Everything You Should Understand About the Fitbit Charge 6

The side button is here again, and music controls are also back — only if you subscribe to YouTube Music.

One of Fitbit’s most liked models, the Charge, now has a new version called the Charge 6. It includes features like Google Maps, Google Wallet, and controls for YouTube Music. It also has improved heart rate sensing, which Fitbit claims is the most accurate they’ve ever made. You can pre-order it for $159.95, which is only about $10 more than the current price of the Charge 5. Here’s a summary of the new features:

Google claims that the measurement of heart rate is now better

The sensors on this device seem to be like the ones on the Charge 5, but Google claims that the Charge 6 now uses algorithms taken from the Pixel smartwatch family. This makes the heart rate more precise, and the metrics, such as Readiness, which rely on heart rate detection, are also more accurate.

Some Google apps are already included

The Charge 6 is more connected to the Google system compared to the Charge 5. It uses Google Wallet instead of Fitbit Pay and offers controls for Google’s YouTube Music.

Similar to the Charge 5, the Charge 6 comes with built-in GPS and GLONASS. What’s new in this device is the ability to access Google Maps directly on the watch, as long as your phone is within Bluetooth range. (All Google apps require you to have your phone nearby.)

To use the Charge 6, you’ll need to create a Google Account if you don’t already have one, instead of using a Fitbit account.

You can manage music on your Charge (again)

Fitbit no longer supports Spotify playback with the release of the Charge 5, but now you can control music again — this time for YouTube Music.

To use this feature, you will need a subscription to YouTube Music Premium. When you buy the Charge 6, you will receive a one-month free trial.

The Charge 6 can link up with certain exercise machines

The Charge 6 has a feature called Bluetooth Heart Rate Profile. With this feature, you can view your heart rate on the screens of certain devices from NordicTrack, Peloton, Concept2, and Tonal, as well as on the Peloton app. You can check out a list of machines that work with the Charge 6 here.

The Charge 6 now includes a zoom option

If reading the text on a small watch screen is difficult, the Charge 6 now includes a feature that allows you to make it bigger.

How does the Charge 6 device compare to the Charge 5?

In terms of its physical dimensions, the Charge 6 is identical in size to the Charge 5. However, it now features a side button, which was absent in the Charge 5. Google refers to it as a “haptic” button and clarified to The Verge that it is not a physical button. When you press it, it provides vibrating feedback, similar to the sensation you might have experienced when using a MacBook with a haptic trackpad or an iPhone with a haptic Home Button.

The Charge 6 is compatible with at least some of the Charge 5 bands. This means you can choose different strap colors if you prefer other options beyond the three provided by the factory. These options include obsidian (a black device with a black band), coral (a rose gold device with a warm red band), and porcelain (a light silvery device with an off-white band).

How to place an order for the new Charge 6?

The Charge 6 will be available “later this autumn,” but you can pre-order it now. Google mentions that it can be purchased from Google and Fitbit’s online shops, as well as “certain global retailers,” with more options becoming available in the upcoming autumn. So far, it has been spotted at these places:

1. Fitbit.com ($159.95)
2. Google Store ($159.95)
3. Best Buy ($159.95)
4. Amazon ($159.95)

To utilize certain features, such as the readiness score and access to workouts through the Fitbit app, you will require a Fitbit Premium subscription. When you purchase a new Charge 6, you will receive a complimentary six-month Premium subscription. Additionally, you will need a YouTube Music Premium subscription to utilize the YouTube Music controls and a Google Account (not just a Fitbit account) to use the device altogether.