Fitbit Charge 4 vs Fitbit Inspire 2 – Which is the right fitness wearable for you?

As summer rolls around, bringing with it nice weather (hopefully...), many people will be feeling the itch to get out and active. If you are such a person, you might be looking for the best Fitbit fitness wearable to track exercise, heart rate, and so on. Today, we're comparing two excellent bands: Fitbit Charge 4 and Fitbit Inspire 2.

When we say fitness band, we're talking about something that is distinct from the more smartwatch-y style of wearables popularised by the Apple Watch and represented by the Fitbit Versa 3. Fitness bands are more minimal, lacking the larger display, and are therefore a lot cheaper. 

Many people prefer a more minimal fitness wearable, and we're inclined to agree that there's something nice about the smaller, sleek design. Plus, they're lighter and blend seamlessly with more outfits. Let's jump into the comparison between Fitbit Charge 4 and Fitbit Inspire 2. 

Fitbit Charge 4 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: Features

Both the Fitbit Charge 4 and Fitbit Inspire 2 are fitness bands, not fitness smartwatches, and so feature a more minimal design and, importantly, a smaller monochromatic display, which shows the time, steps, heart rate, and so on. Both connect to your smartphone via iOS and Android apps. 

The first big advantage goes to the Charge 4, which has built-in GPS, making tracking your location and movement more precisely much easier. The Inspire 2 can piggyback off your smartphone GPS, but if GPS really matters to you, the Charge 4 is easily the better choice. 

However, when it comes to battery life, the simpler Inspire 2 bests the Charge 4, putting in 10 days of usage to seven days, likely due to the GPS. In most other ways, the two are very comparable: waterproof, smartphone notifications, sleep tracking tools, 24/7 heart rate tracking, and so on. 

Fitbit Charge 4 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: Design

The aesthetic differences between the Charge 4 and Inspire 2 are fairly small. Both weigh in at 30 grams and have roughly the same dimensions. The Inspire 2 has a less sleek design to our eyes, with a clear differentiation between the strap and the device itself, while Charge 4 looks a lot sleeker and has a more seamless blend between the device and the strap. 

Both come in a few colour options: black, white, rosewood, and grey. The differences are only small, though, as both conform to the smaller, sleeker look afforded by the lack of squared-off touchscreen found in the Versa models. 

Fitbit Charge 4 vs Fitbit Inspire 2: Price 

This is probably the most important point of comparison for most people. For almost everything besides GPS, the Charge 4 and Inspire 2 are directly comparable. 

Unsurprisingly given the Charge 4 is newer and comes with GPS, it's also the more expensive of the two, retailing for £129.99/approx. AU$180 at most places. The Inspire 2 is the cheapest Fitbit on offer, retailing for £89.99/approx. AU$150. If you're very price-conscious, the Inspire 2 will likely serve all of your needs.

If you have a little extra cash to splash, we'd probably recommend the Charge 4 just because it's been updated more recently, has a few extra features, and so on. Both models can often be found with big discounts, though, so keep an eye out for a discounted Charge 4 to snap up.