this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
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I have two Fitbit Charge devices. I took two months off using it. I went to go use them, one will simply not boot (turns on for 1/2 seconds and shuts off) and the other now will only stay charged for a few hours and dies. I'm not sure what's going on here, but it seems suspicious.
A few years ago I bought a xiaomi fitness tracker for 30 euros. Used every day until I got bored of it. Left it in a drawer for a year, tried it recently, still works just fine.
Not that I'd necessarily recommend getting one, but if the battery on yours is already dead, I agree that is suspiscious. Sounds like it's by design.
Those xioami fitbands are great for the price, if you want basic tracking without needing your phone or just want a really cheap smartwatch that can control music or your cameras shutter.
But their battery also doesn't last more than 2 years if you charge it every 3 days. At least the 2 and the 4 died within 2 years for me.
3 days? I've owned the Mi band 1, 2 & 4 (still on my wrist), and only need to charge it once every 20+ days. The only reason I upgraded from the 2nd one was that the LCD was starting to be too dim. Granted, I turn off every tracking feature that I can.
I did use the heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking features. Without those they indeed last a few weeks.
Yes, I realize that my use case might not be the norm. I just dream of a smartwatch that just gives me the time and proper notifications, without the added cost and bulk of all the tracking features.
Edit: I was just surprised that the battery duration difference would be so drastic.
The heart rate function is the most battery draining of all. You can change the frequency of it to make it less taxing.