciate as the weather got colder and I didn’t want to leave my house to work out. Outside of sales, the tracker is priced at $160, and Fitbit Premium is another $10 for a monthly membership or $80 for a year of access. 

Pros:

Cons:

Is the Fitbit Charge 6 comfortable?

My first impression of the Charge 6's default band proved less than satisfactory based on fit and feel. The tracker pressed in at the top and bottom of my wrist but gaped open at the sides. When I tightened it a notch, it wasn’t comfortable to wear. 

Google reached out and sent over two additional bands, one woven band and one white sports band, for review. They were both better options, but they cost $30-$35 extra.

The woven Prism Pride band was my favorite of the two. Not only is it comfortable enough to wear all day and all night, but it's also colorful and made of 96% recycled plastic yarn. It's also smooth to the touch, though not as soft as the default band. I could secure it on the outside, and it doesn’t tuck into my wrist like the default band. 

The woven band does exactly what a band should: Keep the tracker in place and fit so well I forget it’s even there.

Google says the band “symbolizes unity, inclusivity and perseverance.” It costs an extra $35, and it has a standard aluminum buckle and plastic connector. It held up when I went for jogs and got sweaty, but it isn’t waterproof. 

The sports band, on the other hand, is waterproof. It's made of soft silicone and has a double buckle made of aluminum, plus mesh-like gaps in its fabric for breathability. It's also slightly cheaper than the woven band, at $30 through Fitbit’s site. 

Both bands come in small and large sizes, for wrists ranging from 5.1 inches to 8.3 inches. It was easy to swap out one band for another — I simply turned the Charge 6 over, found the two tabs connecting the band to the body, pushed them out, and snapped new band components in place. 

The default band had a strange fit for me, but Fitbit's official woven and sports bands are quality alternatives that won’t break the bank.

How is the Fitbit Charge 6's Battery life?

The battery life on the Charge 6 is incredible, taking about a week to deplete and then charging up from 0% to 100% in less than two hours. I had the Fitbit on the charger, completely wiped out, at 1:03 pm and I could wear it at full charge by 2:55 pm.

I also didn’t notice the tracker heating up or behaving oddly during charging.

Fitbit sends out a reminder email and app notifications to charge the tracker, which is useful. 

New Google apps

A key selling point of the Fitbit Charge 6 is its inclusion of Google Wallet, Google Maps and YouTube Music.

For reasons that your probably won't encounter, I couldn't get any of my cards to work with Google Wallet. I worked with Google on this, who ensured me that the problem was on my bank's end. It's unfortunate, but having tested similar tap-to-pay systems elsewhere, I can speak to their convenience. If you want to stop by the deli on the way home from a trip to the gym, it's nice to know you won't have to find space in your shorts for your physical wallet. 

Google Maps navigation through the Fitbit required downloading the Google Maps app onto my phone and setting it up with the Fitbit app. Navigation applies to cycling, driving and walking — I tested both driving and walking and found that the step-by-step directions on the device synced up pretty much immediately with the Google Maps app. While it would be nice to see more than just instructions, the tiny screen can only do so much. It's helpful, at least, to not have to pull out a phone mid jog.

To play music on the Fitbit, I had to download the YouTube Music app and subscribe to it for $15/month, though doing so did get me a one-month free trial. While the extra cost wasn’t ideal, I found that the Fitbit was a good way to control music on the go, without reaching for my phone.

If I swiped horizontally, I could skip tracks or go back to prior tracks on my playlist. Another swipe revealed volume controls. 

When my phone was connected to earbuds via Bluetooth, the Fitbit controls applied to the audio emitting from my earbuds. Tapping on the Fitbit aligned immediately with what I heard on my phone or through a Bluetooth device. 

Music control is useful to have here, especially for outdoor activities, but I do still miss being able to load my own music files on the device. Aside from saving me a subscription, it also meant I could easily listen to music even when away from data.

Trying out Fitbit Premium

The good news is that you don’t need an extra subscription to use the Fitbit’s core capabilities, like step tracking. The Charge 6 generates detailed sleep reports, workout reflections and weekly reports without it.

The subscription’s selling point is its library of video workouts. If you don’t see yourself working out by following a video on your phone, or if you’re not one for meditations, Premium probably isn’t worth it. Although, Google says Fitbit will get an AI bot in its app down the road, possibly locked behind a premium subscription. 

So what sets Fitbit’s workouts apart from a free YouTube workout? Fitbit shows the user’s heart rate and calories burned in real-time, similar to an Apple Fitness+ workout. The free version of Fitbit offers a few complimentary workout options, but Premium unlocks a more expansive library.

I started the six-month trial included with the Fitbit Charge 6 and immediately went to the Coach tab within the app. I wanted to try workouts that had previously been behind the Premium paywall, workouts that I had glimpsed while locating the handful of free equivalents Fitbit teased to free users. 

Premium workouts offer a wider selection of content ranging from 4 minutes to over 30 minutes, and include audio and video formats. I saw options like “Full body yoga flow” alongside mindfulness meditations and sleep meditations and workouts for people with limited mobility. 

I enjoyed my workout, and I liked seeing my heart rate go up and down on the screen in real time. I could see Premium being a useful investment for people who want to make Fitbit a one-stop solution for fitness, and who know they have the motivation to commit to home workouts. 

One problem with Premium’s user experience is that I can’t access workouts on a larger screen; I can only watch workout videos from within Fitbit’s smartphone app. Following along with the workouts would’ve been much easier on a tablet or laptop.

The Fitbit community seems to agree with me on this one, with complaints about Premium’s lack of screen flexibility dating back two years. 

Looking ahead

The Fitbit Charge 6 takes care of the essentials without taking up too much space. It’s not a smartwatch, so it would be a mistake to expect it to have every single feature out there. As such, it is constrained to parent company Google at the moment for music, navigation and payment apps.

Still, the Charge 6’s sleep, activity and overall wellness tracking hold up over time. Fitbit incorporated Google Pixel watch algorithms to update the Charge 6’s heart rate tracker, a positive in the Google-Fitbit collaboration and a reason to not just go with an older or competing device.

Fitbit Premium and YouTube Premium do tack on unwanted subscription costs that older devices didn't, but the device's core functionality works just fine without them.

One thing I liked about the Charge 6 after using it more was the way Google prioritizes inclusivity. The free and premium workouts, for example, had options for people in wheelchairs. Google introduced its first accessibility feature on a Fitbit with the Charge 6’s Zoom + magnification: tapping on the screen allows users to adjust font size and magnify words.

The Charge 6 may take some getting used to, and other options like Google’s Pixel Watch 2 may have more features, but the tracker holds its own as a solid and affordable holiday gift for someone new to wearables who wants an easy-to-understand interface or a device without any distractions. It could support a New Year's fitness resolution or supplement an existing workout routine. I could see myself giving a Fitbit to my mom or a younger sibling, because it would add to their overall awareness of their health without overcomplicating the view.

The Fitbit Charge 6 plays to its health-tracking strengths in a competitive market and ultimately proves itself a strong contender to a beginner audience, and a decent contender to an expert audience that's willing to pay a bit more.

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