So I purchased in 2020 & used it - almost- everyday . It tracked my steps and also notified me of someone calling my phone.
I loved it !

But here we are in 2023 and it literally just
Pooped out on me /:
The screen is frozen and when I try to restart it, it won't .
It sucks . I'll probably have to buy another one since I'm way past the return time,

But it does work . The life of the Fitbit just doesn't last long

I'm absolutely in love with my new Fitbit Charge 3! First of all, I must express appreciation even for the simple fact of how well all the technology inside this little thing WORKS: I have had zero issues with it, which is so refreshing and rare in this day and age. It just works! Now on to all it does: it is awesome, and so empowering for the wearer! I think the thing I appreciate the most, personally, is the heart rate monitor/information. I have an electrical conduction issue with my heart, which doesn't have any symptoms and was found on my first-ever, routine EKG back in 2009 (the issue is called left bundle branch block"”LBBB for short). After further testing, I was told that my heart is healthy and fine, BUT we do have to always keep an eye on this LBBB situation, because it could stay the same, which would be great, but it could possibly become problematic down the road, and one thing the cardiologist told me to do is to routinely take my heart rate, and make sure the resting heart rate stays between 60 and 90 bpm. Well, I was so good about doing it, just as he taught me how (manually), for several years, but then I gradually stopped taking my heart rate, honestly. But now, with the Fitbit? I don't have to sit there, stop everything, and manually take my heart rate. I just glance at the Fitbit and: THERE IS MY HEART RATE! That feature alone, for me, is worth the price of the Fitbit. And it isn't just the resting heart rate, it is your heart rate, in real time, 24/7: resting, active, the whole enchilada! It lets you know your current heart rate at the moment, and your resting heart rate, right there on the screen of your Fitbit. AND, when you actually go into the app on your phone, it gives you TONS of DETAILED data/information about it, and your heart rate patterns. For example, if I take a 30 minute walk, the Fitbit Charge 3 KNOWS/recognizes that it was a specific exercise session, and that it was a walk, and it provides a color bar graph in the app that charts when your heart rate was in which "zone", so you see, oh, my heart rate was at "peak" for this many minutes (you don't really want your heart rate to be at "peak" ever, if I understand correctly"”you want it in "fat burn" or "cardio" when you are exercising, but not "peak", as at peak it is working too hard, so this is something I will ask the cardiologist about next time I see him for my routine, every-two-year appointment I have coming up to check on the LBBB. Without the Fitbit, I would have NO IDEA what my non-resting heart rate ever is! But with it, I know that it is usually very good (I think"”I will check that with the doctor, too), but occasionally goes up into "peak" just when exercising moderately"”this is info I want to check out with the doctor: it is probably fine and normal, but the point is, knowledge is POWER: I have so much heart rate info now that I can go into my appointment with and tell him, HEY, I have a Fitbit now and blah blah BLAH! (The poor man *lol*.) Oh, and I know that the Fitbit heart rate is accurate, as I have taken mine manually several times and compared it to what the Fitbit says at the same time, and it is exactly correct.

And that is just the heart rate info"”moving on, there is SO MUCH MORE that this little wunderkind does! We have sleep data: WOW! Just wow! I have had sleep issues for years, which recently have been better due to some factors, but anyway, it is fascinating and enlightening to see how much I actually am sleeping, how much of it is light, how much is deep, how much is REM, what times of night are which, etc. We also have the step counting feature, which is similarly enlightening and empowering: I'm a big walker and it is revelatory to see how many steps, and how much distance, I'm actually walking. The Fitbit also prompts me with a little vibration if I have NOT taken 250 steps in any given waking hour (it has a 9-hour timeframe set), at ten minutes before the hour. Folks, there is just too much information and data that this little amazing piece of technology gives you to even cover in a review!

