Top Tech: Fitbit Charge 6 versus Pixel Watch 3 as up to £150 cut off price

Which is the best option for fitness buyers as sales come to an end?

Google bought Fitbit in 2021 and has slowly been integrating Fitbit skills into more of its products. That’s seen the Pixel Watch 3 appear as one of the best Fitbit devices available for those wanting a fitness watch.

But on the other hand (pun absolutely intended) is the Fitbit Charge 6. This stalwart of the fitness band era was launched in 2023, while the Pixel Watch 3 landed in 2024. Both these devices have serious discounts at the tail end of Black Friday deals.

That sees the Fitbit Charge 6 come in at £88 on Amazon, a saving of £51.99, and the Pixel Watch 3 at £199 on Amazon, a saving of £150. One is more affordable, one is a bigger discount – and both are the cheapest they have ever been.

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But which is better and how do they compare? The biggest difference between the Fitbit Charge 6 and the Pixel Watch 3 – apart from the price – is the type of device.

The Fitbit Charge 6 is a band, so it’s slimmer, with a smaller display. That means it’s less intrusive and less noticeable on the wrist, and as a consequence can almost be forgotten about when wearing. The Fitbit Charge 6 is also easy to sleep in, because it’s a more compact device – while the battery lasts all week.

The Pixel Watch 3, however, has a round watch face, giving more space for interaction and information, so the display is a lot more useful. It’s easier to tap and control and it offers many more functions. The downside is that it’s larger, more obvious and more expensive – and the battery only lasts about a day.

Ultimately, the Fitbit Charge 6 could be worn on the other wrist when wearing a normal watch, but the Pixel Watch 3 is your watch.

Aside from the physical difference, there’s a lot more going on here, so I’ll start with the hardware. From the table it’s easy to see that these device have a lot in common. They are both centred around heart rate and motion tracking, they both have a GPS for accurate location, speed and distance tracking and both offer features like activity tracking, steps and sleep.

Here’s a quick table comparing the Fitbit Charge 6 and the Pixel Watch 3 (41mm).

Fitbit Charge 6

Pixel Watch 3

Type

Band

Watch

Screen

1.04in, 184 x 276 pixels

1.4in, 456 x 456 pixels

Battery

7 days

24 hours

Sensors

GPS, heart rate, ECG, temp, SpO2, motion

GPS, heart rate, cEDA, temp, SpO2, gyro, altimeter, motion, compass

Weight

30g

31g

Waterproofing

5ATM

5ATM, IP68

Both use the same system for reporting sleep, and while Fitbit is free, there are more advanced features available as part of Fitbit Premium for greater insights into what the data means. I’ve been using the Fitbit Charge 6 for more than a year, and there’s enough information without that subscription – so don’t worry about that.

Health tracking features

Armed with sensors, both devices use an optical heart rate sensor that provides data on heart health, offering high and low heart rate notifications, irregular heart rhythm notifications and featuring an ECG app. The Pixel Watch 3 also offers AFib detection.

Both can sense skin temperature changes (which can be used for cycle tracking), while both offer SpO2 – or blood oxygen tracking – as well as heart rate variability and breathing rate, all of which can provide indicators about how well rested you are.

This can highlight when you need more rest, when you might be getting ill as well as when you’re fully rested and should get out and exercise.

The Pixel Watch 3 goes further, offering a full range of emergency features, like loss of pulse detection, emergency sharing, fall detection and more. Fitbit has none of these features.

Fitness tracking features

Both devices will track a full range of activities with manual or automatic tracking. Step tracking, calorie tracking and goal setting are included, but the Pixel Watch 3 will also track floors climbed.

The Pixel Watch 3 is more advanced in fitness features, offering heart zone and pace training, as well as cardio load data, and a number of advanced running features, including additional guidance and recommendations. It’s a better device for runners, basically, with that screen also better for glanceable information.

Smartwatch functions

On top of fitness and health, both devices connect to a smartphone to provide notifications, although these are obviously pretty small on the Fitbit’s display. Both also offer Google Wallet for payments, Google Maps and YouTube Music controls – but then the Pixel Watch 3 races away with a lot more.

Pixel Watch offers access to the Gemini voice assistant, Google Play apps, Pixel Recorder, and it can control the Pixel camera and be used as a Google TV remote or view Nest cameras.

That makes the Pixel Watch 3 a much more comprehensive device – it’s bigger, more expensive, but it’s also much more fully featured. It will be more useful to those wanting full watch functions, especially those interested in running and wanting more information than the Fitbit can offer.

The Fitbit Charge 6, on the other hand, is smaller and more compact, able to be worn as a secondary device with better battery life and is more practical for sleep tracking.

That’s the watches rounded up in terms of features and capabilities. As the tech deals continue, there is a standout offer for Samsung fans – for shoppers who’d like to consider a Galaxy Watch.

Anyone in need of a phone upgrade can get a free Galaxy Watch 8 when they buy a Samsung S25. As part of Sky Mobile’s Black Friday deals, it ends this Thursday, December 4.