From PC Mag: Fitbit on Wednesday announced the latest addition to its popular Charge line of fitness trackers. The Charge 5 offers a number of design improvements, as well as advanced health-monitoring features previously only available on the company's premium Sense smartwatch.
Priced at $179.99, the Charge 5 costs $30 more than its predecessor, but it's the company's first fitness tracker with an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor and an electrocardiogram (ECG), which are features Fitbit debuted on the $299.95 Sense last fall. The EDA sensor measures small electrical changes in your skin's sweat level to track your body's response to stress. The ECG checks for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFIb), an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other serious complications.
On the design front, the Charge 5 boasts a color touch screen, a major upgrade compared with its predecessor's dated grayscale display. It also features stainless steel panels on the sides that give it a classier look and double as sensors for the ECG and EDA functions.
Fitbit says the Charge 5 is 10% thinner than the previous model, which should make it more comfortable to wear to bed, and the display is twice as bright. It's also Fitbit's first tracker to offer an always-on display option, a feature that comes in handy when you want to glance down at your wrist to check the time. Just keep in mind that enabling the always-on display will undoubtedly affect battery life.
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