Suffice it to say this: like I mentioned early on, the word of the review is EMPOWERING. When you go into the app, you have SO MUCH information. I can't get over it. I really, really love this Fitbit and would not be without it ever again. The heart rate info alone is priceless to me, but I also need to lose weight and I feel that the Fitbit is really, really going to help and is already motivating and educating me a lot re my steps per day, calories burned"”oh yeah: it tells you that, too!!!"”and everything else. I haven't even used some of the features yet. Did I mention I LOVE this thing?!!!

I had high hopes for my Fitbit Charge 3 based on company advertising and what I could glean from their website. Unfortunately, my response to the product at this point can be best described as "meh," because several things were not as I would have expected:

1. While the heart rate measurement is usually close to other accurate instruments I have to use for comparison, such as my Kardia and other measurement equipment at the gym, my Fitbit is sometimes inexplicably off by as much as 20-30 bpm. It's not frequent, but troubling nonetheless.
2. The SpO2 blood oxygen sensor doesn't do what you would expect. While other smart watches give you a blood oxygen level reading when you want it, the Fitbit Charge 3 doesn't. All you can get is high-level aggregate data as part of a sleep analysis. So, if you want to keep an eye on your O2 levels in your workout like I did, prepare to be greatly disappointed.
3. The app disappoints, which is a significant consideration given that you have a pay a substantial on-going fee to use all of it. I was previously using just my iPhone and Apple Health to track general activity. As a whole, I find it easier to input and track my activity in Apple Health than in the Fitbit app. For example, if I spend some time on the treadmill, the process for adding this data manually is harder in the Fitbit app than it should be.
4. Sleep analysis in the app is not worth the premium service fee. As an example of why I feel that way about it, if I go to sleep at 9:30pm and get up 12:15am to use the bathroom, it doesn't count that as me having slept and won't let me see any sleep analysis for that period despite the fact that I slept the whole time. Then if I go back to sleep for another 4.5 hours, it thinks that I only slept 4.5 hours that night when I actually slept closer to 7.5. Why would I pay premium service charges when it can't even figure out when I'm sleeping?
5. Stair counting is off. My iPhone does a remarkably good job of it. The Fitbit Charge 3, not so much.

If you're considering buying, don't just take my word for it. Search their user community forum and you'll find lots of people talking about these issues without any sort of meaningful response from Fitbit. Having spent my career working in the technology space, I have to confess that, as a whole, their management of user community concerns is not what I'd expect from a market leader.

On the plus side, the Fitbit Charge 3 is an "OK" product that you can accessorize with third-party bands and screen protectors. It has some handy "smart watch" features that you could get in a much cheaper device. The base app, though disappointing, is still better than those available for some of the cheap knock-offs.

As a whole, it does not live up to my expectations based on the price-point, nor does it or provide the functionality that a reasonable consumer would expect from looking at their website, such as blood oxygen level readings when you're working out. There are cheaper devices that offer this, so why Fitbit is behind the curve on this, I can't fathom. It isn't the behavior of a market leader. And, even if you pay the premium on-going fees, the app still can't even figure out when I'm actually sleeping.

All said, I find the Fitbit Charge 3 to be an overpriced, mediocre smart watch with watch functionality lagging behind that of cheaper competitors. I give it 3 out of 5 based on functionality and cost, but an extra +1 star simply because the phone apps of competing knock-offs are even worse in comparison. I feel like if all you want is the smart watch itself, the Fitbit Charge 3 is over-priced and you might be better served by a cheaper brand that will actually give you oxygen readings on-demand. The app is still better than what the knock-offs offer, though, so in making your decision about what type of smart watch to get, you might have to make a trade-off between watch functionality on your wrist (O2 etc.) versus the phone app's reliability.

So I am copying and pasting what I wrote on the Fitbit forums, but it definitely applies here.

For starters, and a big deal to me...text notifications...the sender name is a very dull white/gray and the message is very bright white/gray. At the absolute very least I would want it the other way...sender dark and message light. I would also like the option to turn OFF the message altogether on the device (changing this setting via web is fine, just like the Charge 2), but in return I'd like the sender name to be larger print. I've got 50 year old eyes now and so I have cheaters all over the darn place, but I don't need them for distance, just up close stuff (i.e. reading). So "glancing" at the Charge 3, most of the time, is frustrating since I don't wear cheaters 24/7...I could get by on the Charge 2.

