Fitbit Charge 4 Special Edition Fitness Tracker with Built-in GPS, Heart Rate Monitor, Sleep & Swim Tracking - Black/Granite Reflective (Includes S & L Bands) | Perfect for Running, Swimming & Daily Activity Tracking

I've owned several Apple watches (the series 5 as well)... the extra features are hardly desirable since it requires your phone to be on you (e.g. calling, txt, etc; unless you want to be exposed to even more radiation with a cellular model... even more money). This fitness tracker is comfortable, has aftermarket straps/bands and works across platforms... on an expendable device, including Apple Watch, the price is much better and is just as accurate. I'm very glad Fitbit came out with the Charge 4 and built off their Charge 3 design... sound familiar... Apple ? Proven design with GPS abilities... good call on Fitbit’s behalf... All my devices are Apple ($3k laptop, $1k+ phone, iPads, iPods, etc)... except my Charge 4. Fitbit is focused on those wanting to target on their overall fitness health... Apple Watch is not the most comfortable ( while not bad)... poor battery life and slightly entertaining... great. Fitbit for daily practical use (I don't like jewelry and this is light weight and hardly noticeable). Apple, well, a big fan, just not of an overpriced watch since both of these devices are expendable. I do like how the Fitbit uses Corning Gorilla glass. It could be brighter in direct sunlight but it’s not a huge bother for me (screen is difficult to see in bright lighting outside).-------------------------------Update:After using the Fitbit Charge 4 for nearly 2 weeks, it has not been accurate. I took it on a few runs and walks using GPS for the auto calibration regarding my stride. I found that the Fitbit is highly inaccurate for the amount of steps taken and distance covered; Side note, GPS distance is accurate... not so much steps taken). Also, sitting at my desk, I can get up to 500 steps in an hour working on my keyboard at the computer with the Charge 4... the Apple Watch doesn't have these issues.My heart rate reported up to 140 BPM on walks, while the Apple Watch maintain around 80-90BPM... the 140BPM is way off. I'm a conditioned athlete and it takes me a minimum of a mile to get my HR up to 140 BPM running (not sprinting). Again, I did calibrate the Fitbit. The Apple Watch as well.What I found was the Fitbit excessively counts steps with arm movements while sitting, which didn't confuse the Apple Watch. However, the Apple Watch will give you standing time when you are not standing... no big deal. However, for my use, the Apple watch is always spot on when I do treadmill runs and providing me general heart rate feedback.While I don't get all the data/metrics that that Fitbit has to offer that the Apple Watch has, I just don't trust it. I tested it against multiple devices and the Fitbit usually seems more than generous to give you credit where it isn't earned. Other than the Apple Watch telling me I'm standing on occasion when I'm not, everything else is spot on.I will be missing the sleep feature on the Charge 4 as it seemed to be spot on and VERY impressive. However, I need the device to be accurate for my fitness. I also appreciate that I can look up my info for the Fitbit in a large layout on my web browser while on the Apple Watch I'm mostly stuck to the phone.For me, accuracy was key with my physical activity and the Fitbit Charge 4 did not provide this. I'm kind of bummed about that as I mentioned in my initial review everything I was excited about until reality and daily use set in.My rating is two stars because the device was nearly pointless for my application regarding fitness and accurate measurements (the whole point in purchasing the device) for distance, steps, and heart rate. It has so much potential and the device is VERY comfortable to wear without having to charge it nearly every day. So, I'm back to the Apple Watch for focusing on more realistic fitness goals and metrics. I tried to give the Charge 4 EVERY benefit of a doubt. If your data is not somewhat/fairly accurate, then it doesn't give you much to work with.For now, I'll be sticking to the clunky Apple Watch with poor battery life, no web data, and sleep monitor (there are 3rd parts apps, but Apple Watch isn to practical for sleep use due to short battery life and slow charge time) because my priority is accurately measuring what I previously stated. For that, the Apple Watch excels.---------------------------------------------------Update 2Well, I decided to give the Fitbit Charge 4 another chance. I was able to adjust some settings that made it way more accurate. I wear my watch on my non-dominant arm. However, I put the settings to dominant... now I don't have excessive false steps... actually, it's a little more accurate than the Apple Watch Series 5 I tested it up against. HR is accurate at resting and I have not been able to test this units HR monitor while active... fingers crossed this unit is more accurate than the last.Another bother for me using my Apple Watch is that I'm tied to the phone to observe my data. I appreciate that I can login to my Fitbit account online to look at my metrics/data instead of being tied to the app on a phone.------------July 6, 2020--- Worthy updates released.Fitbit added some pretty cool feature in the most recent update. There is a dynamic GPS update. Basically, when you want to use GPS, it'll default to your phone if you have it on you and then to the device if your phone is unavailable. That was a concern I had because the GPS function does drain the battery quite a bit during my bike rides and most of the time I have my phone with me... good stuff.A "smart wake" feature was added as well. Basically, if determines your sleep schedule and the best time to wake you up... probably good for those that don't have a set work schedule... as a student at the moment, it is a hand feature to have to prevent oversleeping, etc.There is now an option to adjust how long the screen stays on for. Good to have... it was getting annoying having to double tap the device every time the screen timed out.Then various bug fixes...---------------Update July 8, 2020I decided to return the Fitbit Charge 4. It is an excellent contender for those focused on fitness. My main gripe was that the Fitbit platform does not readily sync with other apps such as Garmin and Strava. Another considerable issue is that I could not see the screen well outside during runs and biking... and it is difficult to start stop/activities outdoors with sweaty hands (no physical buttons (more competitive than physical press) other than the one on the side). Since I use an Edge for my road bike, I decided to get a Garmin watch (Instinct) considering it readily syncs with Strava, Garmin Connect and my cycling computer. My main glaring issues were screen readability outdoors and app syncing. If not for these issues, I'd likely been more than happy with the Charge 4. For the price, I definitely recommend it for those if this is the only platform they depend on to track their health and fitness.Sleep tracking is really good as well as the step count once you get everything honed in.