Google completed its purchase of Fitbit in early 2021, more than three and a half years ago. With the move, the tech giant acquired a company with a long career in the world of portable objects. In August 2022, the Fitbit Versa 4 and Fitbit Sense 2, Fitbit’s two most recent premium smartwatches, arrived. Google hasn’t released a Fitbit smartwatch since then, but it has introduced three generations of the Pixel Watch.
Given the lack of movement in the Fitbit catalog in recent years, many have been wondering for some time whether Google will launch new smartwatches under the Fitbit brand. On the same day as the official presentation of the Pixel Watch 3, Engadget published an article claiming that the Fitbit brand would leave aside the high-end smartwatches and that Google would now focus on the Pixel Watch.
The Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Sense are the company’s most comprehensive smartwatches
The article appears after statements made by Sandeep Waraich (senior director of product management at Pixel Wearables) in an interview with Engadget, who said the Pixel Watch is the company’s bet on the wallet smartwatch-focused products. This would certainly explain why the company hasn’t released any premium smartwatches under the Fitbit brand since the launch of the Fitbit Versa 4 and Fitbit Sense 2.
Waraich confirmed to Engadget that Fitbit would focus on developing more minimalist devicesThe Google boss referred to the Fitbit Inspire (the company’s activity bracelet) and said that this type of accessory is positioned as a very interesting option for those looking for a discreet device with great autonomy.
The specialist media outlet Techradar published an article a few days later claiming that The Pixel Watch 3 ends Fitbit’s trajectory in the world of smart watchesThe article points out that there were hints that Google had left Fitbit’s high-end watches behind, noting that the Versa 4 and Sense 2 didn’t support music apps (which the Pixel Watch does).
Following Techradar’s post, Google was quick to deny rumors that it would be discontinuing Fitbit products. Ars Technica echoed Google’s statements, though in their article they stated that The company was unable to confirm the arrival of a new Versa or Sense.. What they are claiming is that they have not abandoned either product line.
Fitbit Sense 2. Image by Jose García for Xataka
Given the doubts about the future of Fitbit smartwatches, we reached out to Google to try to clarify the situation. The company sent us the following statement:
“We remain committed to everything Fitbit stands for and, above all, to the customers who use and depend on these products and technologies. In this regard, we want to emphasize that many of the health and fitness features we launched on the Pixel Watch 3 were made possible by Fitbit’s pioneering innovation and advancements in fitness. “In addition, we recently launched Fitbit Ace LTE, and Fitbit will continue to deliver new products and innovations.”
Google’s statements imply that Versa 4 and Sense 2 will continue to be available and they will have the support of the company, so in this sense, we should not worry. Google takes the opportunity to highlight the importance of the technology developed by Fitbit and recalls that many of the functions available in the Pixel Watch 3 have been possible thanks to the technology developed by this company.
Google also refers to the Fitbit Ace 3 (a children’s activity tracker) and states that there will always be “new Fitbit products and innovations.” Despite this, They do not mention possible future new generations of Versa and Sense. (smart watches prime of the brand), so doubts about whether we will see new high-end Fitbit smartwatches are still in the air.
Cover image | José Garcia (Xataka)
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