Fitbit Force to Launch as New Health-Focused Smartwatch

Fitbit is set to launch a new fitness-tracking wristband called the Force, only this time around, it’s aiming to be a little more than that. According to The Verge, the Fitbit Force will be a full-fledged smartwatch of sorts that will pack in more features than the Fitbit Flex, and it should provide a bit of good competition with the Jawbone UP.

Most notably, the Force will feature a built-in altimeter, which will measure your altitude and calculate how many steps you climbed in a given period of time. The Force will also be water-resistant, so you should be okay the next time you caught in a light downpour when you’re out running. The altimeter feature presides in Fitbit’s One clip, but was left out of the Flex, so the Force will essentially be the best of both worlds.

The Force also includes a better display from what we can see from the press photos, displaying different stats and also showing the time so that it can also be used as a watch, of course. The device also includes a physical button on the side, which we’re guessing is for scrolling through settings and selecting various options, although the Flex requires users to tap the device to select various functions, so it’ll be probably the same on the Force to some capacity.

The Force will be available in both black and dark blue, and will come in small and large sizes to accommodate all wrist sizes. The company has yet to announce the Force, but its website is slowly being updated with promo shots and other information on the new device.

No official word on availability yet, but pricing is expected to start at $129.95, which is $30 more than the Flex. That’s certainly not a bad deal, considering that $30 more will land you a heap of new features that weren’t available on the Flex. The Jawbone UP is still considered one of the best health-tracking wristbands on the market, so we’ll see if Fitbit can reclaim the title with the Force.