I've used an Alta for a couple of years and figured it was time for an upgrade. I was waiting to see what Fitbit had coming before jumping on something else. I'm not a huge fan of smartwatches so I wasn't interested in the more fully featured Fitbit products. Seeing the Charge 3 released prompted me to consider it.

Coming from an Alta, I was a bit concerned about the size. This has not been a problem. It's larger, sure, but it fits the wrist nicely and isn't heavy at all. I have not had any comfort issues. I ordered a different style band, however, more along the lines of what I'm use to using.

The Charge 3 has a lot more power and features than the Alta, so my opinion of it may be a bit rose tinted compared to those coming from the Charge 2. The battery life is great. The usability is great. The features are much more extensive. I, especially, like seeing my estimated sleep stages, and my heart rate info. I'm looking forward to the update that enables the SpO2 functionality.

As I noted, I'm not a fan of smartwatches. I disabled notifications on my Alta, and, even though I can see more details about my notifications on the Charge 3, I'm likely to turn that down or off. I'm the type of person that doesn't need to immediately see what my phone just beeped about, as I'd rather keep my attention on the task or event at hand. I will note that the vibrate is quite powerful, though.

It's nice to have an altimeter again. My Fitbit One had this, but for some reason the Alta excluded it. As I've pushed myself to take the stairs more and more, I love being able to track it again.

The one flaw I'll note, and it's enough to knock a star off, is the auto brightness doesn't seem to dim enough in low light. Just by moving at night, the brightness of the display has woken me up because it was right next to my eyes. As I saw one person put it, the brightness of the display burns like that of a thousand suns. I've noticed the auto brightness seems to do something sometimes, but it doesn't dim near enough in the dark and can be quite jarring when not expected.

As this was just released, I'm sure all the software faults, that of the missing features in the watch faces noted by others, and the auto brightness issue, etc, will be fixed in due time. Overall, this is a nice upgrade from the Alta and will keep me on the Fitbit platform for another couple of years, I'm sure.

I've had a number of Fitbits in the past, and they always are the best one for me. The app is amazing, and every other app synches relatively easily with the Fitbit app. It works well, despite a couple of annoying little things that never seem to get fixed. It's worked great, and I'm glad I bought it again. But just in case anyone from the company might be reading reviews (and to give my thoughts to others considering which tracker to buy), I'll list my frustrations:

1) When you tap on the screen, it often doesn't seem to realize it's being tapped. I have always found myself doing a "tap, tap, tap, tap" every time on the screen instead of just tapping it once like you would your cell phone. But once it wakes up, it's responsive after that. It would be nice if this was fixed at some point.

2) Considering that there is so much focus on the number of daily steps these days, and since it is a step TRACKER, I would really love it if you could set an exercise goal based on a number of steps (right now you can set it based on distance, time and calories). Since I tend to walk on an indoor track or on a treadmill, distance isn't something that is reliable to track. So I would rather set a goal to do a certain number of steps instead.

3) This is pretty minor, but since I do have to seem to tap multiple times to get the screen to wake up, once it does wake up I often find that I've changed the standard display that I had picked (steps walked) to one of the other options (heartbeat, # of stairs climbed, etc.).

4) The other thing that has never worked well for me is the sleep tracking. I'm one of those folks who wakes up a couple of times at night to use the bathroom, and if that happens when it's almost morning, then the app records it as having woken up for the day. So I end up not actually knowing how long I'm sleeping each night because the app doesn't realize that even thought I got up, I went back to bed where I hardly moved at all. It seems like there ought to be a way for the app to recognize that if you got up and then remained essentially motionless for a couple of hours that you haven't actually gotten up yet. I imagine the other trackers might have this issue too, but all of that great reporting on REM, light sleep, etc. are lost on my because the app can't even recognize how long I'm sleeping.

I know it sounds like I shouldn't be buying this since I have issues with it, but it works well enough, and I love the app, and love that my other apps all partner with Fitbit and make it relatively painless to set up synching with my Fitbit. But it would be great if they could address some of these issues!

Tldr summary: Charge 3 is the activity band I have always wanted, finally.

Who you are and what you do will dictate whether this review will help you. I am over 45, female, professional, busy and I want stay healthy and become healthier over time. I care about my health but I also have other stuff to do.

I use a Fitbit because I want to try to keep moving throughout the day and be mindful but not obvious at work and then try to do low and moderate intensity workouts 3 to 5 times a week. There, I said it. The Fitbit needs to fit the rest of my life and it finally does. I feel the Charge 3 has something valuable to offer for the person who is in the back or middle of the fitness pack.

Appearance first: I want my Fitbit to match my professional persona at work and not exude a gym vibe. This has always been my problem with activity trackers in general; I think they are unattractive at work with a suit. I really like the Charge 3 size; it isn't too wide, it isn't too thick, the face isn't too big. To me, it can look like a watch and not some giant work out thing. I switched out the band for more professional and feminine straps from Amazon and I think it looks like jewelry at my professional job.

The Fitbit has made this the easiest band to change straps. It is no problem at all and feels secure. I can tell when it is clicked into place and I lost a Fitbit before so this is important to me. I bought the black Charge because I can buy off brand, affordable straps and not worry about metals clashing. I do not pay for the "designer" bands from Fitbit... I bought 2 leather slim profile and one rose gold slim band for less than $20 each on Amazon. I have the plastic cheap one it came with for actual sweaty or swimming work outs. I think a man could buy a thicker strap and it would look masculine.

