This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:14:15
Ray from DCRAINMAKER.com reviews the new Fitbit Charge 5, focusing on its features, usability, and areas needing improvement. Notable features include a bright AMOLED display, gesture recognition, and an EDA sensor for stress tracking. The device offers sleep scores, Active Zone Minutes, and various exercise modes, with enhancements like a thinner design and a better band compared to the Charge 4. Unfortunately, issues with GPS and heart rate accuracy arose, with improvements in one area often compromising the other. Despite various adjustments and even a replacement unit from Fitbit, problems persisted, especially at high intensity. The video concludes with recommendations to use a phone for GPS and a call to subscribe for more reviews.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, Ray from DCRAINMAKER.com reviews the new Fitbit Charge 5, highlighting its features and notable details. He mentions the device costs $179 USD, including a six-month Fitbit Premium subscription, which offers advanced data and recommendations. He starts with the most prominent new feature, the AMOLED display, which is significantly brighter and visible outdoors in full sunlight. The touchscreen interface allows users to swipe through various metrics and dashboards, showcasing steps, heart rate, calories burned, and more. He walks through additional features like Active Zone Minutes, sleep score, SpO2 readings, and exercise modes, emphasizing the functionality and usability improvements.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the presenter reviews the latest Fitbit, highlighting its gesture recognition and display features. The device’s brightness can be adjusted, including an always-on mode that impacts battery life, and it can be set to turn off overnight. The display’s usability in wet conditions is addressed, with a water lock option available for shower use. A standout feature is the always-on display for workouts, allowing users to view data without fully raising their wrist. The new EDA sensor tracks stress levels over a three-minute period, recording heart rate and additional metrics accessible via the Fitbit app. Lastly, the upcoming daily readiness score, which considers activity levels and recent sleep patterns to indicate readiness for workouts, is introduced but not yet available.
00:06:00
In this segment, the video discusses several features of the Fitbit Charge 5. The heart rate variability (HRV) score aggregates various metrics to provide a daily readiness score, influencing recommended workouts or recovery activities. This feature, along with workout suggestions, requires a subscription. The Charge 5 is noted for its thinner design and improved band compared to the Charge 4. An upcoming ECG feature will allow users to detect AFib and export the data for medical consultation. Additionally, high and low heart rate notifications outside workouts are now available, with customizable thresholds. The battery life is advertised as up to seven days, though real-world use may vary, typically around four to five days. Finally, the video mentions significant changes to the GPS design in the Charge 5.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the issues encountered with the GPS and heart rate accuracy of the Fitbit Charge 5 compared to the Charge 4. The Charge 5 has built-in GPS, which impacts both heart rate and GPS accuracy. Initially, the speaker faced severe problems with GPS accuracy, which prompted consultation with Fitbit. They suggested loosening the band, which improved GPS accuracy but resulted in a significant decline in heart rate accuracy.
To resolve the issue, the speaker tested various strap settings by tightening the band one notch at a time. Although a compromise setting provided decent GPS and moderate heart rate accuracy under low intensity, high-intensity activities still caused inaccuracies. Further advice from Fitbit suggested using the sport band for more flexibility. The speaker identified that the tightness of the band affects the GPS due to the antenna placement along the bottom edge. Testing confirmed that a looser strap ensured GPS accuracy but at the expense of heart rate reliability, and vice versa.
00:12:00
In this segment, the speaker describes ongoing issues with their Fitbit during a run. They note that the heart rate was lost and, despite adjusting the device, the GPS completely failed and remained non-functional for the entirety of the run. The map data indicated an erroneous location. After previous complaints, Fitbit sent a replacement unit, which unfortunately exhibited the same issues. The speaker recounts being in a large open area with no GPS signal, and describes the impracticality of needing the device to be loose to function correctly. They suggest using a phone for GPS instead, though doubt a firmware update could resolve the issues, which seem hardware-related. The video concludes with a call to like and subscribe for more content.