Ultimate Fitbit
The Fitbit Charge 3 is by far the best fitness band Fitbit's created to-date. It looks great, is comfy to wear, has a battery that refuses to die, and even comes with smarts like notification support and mobile payments via Fitbit Pay.
For
- Ties into the Fitbit ecosystem
- Waterproof
- Up to seven days of battery life
- Fitbit Pay (with Special Edition)
Against
- No built-in GPS
- Monochrome display
- No way to control or store music
Built-in GPS
If you're okay stepping outside the Fitbit ecosystem, the Gear Fit2 Pro is one of the best fitness bands you can buy. Its OLED display is a joy to look at, it's waterproof, and has GPS built right in so you can map your runs without a phone.
For
- Gorgeous OLED color display
- Waterproof
- Better notification support
- Built-in GPS
- Music controls + Spotify app
Against
- No Samsung Pay support
- Samsung Health isn't quite as robust as Fitbit's platform
The Charge 3 is one of the best products Fitbit has ever made and ties in beautifully with the company's ecosystem. However, if you need GPS or want to be able to store music right on your wrist, the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro will be a better fit.
Fitness band showdown
While there are a few key differences between these two fitness trackers that I'll dive into in just a second, I want to preface that by saying both gadgets do an excellent job with all of the regular fitness-tracking things you've come to expect. Both the Charge 3 and Gear Fit2 Pro can track your steps, distance, calories burned, heart-rate, and sleep.
Both wearables are also comfortable to wear with sleek designs, and each one uses a proprietary band system that can be used to change up the look of either one.
There are a couple notable differences on the health/fitness side of things, most importantly with built-in GPS. The Gear Fit2 Pro comes equipped with a GPS chip, meaning you can go running without your phone and still map where you went. The Fitbit Charge 3 doesn't have GPS, meaning you'll need to bring your phone with you on every walk, run, and jog if you want to keep a record of where you go.
If you're a woman, the Charge 3 gets the upper-hand with a native platform for female health tracking. Using both the Charge 3 and the companion Fitbit app, you can keep tabs on your menstural cycle to know when you're most fertile, detect any changes in your periods, and more.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Fitbit Charge 3 | Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| All-day activity tracking | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Companion app | Fitbit | Samsung Health |
| Sleep tracking | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Heart-rate sensor | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Built-in GPS | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Reminders to move | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Female health tracking | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Mobile payments (NFC) | ✔️ (on Special Edition) | ❌ |
| Local music storage | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Display | Grayscale OLED | Color OLED |
| Waterproof | ✔️ (up to 50 meters) | ✔️ (up to 50 meters) |
| Battery life | Up to 7 days | Up to 4 days |
In regards to other features, the Charge 3 is your only option if you want something that can make mobile payments via NFC like you can with Apple Pay on the iPhone and Apple Watch. The Charge 3 uses Fitbit's own Fitbit Pay system, but it works nearly the same. Just bring up your card, hold the Charge 3 near the payment terminal, and you're good to go (just keep in mind that only the $170 Special Edition Charge 3 actually supports this feature).
If you don't care so much about paying for things with your fitness band and would rather use it as a device for storing music, the Gear Fit2 Pro will be the better choice. Not only can you load your own music files on the Fit2 Pro, but there's also an official Spotify app. The Charge 3, on the other hand, has no options at all for music playback.
Fitbit's best (and smartest) fitness band ever.
Whether you're deep in the Fitbit ecosystem or looking to join it, the Charge 3 should be at the top of your shopping list. It's extremely comfortable, has robust fitness tracking capabilities, week-long battery, and for an extra $20, you can get a model with Fitbit Pay.
Still one of the best wearables out there.
Thanks to its stunning curved OLED display and vastly improved Samsung Health platform, the Gear Fit2 Pro is one of the best fitness bands out there. There's no Samsung Pay and battery life is only rated for 4 days, but GPS and waterproofing are great touches.
