Charge 3 compared to Charge 2
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oat_bran
Posts: 370 Member
I know this question is more suited for the fitbit group, but it seems dead, so I decided to try here.
Icurrently have a Charge 2, but was thinking about getting myself a Charge 3 soon but I was wondering if the upgrade is worth it? I am mostly tempted by the fact that it's swim proof so I won't have to add my swims manually. And I was hoping that it has an improved HR reading function and that it'll give more accurate HR readings during workouts.
Those of you who went from a Charge 2 to Charge 3, please share your impression of how the two compare.
Icurrently have a Charge 2, but was thinking about getting myself a Charge 3 soon but I was wondering if the upgrade is worth it? I am mostly tempted by the fact that it's swim proof so I won't have to add my swims manually. And I was hoping that it has an improved HR reading function and that it'll give more accurate HR readings during workouts.
Those of you who went from a Charge 2 to Charge 3, please share your impression of how the two compare.
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Replies
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My Charge 2 display fizzled out right around the Charge 3 release date so that's why I upgraded. It's just as comfortable as the Charge 2 which is great. The screen seems to be a little tougher to scroll through. I use mine for daily calorie burn/step tracking (and I don't swim) so I haven't really noticed any difference in overall capability.0
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the charge 3 offers more activities to auto track, its supposed to be water proof(I'm too scared to test that) I like that it's lighter , the bands are easier to change, other than that the charge 2 and 3 offer the same options of tracking exercise, sleep etc.0
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Husband bought this for me for birthday last month (had a fitbit zip before)
I mostly love it, I am a bit of a data nerd. It gives me the info I need and syncs to MFP
Pros: Easy to set up, Easy to use, clear display, lots of info on dashboard, water proof, HR Seems reasonably accurate as does the step counter. My favorite feature is the alarm that you can set to remind you to move this has really made a difference, prompting me up off the couch. I like the sleep function and the HR function.
Cons: Not as comfortable as I hoped, not sure calorie count is very accurate as it tells me I have done things I haven't, for example the other day I was on an elliptical when I was shopping. Also tells me I have climbed stairs that I haven't. So I am not going to rely on calorie count from exercise as being very close.
I need to check this, but I think it is counting when I drive up a steep hill which I do once or twice a day as a flight or two of stairs.
But in general I really like it and it is focussing my mind on moving which is important.
ETA: The screen lights up randomly sometimes when I move in bed, nearly blinded myself the other night.
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Parenthetical comment:
Stair climbing can be credited to anyone on a windy day due to pressure changes. It's not something that contributes to your calorie burn.4 -
manderson27 wrote: »Husband bought this for me for birthday last month (had a fitbit zip before)
I mostly love it, I am a bit of a data nerd. It gives me the info I need and syncs to MFP
Pros: Easy to set up, Easy to use, clear display, lots of info on dashboard, water proof, HR Seems reasonably accurate as does the step counter. My favorite feature is the alarm that you can set to remind you to move this has really made a difference, prompting me up off the couch. I like the sleep function and the HR function.
Cons: Not as comfortable as I hoped, not sure calorie count is very accurate as it tells me I have done things I haven't, for example the other day I was on an elliptical when I was shopping. Also tells me I have climbed stairs that I haven't. So I am not going to rely on calorie count from exercise as being very close.
I need to check this, but I think it is counting when I drive up a steep hill which I do once or twice a day as a flight or two of stairs.
But in general I really like it and it is focussing my mind on moving which is important.
ETA: The screen lights up randomly sometimes when I move in bed, nearly blinded myself the other night.
You can buy all sorts of inexpensive replacement bands on Amazon if you find the one it comes with uncomfortable.
I have a very soft silicone one (much softer than the original band) for workouts/casual wear, as well as some "fashion" ones in leather and metal for work and I love them. The metal one makes it look like a nice watch and people comment on it all the time.
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manderson27 wrote: »Husband bought this for me for birthday last month (had a fitbit zip before)
I mostly love it, I am a bit of a data nerd. It gives me the info I need and syncs to MFP
Pros: Easy to set up, Easy to use, clear display, lots of info on dashboard, water proof, HR Seems reasonably accurate as does the step counter. My favorite feature is the alarm that you can set to remind you to move this has really made a difference, prompting me up off the couch. I like the sleep function and the HR function.
Cons: Not as comfortable as I hoped, not sure calorie count is very accurate as it tells me I have done things I haven't, for example the other day I was on an elliptical when I was shopping. Also tells me I have climbed stairs that I haven't. So I am not going to rely on calorie count from exercise as being very close.
I need to check this, but I think it is counting when I drive up a steep hill which I do once or twice a day as a flight or two of stairs.
But in general I really like it and it is focussing my mind on moving which is important.
