Rumors of Fitbit Charge5 suggest that activity trackers are evolving into more robust health monitors

Rumors of Fitbit Charge5 suggest that activity trackers are evolving into more robust health monitors

The Fitbit Charge 5 is coming. One new rumor suggests that this year's model will add quite a few features.

Twitter leaker @_snoopytech_ posted an official-looking commercial for the Fitbit Charge 5, along with information on what features will be added. These include on-board GPS, ECG monitoring, and more personalized features.

GPS is not necessarily new, as it was a feature on the Fitbit Charge 4, but it is good to know that it may be coming back. The big change this time around is the inclusion of ECG tracking, which is not a huge surprise given the attention it has received from other wearables makers over the past few years.

ECG, called ECG because the abbreviation is easier to remember, is a system that monitors heart rhythms to make sure everything is functioning properly, a feature popularized by the Apple Watch Series 4 and now available on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Watch 4, Withings ScanWatch, and Fitbit Sense smartwatches. [The fact that ECG monitoring is apparently coming to the Fitbit Charge 5 is just the latest example of how wearables are becoming less about arbitrary tracking of activity and more about staying fit. It would not be a great surprise if ECG monitoring, along with other features such as body composition and blood glucose monitoring, are included in more fitness-based wearables in the future.

Indeed, Fitbit Sense already includes the ability to measure blood oxygenation, skin temperature, and skin electrical activity, the latter of which is likely to be included in the Fitbit Charge 5. The latter is also likely to be included in Fitbit Charge 5.

Of course, all of these features require regulatory approval before use and are not as precise as professional medical tools. Nevertheless, the same can be said for the fitness tracking features we have used for years, such as heart rate sensors and calorie expenditure counters.

But that doesn't seem to be all that will be included in the Fitbit Charge 5, and the video posted by Snoopy seems to highlight the service portion of Fitbit's platform. The video Snoopy posted seems to highlight the services portion of Fitbit's platform. In other words, it seems that it could include a "Daily Readiness Score" that makes more recommendations on how much activity you should be doing that day, a "Daily Stress Management score," and a "Health metrics dashboard" to keep track of everything!

The "Health Metrics dashboard" is a great way to track everything.

Naturally, some of these features are likely to be exclusive to Fitbit premium members, and the Fitbit Charge 5 will likely come with a free 6-month membership to the service. According to Snoopy, the tracker itself is $179, which seems to be $50 more than the Fitbit Charge 4.

Snoopy's video also seems to corroborate earlier leaks purportedly showing off the Fitbit Charge 5's design, including a smoother, more curved design and the very first color screen on a Fitbit Charge device. As for when the device will appear, the video gives a rather large date of October 23. In other words, if this official-looking video is legitimate, we can expect the Fitbit Charge 5 to appear in about two months.

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