Fitbit Ionic Smartwatch

Fitbit has announced the newest addition to their activity tracker range, the Ionic smartwatch. This is the first smartwatch in their line, bringing the brand into the 21st century and rivalling the likes of the Apple Watch. Fitbit has been one of the biggest players in the wearable technology game for a while, but they struggled to develop a smartwatch to beat their rivals. 

One of the biggest claims of the Ionic smartwatch is that it can measure the blood oxygen levels of its user. This is supposedly helpful in determining whether a person has sleep apnea, which is a condition that can stop someone breathing while they are asleep. While it seems impossible for a wrist watch to gauge such a technical measurement, this is something we'll have to see to believe. 

The Fitbit Ionic smartwatch also boasts holding up to 300 songs meaning users can connect wireless headphones and head out without needing to take their smartphone. While the app is still quite buggy, Fitbit is still in the final stages of development. 

Fitbit's smartwatch comes in at a hefty £300, setting you back more than Apple's most basic smartwatch, but less expensive than the Apple Watch Series 2.

Other features of the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch include:

• Battery life of 4 days, dropping to 10 hours if GPS mode or music are being utilised.
• Water resistance to depths of 50m (164ft).
• Storage of 2.5 gigabytes for storing music.
• Contactless payment capability via forthcoming Fitbit Pay.

It's clear that Fitbit is making an effort to contest Apple, so only time will tell if their new fitness tracker will stand up to the test.