Fitbit announces Inspire 3, Versa 4 and Sense 2 health tracking wearables

Google announced three updated health and fitness-tracking Fitbit wearables Wednesday, including options with new exercise modes and additional sensors for stress monitoring.

The Inspire 3, which will retail for $99.95, includes heart rate tracking, activity and exercise monitoring, and sleep quality information – including blood oxygen tracking, sleep duration and a sleep score. The lower-end wearable will also feature 20 exercise modes.

Google touts the Versa 4 as the fitness-focused option, which will include 40 different exercise modes, including HIIT, weight lifting, CrossFit and dance. It will cost $229.95.

On the higher end at $299.95, the Sense 2 will offer a “Body Response sensor” to continuously monitor electrodermal activity. Google pitches the new sensor as a way to track signs of stress alongside other metrics like heart rate, heart rate variability and skin temperature.

The Sense 2 will also include atrial fibrillation detection. Fitbit received FDA clearance for the photoplethysmography-based (PPG) detection algorithm earlier this year, which is geared toward longer-term heart rhythm assessment. The ECG functionality can be used for a rhythm spot check. 

The Inspire 3 will be available worldwide next month, while the Versa 4 and Sense 2 will be available in the fall. 

“Whether you’re focused on improving your mental health, gearing up to run a marathon or starting a new health and wellness routine, you have a range of easy-to-use devices to choose from,” T. J. Varghese, director of product management for Fitbit at Google, wrote in a blog post. 

“By giving you information about your body that otherwise wouldn’t be top of mind – like your resting heart rate, oxygen saturation (SpO2), sleep trends and body’s responses to stressors – you can better understand how to manage your holistic health.”

THE LARGER TREND

Outside of its Fitbit products, Google confirmed it would launch its own branded wearable, the Pixel Watch, in the fall. It had officially acquired Fitbit in early 2021 after months of delay due to regulatory concerns.

When the tech giant revealed the upcoming smartwatch in May, Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of devices and services, teased the Pixel Watch’s “deep integration” with Fitbit that will include heart rate and sleep tracking, as well as workout metrics.

There’s plenty of competition in the wearable space, including offerings from Apple, Amazon, Samsung and Garmin.