Fitbit’s upcoming smartwatch has just been leaked online though enthusiasts seem far from being impressed by the overall looks of it.
Many of the company’s own employees too are reported to have complained about the device not looking exciting enough. With a square face along with two physical buttons along the sides, the device does bear a striking similarity with the Blaze fitness watch that the company had launched in early 2016. In fact, even the wristband seems to have been taken off the Blaze, and it doesn’t make the smartwatch any prettier.
Yahoo Finance, that first leaked the images also has an inkling about the likely specs of the smartwatch. Referred to as Higgs internally, the device will have a display having 1,000 nits of brightness, which again makes it at par with the latest Apple Watch.
Higgs will also sport a GPS onboard, a heart rate monitor besides being able to make touchless payments. Battery life has always been a strong point with Fitbit and the upcoming Higgs seems to live up to that with its projected four days of usage time before requiring a recharge.
Fitbit also has a partnership going with Pandora so that will allow for enough music playback options. A similar arrangement with Spotify too was considered but does not seem to have worked out well enough.
The smartwatch with its aluminum construction will be waterproof as well. The company though is said to have run into several design issues to make the device capable of resisting water intrusion until the present model has been achieved.
In fact, Fitbit is said to have had several design hiccups before it arrived at the final product. For instance, the placement of the GPS antennae needed to be perfected to allow for a consistent signal and the designers are said to have redesigned several aspects of the device before it could zero in on the final version.
A few software bugs too were reported though those seem to have been sorted out as well. The Higgs is said to have a UI that will match that of the Blaze.
Meanwhile, Fitbit also has Bluetooth earbuds in the making, something along the lines of Apple’s recently launched Beats X earbuds. Likely to be priced about $150, the earbuds codenamed Parkside will be available in the two color options of Nightfall Blue and Lunar Gray.
Expect both the smartwatch and the earbuds to be launched around fall but prior to the Apple event to ensure Fitbit’s smartwatch has enough traction before Apple’s smartwatch makes a landfall.
