Design of the Charge HR is well thought out, the body is
fairly slim without feeling ‘cheap’, the screen is well placed
and has the brightness to be easily readable in any lighting
situation.
It has a standard watch strap which is a welcomed
addition, unlike some other units that have ‘popper’
style straps that can easily be unclipped accidentally
during activity, this is a no nonsense approach that
benefits.
The strap even has a little retainer at the end to hold
the strap more securely in place, fantastic design.
There have been very sparse reports that a few users
had problems with the watch strap giving them rashes,
but fortunately here we had no issues.
It is believed to be people with slight Nickel allergies:
“Charge has a stainless steel clasp, while Charge HR and Surge have a stainless steel buckle. All stainless steel contains nickel, but the amount of nickel in all Fitbit products meets the European Union’s stringent Nickel Directive. As with any product made of stainless steel, a limited number of users with nickel sensitivity may still experience an allergic reaction.”
So it is most definitely not a single brand problem but any products that have Stainless steel in them. Something to keep in mind!
The major difference between the Charge HR and their other product, the Charge is the addition of the PurePulse optical heart rate sensor.
This measure your heart rate every second during activity or every 5 seconds normally. We found it to not exactly be the MOST accurate reading, but it was consistent which is what really matters.
Even if it deviates from a tried and true pulse monitor, as long as it’s deviating at the same interval then you have a consistent reading that is useful.
I did notice that the heart rate sensor surface gets very dirty quite quickly, so be sure to give it a wipe down every time you take it off, as it can hinder the reading accuracy.
The Charge HR also has a pedometer built in that shows you how many steps you have taken that day, this once again was not 100% accurate but fell within a 20% margin and did this consistently.
You can easily swap between the time, pedometer, heart rate and floors climbed on the display itself, as well as having caller ID show up when synced to your phone which is a nifty little feature.
By giving the button on the side a long press you can also log activity, then long press again to end it. This is then stored and can be accessed for more in-depth information on the computer or app.
During activity the heart rate sensor and other information is stored more accurately and periodically, so I advice if you are going to be doing any exercise you make sure to start it up first. It’s easier to forget than you think.
Another great feature of the Fitbit is the ability to wirelessly sync it to your computer or mobile app and benefit from the truckloads of content provided.