During Fitbit's latest earnings call earlier this month, CEO James Park said that the company is working on a "mass appeal smartwatch" following disappointing sales of the Fitbit Ionic. Just about a day later, we now have multiple renders showcasing what that smartwatch will look like.
Wareable obtained multiple images of Fitbit's upcoming smartwatch, and while we don't have an exact name for it just yet, it's possible it'll be marketed as either the Fitbit Blaze 2 or something else entirely.
Just like the Ionic, this new smartwatch will run the new Fitbit OS platform that allows for app support, notifications, and more in addition to Fitbit's standard fitness-tracking suite. The new watch is expected to be quite a bit smaller than the Ionic, and it'll come in black, silver, rose gold, and charcoal colors with a variety of different bands.
The smartwatch will be water-resistant up to 50m and comes with the Ionic's SpO2 sensor that'll eventually be able to track sleep apnea, but one thing it won't have is built-in GPS. I'd expect NFC to be on-board so Fitbit can keep pushing its Fitbit Pay platform, but there's no word on this just yet.
Lastly, to ensure Fitbit's next gadget can "appeal to a larger, more general smartwatch audience", Wareable's source says that this watch will also come with a lower price than the Ionic which currently retails for $299.
We'll need to get more details from Fitbit before making any real judgments, but at first glance, I really like the aesthetic Fitbit's going for here. I personally don't have a problem with the Ionic's physical appearance, but this new watch does look a lot sleeker and more polished.
