At first glance, there doesn't appear to be a major difference between the Fitbit Charge 2 and its predecessors, the Charge and Charge HR. However, the reality is there was a shopping list of minor improvements Fitibit users had been asking for and the Charge 2 has checked a lot of those items off.
Firstly, the heart-rate monitor is standard now. As it should be in any tracker. I don't understand why people would choose a device to track their fitness that's only capable of doing half the job. Questions will always be raised over the accuracy of heart-rate monitors on any wearable, but as I've said in the past, as long as the readings are consistent from one workout to the next, that's all you need to see if you're making any progress.
The most obvious enhancement is the screen. It's bigger and it's curved. This means you get more information at a glance and the curve gives the impression of a slightly more streamlined accessory than ever before. There's a major problem with the new screen though... well, it's a problem for me anyway. I can't read it on my runs. Even when it's not super sunny, even without my sunglasses on, I still struggled to make out the white characters on the black display. This seriously bummed me out, because one of the things I've always been impressed by is Fitbit's simple, readable display. When you're sweating your guts out, either on a run or at the gym, you want your workout information with one quick look. While more details are available to you with a simple tap of the screen, it's no use to me if I can't read those details in bright conditions.
Despite the sleek, new curviness, the Charge 2 is still not a piece of elegant evening wear either, although there's now a wide selection of band styles and colours with the promise of more designer options to come. You can even pay a bit more and choose to have the casing in gunmetal or rose gold.
The important thing to note here is the straps are now completely interchangeable, easily popping off and on. Not only that, but the strap is now moulded, not layered, which the Fitbit team assures me will prevent any of that unsightly bubbling we've experienced after prolonged use with previous models.
The elastomer (rubber-like) material the band is made of is still as comfortable as ever which means like other Fitbits, the Charge 2 is one of the only trackers I can stand to wear to bed to record my sleep patterns. This often makes for disturbing reading given my 3AM alarm, which, as usual can be set as a silent but violent vibration on your wrist.
Like the other top-end Fitbits, you can receive call, text and calendar alerts on the Charge 2 and I don't know whether I just imagined it, but I feel like this feature worked a lot better this time round as I didn't experience any delay between the calls/texts and the alerts like I have on previous models.
As usual for Fitbit, battery life on the Charge 2 is excellent, comfortably seeing you through 3 or 4 days and also as usual for Fitbit, they've come up with yet another bizarre charging cable. This time it's a sort of bulldog clip arrangement to hold the body of the Charge 2 in place. It's actually much simpler to use than the convoluted take-it-to-pieces and shut-it-in-a-little-box system Fitbit put us through for the Blaze, but it's still pretty cumbersome compared to the magnetic cradles and wireless charging options other devices provide. It's not a big issue - in fact, I've almost started to look forward to unboxing the next new Fitbit just so I can see how crazy its charging cable is.
One little addition which has turned out to be more fun than I anticipated is the choice of a 2 or 5 minute deep breathing exercise. Don't ask me how, but the Charge 2 tells me it's sensing my breathing patterns then gives me cues to inhale and exhale. I found this genuinely calming. Of course, when the machines finally take over, I suppose our wearables will all just tell us to exhale, leave out the inhaling bit and that will be the end of that. Quite a relaxing way to go, I suppose.
As with other recent Fitbits, you can track your choice of 7 different activities, from running to yoga. I'd still like more options to select from (like aerobics or different sports) but that may come in future updates.
Which brings us back to the Fitbit app itself; as usual, the real star of the show. I've used many different fitness apps and this is still one of the most user-friendly, with the ability to manage multiple devices and now featuring "Adventures" challenges, where you are rewarded on your step journey with views of some of the world's most picturesque hiking trails - another feature I became more addicted to than I thought I would.
It's a shame the Charge 2 is still only rain and sweat resistant, not actually waterproof like its new sister, the Flex 2. Apparently it's tricky to manufacture a device that can measure altitude while keeping water out as well. Given I have no interest in how many virtual stairs I have climbed but I do sometimes go underwater, I would have voted for a waterproof device. Maybe there are more stair-climbers than swimmers out there, but I doubt it.
The Charge 2 is a better looking, more functional member of the Fitbit family. A lot of improvements have been made and while there's still plenty of room for further development, it's a well-tracked step in the right direction.
Click here for more information on the Fitbit Charge 2
