This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
It had been about a year since I first got my Fitbit Charge HR as an upgrade to my Fitbit Flex when the Charge HR strap broke! 🙁 Sad day. My Fitbit Charge HR breaks and I couldn’t wear it anymore; it was terrible. I had actually been having issues with the Fitbit syncing fully as well, but the band can’t do any good if I can’t wear it.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Like the Fitbit Flex I had before, The Fitbit ChargeHR is a fitness band that mainly tracks your steps and is a motivational tool to help you be more active throughout the day. The Fitbit app for the phone and the main dashboard on the website are very user-friendly and make it easy to monitor your progress during the day.
I’ve had my Fitbit Charge HR for just over three weeks now and I’m ready to give my review! The Fitbit ChargeHR comes with a USB charging cable and a wireless syncing dongle.*
The Fitbit ChargeHR has textured wristband that is soft and smooth underneath. The band is .83 inches wide & has a watch-clasp closure that feels very secure. 
The display is larger than the Fitbit Flex display and will show your daily activity stats and real time heart rate.
I got the Fitbit ChargeHR in size Large. There is a sizing guide on Fitbit’s website to help you determine the best size for you. I picked the Large size because Fitbit recommends wearing the ChargeHR higher up on your wrist for a more accurate heart rate reading. They suggest about 2-3 finger widths above your wrist bone which is pretty comfortable to me. I probably could have been great with the Small size band — I’m wearing the Large at the 3rd to tightest hole in order to wear it higher on my wrist.
The Fitbit ChargeHR was about 50% charged out of the box. I fully charged it before using it and the battery lasted about 4.5 days before I got an email to let me know the battery was low. I’ve consistently gotten between 4-5 days between charges. Charging the ChargeHR takes about 1 hour. The charger plugs into any USB power source and then into the underside of the Fitbit ChargeHR display.
There is a small button on the left side of the display which lets you toggle through the time display, daily steps, distance walked, calories burned, stairs climbed, alarms, and heart rate. You can customize what categories are displayed and in what order they appear. You can also set a shortcut for a specific display by double tapping the Fitbit ChargeHR. I have mine set to display the heart rate since that was what I was most interested in purchasing the ChargeHR.
I really thought the sleep tracking data from the Fitbit Flex was great, and I think it’s even better with the ChargeHR. The ChargeHR automatically records your sleep without having to do anything. With the Flex, you had to tap it to tell it you were going to sleep, but the ChargeHR detects it on it’s own & it’s super accurate. The ChargeHR will tell you how long you slept for and how many times you were restless in the night. It’s awesome.
The heart rate monitor is accurate. I compared it with a pulse counting app and each time it is within 10 BPM which is great for me. The Fitbit ChargeHR uses LED lights to reflect off your skin to detect changes in your blood. When your heart beats, your capillaries expand & contract, the ChargeHR measures those changes with special algorithms to display your heart rate.
The display shows you live heart rate monitoring and what “zones” you’re in while working out. The three zones — Fat Burn, Cardio, and Peak — are calculated based on a max heart rate of 220 BPM minus your age, but you can adjust it and make your own custom zones. I like to check my heart rate and see how intense my workout is.
If you press and hold the side button, the Workout mode will begin and track your exercise activity. I like to review the workout data because it isolates your heart rate data for the workout and helps me stay motivated throughout the day. My workouts are mostly jogging/running so the Fitbit ChargeHR is tracking my steps as well.
Overall, I love my Fitbit ChargeHR. The heart rate monitoring is the main reason to get this fitness band; it’s accurate and easy to view your data. The band is comfortable and it has good battery life. The sleep tracking feature is better than before and also very accurate.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I am so excited! I stopped by Target to pick up a few things and do my routine check to see if the Fitbit Flex had come in, and today I found it! So, of course, I picked one up and cancelled the order I made online.
They only had the black color available, which was my first choice anyway. They also had the extra wristband colors available in the three pack which I might consider later on.
***Update: I got the new Fitbit ChargeHR — see my first impressions here!
Once you unbox everything, you’ll need to go to fitbit.com/setup. Select your device, the Fitbit Flex, and it will download some software onto your computer. I’m doing all of this right now so you’re getting the first impressions.
Plug in your USB connector with the Tracker and Set Up a New Fitbit device. From there, you can set up a new Fitbit account or log into your existing one. I’m creating a new account.
Once you’re all set with your account, it’ll prompt you to plug in the Wireless Sync Dongle.
The Wireless Sync Dongle does a quick search for your device. Once it finds your device, you’ll have to double tap gently on the Tracker to “confirm” syncing.
Now, whenever your Fitbit Flex is within 20ft of your Wireless Sync Dongle, it’ll automatically sync. So cool!
Your tracker battery lasts for about 5 days. To charge it, remove the tracker from the band and place it in the charger until all 5 lights are solid.
When your Flex is within 20 feet of the Wireless Sync Dongle, your Flex will sync automatically with your Fitbit account. You can also sync via your smartphone if it supports Bluetooth Low Energy (4.0). Learn more about Supported Devices or about Syncing.
Your Flex tracker should be placed inside the included wristband and worn on your non-dominant hand for best results. Flex is water resistant and can be worn in the shower and out in the rain.
On the dashboard, see your progress towards goals for:
Each light on your Flex tracker represents 20% of your goal. When you reach your goal, Flex will buzz and flash in celebration of your achievement.
To choose which goal is shown on your Flex display, go toDevice Settings in your account. You can change a goal amount on the corresponding Dashboard tile.
Sleep tracking can be turned on by tapping the top of the Flex display area until you feel the motor vibrate and the 2 outer lights turn on. Once in sleep tracking mode, the Tracker will show two lights moving side-to-side.
You can add a sleep log on the website or mobile app. Go to the Sleep section and add a sleep log. Need help? Learn More.
Set a Silent Alarm from the Devices area of your account.
Overall, I’m impressed with how small and lightweight the wristband is. The tracker came 80% charged, so I’m just waiting until that fifth light stays solid before I start wearing the device.
See my updated review HERE