Update: There's been a hefty Fitbit Blaze 2 leak, with renders showing the likely design, accompanied by a bunch of details on the specs, features and price.
The Fitbit Blaze is two years old now, and although the company’s first attempt at merging the design of a watch with a fitness tracker was a success, it is probably in need of some updating as health-based tech has progressed.
Fitbit seemingly agrees, as there are rumors of a Fitbit Blaze 2 brewing, which the company may be ready to launch this year. Here's where you'll find all the news, rumors and other details as we hear them.
We’ve also included a variety of the things we’d like to see on the Fitbit Blaze 2 when it launches, so read on below for everything you need to know about the Fitbit Blaze 2.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next Fitbit fitness tracker merged with a watch
- When is it out? Rumors of an early 2018 release date
- What will it cost? We expect it to be upwards of $199 (£160, AU$330)
Fitbit Blaze 2 release date and price
This is the big question. Fitbit doesn’t have an established release schedule for its fitness trackers and instead releases new tech when the company thinks it's worth updating.
The latest news comes from a source speaking to Wareable, who said it's coming sometime this spring (in the US, so March-May).
Previously, a report from Bloomberg suggested Fitbit is planning to release the Blaze 2 in 2018, so at the very least it looks likely that we'll see it this year.
As for price, we've heard rumors that it will be cheaper than the Fitbit Ionic (which launched at £299.95 / $299.95 / AU$449.95). The original Fitbit Blaze launched for £159.99 / $199 / AU$329.95, so the Blaze 2 might be somewhere between those two price points.
Fitbit Blaze 2 design and display
We now have a good idea of what the Fitbit Blaze 2 might look like, thanks to a handful of high-quality leaked renders.
Pictured below, they show a watch with a square face and a likely metal body, with an altogether more premium (and more Apple Watch-like) look than past Fitbit wearables.
That's no accident, as the source - which provided the images to Wareable - said that Fitbit "wants this to be something that will appeal to a larger, more general smartwatch audience," adding that it was specifically targeting female users.
One way to do that is to make a compact wearable, which Fitbit has apparently done, as the Blaze 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) is apparently smaller than the Fitbit Ionic, though it may be a similar size to the original Fitbit Blaze.
The source added that this watch is apparently waterproof to 50 meters and will come in black, silver, rose gold and charcoal colors, plus there will supposedly be various different strap choices on top of that.
This change in design if true comes as no surprise, especially since an earlier report from Bloomberg suggested it will come with a sleeker design than the original version of the watch. The report also claimed it would have a color display, but that’s true of the original Blaze.
Fitbit Blaze 2 specs and features
Current rumors suggest the Fitbit Blaze 2 will have many of the same features as the Fitbit Ionic, with the upcoming wearable said to run the same Fitbit OS software and have a relative SpO2 sensor, which would be able to monitor for sleep apnea. On the other hand, it apparently won't have GPS - an omission which could help keep the cost down.
News that the wearable may have the same OS as the Fitbit Ionic is no surprise, as Fitbit claims to be working on more smart wearables. Not only that, but smartwatches are growing in popularity while basic wearables are getting less popular, so Fitbit is sure to want to capitalize on that.
The company already classes the original Blaze as a smartwatch, but it's very limited as one, for example many apps won't display notifications on it.
We can speculate though that many existing Fitbit Blaze features will likely remain for the new model, including its heart rate monitor.
Fitbit Blaze 2: what we want to see
The Fitbit Blaze isn't the perfect fitness tracker, so while we don't know for sure what's under way for the sequel we've put together a selection of the features we want to see.
1. A larger display
The bezels on the original Fitbit Blaze are fat. There's no hiding that and we’d like to see those trimmed down for more display space in the upcoming fitness tracker.
If Fitbit manages to limit the amount of wasted space it may be able to fit a much more attractive display in the center of the tracker. We'd also like to see the company improve the quality of the display, to help it compete with full-blown smartwatches.
2. A responsive display
This was one of the biggest problems with the original Fitbit Blaze, as an unresponsive display is a really irritating problem to have on your fitness tracker when you’re sweating and need to play around with specific features really quickly.
If Fitbit can improve the screen tech used on the Fitbit Blaze 2 so that it reliably responds to taps and swipes it will make for a much more comfortable experience.
3. Expanded fitness features
The Fitbit Blaze was meant to be one of the best trackers in Fitbit's range, but it still didn't include a fully-integrated GPS tracker. Instead you have to use it alongside the positioning tech in your phone.
We'd like to see Fitbit focus on its fitness roots and include better tracking tech within the Blaze 2, including GPS, but maybe even more unconventional features such as a VO2 max calculator to give you smart feedback on how to recover after exercise.
4. Third-party support
With the likes of the Fitbit Ionic we're now seeing devices that are closer to smartwatches from Fitbit, and we hope the Fitbit Blaze 2 follows suit, especially when it comes to third-party support.
It'd be great to be able to run Spotify directly from your wrist (rather than simply pausing and skipping tracks that are playing on your phone), or even have apps like Map My Run ready to download directly onto the Blaze 2.
5. A round design
The original Blaze has a divisive design. Not everyone loves the look, so it may be time for the company to opt for a round design to make the Blaze 2 look a little bit more like a traditional watch.
That said, people like the square design of the Apple Watch as well as some of the square-faced Android Wear alternatives, so maybe the Fitbit Blaze 2 will stick with a similar shape after all. Current rumors suggest it will be square, but with a thankfully more stylish look.
from TechRadar - All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/fitbit-blaze-2
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