Fitbit Charge 6
The Charge 6 is the latest iteration of Fitbit’s best-selling fitness tracker. If you aren’t into smartwatches but still want insight into your health and fitness, the Charge 6 does just about everything right. It has 20 additional exercise modes and better Google integration than previous models.
Fitbit Luxe
The Fitbit Luxe is the perfect fitness tracker for those who value style over anything else. The Luxe is especially perfect for those with smaller wrists. It may lack built-in GPS and have limited exercise modes, but the Luxe can still track all of your health and fitness needs.
Fitbit has long been one of the top companies in the fitness tracking industry. They make some of thebest fitness trackersavailable today and it’s not uncommon to find multiple Fitbit products competing against each other at similar price points.
The Charge series has been Fitbit’s best-selling fitness tracker since it launched in 2014, while the Fitbit Luxe was built with style in mind. The Charge 6 andLuxeoffer similar designs and feature sets at similar prices. There are a few key differences between them and the winner here will ultimately depend on your needs.
Price, specs & availability
The Fitbit Charge 6 will become available to purchase on October 12 for $160. Like most Charge devices, the Charge 6 should be readily available from Fitbit and most retailers that sell fitness trackers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.
The Luxe launched in 2021 and can be found at many of the same retailers as the Charge series for $130 for the standard version or $200 for the special edition with the link bracelet band. The Luxe series does go on sale from time to time letting you snag one at a steep discount.
The Charge 6 and the Luxe look strikingly similar. These fitness trackers are similarly sized and both are outfitted with small displays, although the display on the Charge 6 is slightly bigger. Each device ships with silicone bands by default except for the Luxe Special Edition. The band is more flush on the Charge 6, creating a smooth transition from band to display. The Luxe has its band slightly further down the body, allowing the display to show more prominently.
The bands on both devices can be easily swapped out for something else that better fits your style. The Fitbit Charge 6 is compatible with all Charge 5 accessories, including thebest Charge 5 bandscurrently available.
The Charge 6 has a touch screen and sees the return of a dedicated hardware button to easily pull up the home screen or quickly access a workout. The Luxe is completely buttonless and can only be navigated by using the touchscreen.
The Charge 6 has an aluminum body and comes in Black, White/Gold, and Coral colorways. The Luxe has a stainless steel body and is available in Black, White/Gold, Orchid/Platinum colorways for the standard edition and the special edition comes in Gold with a Gorjana gold stainless steel Parker link bracelet.
What you can do on the device itself is going to be limited on both trackers thanks to their minuscule displays. You’ll be able to see things like your step count, notifications, the exercise menu, and set an alarm. You’ll have to use the Fitbit app on your phone if you want a detailed breakdown of your day or to look at your history.
Both devices can receive notifications like calls, emails, and texts as long as your phone is in Bluetooth range. Once again, the display size is going to limit how much of your message you can see at once, forcing you to scroll through it to see the whole thing. The screen is also too small to type a response, but luckily you do have some quick reply options.
The biggest difference between these two devices is that the Charge 6 is getting some enhancements from Fitbit’s parent company, Google. The Charge 6 will give you turn-by-turn directions directly on your wrist with Google Maps. It does require your phone to be near, but it’s nice to be alerted to an upcoming turn without having to look at your phone all the time.
Health & fitness
If you’re serious about fitness tracking, then the Charge 6 is hands down the winner between these two devices. The Charge 6 has built-in ECG capabilities, can monitor your SpO2 and skin temperature, can detect electrodermal activity with an EDA scan, offers 24/7 heart rate tracking, can automatically track your workouts, and has a built-in GPS for tracking your workouts.
The Charge 6 can connect with various exercise equipment like NordicTrack and Peloton to give you a live view of your current heart rate. Fitbit added 20 new exercise modes including surfing, skiing, crosstrek, HIIT, for more than 40 total exercise options to choose from.
The Luxe can also track your heart rate, SpO2 and skin temperature, your breathing rate, and sleep tracking. It can output a cardio fitness score, a daily readiness score, heart rate variability, a sleep score, and a stress management score to give you a holistic view of your health.
Where the Luxe falls short is it lacks onboard GPS. It needs to connect to your phone in order to track your routes. With 20 available exercise options, it’s also a bit limited when it comes to what it can track.
Battery life
Fitbit is claiming the Charge 6 has up to seven days of battery life. They aren’t entirely clear if that is with the display always on or not, but Fitbit trackers typically have decent battery life. You’ll have to wait for the review to get real-world battery numbers, but the seven-day estimate is likely with the always-on display disabled.
The Luxe can last up to five days between charges, but enabling the always-on display will reduce that to a couple of days. Both the Charge 6 and Luxe are charged using proprietary magnetic chargers.
Which is right for you?
The Fitbit Charge 6 and Luxe both give compelling reasons for why it’s the better fitness tracker. For most users, the Charge 6 is going to be the better buy. It has more features, a longer-lasting battery, better integration with Google apps, and is two years newer. Once we’ve reviewed it, we expect it to beFitbit’s best tracker.
In addition, it also gives you more exercise options and has a built-in GPS, allowing you to ditch your phone when working out. While the display is only slightly bigger, that extra real estate lets you see more information at once and is able to display it in a larger font.
(Probably) Fitbit’s best tracker
The Fitbit Charge 6 offers plenty of fitness tracking features, has good battery life, and has GPS built-in. The Charge 6 is for anyone serious about tracking their health and doesn’t want to give up any features to do it. If you don’t like the size of a traditional smartwatch, the Charge 6 is one of the best available.
If style is of the utmost priority, then the Luxe is going to be your default choice. This is especially true if you have smaller wrists, as the narrow design of the Luxe will fit you perfectly. If you stick to exercises like walking or running, then the additional exercise options may not be of much use to you. It does have a shorter battery life, is a couple of years older, and has no built-in GPS, but it is also slightly less expensive.
Small and stylish
The Fitbit Luxe is a well-designed fitness tracker that lacks an onboard GPS and has a limited number of exercise modes but excels at covering the basics. If your top priority is something that looks great, and you have smaller wrists, then the Luxe is your perfect option.
