I got my FitBit One in June 2014 as part of our work’s wellness program. In other words , I didn’t pay for it. After winning the first challenge (which ended in early December 2014), I wanted to buy the newly announced Charge HR – which has a Heart Rate Monitor. It only became available in Romania in early March – and it would have cost too much to get it from Amazon (either US or UK).

The differences:

– FitBit One does NOT have Heart Rate Monitor
– Fitbit One does NOT have Caller ID
– FitBit One needs to be “told” to track the sleep (whereas Charge HR goes in sleep mode on its own)
– FitBit One is a “clip on” device, while Charge HR is a band / wrist watch.

The similarities:

– both track: steps taken, stair climbed, calories, distance
– both show the time
– both have silent alarms

Note: as of December 2015, FitBit Charge HR automatically detects some exercises, including walking and jogging.

After wearing my new FitBit Charge HR I discovered that the calorie estimates FitBit One gave me for my level of activity and based on my stats (age, height, weight) are higher. I average a lot in the 1900-2000 cal per day (including BMR) while the One gave me the estimates around 1600-1800 cal.

While it says that Charge HR should could steps when you have your hand ON the treadmill’s arm rest or while pushing a shopping cart…it doesn’t do this for me. I tried on the treadmill and had to start moving my arms as when I am jogging to record. But when I hold hands with hubby, it tracks the steps.

I absolutely dislike the food log on FitBit so I linked my Sparkpeople account with my FitBit and I can track my food on Sparkpeople – which I’ve been a major fan since April 2006.

I do find the Charge HR much easier to wear than the One. I used to clip the One to my sports bra and I was always in the habit of checking if it’s still there. But the Charge HR is a wrist watch which makes it easier to keep eyes on.

The battery lasts a lot less on the Charge HR. I used to get up to 14 days – yup! – on a single charge using my One but only 3-4 days on my Charge HR. Sure, the HR has the HRM and I wear it to sleep but I still find the battery life pretty short on a single charge. I prefer to charge it on my laptop’s USB port but I also use my cell’s wall plugged charger for this.

While I don’t have any problems with the syncing – I only sync it to my laptop via the wi-fi dongle or with my Android cell via bluetooth – , Alex has problems syncing with his Windows Phone (Lumia 1020). Apparently it is FitBit’s app which is faulty on some Windows devices (from what we read online).

I do love the caller ID function* . It’s a lifesaver for me because I keep my cell in my backpack and it can ring as much as it wants cause when I am on the street, I never hear it. But now I FEEL when it rings. Cause my Charge HR vibrates.

It also vibrates when you get to your steps goal (for me 10,000 steps) so It’s really nice to feel it.

The reviews I’ve read about Charge HR before purchasing said that the device was the sturdiest on the market. Well, mine is, Alex’s not so much. Came with a defect and basically the right hand side margin of the display “clicks” (as if there’s another button there – and there isn’t). But I talked to FitBit via emails and they are sending a replacement.

Do I recommend Charge HR ? Yes, if you are after the functions which the One does NOT have (Caller ID and HRM). That’s the reason I got it in the first place. I could have gotten a HRM from Polar for a lot less but why wear two gadgets?! If you only need a pedometer, then even the much cheaper Zip would do the job.

A full week with my FitBit Charge HR. Stats

Prices (as on the FitBit website):
Zip USD 59.95
One USD 99.95
Flex USD 99.95
Charge USD 129.95
Charge HR USD 149.85**
Surge HR USD 249.95

Notes:
* to be able to use caller ID you need your cell to have bluetooth 4.0 and make sure to enable bluetooth and location (otherwise you won’t get any notifications)

** I paid 150 EUR in Romania (bought from Orange Shop, which is cheaper than the sites I checked, such as Emag)