Fitbit’s first fitness tracker since the Google deal is still just a Fitbit

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When Google announced it was buying Fitbit, millions of fitness tracker users started sweating. Google has a long history of buying things to just absorb their IP, so fears regarding Fitbit’s longevity floated around. That doesn’t appear to be the case yet, as the fitness company just announced the Fitbit Charge 4, improving on one of its most popular trackers.

The Fitbit Charge 4 adds built-in GPS, NFC payments, compatibility with Spotify, and active minutes becoming the main focus metric. That means you could technically leave your smartphone at home when you go jogging and still get a map of where you went. You’ll also get heat maps of which parts of your run got your pulse racing the most.

New to the Fitbit app is a tracking metric that measures the time spent in specific heart rate zones, instead of simply counting steps. Active Zone Minutes will tell you if you’re getting the 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week that the World Health Organization and American Heart Association both recommend.

With the Google deal still in regulatory approval stages, we’ll just have to wait to see if the Fitbit name lives on. Until then, there’s the $150 Charge 4, and some free content in the app that used to be behind the Fitbit Premium paywall.

What do you think? Interested in the Fitbit Charge 4? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.