Less than three weeks ago we got our first glimpse at what could be the Fitbit Charge 5, and now new renders have leaked out that give us a much better look at the upcoming wearable – including its full color screen.
The pictures come courtesy of seasoned tipster Evan Blass, who can usually be relied upon in terms of sources and accuracy. It looks as though we’re in for a large, bright display, and a choice of at least three colors when it comes to the Fitbit Charge 5 strap.
These images are of a better quality than the one in the previous leak, but it looks as though it’s the same device in all these renderings. The updated design isn’t vastly different from the Fitbit Charge 4, but there are some tweaks to the aesthetics.
Due in October
The Charge 4 was introduced into the world in April 2020, but it looks as though Fitbit is going to push out the updated model just 18 months later – October has previously been mentioned as a possible launch month, and that is indeed the month shown on the color screen in these leaks.
Assuming the pictures have been pulled straight from Fitbit’s marketing materials, October 23 could be the big day – although that is a Saturday, so perhaps not. As well as the time and date, the screen show’s the user’s current heart rate.
While these pictures hint at some strap colors and show the upgrade to a color screen – following the Fitbit Luxe – there’s not too much else we can discern from the renders. It does look as though the straps will be replaceable again, and you can expect more details to leak out ahead of time in the coming weeks.
Analysis: Google and Fitbit are still getting to know each other
It was back in November 2019 that Google bought Fitbit, for a cool $2.1 billion, and as yet we haven’t seen too much evidence that the two companies have now joined forces – Fitbit devices have gone on sale on the Google Store, but that’s about it.
The move makes a lot of sense for Google: with the Apple Watch dominating the smartwatch scene, Google needs as much wearable expertise as it can get to improve its share in the market (see also the new version of Wear OS).
But in terms of actual changes to the design of Fitbits, or closer integration with Google Fit, we’re yet to see any fruits of the deal for consumers. Perhaps that will change with the arrival of the Fitbit Charge 5 – it looks a lot like previous models, but perhaps its software is going to offer some surprises.
Meanwhile we wait patiently for the arrival of the long-rumored Google Pixel Watch – a Pixel-branded smartwatch to go alongside the phones. Fitbit has several smartwatches of its own too, so it’ll be interesting to see which ones are kept on in the future.
Via 9to5Google
