Fitbit on Monday introduced the world to its first bona fide smartwatch, the Fitbit Ionic.
The fitness-minded consumer electronics company dipped its toes in the smartwatch waters with the Fitbit Blaze in early 2016 but that wasn’t really a “true” smartwatch.
The Ionic, which Fitbit describes as the ultimate health and fitness smartwatch, is constructed of lightweight aluminum with a nano-molding technology that allows the watch body to double as a Bluetooth and GPS antenna. It features a color, spherical glass touchscreen display with a brightness of up to 1,000 nits and is offered in a range of styles and colors (such is also the case with the bands).
The wearable affords a variety of features including contactless payments, the ability to store music locally, water resistance up to 50 meters, sleep tracking, improved heart rate tracking, smart notifications and 4+ day battery life (this drops down to just 10 hours if you use the GPS or play music).
Users will have access to a variety of apps and clock faces via the Fitbit App Gallery as well as dynamic, on-demand workouts courtesy of Fitbit Coach. Audio coaching sessions designed to increase endurance, speed and form are coming in 2018, we’re told.
There’s even a relative SpO2 sensor for estimating blood oxygen levels which Fitbit says may one day be able to provide deeper health insights.
Fitbit earlier this year relinquished its position as the world’s top wearables vendor. According to a report from Strategy Analytics, Apple is now the global wearable leader as far as shipments are concerned.
Fitbit on Monday also announced a set of wireless headphones they’re calling Fitbit Flyer. Essentially earbuds connected by a tether, the Flyer features a hydrophobic nano-coating that is rain, splash and sweatproof.
The headphones provide up to six hours of playtime per charge and deliver two sound profiles for a more personal listening experience. The quick charge feature grants an additional hour of playtime with just a 15-minute charge. Included with each purchase is a collection of interchangeable ear tips, wings and fins to help users get the best possible fit.
Yahoo Finance earlier this year leaked renderings of the smartwatch and earbuds which, in hindsight, appear to be spot-on.
The Fitbit Ionic will be available to pre-order starting tomorrow at select retailers (and from Fitbit’s website) priced at $299.95. Traditional and sport bands will command $29.95 each while a hand-crafted Horween leather strap will set you back $59.95. The Flyer headphones also go up for pre-order on Tuesday and will ding your wallet for $129.95.
Both will arrive sometime in October, the company says.
https://www.techspot.com/news/70750-fitbit-announces-first-true-smartwatch-fitbit-ionic-129.html
