All the features I want to see

Fitbit’s small-form fitness trackers have represented a bright spot in the company’s confusing landscape these past two years. While Google’s Pixel Watch line seemed to kneecap Fitbit’s in-house smartwatches, the brand’s Charge and Inspire lineups remain fantastic buys from Fitbit’s stable. The budget-friendly Inspire 3, in particular, is one of the best affordable trackers I’ve tested in recent years, with an attractive display, reliable heart rate monitoring, and incredible battery life.

At the end of my Fitbit Inspire 3 review, I gave the device a coveted 4.5-star rating and an Editor’s Choice award. More than a year later, I’m still impressed by the device, but I’ve started a wish list for what I’d like to see when the Fitbit Inspire 4 hits the market.

Despite market trends and inflation, the Fitbit Inspire 3 landed at the same great price as its predecessor. In light of its well-rounded toolkit and the fact that it offers shoppers an affordable entry point to a reliable platform, I consider the device a great value buy. There are cheaper wearables and more robust fitness trackers, but the Inspire 3 shoots the gap for a fair balance of price and features (not that I don’t also hope for more features!). At the top of my wishlist for a follow-up generation is that Fitbit preserves the Inspire’s place as a budget-friendly lineup.

For more advanced tools, shoppers can pivot from the Inspire to the Charge 6. As for this lineup, I would rather see minor tweaks and improvements than a major overhaul that bumps up the Inspire 4’s price tag.

My experience as a consumer has been perfectly timed to watch means of payment fall out of vogue. First, the penny, then most coins (including my carefully collected state quarters), and eventually cash in general. I rarely pay for things without plastic, and when I can I pay by phone or wearable. To this end, I’d love to see Fitbit offer digital payment support on their entry-level lineup. From pit stops on long walks to post-gym purchases, a wallet on your wrist is a major convenience.

I realize digital payment support isn’t as much of an issue when a device uses connected GPS. When using the Inspire 3, for example, I typically have my phone with me on runs and rides to track my route. But considering built-in GPS is also on my wishlist (spoilers), it’d be quite the oversight not to hope for this as well.

On a related note, the Inspire lineup is light on the wallet but also on smart features. The latest mode offers basic notifications and a useful Find My Phone feature. That’s all. In addition to the payment support discussed above, I’d love to see music controls added. This isn’t unreasonable at this price point, as similar tools can be found on Xiaomi’s even cheaper trackers. Music controls make it easier to manage playlists and content mid-workout, rather than pulling out my phone halfway through ab work because shuffle brought on the Jurassic Park theme song again.

I’d also happily take any of the Google app integration recently added to Fitbit’s Charge 6, but that might be asking too much. Google’s influence is bound to continue trickling down the Fitbit stable, so I’ll cross my fingers just in case.

The Fitbit Inspire 3 went a long way towards revamping the Inspire lineup. Compared to its predecessor, the device is sleek, colorful, and generally more “inspiring.” It also launched alongside a range of attractive bands in elevated styles. Throw in a wide range of customizable watch faces, and I found the tracker genuinely nice to wear.

And yet, the tracking Inspire 3 tracking pill is only available in black, cutting short the device’s aesthetic potential. I would like to see Fitbit offer additional colors when launching the Inspire 4 so users have more flexibility. Two or three alternative tracker finishes would look great with Fitbit’s metallic and iridescent band options.

This last one is a stretch, as onboard GPS is one of the major features separating Fitbit’s Charge and Inspire lineups. However, GPS tracking was so finicky on the Charge 6 during my review period that I almost feel neither line offers it. Connected GPS is generally fine and certainly better than nothing; it just requires that I carry a phone on runs. This presents an issue when 90% of my running shorts don’t have pockets, plus I like my hands free to pet dogs I encounter.

At this point, it’s hard to say for certain if Fitbit will drop an Inspire 4, but I suspect they will. While Fitbit’s smartwatch lineups have been essentially nullified by the arrival of the Google Pixel Watch line, we’ve yet to see any suggestion that the company will also make moves on Fitbit’s tracker loyalists. We’ve heard no Pixel Band rumors or otherwise. Meanwhile, Fitbit dropped a brand new Charge 6, with plenty of upgrades. This suggests the company plans to keep its hold in the tracker market, even if the future of the smartwatch-style Versa and Sense lines feels far more uncertain. I’m hoping the Inspire lineup follows the same storyline as the Charge and remains a priority within Fitbit’s stable.

• Fitbit Inspire — March 2019
• Fitbit Inspire HR — March 2019
• Fitbit Inspire 2— September 2020
• Fitbit Inspire 3 — September 2022

If an Inspire 4 were to launch, there are a few possible time frames worth keeping an eye on. The most obvious is September 2024. This would mirror the past two generations and set up the Inspire and Charge lines to trade off launch years. The second possibility is that we see a post-holiday launch in the first quarter of this year. This time frame is less likely, considering we haven’t heard any rumors about a possible new device.

So far, I haven’t heard any Inspire 4 rumors reliable enough to source (or even mention), so it’s hard to ask readers to wait for something that’s little more than a best guess. If you feel inspired (no pun intended) to grab a new tracker and pursue new fitness goals, I say don’t wait. Grab an affordable Fitbit Inspire 3 ($99.95 at Amazon) or spring for the new Fitbit Charge 6 ($159.95 at Amazon) and get moving.