Summary
- Fitbit smartwatches may be on the way out as Google shifts focus to integration with the Pixel Watch lineup.
- Google confirms Fitbit will focus on fitness trackers with long battery life and minimal design moving forward.
- You can still buy the Fitbit Versa 4 or Sense 2, though it might not be a sensible decision given the feature discrepancies with the Pixel Watch.
It took a while, but Google is finally making full use of its Fitbit acquisition with the Pixel Watch lineup, which features deep Fitbit integration and cutting-edge health sensors. Since the acquisition, though, Fitbit smartwatches appear to have taken a backseat, with Google focusing more on Fitbit-branded fitness trackers and kid smartwatches. Now it looks like the company might be done making Fitbit smartwatches altogether, with the Pixel Watch series taking the lineup forward.
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Soon after the Made by Google event on August 13, Engadget‘s Cherlynn Low interviewed Sandeep Waraich, Google’s Senior Director of Product Management for Pixel Watch and Fitbit trackers. During the interview, she asked whether Fitbit would ever launch another new smartwatch. Waraich confirmed that Fitbit is done making smartwatches and will instead focus on making trackers with long battery life and minimalistic design. The “Pixel Watch is our smartwatch part of the portfolio.”
Google also issued a vague to Android Authority confirming that the Fitbit brand is here to stay. However, it did not clearly specify if it is done making Fitbit smartwatches.
We are very committed to Fitbit, and even more importantly to the customers that use and depend on those products and technology. It’s also worth noting that many of the health and fitness features we launched in Pixel Watch 3 were because of Fitbit’s innovation and ground-breaking fitness advancements. In addition, we just launched Fitbit Ace LTE, and you’ll continue to see new products and innovation from Fitbit.
We have contacted Google for further clarification about this and will update this post when we hear back from them.
Buying a Fitbit smartwatch makes little sense
Even if Google is done making Fitbit smartwatches, it will not discontinue the lineup right away. So, you can buy the Fitbit Sense 2 or Versa 4 if you wish to.
Since the Sense 2 and Pixel Watch 2 carry the same $250 price tag, it makes little sense to buy the Fitbit smartwatch. The latter packs a lot more functionality, including access to Google Assistant, Play Store, Call Screen, and Wear OS. Plus, you also get access to advanced safety features like Safety Check, Emergency Sharing, Safety Signal, and Fall Detection.
Compared to the Pixel Watch 2 or 3, the only thing going in the Fitbit Sense 2’s favor is its claimed battery life of 6+ days. But given that it misses out on most of the ‘smart’ features of a smartwatch, the longer battery life is not worth it.
