Fitbit, one of the leading players in the wearable devices category, seems to be looking beyond counting steps for its fitness trackers. The company has officially launched its highly anticipated Fitbit Charge 4.
It is the company’s first device to come with Active Zone Minutes measure that aims to provide a gauge of activity level that is personalised based on a user’s age and resting heart rate. It tracks how much time the user spends in customised heart-rate zones and allot more credit for strenuous exercise.
While the feature is first coming to the Charge 4, it will be rolled out to other smartwatches from the company. It will also add a smart-wake feature with a capability that’s currently found on Fitbit’s smartwatches. It uses machine learning to predict a user’s optimal wake-up time.
The device also comes with 24/7 heart rate tracking, all-day calorie burn, guided breathing sessions, health monitoring for women, automatic exercise tracking, and in-depth sleep monitoring that tracks sleep stages and offers an overall Sleep Score.
There’s also standalone GPS connectivity which will help the device monitor real-time pace and distance. The company has also integrated Spotify but for that you’ll need a smartphone and the fitness tracker will be able to control some aspect of the app.
The Fitbit Charge 4, which is waterproof, comes with a greyscale touchscreen display to show notifications and alerts and reply to messages. As for the battery life, the company claims that it will last seven days on a single charge, but GPS is likely to drain the battery faster.
It is now up for pre-order for a price of $150 for the regular version that comes in Black, Rosewood and Cool Storm Blue/Black. The Special Edition, costing $170, comes with a granite reflective/black woven band and an additional standard black strap. It will be available from 13th April.
