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Fitbit Charge 4 leak reveals built-in GPS and new fitness tracking features

Fitbit Charge 4 leak reveals built-in GPS and new fitness tracking features

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The biggest missing feature comes to Fitbit’s best band

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Fitbit’s upcoming Charge 4 fitness tracker broke cover earlier in March, revealing a design that was virtually identical to the 2018 Charge 3 model, but a newly leaked promotional video posted by Roland Quandt has revealed what makes the Charge 4 different — including the addition of built-in GPS, one of the biggest missing features from the old model.

The video — which The Verge has translated from Dutch — also reveals that Fitbit is adding a host of new fitness features to the Charge 4 (as one would expect from an updated Fitbit), including the ability to show training intensity on a map after a workout and how many minutes users have spent in “Pulse Zones,” where a user was particularly active.

The GPS is definitely the biggest feature, allowing users to track runs, cycling trips, and more without requiring that they tether to a phone. This should make the Charge 4 even more useful for fitness tracking.

Also new is the already-rumored addition of NFC for Fitbit Pay payments, something that the company has previously offered on pricier “special edition” models of its Charge trackers but not as a default option.

GPS and NFC come standard now

All of the existing features from the old Charge 3 are still here: you can track your statistics for exercises in real time, get basic notifications from your phone, take advantage of smartwatch features like timers, sleep tracking, and alarms, and control music off your phone. It’s also still water resistant to 50 meters and supports swim tracking.

Notably missing is any mention of Google-specific features. Although considering that Google announced that it was buying Fitbit in a $2.1 billion deal last November, it’s likely too early for that sort of integration to appear in actual products.

According to an additional leak from WinFuture, the Charge 4 will cost €149, while Fitbit Charge 4 SE will cost €169 — but unlike past models, where the SE version featured NFC support that the standard model did not, the only difference here is that the SE model will include more bands in the box. There’s no word yet on US pricing or a release date (although if past trends hold up, the two models will likely cost $149 and $169), but at the rate that leaks are coming, it will likely only be a matter of time before Fitbit makes it official.

Update March 27th, 9:58am ET: Added additional details and pricing information from WinFuture.