Here’s how Fitbit can make the Charge 7 a better fitness tracker for runners

The Google period of Fitbit is in full swing. In the final couple months, we have seen a Fitbit app redesign and the launch of a Fitbit Charge 6 packed stuffed with Google software program. With the Fitbit Charge 7, nevertheless, Google integration alone will not lower it. Sunday Runday(Image credit score: Android Central)In his weekly column, our Senior Editor of Wearables and Fitness Michael Hicks discusses the world of smartwatches, apps, and health tech associated to operating and well being, in his quest to get quicker and fitter (and allow you to do the identical).I reviewed the Fitbit Charge 6 this week, calling it an equivalent twin of the Charge 5 on the floor. Despite having the identical measurement, weight, show, and sensors, it did add further processing energy to run Google apps, a brand new Google algorithm that higher registers your coronary heart price, and new sports activities modes — all with out chopping into the one-week battery life.Fitbit may take this stay-the-course strategy as a result of the Charge 5 was already strong, individuals do not anticipate big upgrades from health trackers year-over-year, and Google Maps in your wrist is a compelling sufficient instrument to draw curiosity.Plus, given the odd report that the Charge 6 arrived on the FCC in 2022 with an unchanged design after which took an additional 12 months to ship, I can not assist however surprise if there have been circumstances behind the scenes that made it tough to make substantial adjustments, other than the Google tech.By the time the Charge 7 ships, although, Fitbit had higher not take the Apple Watch strategy of assuming its design has peaked and that it will possibly coast on identify recognition. There’s loads of room for enchancment. And whereas Fitbit may need a fame for being a “casual” health model, there are a couple of key upgrades it will possibly make that each couch-to 5K and severe runners would respect. Here’s my listing, from the obvious fixes to the nice-to-have ones.A (fastidiously) improved show(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Fitbit gave the Charge 6 (and 5) a 1.04-inch postage stamp of an AMOLED show that may show one widget, sport, or notification at a time. For something extra difficult, like YouTube Music controls, it splits information throughout a number of screens, makes you faucet to change between stats throughout a run, or simply prompts the person to go on their cellphone. Plus, the Charge 6 has pretty hefty bezels that waste plenty of area, and a mere 450 nits of brightness that is lower than half what you get on the newest Sense or Versa. The Fitbit Charge 7 ought to supply a bigger show with out messing up its petite design dynamic. Looking on the new 1.62-inch, 600-nit Xiaomi Smart Band 8 show, it hits that measurement as a result of it has ultra-thin bezels, one thing Fitbit may stand to emulate. By my unscientific ruler measurement of the Charge 6, the Fitbit Charge 7 may in all probability squeeze out one other 0.2 diagonal inches merely by chopping out the thick bezel sandwich, if it does not merely get bigger.For health tracker followers, smaller and lighter is often higher, and you would have a look at the Smart Band 8 and see one thing that is simply too large in your wrist; it turns into extra of an inexpensive smartwatch various than a correct “band” that you just strap on and overlook about. Fitbit must strike the fitting stability to maintain the Charge 7 near the present 30g/ 1.1oz goal however give it a big sufficient show to provide the Fitbit UI just a bit extra wiggle room. And a couple of further nits for higher out of doors readability actually would not damage!Better Daily Readiness suggestions(Image credit score: Android Central)Fitbit’s Daily Readiness Score and its exercises go hand-in-hand. It makes use of your current sleep, exercise/restoration time, and coronary heart price variability to resolve how a lot vitality you’ve gotten for exercises that day. Then it factors you to audio or video exercises that match the quantity of Active Zone Minutes it recommends. Let’s say you are a runner, and you’ve got a goal of 90 Active Zone Minutes. Fitbit presently has 17 “outdoor run” guided exercises it will possibly level you to, from informal “Jog it out” runs that take 20 minutes or much less to longer interval runs or dash exercises (as much as 45 minutes). They ought to assist encourage newer runners who want teaching on the place to start out.Fitbit’s algorithm tells you what number of Active Zone Minutes to hit, however runners deserve extra specificity.In my case, I simply need to activate a music playlist and get into the zone myself, with a goal distance or tempo in thoughts. So, for my 90-minute exercise goal, ought to I run in a Cardio or Peak coronary heart price zone (which provides 2X Active Zone Minutes) for 45 minutes or attempt to stick with a slower Fat Burn zone (1X AZMs) and finish with a stroll?The AZM system incentivizes operating onerous each time to get extra minutes, moderately than aiming for stability. But I do know from operating with my Garmin Forerunner 965 that one of the simplest ways to enhance my VO2 Max is a balanced routine between fats burn, cardio, and peak zones throughout actions. Fitbit offers me a Cardio Fitness rating (its VO2 Max equal) however little steerage on how one can enhance it. I’m not saying a $160 tracker needs to be as strong as a $600 smartwatch, however we pay for Fitbit Premium to provide us information within the app. We’re largely paying for the well being experiences and guided applications, however I feel Daily Readiness may use a usefulness tune-up. If a Fitbit/Google algorithm may (1) acknowledge the person’s mostly used sports activities modes (like “Run,” “Bike,” or “Walk”) and the standard tempo it is advisable hit particular coronary heart price zones, (2) counsel a Run exercise at a selected tempo to hit your AZM aim primarily based on that information, and (3) cue up a exercise with that focus on aim in your Charge 7 within the Exercises view, that may be one thing value paying for. Elevation monitoring(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)The Charge 6 has no altimeter to guage elevation achieve, one thing GPS alone cannot monitor precisely. As my evaluation defined, the tracker “can’t interpret that my heart rate was elevated and pace slower because I was climbing up steep hills,” so once I end a hilly run, it assumes that my operating health is way worse than it’s.To be honest to Fitbit, loads of low-cost health trackers and watches do not have an altimeter. But if Fitbit did not need me to complain about this, it should not have gotten runners’ hopes up by including the altimeter to the Charge 4 (which additionally had built-in GPS) earlier than chopping it from the following two trackers.I’ve to imagine eradicating the altimeter let Fitbit afford so as to add different “more important” upgrades like the colour show. But Fitbit’s post-activity information is incomplete with out elevation information except you reside someplace flat or solely work out indoors. For runners and cyclists, it is type of a deal-breaker. Any security options(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Fitbit followers needed to be perturbed when the Pixel Watch 2 bought SOS, crash detection, fall detection, emergency sharing of your real-time location, a Safety Check characteristic that kicks in after a sure time frame, and the choice to show medical data in your gadget — whereas not one of the greatest Fitbits supply any security instruments in any respect. Some of those tips are higher suited for a bigger Sense or Versa watch, so the Fitbit Charge 7 might not get each security trick underneath the solar. But fall detection through the accelerometer, an choice to transmit your real-time location with the built-in GPS to family members throughout late-night runs (or races), and a shortcut to set off an SOS by urgent the haptic button a number of occasions in a row would all be welcome additions. Perhaps you want a Wear OS-level processor and RAM to ship these sorts of smarts, one thing {that a} Fitbit gadget that prioritizes battery life cannot ship. But I nonetheless hope Google can discover a solution to implement very important security tips for Fitbit customers — even when it wants to make use of information processing on a linked cellphone to drag it off. New sensors and a micAn Alexa command on the Amazfit Band 7 (Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)We’ve transitioned from must-haves to nice-to-haves. The Charge 6 has a fairly glorious choice of well being sensors in comparison with most health trackers that solely supply coronary heart price and blood oxygen, making it a implausible selection for snug and strong sleep monitoring. Still, we are able to hope the Fitbit Charge 7 brings one thing new. The apparent candidate can be the cEDA sensor for monitoring stress information within the background, because the Sense 2 does. The present EDA sensor makes you sit nonetheless for 3 minutes to take a studying, which is not user-friendly and can in all probability make you extra burdened than anything. Beyond that, Wareable reported a Fitbit patent for a revamped pores and skin temperature sensor that does a greater job of filtering out ambient temperature adjustments when calculating your physique temp information. The patent diagram exhibits a full watch, however we are able to hope the tech will come to the Charge 7, too. The subsequent pure step can be blood stress readings, one thing Samsung has supplied for years and Apple is engaged on for subsequent 12 months. But I do not know if Fitbit has any plans on this space or if the sensor concerned can be too massive for a health band.I’m wondering if the Charge 7’s subsequent trick might be to incorporate a microphone, one thing a couple of trackers just like the Amazfit Band 7 have. Like the Versa 4 and Sense 2, the Charge 7 may use Siri or Alexa instructions this fashion, even when it will possibly’t match a speaker for responses or cellphone calls. Aside from shortcuts like pulling up a selected sport or pausing a exercise, a mic may allow loud night breathing and sleep apnea detection for a extra correct Sleep rating. I’ve loads of different, minor requests for the Fitbit Charge 7:Offer music playback controls for any app, not simply YouTube Music.Use Google Maps information and cellphone connectivity to close by wi-fi networks to supply extra correct GPS monitoring (one thing Apple reportedly does).The possibility to pick any Fitbit watch band within the cart.More customized shortcuts utilizing the haptic button, moreover the Google Wallet double-tap.A more recent Gorilla Glass commonplace for higher scratch safety.However, I do know that my priorities differ from what different Fitbit customers care about. If you favor a health tracker over a smartwatch or personal the Fitbit Charge 5 or 6, I’m actually curious what you want to see within the Fitbit Charge 7. In the tip, the Charge 6 remains to be one of the best health tracker that I’d suggest over the competitors, so this Fitbit Charge 7 wishlist hopefully does not make every part sound too doom and gloom. We in all probability will not see a brand new Charge till 2025, both. I simply don’t need the Fitbit model to stagnate within the meantime; it’s going to actually rely on the place the Versa 5 and Sense 3 go subsequent 12 months.