Fitbit is one of the first companies to enter the field of smart bracelets. In the industry and abroad, it is almost synonymous with smart bracelets, and it also officially entered China in June 2014 under the Chinese name "Lehuo".
After entering China for more than half a year, the Fitbit Charge of the Bank of China version was finally released at a price of 998 yuan. In China, this price has soared for a smart bracelet, but can its actual performance prove its value?
Product line
Fitbit is one of the manufacturers with the richest product line of bracelets. The products on sale from high to low are Surge, Charge HR, Charge, Flex, One and Zip.
Both Zip and One are designed as clothes clips. They are sports bracelets starting from Flex. The charge in this evaluation is to add a display on the basis of Flex, while the charge HR is to add a heart rate detector. The most advanced Surge is actually a smart watch.
In terms of price, the highest level Surge and Charge HR have not been sold in China. The price of Fitbit Charge is 998 yuan, One is 898 yuan, Flex is 748 yuan, and Zip is 498 yuan. In addition to them, there is a smart scale called Aria (1198 yuan). It has to be said that Fitbit is highly positioned and priced in China.
parameter
Band width: 21mm
Suitable wrist width: large size 16-20cm, small size 14-17cm
Duration: 7-10 days
Operating temperature: - 20-45 ℃
Connection mode: Bluetooth 4.0
Support platform: Windows、MacOX、iOS、Android、WP
Appearance and workmanship
The blue version of Fitbit Charge was obtained in this evaluation, and the product body can be seen on the top of the long carton package.
There is a size selection tool on the package. Use your wrist to compare the size line on the package, and you can know whether to select the large size version or the small size version.
It is estimated that the product functions and instructions on the package are among the best among smart products (the number of words is proportional to the price?).
The bracelet has its own transparent plastic holder. In addition to the warranty, instructions and charging cable, there is also a Bluetooth receiver for data synchronization with the PC.
The noodle power line is very short, and there are spring buckles on both sides of the three contact connector. It is puzzling that there is no common magnetic adsorption.
There is also a USB Bluetooth receiver in the accessory, which is rare in the bracelet product. It has a very bright shape, and has a single-sided interface anti dazzle design. The product information is printed on the metal on the back.
The width of the whole bracelet is 21mm. The OLED screen in the upper middle position is still fine enough to display numbers, but there are not many pixels, so it is weak to display text messages.
The screen surface is dark translucent polished plastic, slightly higher than the watchband, which is easy to scratch.
There are diagonal stripes in a uniform direction on the outer surface of the bracelet. The silicone strap is soft, but it is not as exaggerated as LG Gwatch. The outer side of the aluminum alloy buckle is sanded.
The inner part of the strap is made of frosted material, but there is no common sweat channel. The aluminum alloy buckle is relatively easy to buckle, and can be pushed out completely for cleaning (but it is estimated that few people will wash...).
Under normal conditions, the bracelet has a large angle of extension, which is basically the type of "the buckle will slip when it is loosened". The back of the bracelet "dial" is a hard plastic fixed with hexagonal screws, which cannot be bent.
There is a charging contact in the middle of the back. The hard plastic is frosted, but there is also no sweat slot The only key on the body is on the left side of the bracelet, and the hole on the other side is probably reserved for the built-in height sensor (essentially a pressure sensor).
The 21mm tape on the large Fitbit Charge still looks a little big on the 180 tall and thin author's hands, but the effect is relatively harmonious.
Although wearing Fitbit Charge to "wash hands violently", no problem was found, but the official did not provide the waterproof data of the machine, only marked“ The waterproof grade of "sweat proof, rain proof and splash proof" (the famous 1ATM waterproof on the Internet is not official), so It is not recommended to wear a machine for bathing or diving.
Wearing feeling
The material of the machine is very good, and the watchband is very comfortable to wear, but the workmanship of the "watch body" is only slightly better than that of ordinary domestic bracelets, far from the high expectation of the author for the 998 yuan product.
