Fitbit Blaze vs Fitbit Charge: Which One Should You Buy?

Getting healthy and staying healthy is important to many people, and one way to start this journey is to use a fitness tracker. Perhaps the most recognizable tracker manufacturer on the planet is Fitbit, which offers fantastic options for helping people stay active. Two of these options, the Blaze and the Charge, include various features which track and evaluate your health and activity.

But how do these two fitness trackers compare with one another? And which one makes the most sense for you? Read our comparison for these two health trackers to learn more about what they have to offer.

Main Differences Between Fitbit Blaze and Fitbit Charge

While these two fitness trackers have a lot in common, there are also a few key differences between the two you should be aware of. These include:

• Design – The Blaze is a device that looks a lot like a smartwatch. It has an octagonal face and rectangular, color touchscreen. By comparison, the charge is the quintessential FitBit design. It is slim and sleek and has an OLED screen which helps to reduce glare.
• Motivation – If you need help getting up and moving, the Blaze has the features you need. It includes an app with multiple coaching modes, so you’ll have the motivation needed to get up and get going. Unfortunately, the Charge does not offer this feature.
• Music – For those that like to have tunes playing while they work out, you’ll want to stick with the Blaze. This smartwatch lets you control your music as you get fit, which the Charge does not support.
• Third-party Apps – Another difference between the two devices is the support of third-party applications. If you like getting alerts from Twitter and Facebook, then you’ll want to go with the Blaze, since the Charge does not support this feature.

Fitbit Blaze vs. Charge

The Fitbit Blaze and the Fitbit Charge are excellent devices which can help you find the motivation and drive you need to get into shape. These two user-centric fitness trackers are chock full of features and capabilities that make Fitbit the well-known company it is today. Of course, they have their own advantages and disadvantages as well.

Here’s our deeper dive into how the Fitbit Blaze and the Charge compare with one another.

Design and Display

When it comes to the differences between these two devices, design and display are perhaps the most significant. The Fitbit Blaze and Fitbit Charge are vastly different in appearance. The Charge, for example, looks more like a fitness accessory. It has the sleek and slim design that is often associated with a Fitbit device.

The Blaze, on the other hand, looks more like a smartwatch. It’s octagonal, LCD color touchscreen display offers bright colors that stand out against the black background. There are three buttons located on the device and interacting with them is simple and easy. The Charge, however, only has an OLED display which is built into the wrist band.

You can get the Charge in one of four colors: Black, Blue, Plum, and Teal.  Stainless Stell surrounds the display, however, users can get special edition versions if they want to change things up. Also available are Lavender and Rose colors, as well as Black and Gunmetal.

The Blaze comes in Black, Blue, and Plum. Unfortunately, the Teal option is unavailable for this device. There is one special edition design for purchase: a Slim Pink Gold Plated option. While colors might be important for some people, it’s the difference in design between these devices that makes them stand apart from one another.

With the Blaze, you’re getting a solid design which allows you to wear the device any place you go, including the office. The Blaze offers an attractive design, whereas the Charge is clearly made to look like a fitness tracker. It’s a comfortable fit, however, it may not look right when paired with your work clothes.

You can always change the look of the Charge with its various colors and designs available, but we’d argue that at the end of the day, the Blaze just looks better. One last thing to keep in mind is that neither of these devices are waterproof. If you were hoping to track your swimming workouts, you may as well forget about it. Both the Blaze and the Charge as splashproof, so you can work out in the rain, but don’t take it in the pool with you or you’ll have to buy another one.

Features

There are plenty of features available with either the Fitbit Blaze or the Charge. Here’s a look at some of the options we really like.

Battery Life

Both the Blaze and the Charge include a lithium-polymer battery. You’ll get up to 5 days of battery life out of either of these devices. However, remember that battery life depends heavily upon settings, usage, and other factors, so even though it says 5 days, your experience might be less than that.

On the plus side, since these devices don’t have built-in GPS, they won’t be constantly pinging for geolocation. As a result, it makes sense that these fitness trackers can claim up to 5 days of battery. It only takes a few hours to charge each tracker, which is something you should do every few days, just to avoid your battery inadvertently dying while you’re in the middle of a workout.

If you were hoping battery life would be a distinguishing factor between these two devices, we have some bad news for you: they’re basically the same. Both trackers are durable and don’t require a lot of extra attention from you outside of plugging it in to charge every few days.

Activity

The Blaze and Charge both continuously keep track of your activity. Neither device offers the multiple sports feature that other fitness trackers have. However, these trackers are extremely useful for tracking activities like biking, weightlifting, running, or yoga. When your day is over, you’ll have information regarding how many steps you took, how far you traveled, how many floors you climbed, how long you were stationary versus how long you were active, and how many calories you burned.

