Fitbit Charge 5 Is Now Available, But Key Features Are Still Coming

Smart fitness bands are a dime a dozen these days, but Fitbit's name still stands at the top. Offering more features than you can probably remember, Fitbit's advanced trackers can now do more than just monitor your activity. With the Fitbit Charge 5, the Google-owned company is offering a more holistic overview of your health even during those times you shouldn't be active at all. The wearable is now finally available for purchase, but there are a few caveats you might want to take note of before buying one immediately.

Fitbit calls the Charge 5 its most advanced fitness and health tracker yet, and that's because of the sensors inside that enable new apps and experiences. For the first time in its tracker lineup, the Charge 5 features an EDA (Electrodermal Activity) sensor alongside ECG (Electrocardiogram). In addition to tracking things like heart rate, sleep, and heart rhythm, the EDA sensor also gives an indirect appraisal of the wearer's stress levels.

The Fitbit Charge 5 also introduces a new Daily Readiness score that measures your exercise, sleep, and heart rate variability. Taking these factors into account, it will determine whether today is OK for more exercise or if you should try to take a day off instead.

While the Fitbit Charge 5 is now available for purchase, these two flagship features are still marked as coming soon. There is no date yet for their availability, so that might factor into your decision to shell out $179.95 for the fitness tracker immediately. When they do arrive, however, the Daily Readiness app will still require a Fitbit Premium subscription.

Along with the Charge 5's availability, Fitbit is also launching the Calm fitness app for Premium subscribers. The app offers 30 curated relaxation and meditation pieces to help users sleep or reduce stress levels. It can even work with the Fitbit Charge 5's EDA Scan app to really show how much these mindfulness sessions can help reduce stress.