Credit: Fitbit
The Fitbit Charge 4 might be the company's first product since being acquired by Google but you'd never know the difference.
Announced this week, the new fitness tracker features an overwhelmingly familiar design, 7 days of battery life and many of the same predecessors. If you were expecting a more Pixel-inspired look, Wear-OS-powered software experience or new Google Fit integration, you're probably going to be disappointed here.
The Fitbit Charge 4 supports music playback via Spotify, contactless payments via Fitbit Pay, built-in GPS connectivity and advanced SpO2 and sleep-tracking. That last one isn't technically new but was previously only available in Fitbit smartwatches. The dedicated fitness tracker also comes with a free 90 day subscription to Fitbit Premium.
The big upgrade here is a new feature that Fitbit are calling Active Zone Tracking. Basically, when the Charge 4 senses a sustained rise in your heart-rate, it'll automatically start tracking active minutes as opposed to regular ones. Similar tech like this exists in Apple and Samsung's smartwatches, but it's a neat addition nevertheless.
Fitbit say that Active Zone Tracking will be available exclusively on Fitbit Charge 4 before rolling out to all Fitbit smartwatches via a software upgrade later down the line.
Of course, with many countries entering lockdowns of some capacity to try and reduce the spread of COVID-19, a lot of these fitness-focused lose some of their punch.
Fitbit are taking preorders for the Charge 4 from today through Fitbit.com and retail partners like JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Amazon and Officeworks ahead of an Australian launch date of April 14. The standard Fitbit Charge 4 is priced at an RRP of AU$249. The Charge 4 Special Edition is a little pricier at AU$289 but includes an exclusive granite black woven band.