Visual/face: I like the face of the Charge 3. I have it set to see time, date, and stat. It is a lot easier to scroll through the other available information than the Alta and it is a lot more readable. I like the choices of watch faces but I don't anticipate changing it now that I found one be that works for me.

Function: I like the heart rate, the sleep cycle, the waterproofing. I like everything about what it shows me. I think the sleep cycle is accurate for me. The heart rate is accurate. The heart rate tracks all day without missing a reading. The battery is better than my Alta and lasts 5 days for me. I don't do notifications or use the smart watch features so cannot comment on it and that may be why my battery is lasting longer. I use the 2 minute breathing a couple of times a day. I use the 250 steps an hour challenge now that I can see it on my new watch.

Other review comments: I did the Firmware update and have no problems connecting to my work iPhone or my personal Samsung phone and tablet. No issues syncing so far. I wore with my Alta at the same time and steps matched. I have been testing my steps for 4+ years and I find Fitbit accurate for me. I agree My Fitness Pal is best for food tracking vs the Fitbit app.

App: I realistically don't want to join a gym and it is too cold for me to make myself swim right now. As you can tell by reading this, I am not a hard core person for exercise. I am trying the Fitbit Coach and I like it. I travel and I like that I can just do the exercises anywhere and there are a lot of choices of activity. I like that there are inside and outside exercises and things in can just do in my living room or hotel room. I like that there are all different lengths of exercises from 10 min to 18 minutes to an hour. It is a small commitment, no equipment needed, as convenient as you can get, and a lot of variety. I am trying for a month and I think this is what I have been looking to add to the my walking 10,000 steps a day.

I see the Fitbit as a tool but I don't want it to annoy me. Most of the time I found the badges and challenges tiresome and making something out of nothing. I do like knowing I walked to the Moon but really it is just kind of not relevant. I was only using the Fitbit for steps and checking the app once a week or maybe less. Now I feel like I am going to take advantage of the more sophisticated offerings. I like seeing the graphs that show REM sleep and resting heart rate and cardio insights. This is the first time where I feel the app is offering me more than just glib surface information.

Other bands I have used: I had the One, which I liked because it was hidden but didn't do much. I had to dig down my shirt or look at my phone to see my steps. I bought the little tiny Fitbit Flex 2 and the metal holder was ridiculously hard to get the Fitbit in and out of and didn't show anything - you had to look on your phone. The Alta had a slim profile but was hard to see and super hard to change bands. Ultimately I lost the Flex2 due to a necklace malfunction and abandoned the Alta for not being useful enough to justify wearing something I thought was ugly. I briefly had delusions of fitness grandeur and have a Garmin Vivoactive HR. It was too hard core for me and too big and plastic. Alas, Garmin made me realize I am just not into fitness as a "lifestyle."

I just replaced my Fitbit Charge 2 (after 4 years) with the Charge 3 and I love it. I read the Amazon reviews before I bought and I found some of the old reviews (2018) are simply NOT correct. Several say the face clock doesn't provide the date - incorrect! I provided a picture to demonstrate this is false. The battery is longer on the Charge 3 and has lasted up to 7 days, although I typically charge it while I'm in the shower when I want to juice it up.
Several other reviews give lower stars because the Charge 3 is not like their previous Fitbit (diff model) - well guess what, that is why they have so many different products to choose from. The best way to find the Fitbit product best for you is to go to Fitbit.com/compare and use the "Select top feature" drop down and select the most important features you are interested in having... this will show you which product to choose.
Here is what was important to me... 1) Steps 2) Sleet tracking and stages, 3) Reminders to Move, 4) Hourly activity, 5) Swim proof and tracking, 6) Cardio Fitness Level, 7) Call, Text, calendar, and smartphone app Notifications. With these features, I had 4 products to choose from. I went with the Charge 3 because I really liked my Charge 2. Charge 3 has a longer battery and other additional features besides what I already listed that I'm sure I will learn to use.
One of my favorite features is the ability to set how many steps you want to get in each hour. If I haven't completed my steps each hour, I get a notification that I need 52 more steps, etc... to meet my goal. It's so easy to get busy that this is simply a great reminder! It is so much easier to meet my daily goals when I start early each day.
My other favorite thing is the Fitbit app, website and health tips newsletters via email. These tools unlock insights and inspirations. A friend told me she was going to get a Dr appointment to check for sleep issues - I asked her if she had looked at the Sleep tracking and information available on the App/Website and after looking at this info she decided she didn't need a Dr appointment. Information is powerful - make sure you are aware of all the data Fitbit provides at your fingertips!
I've have experienced a few problems with syncing, but primarily when I fly and change time zones. A simple solution that has worked for me is to plug in Fitbit to recharge and that seems to fix it for me. I have to say this is the same for ANY Bluetooth syncing device, not just my Fitbit.
Another tip is there are lots of bands available for the Fitbit on Amazon and other places for very reasonable prices, so you can change the color/band to give you diff styles for working out vs an evening out. Enjoy!

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.