Because the strap is soft and wide enough, it is very comfortable to press it even when typing, and it can even be used as a "mouse pad". But the "dial" is hard plastic, so it's not so cool to press it when you sleep. In addition, there is no sweat channel or corrugated design, so it will be "stuffy" for users who do not wear watches or other bracelets everyday.
Although there are many complaints, the main reason is the high expectations of the author for its high price. If you compare it horizontally, it is still comfortable to wear. Among the more than 10 bracelets that the author has worn, the comfort has ranked first, but it still does not meet the author's expectations.
Finally, Fitbit Charge also has small seams that can hide dirt and incriminations on bracelet products. Virgo still needs to clean up frequently.
Function and use
There is only one button and one OLED display on the body of Fitbit Charge, so there is not much interaction available: you can switch between the five data of "clock, steps, distance, calories, and floors" by clicking the button, and you can start/stop movement timing by long pressing.
Its main interaction is still the responsibility of the client, and the official coverage of all conventional platforms, mobile phones/PC/Mac can be connected (the function of the attached USB Bluetooth receiver).
In terms of functions, only intelligent/sports bracelets with such specific functions can be listed item by item:
Regular exercise, which supports manual recording, will be independently displayed in a separate exercise program;
Sleep monitoring;
The alarm clock can be vibrated. It supports setting multiple alarm clocks at the same time. The vibration is strong enough, but the duration of the vibration is less than 10 seconds. Although it will be vibrated twice, for users who are easy to "sleep to death", it is still necessary to turn on a normal alarm clock before getting up Deadline
Because of the display and buttons, it also has more:
The time display supports double clicking on the bright screen. It requires a little force, and there is a fixed response area. If you do not click on the right position, you will not wake up. Unfortunately, it does not support shaking the bright screen;
Timing. Long press the key to enter and exit the training mode. After entering the mode, timing will start, which can be used as a timer in the meantime
Call notification. After Bluetooth connection, it can vibrate the incoming call and display the contact person;
In combination with app, it also has the function of goal reminding and recording statistics such as exercise/weight loss.
Its app part is definitely one of the biggest highlights of Fitbit Charge. The instructions and descriptions are extremely detailed, the UI is quite sophisticated, and there are many data statistics and custom projects. Even fonts can make domestic products of the same kind more popular.
The homepage of the mobile phone client is the data statistics page. The number of steps, distance, calories, and floors are all made into a colorful strip. You can switch between dates by sliding left and right. Clicking any data can jump to the unusually detailed and professional statistics page, and the data of every day, week, month, and year can be counted.
The bracelet setting interface is also quite good. The data order displayed after the screen is lit can be customized, the data displayed after double clicking wake-up can also be customized, and the clock dial can also be selected by yourself (although there are only four...).
The data statistics page on the web side is also very handsome. The card waterfall shows the steps, weekly statistics, calories, floors, sleep, exercise and other data.
The privacy, activity and weight data that need to be input one by one on the mobile phone can be input and statistically viewed at a time on the web page, which is very pleasant to use.
Temporal detailed data that cannot be seen on the app side can be detailed every 5 minutes on the web side Statistics, and indicate the number of steps and time, the data crazy look a little excited.
However, some places are still not suitable for China's national conditions. For example, the app's diet and drinking water recording function, although their interface is very beautiful and detailed, can even let you customize the calories, even the fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, and even the potassium and sodium content of each food. These contents can be seen on foreign food packaging, but it is difficult to find them on domestic food packaging, which directly affects the practicability of these UDFs.
These records depend on the user's consciousness, and it is estimated that there will not be too many users who can persist. It is necessary to be connected to the Internet to synchronize data to the settings of mobile phones, which may be a bit acclimatized in China. Although PC client and USB receiver are easy to use, they can only be used to synchronize data. Data can only be viewed through web pages, and there is no exit button. This is similar to the bug setting, which is also quite puzzling.
