Fitbit Ace 3 Gets Kids Up And Moving During Screen Time-Heavy Pandemic

Fitbit today announced the Ace 3, the next wearable in its line targeted primarily at kids. As you'd imagine, the Fitbit Ace 3 doesn't quite come with the feature set that a fitness tracker or smartwatch meant for adults does, but it can still helps kids and parents track activity throughout the day and sleep habits at night. Fitbit argues that's more important than ever right now, when many kids aren't attending school in-person and are spending their days looking at screens.

First and foremost, the Fitbit Ace 3 will prompt kids to get 60 active minutes in each day and serve up reminders to get at least 250 steps per hour. Kids themselves can set activity and step goals for the day, and when school returns to normal, that reminder schedule can be customized to fit an in-person school day rather than a remote one.

The Ace 3 also allows for sleep tracking and bedtime reminders, which can be used to help kids stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Parents, of course, have control over much of the social experience, whether that's approving friend requests or deciding what is shown on the Ace 3's watch face. The Ace 3 requires a Fitbit family account to use, and with that, parents can keep tabs on their kid's activity each day.

It probably won't come as much of a shock to learn that a big part of the experience involves customizable, animated clock faces, of which there are more than 20 to choose from with this iteration of the Ace. There are also customizable bands to swap in and out, and for the first time, Fitbit says that it will be launching Minions-themed bands with "more engaging Minions features and offers coming soon." It seems that even in the world of wearables, Minions are inescapable.

Finally, Fitbit says that the battery in the Ace 3 is good for around 8 days on a full charge. The Fitbit Ace 3 is going up for pre-order today on Fitbit's website and at major retailers, and it'll launch worldwide on March 15th. When it arrives next week, it'll run $79.95, while those Minions accessory bands will be available for $29.95 each.