Fitbit Inspire 3 and Charge 6 are excellent watches with various advanced health tracking features, including heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring, and much more.
Below, we are going to compare these smartwatches on pricing, design, health and fitness tracking, smartwatch features, and battery life to help you decide which one fits your needs and budget.
Fitbit Inspire 3 vs Charge 5: Pricing
The Fitbit Inspire 3 was launched in September 2022 with a price tag of $99. But currently, the price has dropped to $79. The device only comes in black but offers three different band colours — black, lilac, and morning glow.
The Fitbit Charge 6 was launched in October 2023 and comes with a price tag of $159, which is $80 more than the Inspire 3. It comes in black, champagne gold/coral, and silver/white colorways.
Fitbit Inspire 3 vs Charge 5: Comparison
| Device name | Fitbit Inspire 3 | Fitbit Charge 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Device type | Smartwatch | Smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | September, 2022 | August, 2021 |
| Predecessor | Fitbit Inspire 2 | Fitbit Charge 4 |
| Versions | Standard edition | Standard edition |
| Body | ||
| Dimension | 39.4 x 18.5 x 11.7 mm | 36.7 x 23.1 x 11.2 mm |
| Weight | 18 grams | 30 grams |
| Shape | Rectangle | Rectangle |
| Case material | Aluminium | Matte Plastic |
| Strap material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Bezel material | — | — |
| Strap size | — | — |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass | Protected Glass |
| Water resistance | Yes, 50 metres | Yes, 50 metres |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Display | ||
| Display size | 0.86 X 0.58 inch | 0.7 x 0.5 inch |
| Display type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Display resolution | — | — |
| Pixel density | 101 ppi | 326 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | Touchscreen | Touchscreen |
| Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | No | No |
| GPS | No | Yes |
| NFC | No | Fitbit Pay |
| Wi-Fi | No | No |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | — | — |
| ROM | — | — |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| Cellular Connectivity | ||
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| Band | — | — |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | No | No |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | No | No |
| Compass | No | No |
| ECG | No | Yes |
| Gyroscope | No | No |
| HRM | No | No |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | Yes | Yes |
| Thermometer | No | No |
| Battery | ||
| Battery type | non-removable Lithium-polymer | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | — | — |
| Battery life | 10 days | 7 days |
| Charging type | Plug Charger | Plug Charger |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
Fitbit Inspire 3 vs Charge 5: Design and Display
Both devices resemble a fitness tracker design while offering a lightweight metallic build, providing comfort and durability. The 0.86 x 0.58-inch screen is housed in an aluminium case with Corning Gorilla Glass on top. In contrast, the Fitbit Inspire 3 boasts a slightly smaller 0.7 x 0.5 inch screen, housed in a matte plastic case with protected glass on top. Both have bright and crisp OLED displays that are easy to read, even in direct sunlight.
The Inspire 3 measures 39.4 x 18.54 x 11.7 mm and weighs 18 grams, while the Charge 6 measures 36.7 x 23.1 x 11.2 mm and weighs 30 grams. Both fitness trackers are lightweight, so you can wear them for an extended period without feeling them on your wrist, either while working out or during sleep.
Both have haptic buttons on the side, with two on both sides of the Fitbit Inspire 3 and one on the left side of the Fitbit Charge 6, making it easier to use while working out. While both devices offer touchscreen support, the buttons help to get back to the main watch face or change the watch screen.
Both trackers can survive being submerged underwater up to 50 metres and can be used while swimming or showering.
Fitbit Inspire 3 vs Charge 5: Health Tracking
When it comes to health tracking, both devices offer various features, but the Fitbit Charge 6 excels at this.
Both have heart rate tracking, SpO2 (blood oxygen) monitoring, stress tracking, skin temperature tracking, and much more. Both offer advanced sleep tracking and track your sleep in multiple stages (light, deep, and REM). They track time spent sleeping and nuances during sleep — using heart rate patterns to estimate your sleep stage. Plus, offer a sleep score to help you get a better understanding of your sleep with a score from 0–100.
