Massive Fitbit Charge 3 leak points to touchscreen and waterproofing

We just found some reliable intel that gives us a really clear picture of the yet-to-be-announced Fitbit Charge 3. Judging from the info, the Fitbit Charge 3 is going to be the fitness tracker Fitbit fans have been waiting for — at least almost.

Read Next: Fitbit Charge 3 is here: Water resistant, Fitbit Pay support, and a working SpO2 sensor

According to our intel, the most significant and welcome update to the Charge line is that the Charge 3 will likely have a completely touchscreen interface. Previous models had tap screens that allowed you to tap around the interface in a slow, pretty clunky fashion. With the addition of a full touchscreen, the Fitbit Charge 3 will be able to perform certain functions previously relegated to smartwatches like the Fitbit Ionic and Fitbit Versa.

Take a look at the Fitbit Charge 3 in the gallery below:

One of the smartwatch features likely to make its way to the Fitbit Charge 3 is Quick Reply, which will enable you to send quick messages back when someone texts or calls you. Like the Ionic and Versa, quick replies will only work with Android devices.

Another welcome change is that our intel points to the Charge 3 being swim-proof and water resistant at up to 50 meters of depth. This 5ATM rating is a first for the Charge line.

We also are confident that there will be a “Special Edition” of the Fitbit Charge 3 that features an NFC chip for making wireless payments via Fitbit Pay. This was the same route Fitbit took with the Versa — the Special Edition model had NFC, whereas the standard model did not. The only other difference between the two Versa models, aside from NFC, was the different casing design and strap options. We’re expecting that to be the case with the Charge 3, as well.

We unfortunately don’t know how much each model will cost.

There is one notable thing about the Charge 3 that is likely to upset Fitbit fans, which is that our intel says there’s no built-in GPS, even in the Special Edition. In order to use GPS functions, you’ll have to have your smartphone with you and tethered to the Charge 3 to track your runs, walks, bike rides, hikes, etc via the company’s Connected GPS feature.

Other than that, all the basic fitness band functions seem to be here, like heart rate monitoring, exercise/workout tracking, sleep tracking, etc. There’s also support for interchangeable bands.

We received a few other bits of Charge 3 information, which you can find in the spec table below:

Keep in mind that this information is still unconfirmed, and should be taken as rumor until Fitbit officially launches the device.

What do you think? If the Charge 3 comes to market for the same price as the Charge 2 ($150), would you buy it?