Plus, each tracker will remind you when it’s time to get moving. You’ll set a specific daily activity goal, and notifications will gently remind you that you need to be more active to meet your objective. Don’t worry about interruptions while you sleep though. These trackers allow you to rest while they track and record your sleep patterns.

Both the Blaze and the Charge have the ability to distinguish between Light, Deep, and REM stages of your sleep. Plus, you can set an alert to let you know when it’s time to get some extra rest. Your tracker can also wake you up gently. When it’s time to start your day, it will slowly vibrate to let you know it’s time to rise and shine.

You’ll also have the option of using Fitbit’s guided breath functionality. Inhaling and exhaling deeply at certain times throughout the day provides additional oxygen to your body so you can feel relaxed and stress-free.

You’ll also get Female Health tracking with both trackers. This feature lets you analyze, monitor, and predict your ovulation and period cycles. No matter what you’re doing, both the Blaze and Charge have the ability to provide as much (or as little) information as you want. While the sporting activities seem a little sparse, these trackers provide in-depth analysis or your workout summaries while tracking real-time stats right on your wrist.

Smart Notifications and Features

To begin this section, well talk about the FitStar Application, which is only available on the Fitbit Blaze. This app is an excellent way to do some exercises at home without needing to purchase additional equipment. With the FitStar app, you’ll get training and workout plans that feel as though you’re getting feedback from a real coach.

There are three primary phases when you’re ready to workout: Warming Up, a 7-minute workout, and a 10-minutes abs routine. Each phase has the specific drills and exercises meant to target various muscle groups, which helps you get into shape. Unfortunately, this is a feature which the Charge does not have.

When it comes to smart features, the Blaze has a bit of an advantage over the Charge. The bigger display on the Blaze allows you to interact with your notifications in an easier manner. You’ll still get text notifications with the Charge, however, the Blaze allows for richer alerts and notifications. In this regard, the Charge just doesn’t stack up.

While it’s always nice to be able to see notifications on a larger screen, the Blaze also support third-party applications like Twitter and Facebook. You’ll receive alerts for these apps just like you do with your text messages and emails.

One last advantage the Blaze holds over the Charge is the ability to control music playing on your smartphone. With the Blaze, you can play, pause or skip songs, as well as increase or decrease the sound. The Charge, unfortunately, does not offer this functionality.

Heart Rate and Tracking

Both the Fitbit Blaze and the Fitbit Charge has built-in PurePulse and Heart Rate monitors. The PurePulse feature, which is a proprietary FitBit app, has four main areas on which it focuses when it comes to your health: Manage Stress, Optimize Exercise, Reach Weight Goals, and Track Health and Fitness.

This is a great feature to have simply because monitoring your heart rate provides various opportunities to understand and analyze data surrounding your health. Since the built-in Heart Rate monitor runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it can get an idea of how many calories you burn on a regular basis, then begin to help you reach your weight goals without overexertion.

Both devices allow you to check your Heart Rate Zones, which tell you when you’re using fat as fuel. This increases your cardio-fitness levels, which aids in boosting your intensity. As a result, you’ll see improvements in your overall health. That’s why you’re considering a fitness tracker, isn’t it?

Some would argue that having a chest strap is a better way to keep track of your heart rate. While it’s true that you’ll get a more accurate reading with a chest strap, who wants to wear one all the time? The Fitbit Blaze and Charge do a great job of monitoring your heart rate, whether you’re sitting down or in the middle of a workout. Even though the accuracy is not always perfect, these devices do their job.

One area of improvement for these devices is with built-in GPS. Neither the Blaze nor the Charge offer this functionality, which means you have to connect your smartphone to your tracker when you’re ready to workout.

Comparison Chart

In our comparison chart, we’ve highlighted some of the more prominent features available on the Fitbit Blaze and Fitbit Charge. These devices offer many options with great value. Here’s a high-level look at how these two wearables stack up against one another.

 

Fitbit Blaze vs. Fitbit Charge – Our Verdict

We’ve shown you some of the advantages and disadvantages of the Fitbit Blaze and the Fitbit Charge throughout this article. Both wearables are durable, provide excellent features, are great for tracking your activities and heart rate, and will last you nearly 5 days on a single charge. Unfortunately, with a comparison, there needs to be a winner.

However, keep in mind that the tracker we select does not mean it’s right for you. Monitoring your health in an individual decision, so be sure you’re selecting one based on your needs. These two fitness trackers have a lot in common, so the decision comes down to which features you can or cannot live without.

Basic features like step counting, distance traveled, and calories burned are a draw when talking about the Fitbit Blaze and the Fitbit Charge. But if you want advanced features like the FitStar app, third-party notifications, and music control, then the clear winner is the Fitbit Blaze. While it does cost a bit more for the extra features, we believe it’s worth it to have the larger screen size and additional functionality. It would be nice if the GPS didn’t rely on your smartphone or the tracker were waterproof, but for the money you pay, the Fitbit Blaze is a solid option.