In terms of sports motivation, fitbit can add other users as friends to carry out small challenges such as "daily duels, strong attacks on weekdays". However, the bracelet is still a niche product in China, let alone a single brand product. However, if it is accompanied by comrades in arms who lose weight, this function (estimated) will be very comforting. Of course, if there are comrades in arms
However, there were many complaints in foreign evaluations before that, the machine could only display incoming call notifications, but could not display other notifications. However, the author quite agrees with the current setting of Charge.
First of all, the Fitbit Charge screen itself is not large, and the experience of displaying complex text will not be very good. Moreover, the bracelet does not have voice input on the smart watch, so it is meaningless to see it but not return it. In addition, if the information and WeChat notifications are too frequent, the bracelet will vibrate when something happens, which is also very troublesome.
If you really want to complain, it can't display Chinese incoming contacts (Chinese contacts can only display numbers), which is really not optimized.
Data Accuracy&Others
Fitbit Charge is positioned as a sports bracelet, so the recognition and statistics of sports and sleep data show a much higher degree of professionalism than ordinary bracelets, and it is also the most accurate one of so many bracelets that the author has used for the time being:
Because the built-in display of the machine can view the steps at any time, it can make very accurate step number comparison for approval. The steps of Fitbit Charge are accurate in steps. It has taken 20 steps for 10 consecutive times, but only 3 times there has been deviation, and the gap is between 1 and 2 steps, which is a bit incredible.
In addition, according to the test, simple waving of hands without moving feet will not be counted, while pretending not to walk (try to avoid shaking of the bracelet during walking) requires good personal anti shaking ability to fool the bracelet, and normal walking can also record accurate steps by looking at the gesture of the bracelet.
The exaggerated accuracy and the ability to view data at any time, combined with the long press of the button to enter the training mode, are expected to be very popular with professional athletes.
Because of its own air pressure sensor, the statistical test of climbing is also very accurate. However, because the detection is based on the air pressure, it may be misjudged when the surrounding air pressure changes (gust, weather change, closed room opening and closing).
In terms of sleep statistics, after the firmware upgrade, it is no longer necessary to manually record sleep. The statistics will show the time of falling asleep and getting up, and the duration of each "toss and turn".
What makes the author feel professional is that it will not "pretend" that you wake up at that time because of the alarm clock you set (in the data above, the author actually set an 8:30 alarm clock, but failed to wake up the author, and finally woke up by phone).
In terms of battery life, the official standard configuration is 7-10 days, and the charging time is between 1-1.5 hours. During the test, the author used it at an abnormal intensity and often checked the steps and time with his hands cheap. In the past four days, half of the power was still displayed (it only had patterns, no accurate digital display). The endurance was relatively calm.
After using Fitbit Charge, I know how meticulous the service of foreign products is: when the machine is not lit enough, there will be an email reminding of charging; When the user's amount of exercise exceeds a certain amount or gets some medals of honor, the registered email will also receive relevant emails; If the screen is continuously lit for a short time, the machine will display the last picture you stayed in by default, rather than the unified display time; The app has relevant help tips for bracelet connection, system upgrade, etc
summary
After using Fitbit, we can know where the manufacturers that first entered this field have gone, and how deep their skills in sports records and related services are. To sum up, Fitbit Charge is a professional sports bracelet. Its material, appearance, step counting and statistical expertise are definitely among the top products.
If you want the sports bracelet with the most complete functions and services, but do not want to go overseas, it must be the most suitable product for your requirements. There is no one (the higher level Charge HR and Surge have not been sold in China). However, its price is also the highest in China.
Just like the iPod Class in this era (which has ceased production), Fitbit Charge has the feeling of pure blood. It allows you to meet a healthy life, but also allows you to face a miserable life (qian bao).
Excellent:
Missing:
Not many functions
expensive
