Smart & Connected Life Smart Watches & Wearables The 7 Best Fitbit Charge 3 Features Decide if this activity tracker is a worthwhile purchase by Jerri Ledford Writer, Editor Jerri L. Ledford has been writing about technology since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Jerri Ledford Updated on October 23, 2020 Smart Watches & Wearables Working From Home Headphones & Ear Buds Smart Home Smart Watches & Wearables Travel Tech Connected Car Tech iPods & MP3 Players Tweet Share Email The Fitbit Charge 3 is one of Fitbit’s top-of-the-line fitness trackers. It retains some of the smartwatch features that are in the most demand, but includes some features you'd expect to find in a more advanced smartwatch. It also includes features that anyone interested in monitoring their fitness might need. Here are some of the best Fitbit Charge 3 features that set it apart from similar devices. 01 of 07 Smartphone Notifications: So You Can Stay Connected Courtesy of Fitbit One of the first questions many people ask when looking at a fitness tracker is, “Can I get my phone calls and text messages on it?” In this case, the answer is you can get notifications for phone calls, text messages, some app notifications, and calendar events on the Fitbit Charge 3. The tracker even has some quick replies that you can send from the device if you’re connected to an Android smartphone. Your smartphone must be within 30 feet of your Fitbit Charge 3 for smartphone notifications to work. 02 of 07 Heart Rate Monitoring: Maximize Your Workouts Courtesy of Fitbit Many fitness trackers now have heart rate monitoring to help maximize workouts, and the Fitbit Charge 3 is one of those. Monitor your resting heart rate, then use that number to maximize your heart rate during workouts to burn more calories. 03 of 07 Female Health Tracking: Know Yourself Better Courtesy of Fitbit Female health can be unpredictable, but with the Fitbit Charge 3, you have the option to track your periods and other health metrics with your fitness tracker and the accompanying app. This data is good for determining what’s normal for you over time and for helping you to manage symptoms, or even with family planning. Don’t need to track female health? You can remove the female health tracking tile. Just tap the Today tab (it looks like a diamond made of dots), then tap Edit. Next, tap the red minus icon next to Female Health and tap Remove. Finally, tap Save to save your changes. 04 of 07 Sleeping Tracking: Improve Your Rest to Improve Your Health Courtesy of Fitbit If you wear your Fitbit tracker when you go to bed each night, the Charge 3 will track your sleep, including how long you’re asleep, how long you spend in each stage of sleep, and how often you wake up during the night. You can track the basics of this information in the Fitbit app, but to really get a clear understanding of how well you rest during each sleep session (and over the longer term), you’ll need to subscribe to the Fitbit Sleep Tracking service. With the subscription, you’ll get deep insight into how restful your sleep is each night. 05 of 07 Relax: Take the Stress Out of Your Day With Guided Breathing Exercises Courtesy of Fitbit If you work in an stressful environment, then you know how important it is to step away and take a few deep breaths. The Fitbit Charge 3 can help. The fitness tracker has a built-in Relax app that walks you through guided breathing exercises to help you slow down, destress, and add some much needed relaxation to your day. These exercises are only a few minutes long, and if used daily, they can help you find the relaxation you need. 06 of 07 Exercise and Goal Tracking: Stay Fit, No Matter What Your Day Brings Courtesy of Fitbit Fitbit is best known as an activity tracker, and if you need something to help you stay on track to reach your health and fitness goals, the Fitbit Charge 3 is a good option. Aside from the constant tracking of your daily steps and automatic recognition of some exercise activities, the Fitbit Charge 3 can also track a variety of exercises and fitness goals. You also have the option to use the Fitbit app to track things like weight, calorie intake, water intake, and active minutes to ensure you’re staying on track. Your Fitbit Charge 3 will automatically track the number of steps you take each hour and if you don’t reach a minimum number of steps (250 is the default), then you’ll get a vibrating reminder about 10 minutes before the hour is over with the number of steps you still need to take during that hour. 07 of 07 NFC Payments: No Need to Take Your Wallet With You Courtesy of Fitbit When you’re out exercising, the last thing you want to do is try to juggle and keep up with a wallet so you’ll have cash, IDs, and credit cards on hand. The Fitbit Charge 3 has Fitbit Pay, which is an NFC payment system that allows you store your credit card and bank information in your Fitbit so you won’t need to carry anything with you when you’re exercising, or when you’ve walked to meet a friend for coffee. The Fitbit Pay capability is only available on the Special Edition Fitbit Charge 3.