Anika Begay
As you might expect, not all parents want to equip their children with a phone, especially given the rise in cyberbullying and the sheer amount of distractions they pose at school. Fortunately, the Fitbit Ace LTE Watch It’s a more understated alternative, which until August 25th reached its lowest price ever of $199.95 ($30 off) on Amazon, Best Buy and the Google Store.
Unlike most smartwatches, the Ace LTE is designed specifically with kids in mind. The rugged watch features the same internals as Google’s Pixel Watch 2, as well as LTE connectivity, which enables calls, texts, and real-time location sharing. It also comes with a Tamagotchi-like friend (nicknamed Eejie) and several wrist-based games, all of which require kids to complete various exercise goals to access. Fitbit also recently launched a Tap to Pay feature, which lets kids with a Greenlight or GoHenry account, both of which offer debit cards for kids and teens, make purchases anywhere Google Pay is accepted.
The big caveat with Fitbit’s latest wearable is that it requires a $9.99 monthly or $120 annual subscription to take advantage of its LTE-based features. That said, the Ace LTE doesn’t require a phone, nor does it require a carrier. Additionally, Google is offering 50 percent off an annual Ace Pass subscription through August 31, bringing the combined price of the watch and its data plan down to just $260.
