Fitbit has unveiled its new Fitbit Ace 3 fitness tracker, bringing improved battery life, new animated clock faces and a tie in with the Minions franchise to children’s wrists.
Kids have had it tough over the past year, with many schools closed and activities cancelled. The Fitbit Ace 3 won’t fix all of that, but it could help children stay active, thanks to a raft of features designed to encourage movement and healthy behaviors.
Here's everything you need to know about the Fitbit Ace 3.
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Fitbit Ace 3 price and release date
The Fitbit Ace 3 is available for pre-order today, with shipping starting March 15. It'll cost $79.95 in the US and £69.99 in the UK.
Fitbit Ace 3 design and straps
Design-wise, the Fitbit Ace 3 has some subtle changes from the previous model — it's curvier than before and looks like it'll offer greater comfort for little wrists, though we'll have to wait until we've tried it to be sure on that.
The Fitbit Ace 3 is available in two bold color schemes at launch, with children able to choose between black and red or blue and green options. We like that Fitbit doesn't only offer the pink or blue choices that some child-focused devices tend towards; yes, we're looking at you, Amazon Fire Kids tablets.
You can also add new straps, including the two new Minions-themed bands that will arrive in the summer in Despicable Blue and Mischief Black color schemes. Fitbit also promises that "more engaging Minions features and offerings" will be coming soon.
It's also good to note that the Ace 3 is waterproof to 50 meters, so your child can take it swimming or just not worry about inevitably spilling a drink on it.
Fitbit Ace 3 display
Fitbit hasn't released specs for the screen, but the Fitbit Ace 2 had a 0.72-inch OLED touch display with 128 x 72 resolution. A leak over the weekend suggested the new model will have a 240 x 240 resolution, but that doesn't appear correct given the rectangular design. We'll update this story once we have confirmation.
Fitbit Ace 3 features
At a basic level, the Ace 3 will track your child's steps and active minutes as any of the best fitness trackers do. But it's the animated clock faces that really help here, with characters changing and growing as kids progress towards their daily goals.
The Fitbit Ace 3 has more than 20 clock faces in total, of which six are animated — including new bunny, cat, martian and spaceship options. Just bear in mind that using them will have a negative effect on battery life.
Sleep tracking is again included, together with bedtime reminders and silent alarms that wake kids with a gentle buzz. It's all part of making sure that children get a healthy dose of shut eye each night.
You won't get heart-rate tracking, though: the Fitbit Ace 3 does have a heart-rate sensor, but it's not activated.
Fitbit Ace 3 battery life
The battery life is the standout improvement on the Fitbit Ace 3. While the Fitbit Ace 2 was good for five days, the third generation of Fitbit’s kid-focused wearables ups that figure to an impressive eight days.
Fitbit Ace 3 app and parent features
The Fitbit app, teamed with a Family Account, includes both Parent and Child views to tailor the experience for each age group. That means that parents can track their child's progress, approve friend requests and manage what their kid sees in the child-version of the app — while kids only have access to the data that parents are comfortable with them seeing.
The Ace 3 also makes it easier for parents to get in touch with their child: if the child owns a smartphone, they can get call notifications on their wrists.
Fitbit Ace 3 outlook
The Fitbit Ace 3 looks like being a strong contender for the title of best fitness tracker for children. The second-generation Ace 2 was already a good product, and the Ace 3 improves on it in several regards — not least with that eight-day battery life.
It's well-priced, too, and the tie-in with the Minions franchise is sure to delight many youngsters, particularly with the new Minions: The Rise of Gru film due to come out in 2022.
We'll let you know what we think once we've tried it.
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