Google is still in the process of acquiring Fitbit, but the company is busy pushing out its successful products. Fitbit Sense is its latest flagship smartwatch to measure stress levels over time thanks to a new sensor that measures the skin’s electrical activity.
Fitbit today announced two new smartwatches, including a new range designed to compete directly with the likes of the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Gear. Like its current products, they have also received some important updates to make it more attractive in searching for more basic wearables.
After a disappointing Ionic smartwatch, Fitbit has found a good recipe with the Versa, which sits comfortably in the middle between the smart band and the smartwatch. The new Versa 3 has the same overall design and basic fitness features like heart rate monitoring, exercise mode, and sleep tracking, but it also adds a built-in GPS.
The physical button on the Versa 2 was replaced with a pressure-sensitive area to improve reliability, where it was prone to jamming. There’s also a loudspeaker for rich interaction with the voice assistant and taking calls, and a new magnetic charging dock that supports fast charging. Fitbit says twelve minutes of charging can give you the full battery life, but it all comes at a price that is $ 230 to $ 50 higher than the Versa 2.
However, the big news comes with the new Fitbit Sense that builds on the proven Versa design and feature set but adds two new ECG sensors and skin temperature detection. The company says it struggles with the idea of spotting stress as the next big thing to a health check, and the timing couldn’t be better.
With the electrical activity sensor (EDA), you can place your palm on the watch face and the device will see the level of sweat in the skin. To get an idea of your stress levels, the watch will also look at other things like heart rate, overall activity level, and sleep quality.
The EKG function is still awaiting FDA approval, but it may reveal trends over time if combined with the EDA and other readings. Plus, you get all the features you can find in Verset 3, including Fitbit Pay and Activity Zone Minutes. You will need Fitbit Premium to get all the healthy features, and a six-month trial is also included with your Fitbit Sense purchase, which will set you back $ 330.
The first version of Versa 3 and the new Sense will be available on the Fitbit website starting today, and shipping bills are expected to be shipped and made available in US retailers next month.
