Fitbit Charge 3 release date, price, news and leaks

Update: A massive Fitbit Charge 3 leak has revealed that it might have a full touchscreen, 7 days of battery life, NFC and 5ATM water resistance, but may not have GPS. Plus, we've seen more apparent images of the upcoming tracker.

The Fitbit Charge 2 has proved to be one of the company’s best-selling fitness trackers, but there are rumors that it's ready for a reboot and that the firm might be planning to release the Charge 3 quite soon.

Fitbit doesn’t usually release new fitness trackers every year, instead waiting until new technology becomes the norm and only then refreshing its trackers.

In the last 12 months we've seen the company release both the Fitbit Ionic and Fitbit Versa (as well as the children's Fitbit Ace tracker) but we expect to see new fitness trackers rather than smartwatches later this year.

You'll find all the rumored Fitbit Charge 3 leaks and rumors below, but we’ve also come up with a list of a few improvements we’d like to see.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Fitbit's next big headline fitness tracker
• When is it out? Leaks suggest some point in 2018
• What will it cost? We'd expect around $150 (£129.99, AU$250) 

Fitbit Charge 3 release date and price

There isn't much information about the release date for the Fitbit Charge 3, but sources speaking to Bloomberg have claimed Fitbit is planning to launch the new tracker at some point in 2018.

That was a report back in June 2017, but the leak mentioned the launch of Fitbit's official smartwatch and a Fitbit Blaze 2 too. The report was correct about the smartwatch - it turned out to be the Fitbit Ionic - and it was half right about the second part as the company announced the Versa, which was a spiritual successor to the Blaze 2.

Fitbit released the Charge 2 in September 2016, so we may see the company announce a new tracker at IFA 2018 in late August this year. That'd mean it'd be coming two years after the we first saw the Charge 2.

Fitbit doesn't have defined launch schedules for its products though, so it may be we have to wait a while longer to hear official word about the Charge 3.

Fitbit Charge 3 design and display

The first photo leak of the Fitbit Charge 3 has landed and it shows the tracker in all its glory. Photos from NieuweMobiel show the device in four different variants with the color of the tracker pictured in three shades. Those are black, white and gold, plus there are a selection of straps too.

Perhaps the biggest design change is the lack of a button on the left hand side of the device. It looks more like a divot in the design rather than a raised button, and that makes us think we may see a touchscreen on this new tracker to interact with it rather than a button to press to cycle through menus.

Considering Fitbit has been refining its touchscreen tech with both the Fitbit Versa and Ionic, it wouldn't surprise us if the company went for an upgraded display tech in its next fitness tracker.

Indeed, we've since heard rumors that there will be a full touchscreen, so that is looking likely.

From what we can tell in the images above, it also looks like the screen bezels will be thinner than on previous trackers as well. 

The thick bezel at the bottom that's emblazoned with the Fitbit name is still there, but otherwise it looks like the screen may be bigger.

There are also some new watch face designs here too, so that may mean more customization will be available on the screen than there has been before.

These images may well be accurate, as we've since seen another image leak (below) which matches them.

The straps available are one of the biggest talking points for any new fitness tracker, and the various pictures show similar silicone designs to the Charge 2 in black, white and blue, as well as some more exciting options.

One is a bright purple material design, plus there's also a perforated plastic that reminds us of the Apple Watch 3 Nike+ design where it has holes all over to help your skin breathe during exercise.

The overall design of the tracker does look thinner and more compact than the Charge 2, which was a little chunky. The source that suggested the 2018 release date above did say the company is working on a "sleeker" version of the Charge and it seems like that's what the company is doing for its next tracker.

Fitbit Charge 3 fitness, specs and features

A leak has revealed many of the possible features of the Fitbit Charge 3 and it sounds like an upgrade in a lot of areas.

One rumored feature is 5ATM water resistance, meaning it would be able to survive being submerged up to 50 meters deep in water - a big upgrade from the Charge 2, which you couldn't even safely take swimming.

The same source says that the Fitbit Charge 3 will have up to 7 days of battery life, up from 5 on the Fitbit Charge 2, and that it will have the Quick Reply feature found on the Fitbit Ionic and Fitbit Versa. This lets you send a quick reply to calls and texts.

Apparently it will also have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, while a 'special edition' model will sport NFC and Fitbit Pay, so you can make contactless payments.

One feature the Fitbit Charge 3 apparently won't have though sadly is GPS, though remember this is just according to one source, so take all of this with a pinch of salt for now.

Fitbit Charge 3 price

The Fitbit Charge 2 cost $150 (£129.99, AU$250) at launch so we'd expect this tracker to cost around the same amount, but nothing is confirmed yet.

We may see some fluctuation in terms of pricing, but it would make sense if it's around the same price as the Charge 3 was at launch.

Fitbit Charge 3: what we want to see

Here's our list of everything we'd like to see if Fitbit does in fact make a Charge 3.

1. Better data uses

One of the things the Fitbit app struggles with is giving you useful information from the data you've collected.

With a heart rate sensor, sleep tracking and likely expanded fitness features for the Charge 3 we want the app to use that data in meaningful ways, giving you further insight into your health.

2. A slimmer design

The Fitbit Charge 2 improved on the design of the Fitbit Charge HR, but there is still a lot of work to be done here.

Fitbit's Charge 2 is a thick device and doesn't sit flush with your wrist, so we hope to see a thinner design on the Charge 3 when it eventually launches.

3. A more reactive screen

Some criticized the Charge 2 for having a screen that wasn't properly touch-sensitive. It moves through menus with a tap, but it doesn't work as responsively as the touchscreen on your phone or a smartwatch, so we'd like to see a fully touch-sensitive screen on the Charge 3.

4. Better alarms

You can use the Charge 2 as an alarm, but the functionality is limited. Something we'd like to see on the Charge 3 is an alarm that works in a window of time that you set but only wakes you up when you're in light sleep.

For example, you could set an alarm for anytime between 7AM and 7:30AM, but it would wake you up at 7:15AM if it realized you were in light sleep at that time.

5. GPS built-in

GPS on the Fitbit Charge 2 worked by linking up to your phone, requiring you to carry your handset with you, so it was quite limited.

We'd like to see Fitbit build GPS into the Charge 3 itself, to make it a more effective device for those who want to take it out running without a phone in their pocket.

• What we want to see from a Fitbit Versa 2

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