When you’re talking about $180 for the Charge 5, it’s tempting to say “just get a smartwatch instead.” You could get a capable Garmin smartwatch for only $20 more than that, or even an Apple Watch Series 3 (although I wouldn’t recommend the latter).

Fitbit has launched a good fitness tracker at a very high price. The question is: why?...

Not the cheapest fitness tracker available, but it's definitely Fitbit's best - offering a fantastic blend of features, design, battery life and price.

Lovely OLED display; Solid performance; Built-in GPS; Good battery life; Fitbit app is excellent; Comfortable to wear; Great heart-rate monitoring and sleep tracking;

No music control; Exercise options could be expanded; Display could be bigger; Some features not available at launch;

The Fitbit Charge 5 is extremely impressive, and pulls together the best features of Fitbit's current lineup in one neat device. You get on-board GPS for tracking runs without a watch, an EDA (electrodermal activity) sensor for measuring stress responses, contactless payments, sleep tracking, excellent heart rate monitoring, and sleep monitoring – all presented in a neat interface that's intuitive and simple to use, even if you've never owned a Fitbit device before. Unfortunately the much anticipated Readiness Score feature wasn't available at launch, and Fitbit has dropped the Spotify support that allowed you to control playlists through the Charge 4. The lack of music is a shame since the Charge 5 is designed with workouts in mind, but if that's not a dealbreaker then it could be an ideal gym buddy.

On-board GPS; Excellent heart rate monitoring; Clean, simple interface; Contactless payments;

No music controls; Limited on-screen workout data; Some features missing at launch

Finally gets a screen upgrade; Comfortable to wear 24/7; Easy to use interface; Solid heart rate monitoring;

ECG sensor is not usable (yet); Daily Readiness Scores not live yet; Data insights locked behind Fitbit Premium; Iffy sports tracking accuracy ;

Within the bubble of Fitbit's ecosystem, the Charge 5 offers the best bang for your buck by fusing fitness tracker convenience with smartwatch functionality, but things get a little tougher when you compare it to the wider wearable market.

Rich hardware feature set; Elegant design; Intuitive UI; Fitbit Premium isn't essential;

Missing predecessors' features; Laggy performance; Non-Fitbit rivals offer more; Key features absent at launch;

The last Fitbit Charge tracker I used before the Charge 5 was the considerably less innovative first-generation Charge HR. After wearing the Charge 5 nonstop for a week, I came away impressed by how drastically different the experience is with Fitbit’s most advanced tracker ever. Even compared to the prior-generation Charge 4, the Charge 5 kicks the whole fitness tracking wearable experience up a few notches. The new design makes this tracker more comfortable and appealing, but it also comes with a hefty feature list that matches the brand’s most decked-out smartwatches. Most notably, the Charge 5 is the very first Fitbit fitness tracker to work with the Fitbit ECG app, joining the ranks of the Fitbit Sense smartwatch. For loyal Fitbit fans or first-time fitness tracker users, the revamped Charge 5 has a lot to offer in a super-wearable and user-friendly format. It’s fair to say the Charge 5 received a makeover. In a departure from the boxy models before it, the Charge 5 takes a page f...

Stylish and comfortable design; Solid battery life; Loaded with advanced health metrics; Onboard GPS with multiple modes; Supports Fitbit Pay;

Sometimes slow to swipe inputs; Lacks some basic fitness/wellness tools; Some features require Fitbit Premium;

Last year's Fitbit Charge 4 was an excellent fitness tracker held back by a dated grayscale display and a cheap plastic build. Now in its fifth-generation, Fitbit's most popular device finally has an AMOLED color touch screen and a metal case, making the $179.95 Charge 5 a wearable you actually want to wear. Fitbit has removed Spotify support from this generation, but added several useful health monitoring features that were previously only available on its $299.95 Sense smartwatch, including an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor that measures small electrical changes in your skin's sweat level to track your body's response to stress, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) app that checks for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFIb), an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other serious complications. It offers a lot more functionality than the Luxe, with a similarly attractive design for only $30 more. The Charge 5 is easily Fitbit's best fitness tr...

With an always-on color touch screen, a sleeker design, and new health tracking features, the Charge 5 is a significant upgrade over the previous model and Fitbit's best fitness tracker yet.

Color touch screen with always-on display option; Attractive design with metal case; Automatically tracks certain activities; Excellent companion mobile app; Robust stress management and sleep tracking features; Tracks overnight HRV, breathing rate, SpO2 and skin temperature variations; Supports mobile payments

No Spotify support; Limited exercise shortcut list; Clock faces aren't customizable

Don't let this insane Fitbit Charge 5 deal pass you by