Fitbit Inspire HR vs Charge 3 – 5 Key Differences

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With the release of the Inspire duo; the Inspire HR and Inspire, Fitbit fans now have a cheaper alternative to the Charge 3 that was released in 2018. All three trackers are fitness-focused and well equipped to track your active life, but the Charge 3 is more equipped with an altimeter, SpO2 sensor, and NFC chip which the Inspire HR lacks, and that explains the huge difference in prices. Meanwhile, Fitbit Inspire is a lower-end version of the Inspire HR that lacks heart rate tracking, preloaded sport modes, and connected GPS ability. In this post, we take a look at the differences between the Fitbit Inspire HR vs Charge 3 to help make a more informed decision.

Fitbit Inspire HR vs Charge 3 Specifications Compared

 
 
Product Info
Fitbit Inspire HR Specifications and features

Fitbit Inspire HR Specifications, Features and Price

Fitbit Charge 3 Specifications

Fitbit Charge 3 Specifications, Features and Price

Price $109.00 $104.99
ABOUT DEVICE ABOUT DEVICE ABOUT DEVICE
Device name Fitbit Inspire HR Fitbit Charge 3
Device type Fitness smartband Fitness smartband
Gender Unisex Unisex
Release date March, 2019 August, 2018
Predecessor Fitbit Charge 2
Successor Fitbit Charge 4
Versions Fitbit Charge 3 (special edition)
BODY BODY BODY
Dimension 37 x 16.7 x 12.6 mm 38 x 18.3 x 11.8 mm
Weight 20g 30 grams
Shape Rectangular Rectangular
Case material Plastic Resin Plastic Resin
Strap material Silicone Elastomer, Polyester
Bezel material Plastic Resin Plastic Resin
Strap size 140 – 180mm (small), 180 -220mm (big) 140 – 180mm (small), 180 -220mm (big)
Interchangeable strap Yes Yes
Screen protection Corning Gorilla Glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Water resistance Yes, 5ATM Yes, 5ATM
Durability test
Swim-proof Yes, recommended Yes, recommended
Color Black, Lilac, White Black, Lavender, White
DISPLAY DISPLAY DISPLAY
Display size 1.4 inches 1.57 inches
Display type Monochrome, OLED Monochromic, OLED
Display resolution 126 x 36 px
Pixel density
Always on No No
Custom watch face Yes Yes
Input type 1 Physical button, Touchscreen 1 Physical button, Touchscreen
CONNECTIVITY CONNECTIVITY CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth Bluetooth v4.0 Bluetooth v4.0
Bluetooth calling No No
GPS (connected GPS), No (connected GPS), No
NFC No (special edition), Yes
Wi-Fi No No
MEMORY MEMORY MEMORY
RAM
ROM
Memory card slot No No
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY
Technology None None
SIM type None None
Band
NOTIFICATIONS NOTIFICATIONS NOTIFICATIONS
SMS alert Yes Yes
Calls alert Yes Yes
Email alert Yes Yes
Event reminder Yes Yes
Third-party apps alert Yes Yes
Reply to Notifications - -
MEDIA MEDIA MEDIA
Audio No No
Bluetooth music No No
Loudspeaker No No
Microphone No No
Camera No No
Radio No No
SENSORS SENSORS SENSORS
Sensor(s) Vibration motor Vibration motor
ACTIVITY TRACKING ACTIVITY TRACKING ACTIVITY TRACKING
Blood oxygen No Yes
Blood Pressure No No
Calories Yes Yes
Distance Yes Yes
ECG tracking No No
Heart rate monitoring Yes Yes
Sleep tracking Yes Yes
Steps Yes Yes
Floors climbed No Yes
Stress Yes Yes
Fall detection No No
Menstrual cycle Yes Yes
VO2 Max Yes
Swim-tracking Yes Yes
Underwater heart rate tracking No No
On-screen workout No No
Sport modes 15 15
BATTERY BATTERY BATTERY
Battery type non-removable Lithium-polymer non-removable Lithium-polymer
Battery capacity
Battery life Regular: 5 days+, Standby: 8 days+ Regular: 7 days+, Standby:10 days+
Charging type Charging dock Charging dock
Charging time 1-2 hours 2hrs
Solar charging No No
PLATFORM PLATFORM PLATFORM
Chipset
CPU
GPU
Operating system Fitbit OS Fitbit OS
MISC MISC MISC
Companion app Fitbit App Fitbit App
Compatibility Android, iOS Android, iOS
Payment system None Fitbit Pay
Voice command No No
Find my phone Yes Yes
Box content Charger, Fitbit Inspire HR, Manual, Straps Charger, Fitbit Charge 3, Manual, Straps

Which is Better?

Fitbit Inspire HR vs Charge 3
Fitbit Charge 3 is a better smartband than Inspire HR (Source: Fitbit)
The Inspire HR and Charge 3 are the same in many instances. Both have a plastic resin build paired with replaceable silicone straps. Both are also very compact and lightweight. The display type is also the same, except that the screen of the Inspire HR is tinted to complement the color of the case. This however doesn’t change the fact that it has a monochrome OLED display.

In the fitness section, both smartbands are equipped to track your steps, calories, sleep in four stages, and heart rate. Both trackers also come with 15 preloaded sports modes and feature a breathing app that can help you reduce stress by guiding you through a breathing session. These two also lack inbuilt GPS, but however, can still map your routes and locations as long as you carry your phone along.

And with any of these two, you will get alerted when you receive a message on your phone. Notification alert has to be enabled in the Fitbit app and your phone must be nearby to receive message alerts.

These are all the similarities between Charge 3 and Inspire HR. Now let’s take a look at the differences.

  • While each of these two will alert you when you receive a message on your phone, only Charge 3 will allow you to reply to messages with preset quick replies. You get to select from a maximum of 5 preset replies which are also customizable.
  • The Charge 3 features an altimeter that enables it to count floors climbed. This is not possible with Inspire HR.
  • The Charge 3 can also monitor your blood oxygen during sleep which you can view from the Fitbit app when you wake up.
  • Furthermore, the Charge 3 has a slightly longer battery life than Inspire HR. It gets you about 7 days of battery life compared to 5 days with the Inspire HR.
  • The special edition of the Charge 3 is equipped with an NFC chip that enables Fitbit Pay – a non-contactless payment system that allows you to make payments directly from the tracker without your card.

Bottom line: Although quite more expensive, the Charge 3 is a more comprehensive smartwatch with NFC that supports Fitbit Pay. It’s also a more comprehensive activity tracker with an altimeter and SpO2 sensor, this enables it to count floors climbed as well as measure your blood oxygen during sleep. It also has longer battery life.

On the flip side, the Inspire HR is a cheaper alternative.