Fitbit charges forward with new Charge 3 fitness tracker
By Chong Jinn Xiung November 9, 2018
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Fitbit banks hard on its new Charge 3 to be its best selling fitness tracker
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Features seven day battery, swim proof and smart features
Wearables maker Fitbit has introduced its latest addition to its Charge family of products, the Charge 3.
Available from Nov 8 onwards at US$175 (RM728) for the baseline core version and US$201 (RM838) for the special edition. According to Fitbit, the Charge 3 represents a continuation of the company’s best selling fitness tracker line which sold 35 million units out of the total 84 million units as of Q2 2018.
Malaysia is the first country in Southeast Asia Fitbit has launched the Charge 3. Fitbit Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan country manager Louis Lye (pic, first on left) cited the fact that there was strong growth in Malaysia compared to other countries in the region that led to this decision. Even Singapore is set to receive the Charge 3 on Nov 19.
Sporting a premium yet lightweight design, the Charge 3 is available in two colours: black with a graphite aluminium case or blue gray with a rose gold aluminium case.
The Charge 3 is highly focused on customers who are seeking to be more active and are looking at a tracker that can provide them deep insights into their health be it their activity level or quality of sleep.
Encased in aluminium material, the fitness tracker now has a slightly larger OLED display that gains touchscreen capabilities making it easier to navigate between different functions and apps.
Fitbit said that it has distilled down some of the smart features from its Versa smartwatch to the Charge 3. This includes the ability to accept or reject incoming calls from your smartphone as well as the ability to perform Quick Replies to WhatsApp or text messages on Android phones.
The Charge 3 also is NFC enabled so it is able to make contactless payments via Fitbit Pay by simply tapping the watch on an NFC reader. Unfortunately, unlike in Singapore and Thailand, Fitbit Pay is still not available yet in Malaysia but Fitbit is still working to bring the feature in.
There will also be a select number of apps that include a weather and timer app that can be loaded on the device from the Fitbit mobile app.
For the more fitness conscious, the Charge 3 allows users to swipe up on the screen to see your Dashboard which tells you the number of calories burned, hydration and hours you slept.
Speaking of which, you can indeed wear the Charge 3 to sleep to track your sleep quality without fearing it would run out battery as Fitbit claims it can last up to seven days on a single charge.
Adding to that, one of the new features built into the Charge 3 is goal based tracking for exercises. With it you would be able to set a goal, be it duration calories burned or distance, that you can set before you start your run or swim.
Yes, in case you were wondering, the Charge 3 is swim-proof up to 50m underwater so it can help you keep track of the laps you perform in the pool.
There is also automatic exercise recognition that recognises the activity you are doing so it still captures your workout even if you forget to set the exercise you are performing.
Fitbit also stated that it will offer personal insights to users by way of its mobile app. A software update in the coming months is expected to add the ability to detect and advise the user if an irregular heart rate was detected as well as a weight loss tracking programme that helps steer you towards your goals. The female health tracking feature within the Fitbit app would also gain a new feature in the form of ovulation tracking to help with pregnancy planning.
Much like the Versa before it, the Charge 3 has additional straps such as a sports band for times when you need to hit the gym or a woven leather band when you need to dress up. The additional bands cost between US$29 (RM120) to US$55 (RM230).
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