If you choose to buy a Fitbit premium membership, you can get a deeper insight into your sleep. Like an analysis of sleep stages, sleeping heart rate, and guided programmes to improve your sleep. This way, you can get a deeper understanding of your sleep schedule and make improvements to get the most out of it.
There’s more to the Fitbit premium; both offer daily readiness scores, which you can use to get insights into your recovery. It uses your recent activity, sleep, and heart rate variability (HRV) levels against your personal baseline to provide a score from 0–100. The higher score means you are ready for high-intensity workouts, and the lower score means your body is fatigued, which could be due to poor sleep, stress, or strain on the body.
Apart from these, the Charge 6 features ECG tracking, which monitors your irregular heart rhythms to detect signs of atrial fibrillation, or AFib. The Inspire 3 can track irregular heart rhythm but doesn’t offer an ECG. Plus, you can also perform an EDA scan on the Charge 6, which is not available on the Inspire 3.
Fitbit Inspire 3 vs Charge 5: Fitness Tracking
If we talk about fitness tracking, both can track basic activities like steps, distance travelled, and calories burned. But there is more to it.
The Charge 6 can track over 40 sports modes, including swimming, running, walking, and more, while the Inspire 3 can track only six sports. But you can choose from 21 different sports modes on Inspire 3 via the Fitbit app. Additionally, you can set up a pace for walks, rides, and running right from your wrist on the Charge 6, but it requires a smartphone to do the same on the Inspire 3.
They also feature Active Zone Minutes, which track your time in heart rate zones, providing credit when you work harder. Cardio and peak zones earn double credit. It is recommended by the American Heart Association, the Centres for Disease Control, and the World Health Organisation to perform at least 150 minutes of activity every week.
In terms of GPS tracking, the Fitbit Charge 6 has built-in GPS, which offers more accurate readings in demanding situations. This feature is not available in the Fitbit Inspire 3; instead, it uses Bluetooth to connect to your smartphone’s GPS to track your pace on a run or during a bike ride.
Fitbit Inspire 3 vs Charge 5: Features
When it comes to smartwatch features, these devices do not offer much, and who buys a fitness tracker for YouTube or notifications anyway? While you can get call, text, and app notifications on the Fitbit Inspire 3, on the Fitbit Charge 6, you get a few additional features.
The Charge 6 comes with integrated Google Maps support, plus you can use Google Wallet to store your credit or debit cards for contactless payments. It also has Google Music support, so you can listen to music directly on your wrist. Neither of these features is available on the Inspire 3. But make sure you have a Google account to use these features.
Fitbit Inspire 3 vs Charge 5: Battery Life
In terms of battery life, both devices offer decent batteries to go for a few days between charges. The Charge 6 can last for about 7 days on a single charge, while the Inspire 3 can go for up to 10 days before needing to plug it again.
But battery life is highly dependent on individual usage, and features like an always-on display and GPS tracking drain the battery faster.
Verdict
So, which should you buy between the Fitbit Charge 6 and the Fitbit Inspire 3? There’s no doubt that it’s going to be the Fitbit Charge 6. For only $60 more, you get a built-in GPS, advanced health tracking, and a slightly bigger display. Plus, you can also use Google products like Google Wallet and Music.
But if you are on a budget but still want basic tracking like steps, distance, heart rate, and blood oxygen monitoring, you can still go for the Inspire 3.
But individuals with no budget restrictions will find Charge 6 to be a better choice for them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does the Fitbit Inspire 3 have an ECG?
No, it can detect and alert you to any irregular heart rhythms, but it does not have an ECG capability. However, if you really want an ECG, you can go for the Fitbit Charge 5.
Does Fitbit Inspire 3 play music?
No, it does not have music playback support, so you can’t listen to music on the Inspire 3.
Does the Inspire 3 have GPS?
No, it lacks the built-in GPS that you get on other Fitbit trackers like the Fitbit Charge 5.
Is the Fitbit Charge 5 waterproof?
Yes, it can withstand being submerged underwater up to 50 metres, meaning you can use it for swimming too.
Can Fitbit Charge 5 make calls?
No, it lacks a built-in speaker and a microphone, so you can’t call. However, you can receive calls coming on your smartphone from your wrist, but your phone must be nearby and connected to Bluetooth.