My Review of the Fitbit Charge 5 for Walking

Last updated October 3, 2022

The Fitbit Charge 5 sits at the more premium end of the activity trackers for Fitbit. I'll be talking about the Fitbit Charge 5 in the context of walking for exercise. I took the Fitbit Charge 5 for a few walks outside and also used it on my good old treadmill.

Quick note: I'm not a professional and I may have a few links to my Amazon shop in this review. If you click on the link and purchase something on Amazon, I may get a commission.

Sunlight? Fitbit Charge 5

Let's jump right into the outdoor display on the Fitbit Charge 5. Compared to the newer Fitbit Inspire 3 and Fitbit Inspire 2, the Fitbit Charge 5's display, hands down, is the most vivid and clear. I had no issues reading the display in the sunlight.

At first, I was a bit forgetful about checking my Fitbit Charge 5 on my walks because I was so used to wearing the Fitbit Inspire 2 for so long, I would just wait till I got home to check my steps. The Fitbit Inspire 2 is a great activity tracker except for the bad outdoor display. I think the outdoor display is my favorite part of the Fitbit Charge 5.

Clock Faces - Fitbit Charge 5

The clock faces are modern and very unique. I was looking for a clock face closer to the, "stats heavy," clock face on the Fitbit Inspire 2, but I didn't have much luck, The closest clock face was the, "slashed," display that showed most of the stats like steps, calories, zone minutes and distances all on one flick of the wrist. The, "slashed," clock face is not perfect, but better than nothing.

The Main Features I Use for Walking - Fitbit Charge 5

The main features I used on the Fitbit Charge 5 for my walks were the heart rate sensor, steps, zone minutes, time, and date. I did fiddle around with the EDA sensor and ECG, but I didn't see the use for them at the moment. I may use the EDA sensor and ECG in the future. In saying that, there are lots of features on the Fitbit Charge 5 that I found might be overkill for walking. Of course, I'm still learning the Fitbit Charge 5, so, it's still early.

The Bands - Fitbit Charge 5

The bands are wider on the Fitbit Charge 5 with a double loop system with a peg that interlocks them together. The excess band goes into the wrist area rather than going through an additional loop. At first, I didn't understand why the Fitbit Charge 5's bands were so complicated, but after a few days, I realized the double band loop system hugs the wrist much better.

Sleep Comfort - Fitbit Charge 5

In saying that, the sleep comfort was not the greatest with the Fitbit Charge 5. The Fitbit Charge 5 was heavier on my wrist and the bands are wider. I haven't had one activity tracker that was optimal for sleep comfort. This means I've tried the Fitbit Inspire 2, Inspire 3, Charge 5, and Polar m200. None of them were that comfortable. If I were to pick my favorites, the Fitbit Inspire 2 and Inspire 3 had the slimmest design.

Step Count Comparison - Fitbit Charge 5

I had the chance to do a quick step count comparison with the Fitbit Charge 5 and Fitbit Inspire 2. I had them both on my right wrist and I walked on my treadmill for 15 minutes. I logged my starting steps and ending steps on both the Fitbit Charge 5 and Inspire 2. Here are the results.

Fitbit Charge 5

Starting Steps: 95

Ending Steps: 1,108

Difference: 1,013 Steps

Fitbit Inspire 2

Starting Steps: 86

Ending Steps: 1,105

Difference: 1,019 Steps

So, from the 15-minute walk, both the Fitbit Charge 5 and Fitbit Inspire 2 were in the same ballpark give or take.

Some Thoughts

The Fitbit Charge 5 was the best activity tracker when it came to outdoor display and all-around durability.
It did lack sleep comfort, but it wasn't the end of the world.
I didn't have any issues with the battery, because I charge it every two days or so.
There are much better display options, such as an always-on display and the ability to adjust brightness and screen time-out length.
The EDA scan did not work on my Fitbit Charge 5. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong.
The band latches seem like they could detach at any second on the Fitbit Charge 5. I'm not confident with the durability of the latches in the long term.
I enjoyed the Fitbit Charge 5's charger. It's magnetic and there is a button on the USB-A connector that can restart the device. Very handy.
There is no "pinch," option on the sides of the Fitbit Charge 5.
There is a SPo2 sensor, but I don't really engage with it.

You can check out the Fitbit Charge 5 on my Amazon shop.

I became an Amazon affiliate in May 2022. If you click through the link above and purchase items on Amazon, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
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