ETA: The screen lights up randomly sometimes when I move in bed, nearly blinded myself the other night.
You can buy all sorts of inexpensive replacement bands on Amazon if you find the one it comes with uncomfortable.
I have a very soft silicone one (much softer than the original band) for workouts/casual wear, as well as some "fashion" ones in leather and metal for work and I love them. The metal one makes it look like a nice watch and people comment on it all the time.
That is nice, I will check out the straps. Thank you.1 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Parenthetical comment:
Stair climbing can be credited to anyone on a windy day due to pressure changes. It's not something that contributes to your calorie burn.
Oh right, that is interesting, thanks.2 -
manderson27 wrote: »Not as comfortable as I hoped, not sure calorie count is very accurate as it tells me I have done things I haven't, for example the other day I was on an elliptical when I was shopping. Also tells me I have climbed stairs that I haven't. So I am not going to rely on calorie count from exercise as being very close.
This is interesting. I've had my Charge 2 for over a year and before that I had Charge HR and their TDEE estimate seems pretty accurate to me. I've done an experiment where I tracked my intake, my Charge 2 TDEE estimate and my weight changes for 5 months and it appears that the fitbit's estimates are spot-on! I've lost (or gained) exactly what it told me I've lost or gained. Since my everyday life includes a lot of NEAT and my activity level varies considerably on a daily basis (sometimes as much as a 1000calories) I prefer to rely on my fitbit to tell me how much I should eat. Otherwise, I would undereat on my high NEAT-days and end up way too hungry.
As for it counting certain activities as workout, mine does it too sometimes. I'm an Airbnb host and it often counts cleaning and doing laundry as "workout" because I'm running around and my heart rate goes up but I don't think it influences the total calorie burn that much since it's estimates appear accurate.
Oh, and I also remember that in the beginning my fitbit overestimated my heart rate a lot at random moments during my workouts, but then it stopped doing that. I've heard that every fitbit has a period of adjustment after which its readings become more accurate.
Although, lately it suddenly started overestimate my heart rate again at time. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's getting old or I need to clean it. I was hoping that maybe Charge 3 doesn't have this problem.0 -
manderson27 wrote: »Not as comfortable as I hoped, not sure calorie count is very accurate as it tells me I have done things I haven't, for example the other day I was on an elliptical when I was shopping. Also tells me I have climbed stairs that I haven't. So I am not going to rely on calorie count from exercise as being very close.
This is interesting. I've had my Charge 2 for over a year and before that I had Charge HR and their TDEE estimate seems pretty accurate to me. I've done an experiment where I tracked my intake, my Charge 2 TDEE estimate and my weight changes for 5 months and it appears that the fitbit's estimates are spot-on! I've lost (or gained) exactly what it told me I've lost or gained. Since my everyday life includes a lot of NEAT and my activity level varies considerably on a daily basis (sometimes as much as a 1000calories) I prefer to rely on my fitbit to tell me how much I should eat. Otherwise, I would undereat on my high NEAT-days and end up way too hungry.
As for it counting certain activities as workout, mine does it too sometimes. I'm an Airbnb host and it often counts cleaning and doing laundry as "workout" because I'm running around and my heart rate goes up but I don't think it influences the total calorie burn that much since it's estimates appear accurate.
Oh, and I also remember that in the beginning my fitbit overestimated my heart rate a lot at random moments during my workouts, but then it stopped doing that. I've heard that every fitbit has a period of adjustment after which its readings become more accurate.
Although, lately it suddenly started overestimate my heart rate again at time. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's getting old or I need to clean it. I was hoping that maybe Charge 3 doesn't have this problem.
I have only had mine a few weeks so still learning about it and figuring things out. Thanks for the info.0 -
I love my charge 3. I had the charge 2. Big thing for me after having it for awhile (I got the 1st one from bestbuy as soon as it came out)
1 battery life- much better
2 waterproof- no need to remove in the shower
3 more info on dashboard
4 I really really like the sleep metrics - very informative0 -
ebholmes27 wrote: »I love my charge 3. I had the charge 2. Big thing for me after having it for awhile (I got the 1st one from bestbuy as soon as it came out)
1 battery life- much better
2 waterproof- no need to remove in the shower
3 more info on dashboard
4 I really really like the sleep metrics - very informative
Did you notice a difference in TDEE estimates and heart rate readings when you switched from Charge 2 to 3? I've actually read on fitbit community forum that Charge 3 heart rate readings are inaccurate compared to Charge 2.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Parenthetical comment:
Stair climbing can be credited to anyone on a windy day due to pressure changes. It's not something that contributes to your calorie burn.
Haha. Yeah, I noticed that with my Fitbit One. On really windy days (many of those here in Kansas), I apparently climb dozens of stairs!1
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