The T3 Awards 2020 has an award for the best running watch and one for the best fitness tracker but the Fitbit Charge 4 shows that the lines between the two are gradually blurring. With this A1 fitness band, Fitbit has taken on board some long-standing criticisms of its devices and delivered something that does far more than count 10,000 steps and 40 winks.
Despite this expanded feature set, the Charge 4 is also priced very competitively. Hoorah! Especially when it appears in sales events like the Amazone Prime Day sales.
The main innovations here are GPS and 'Active Zone Minutes' – a system for tracking and scoring you for more intense activity.
Granted, neither of those things are actual innovations since Garmin has offered them for years. What Fitbit has done with Charge 4 is add these more 'hardcore' elements without losing the longstanding popular features and user-friendliness of Fitbits of yore.
The GPS works really well for tracking runs and bike rides making this a great choice for someone going from couch to 5K, or even from 5K to 10K. You could even do a marathon in it at a push, although with GPS battery life of around 5 hours, you'd better get a bit of a move on. Think of it as motivation! Battery life without continuous GPS use is typically impressive at around 7 days.
Active Zone Minutes is currently exclusive to Charge 4 and draws on its more advanced tracking of your heart rate and its 'zones'. Now, you can count steps as always, or set yourself goals for more intense exercise. Using Active Zone Minutes means you score more points for really pushing yourself and no points if your only mode of exercise is a very leisurely stroll.
Sleep tracking, as ever with Fitbit, is more advanced than its rivals, while a blood oxygen monitor could even warn you of previously unknown health issues. All of this is wrapped up in an attractive, discreet and well-built device, backed by Fitbit's ever-excellent app and its burgeoning social and content arms.
There's a large group of fitness seekers that sits between complete beginners and hardcore Crossfit devotees, and the Charge 4 serves them very well indeed. It's the best Fitbit ever and a big leap forward for fitness band-kind.
• See all the winners so far from the T3 Awards 2020