Fitbit has launched its first smartwatch, Fitbit Ionic.

A health and fitness first platform, Ionic offers a highly personalised experience not previously seen in other smartwatches.

Ionic builds on Fitbit’s health and fitness expertise with a new relative SpO2 sensor, making it possible to track deeper health insights like sleep apnea in the future, industry-leading GPS tracking, on-device dynamic workouts, improved heart rate tracking, and water resistance up to 50 metres.

Plus, smart features like contactless payments, on-board music, smart notifications, and a variety of popular apps and clock faces available in the Fitbit App Gallery.

Ionic also has all the core features our users love from Fitbit like four-plus day battery life, automatic activity and sleep tracking, and cross-platform compatibility.

Ionic follows a long line of innovative and popular Fitbit products that redefined how we learn about and manage our health, and even helped save lives.

Ionic continues to deliver on this promise by offering more personalised insights and guidance, coupled with an engaging experience and sleek design, to help drive meaningful behaviour change and better health outcomes.

From beginners to experienced athletes, Fitbit’s most advanced device to date offers personal, actionable guidance to motivate you to reach your goals – all while keeping you connected with apps and notifications, no matter what smartphone you have. Highlights include:

•Personal trainer with Fitbit Coach: Access dynamic, on-device workouts that adapt based on feedback you provide on your wrist, or listen to expert-designed running and walking Audio Coaching sessions (available 2018) to increase endurance, speed and form on your schedule;

•Running companion: Automatically track your run with the new Run Detect feature that kicks in GPS tracking – just step out the door and go; see real-time pace and distance; auto-pause to grab some water or take a breather and automatically resume when you start running;

•New swim exercise mode: With water resistance up to 50 metres and industry-leading lap counting, use Ionic in the pool and see your real-time laps, exercise duration and calories burned for pool swims;

•Industry-leading GPS: The unique design and integrated antenna inside Ionic provide a stronger connection to GPS and GLONASS satellites, delivering industry-leading GPS performance. Leave your phone behind and see pace and distance right on your wrist, as well as record elevation climbed, split times, and a map of your walk, run or ride in the Fitbit app;

•Improved heart rate technology: Ionic has enhanced PurePulse heart rate tracking with greater accuracy during exercises like cycling, intervals and running; better measure calorie burn, see real-time heart rate zones to optimise intensity, and track resting heart rate 24/7;

•New sensor technology: The introduction of a relative SpO2 sensor for estimating blood oxygen levels opens the potential for tracking important new indicators about your health, such as sleep apnea;

•Motivation through music: Leave your phone at home and find the motivation to jumpstart your workout by storing and playing more than 300 songs on a device (2.5 GB of storage). Connect Ionic to the new Fitbit Flyer wireless headphones, or any Bluetooth device of your choosing;

•Make payments using Fitbit Pay: Leave your wallet and phone at home and effortlessly pay for items right from your device, wherever contactless payments are accepted. Over the coming months you will be able to add eligible U.S. American Express cards, as well as Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards from top issuing banks in over 10 markets across the globe, including ANZ, Banco Santander, Bank of America, Capital One, HSBC, KBC Bank Ireland, OCBC Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, UOB and US Bank with more countries and banks planned soon;

•Smart notifications you need most: With extended smartphone notifications, receive call, text and calendar alerts, as well as notifications from apps on your smartphone like Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, Slack, Snapchat and more; and

•Multi-day battery life: With a four-plus day battery life on a single charge (10 hours with GPS or playing music), Ionic will outlast any activity you do during the day and still track your sleep all night.

In addition to these new features, Ionic has everything you love about Fitbit – automatically track your steps, calories, floors climbed and sleep stages, see your cardio fitness level (estimated VO2 Max), maintain moments of calm and more. Read more about everything Ionic has to offer here.

Fitbit is also partnering with adidas to deliver a Fitbit Ionic special edition device and training programs in 2018. This relationship will leverage adidas’ robust performance program expertise with Fitbit data and insights from millions of global users to help athletes of all levels perform better, play better and feel better.

Ionic runs on Fitbit OS, the company’s new operating system for smartwatches that will be regularly updated to add new user experiences. This includes the launch of the Fitbit App Gallery, where you can select the apps and clock faces that appeal to you so you’re always armed with the information you want most, in a way that reflects your own personal needs and style.

The App Gallery offers a range of health and fitness apps from Fitbit like Exercise, Fitbit Coach, Relax, Timer and more, as well as popular apps that are designed to make life easier and more convenient when you’re on the go. Each app is designed specifically for Ionic so you don’t have to download an accompanying mobile app or have your smartphone nearby.

Leading partner apps available on Fitbit Ionic at launch include:

•Strava, the leading social network for millions of athletes at all levels, makes it easy to get inspired, stay motivated, track activities and analyse your performance data for your runs, bike rides and swims. Using the exclusive Matched Runs feature, you can benchmark yourself against past performances on your most common routes – right on your wrist.

•Weather, powered by global leader AccuWeather, gives you real-time weather predictions with Superior Accuracy from your three favourite locations. Get personalised forecast information with your exact location, so you can better plan your workout or weekend.
•The App Gallery will continue to expand with more popular apps expected this October, like Flipboard, GAME GOLF, Nestiii and Surfline, plus many more apps and clock faces created by our developer community.

As Fitbit’s first device designed fully in-house, Ionic features new processes and materials that improve weight, fit, durability, breathability and daily wear – resulting in an extremely lightweight, ergonomic design comfortable enough to wear all day and night.

Fitbit Ionic is available from Fitbit.com and select online retailers for $449.95.