So that leads to a general statement...I'd love to see an "old fart" option where I can opt into larger fonts and brightness of text. I personally would be willing to give up having 2 stats per screen, or 2 anything per screen, in lieu of one per screen with a larger font.

The auto pause feature does not recognize walking or hiking as exercises that are available for auto pause. In fact nothing I set up in my shortcuts are recognized. I believe this is probably just a "bug fix".

I'd like the ability to turn off the relax function...don't use it, don't need it, don't want to see it.

Timers...set increments only (15, 30, 45, etc.). I can certainly get by with it, but I was hoping for being able to set specific stuff...I would like to use it for when I'm cooking, for example. But I realize this is a very nit picky thing. I use my phone now and am fine continuing to do so, and I haven't checked out if the Charge 3 will be able to alert if an alarm goes off on the phone...if so then problem solved for me.

The vibration does indeed feel stronger than the Charge 2, so I am saying I think it's good.

MORE CLOCK FACES are needed for sure! I miss the one I was using on the Charge 2 already! I was using the large font w date. So with that said, I would like to add that a clock face with large font time, date and weather would be nice. Or even better, a clock face with time and date, and the ability to "check" additional data points that we would also want to see with the "standard" face. If the data set has to be in the same place as another data set then the user could select between the two, or not at all. There is space to put time static in the middle with data sets on the top and bottom.

I haven't had any incoming calls so can't speak to that, but while it was a little inconvenient to see the alerts scroll on the Charge 2(I'm including text messages in that statement), I actually think, for me, it works better because the font is larger overall.

All-in-all I like it but I'm missing some things from the Charge 2. But I also had an adjustment moving from Alta HR to Charge 2 so I know some of this will be just getting used to things. But FitBit, hear me now...PLEASE help us folks with older eyes out by making larger font options. I'd be willing to have to flick through more screens if needed, but for the sake of everyone else keeping their sanity, I really think the best approach on that would be to allow an option to turn on/off multi stats on screen and then the font "dynamically" is larger. Or just a general larger font on/off and formatted screens however it needs to be done to make it work on your end. At least that would give an option.

As far as the tracker tracking functionality, I've only taken a short walk but it worked as expected. I'm still getting used to when to use the haptic button versus tapping but the screen definitely is much nicer to navigate than the Charge 2. The Charge 2 required a THWAP. The Charge 3 is truly a tap or finger slide which is nice.

At the end of the day I use the tracker as a tool to make sure my assumptions are in check with reality. Is this as good as a heart rate strap you put around your chest? No. But will you get "credit" for all those steps you took grocery shopping, or chasing your kid around the house, or just a nice evening stroll? Yes. So I go into it not expecting perfection and using it as a guide. And between the tracker and MyFitnessPal for food logging, I have finally determined what I really am supposed to be eating, what I really AM eating, and have my weight right where I want it so now I'm focusing on general toning and well being. This tracker is perfect for that, especially if you have young eyes (i.e. don't need cheaters in every room of your house). If it's your first tracker you absolutely can't go wrong. If it's an upgrade from the Charge 2 it might not seem as significant but I think the waterproof factor is a nice bonus and I believe this tracker will be well supported so I think there will be more stuff to come, and Fitbit has even said as much. Is there room for improvement? Yes. But in my mind the things that keep it from being perfect seem to be software fixes. The hardware seems rock solid but it's very early in.

