Fitbit’s smarter Charge 3 goes on sale October 7

While Fitbit’s been focusing its efforts on smartwatches like the Versa, that doesn’t mean the company has forgotten about its dedicated fitness trackers. The Fitbit Charge 3, the successor to one of Fitbit’s most popular devices, will be available on October 7.

First announced back in August, the Charge 3 keeps the series’ wristband-like aesthetic while improving the device in several respects. Some of the key changes:

• The screen is now grayscale rather than just white LEDs on a black background, and allowing for more fluid animations and detailed information
• The display is proper touchscreen for easier navigation
• The body is available in either graphite or rose gold
• Gorilla Glass 3 takes the place of plastic, so it should be much more scratch resistant
• It’s water resistant to 50 meters, and supports swim tracking
• Heart rate tracking has been improved
• An SpO2 sensor measures you oxygen saturation levels
• Basic notification support and menstrual tracking are borrowed from the Versa
• The physical button has been replaced with haptic feedback.

It’s quite the major update, all while maintaining the Charge’s small form factor and 7-day battery.

Despite Fitbit’s move into the smartwatch space, it’s still known for its fitness chops. The company says it’s seen “strong” pre-order for the Charge 3, and that 54 percent of them came from customers who previously owned Fitbit devices.

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On a side note, the company it’s opening its Sleep Score beta program in November. The idea is to give users a score to provide a quick assessment of their sleep quality, based on the information the device captured while you were dozing off.

You can order the Charge 3 from Fitbit.com or purchase it from the usual retailers starting October 7. It’ll set you back $150, or $170 if you want NFC.