Fitbit Luxe vs Charge 5
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Quick Summary
Similarities
Differences
Verdict
Summary
Fitbit Charge 5 (left) and Luxe.
The Fitbit Charge 5 is a marginally better device than the Luxe. It has a slightly larger and brighter screen, longer battery life, and an ECG app for assessing heart rhythm. Outside of that, the Luxe matches the Charge 5 in features, and doesn’t fall far behind it in terms of tracking performance and operating speed.
Similarities
Both the Luxe and Charge 5 can do the following fitness tracking features:
Heart rate monitoring (the Charge 5 performs better here, however)
Step and distance tracking
Workout tracking
Sleep monitoring
Detailed information about each of the above can be found in the Fitbit app and both devices sync using Bluetooth. The more budget Luxe will serve you well if these are the only things you’re looking for.
Post-workout stats on the Luxe.
Differences
The ECG app is exclusive to the Charge 5.
Unless you favor a smaller device, every difference between these fitness trackers favors the Charge 5. Here’s what sets it apart:
More information can be displayed on the larger Charge 5.
Display. The Charge 5 has a larger and brighter display. The Charge 5’s screen size is 0.58” x 0.86”. The Luxe’s isn’t listed officially, but I measured it to be about 0.5” x 0.75”.
Battery life. The Charge 5 lasts up to 7 days vs 5 on the Luxe.
GPS. The Charge 5 has a built-in GPS, but the Luxe requires the use of your phone to use a GPS.
Heart rate tracking. The Charge 5 doesn’t have the most accurate heart rate tracking (in comparison to say the Versa 4), but the Luxe occasionally can be off by 30+ BPM.
ECG. The Charge 5 has an ECG app for analyzing your heart rhythm.
Fit. The Charge 5 has a wider wrist strap that’s easier to adjust.
Speed. The Charge 5 more responsive and snappier. Occasionally, my Luxe simply would refuse to wake up even after several taps.
A difference of 50 BPM! While doing manual labor in 85 degrees, I was definitely way above 70 BPM.
Usually these devices stay pretty close, however.
Verdict
I recommend the Fitbit Luxe over the Charge 5. The Charge 5 is the better device specs wise with a slightly larger, brighter screen and longer battery life. The heart rate tracking is also better. However, the price increase isn’t worth the minor improvements, and the Luxe has almost the exact same set of features.
If you want a significant improvement over the Luxe, I recommend the Fitbit Versa 4. I’ve compared it to the Charge 5 in a separate article.