The media could not be loaded. I've tried many trackers and just couldn't find one to do everything that I wanted but I felt the Alexa on versa 2 was a trivial want. So I went with something that had the main bulk of what I needed which included SPO2 which fit bit measures (only variable not relative meaning it won't give you a specific percentage throughout your sleeping phases but can give you trends on how your oxygenation level fluctuates) -this I wish it did give you more of percentage based data like the Garmin vivoactive 3 and isn't as accurate as the Garmin or say sleep tunner devices . And a huge disclaimer if you have a Xiaomi product it will not work with this device in regards to SMS viewing and quick reply. Xiaomi although is android operates on an copy version of an iOS system and reviewing Fitbit compatibility guideline iOS isn't supported for this system or tested. Make sure you check the list of tested phones to fully gain from this experience. The next thing that was important was the sleep tracking overall I think the sleep tracking is fairly in depth with alot of useful information and is very good at deciphering my times of sleep. You can tap over certain times to see when exactly you were in each phase and gives you a score and tips on how to improve. With that being said my next like would be the actual platform. It's packed with alot of useful data and information of all your daily activities including sleep, female mentation/ovulation tracking and even diet tracking. So it's like a female health and fitness Pal app all in one platform . The one thing I don't like is for certain features you have to pay a premium unlike Garmin. See their new features on their website to see if the premium is right for you. You can also test it out for free for 3 months.I would say the accuracy of the heart rate is relatively close when tested with ECG and the steps are "suspect" It uses a 3 axis accelerometer but I feel the algorithm is maybe not as accurate. I could be wrong but one night within an hour all I did was walk to the bathroom and the kitchen. I highly doubt I had more than 200 steps during this time like it told me I did. Calories burned was another big one for me since I like to track my ins and outs. Alittle more confident in this reading due to the accuracy of heart rate and since it's based of your BMR( basal metabolic rate) and heart rate/circulation and breathing. Another big thing for me is contactless pay I try to limit if I can bringing my wallet with me and especially with this current pandemic (don't care for opinions on that) it's good to have something like this to limit your contact plus it's more convenient. You are required to put in a code every 24 hours which to some may be annoying however I believe they did this to insure better protection and privacy. I mean it does have access to your bank account? Wouldn't you feel safer knowing if you lost your watch they would not be able to get in if there is a lock code. It's only available at stores and retailers that offer the NFC emblem or Google pay on their payment devices which in the US is present in many major Chain stores. Places like Canada or other non us states will have more of a difficult time being able to use this feature as it also is only compatible with certain banks. Refer to their website for compatible banks. It's water proof up to 50 meters this is important if you like swimming as an excercise or will use it as such like me. I've tested it under water and dried it off afterwards and the device still worked perfectly afterwards. This is not an always on display and reacts to lifting your wrist upward but I did find that you can turn it on by double tapping. Last things I wanted was tracking for my runs. Now if your like me and have your phone on you at all times for emergencie purposes and music this is great for you. If you need GPS built in however I recommend the charge 4 this one needs to mirror your phone's GPS in order to give you data about your run such as miles and a schematic of your run. It does have auto excercise recognition. It does not have a feature to control music on your phone I wish it did however you can make a playlist specific to your workout so you don't have to worry about that honestly. If you want something that can control music you'd need a premium Spotify account because this feature only works with controlling Spotify on the charge 4, versa 2 and Ionic. If you want something that can physically hold music the versa 2 or ionic can hold up to 300 or 500 songs I believe you need to verify. It doesn't give you heart rate zones but you can get a rough chart on this under your excercises and as long as you know your heart zones it isn't needed in my opinion. Zones include fat burn, cardio and peak. This also includes a timer stop watch and tracks your daily water consumption. Overall I like this fitness tracker. It gives me the information I need and is more comfortable to wear 24/7. Comfortability is huge for me seeing as you have to sleep with it to get sleep information. Battery life is pretty close to spot on on their claims of 7 days. I use it every day I go for runs and track them and sleep with it every night and I'd say by day 4-5 it's at around 60%. My main concern is that there are some claims and reviews that after a few months that some of these devices have been having hardware issues and the screen goes dim, or black and stops working all together. I will come back with a recap after 3 months. It's a gamble getting any kind of technology and there will always be bound to be defective products. I will say the Fitbit resolution center for hardware issues is very slow. That's a negative. If you want something that works well and is very cheap. Look into the mi band 4. If this may concern you and you don't want to be out of pocket alot of money.That concludes my review.