The Fitbit Ionic smartwatch goes on sale October 1 for $300
You’ll soon be able to get your hands on the first true smartwatch offering from Fitbit. Debuting on October 1, the Fitbit Ionic will retail for $300 and offer the company’s first stab at the smartwatch market. Apple, Samsung, and others have had a large headstart on Fitbit, but the company has a strong customer base already due to its fitness wearables.
Many wondered exactly what Fitbit’s strategy would be after it acquired Pebble late last year. The acquisition now looks to be bearing fruit as the Ionic will feature Fitbit OS, a Pebble-like OS that relies on a web standards-SDK. The Ionic will offer access to third-party apps and its SDK will launch September 26 for developers.
Fitbit made sure to point out that the Ionic is not just a smartwatch when it was announced last month. It will come with four workout modes with more on the way for subscribers to the company’s upcoming Fitbit Coach subscription service. That service will launch later this fall and run $7.99 a month or $39.99 a year. As is pretty standard for watches and fitness trackers these days, the Ionic will track metrics like heart rate, distance, elevation, and a slew of others.
The Ionic will offer water resistance of up to 50 meters. That’s notable because it makes it just the second device in Fitbit’s lineup to offer any kind of water resistance- the other being the Flex 2. It also includes 2.5 GB of internal storage which Fitbit says can store up to 300 songs. Onboard GPS will help track runs and bike outings while the display will reach up to 1000 nits of brightness to help you easily see it during sunny days. Fitbit claims that the battery will last for multiple days or 10 hours of continuous GPS usage.
You can already reserve your Fitbit Ionic on Fitbit’s website and Best buy right now or pick it up in store on October 1.
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