With upgrades of its original model along with Amazon Alexa support, Fitbit announced its Versa 2 smartwatch, which sports a new OLED screen and a more powerful processor to allow data and apps to load faster. The device will roll out in mid-September, CNBC reported.
Versa 2 is equipped with Amazon Alexa support, allowing users to start workouts, control their smart homes, check their schedules or reply to text messages using voice via an Android phone.
The watch’s other features include the ability to make payments and water resistance up to 50 meters. It also provides up to five days of battery life, which is much lengthier than the two or so days that one can expect with an Apple Watch. The Versa 2 can also track sleep through a “sleep score” based on information it collects while users sleep.
The device will also support a new subscription service slated to roll out this fall. Fitbit Premium will offer more information about users’ health trends. Fitbit is also said to be rolling out a health coaching pilot later in the year that will allow users to chat with health professionals for an additional charge.
The news comes after data revealed that the North American wearables market hit $2 billion in Q2 of this year, with a 38 percent increase year over year. Canalys numbers showed that the quarter’s growth was led by Apple and Samsung, which respectively had 32 percent and 121 percent growth. Fitbit, however, held on to its position as No. 2, even though it displayed a modest 18 percent growth and is not shipping as many smartwatches as last year.
While North America takes second place in the wearables market when it comes to units shipped (behind China), it is still the most valuable. Over 60 percent of Apple’s 4.7 million global watch shipments were made to North America in Q2 2019.
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