Fitbit comes with new fitness watches with heart rate monitor

Fitbit announced three new fitness watches on Monday. These include the Fitbit Surge, the most expensive model that supports standard GPS and also contains a heart rate monitor. The device will be available early next year for about $250, which is approximately $197.

Fitbit has equipped the Surge with eight sensors: three accelerometers, a gyroscope, a compass, an ambient light sensor, GPS and a heart rate monitor. The watch also has an LCD touchscreen and a battery with a capacity of up to seven days, Fitbit claims. The Surge will first be available in black, and later in blue and orange.

With the GPS, the Surge can keep statistics about, for example, the pace, the altitude and the route. In addition, the device offers support for various activities, such as running, cross training and strength training. Finally, the fitness watch can connect to a phone via bluetooth and thus display an incoming call or a text message. It is also possible to operate the music player.

In addition to the Surge, Fitbit also announced two cheaper models on Monday: the Charge and Charge HR. The Charge, which costs about 102 euros and is available immediately, has an OLED screen and also a battery that can last up to seven days. The device can also display incoming phone calls with the wristband vibrating.

Finally, the Charge HR has the same features as the Charge, but focuses on measuring heart rate. There is a heart rate monitor in the wristband, which should provide insights into the heart rate during various activities. The battery does not last as long as the other two models: up to five days. The Charge HR costs 150 dollars, about 118 euros, and will be released early next year. According to Fitbit, app developers can access the data collected by the heart rate monitor and GPS with the updated API.