Fitbit Charge 6 Review: Do You Even Need a Smartwatch Anymore?

In the ever-growing world of wearables, Fitbit has managed to remain a trusted name, delivering solid fitness trackers at a fraction of the price of most smartwatches. With the release of the Fitbit Charge 6, the line between fitness tracker and smartwatch becomes blurrier. You might start to ask yourself, do I even need a smartwatch anymore?

Pros and Cons

• Pros:
  • Very comfortable to wear
  • Excellent battery life
  • Covers all essential fitness and health tracking features well
• Cons:
  • Some features require a paid subscription
  • Only YouTube Music is supported for music controls
  • Notifications can be a bit tricky to set up

Score: 4.5/5

First Impressions

When the Fitbit Charge 6 landed on my review desk, I had just finished testing out the Google Pixel Watch 2 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Naturally, I assumed the Fitbit Charge 6 would feel like a step down—after all, it's primarily marketed as a fitness tracker, not a smartwatch. But after spending some quality time with it, I was surprised by how much it could hold its own, especially given its lower price point.

While it doesn't offer the full spectrum of features you'd find in high-end smartwatches, the Charge 6 delivers enough to make you rethink spending hundreds more on a traditional smartwatch. It covers the basics exceptionally well, with a few thoughtful touches that make it a viable alternative for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles.

Design and Comfort

The Fitbit Charge 6 sports a sleek design built around a 1.04-inch color AMOLED display, the same screen size used in the previous Fitbit Charge 5. One notable upgrade is the introduction of a haptic home button, which makes navigation much smoother compared to the touch-sensitive area used on the Charge 5. This haptic button allows users to return to the home screen easily, a small but appreciated upgrade.

Fitbit offers the Charge 6 in three color options: Porcelain/Silver Aluminum, Coral/Champagne Gold Aluminum, and Obsidian/Black Aluminum. I tested the latter, which is a safe, everyday color that pairs well with any outfit. If you’re someone who prefers a more watch-like design, the band-style may take some getting used to. However, for those who appreciate a minimalistic, less intrusive look, the Charge 6 fits right in.

The vertical screen layout is intuitive, allowing you to view important information without unnecessary scrolling. If you need larger fonts, you can enable 2x or 3x magnification via the settings, making it accessible for a broader range of users.

Performance and Features

Running on Fitbit’s well-established app for both Android and iOS, the Fitbit Charge 6 is Google’s most integrated Fitbit device yet. While it continues to offer all the classic Fitbit features—such as heart rate tracking, stress monitoring, ECG, and exercise tracking—it now comes with enhanced support for Google-specific apps.

For instance, if you’re navigating using Google Maps, the Charge 6 will display turn-by-turn directions on your wrist, a handy feature that offers seamless hands-free navigation. However, keep in mind that while the Charge 6 can show notifications from Google Maps, it can’t start map searches directly.

One significant drawback in the music department is the limited support for YouTube Music only. If you’re not subscribed to YouTube Music or YouTube Premium, you’re out of luck when it comes to controlling music from your wrist. This is where the device’s connection to the Google ecosystem feels more limiting than empowering.

On the plus side, the NFC capabilities allow for Google Pay integration, replacing Fitbit Pay. This means you can make contactless payments with a simple tap, although it’s important to check whether your financial institution supports Google Wallet before purchasing.

The Charge 6 also tracks a wide range of exercises, and it even includes automatic workout detection, which is a blessing for forgetful runners. However, it’s not flawless: during one of my runs, it mistakenly logged a warm-up walk as part of my 5K, skewing the results. Fortunately, you can turn off automatic detection if needed.

Sleep and Notifications

Fitbit is known for its sleep tracking, and the Charge 6 continues that legacy. It does a fairly good job of tracking your sleep stages, although like most wearables, it can’t differentiate between lying awake in bed and light sleep. Still, the overall accuracy is close enough for most users. The slim and lightweight design makes it comfortable to wear overnight, a definite advantage over bulkier smartwatches.

On the notification front, the Charge 6 provides alerts for calls, texts, and app notifications. However, enabling notifications requires a bit more manual setup than other devices. Instead of automatically mirroring your phone’s notifications, you’ll need to enable them on a per-app basis. It’s a more granular approach, but it may take some time to configure correctly. Additionally, if you pair the Charge 6 with an iPhone, you’ll only be able to view notifications—you won’t be able to respond to texts like you can with an Android device.

Battery Life

Battery life is where the Fitbit Charge 6 really shines. Fitbit claims the device lasts up to seven days on a single charge, and in my experience, it wasn’t far off. I consistently got about six days of battery life, which is impressive considering the vibrant display and health-tracking features.

Charging is done via Fitbit’s proprietary pogo pin charger, which works well enough, although Qi wireless charging would have been a nice touch. Still, with a battery that lasts nearly a week, charging becomes a rare occurrence.

Is It Worth It?

In a market saturated with expensive smartwatches, the Fitbit Charge 6 offers a refreshing option for those who want the essentials without the high price tag.

It’s a solid contender that doesn’t try to do too much, focusing instead on doing a few things very well. If you’re primarily interested in fitness tracking, basic notifications, and contactless payments via Google Wallet, the Charge 6 delivers everything you need at a fraction of the cost.

For anyone who’s debating whether they really need a full-fledged smartwatch, the Fitbit Charge 6 makes a compelling argument for choosing a fitness tracker instead. It covers the essentials, is comfortable to wear, and has fantastic battery life, all at a price that makes it accessible to a wider audience.