Fitbit on Wednesday launched its latest smartwatch, Versa 2, adding Amazon’s (voice assistant Alexa, online payments and music storage in a bid to compete strongly with Apple’s smartwatches.

Pre-orders for Versa 2, which is priced at $200, will start later in the day, the company said, adding that the smartwatch would be available in stores on Sept. 15.

Fitbit has struggled to gain a foothold in the smartwatch category as Apple and Samsung have cornered a bigger share of the market, while its dominant share of the fitness tracking sector continues to be chipped away by cheaper offerings from China’s Huawei and Xiaomi, among others.

Versa 2 delivers a new swimproof design, includes sleep features like Sleep Score and smart wake, and is packed with even more advanced health, fitness and smart features. For convenience, Versa 2 debuts an on-device microphone, which enables Fitbit’s Amazon Alexa smartwatch experience, along with a Spotify app that allows users to control their music and podcasts, and Fitbit Pay on all models. Coupled with even faster performance, thousands of apps and clock faces and a brighter, crisper display with an optional always-on mode, Versa 2 is your 24/7 health and wellness companion – now with 5+ days battery life at the same approachable price as Versa.

Fitbit says the latest sleep features will not only help you better understand your sleep, but provide the features to help you improve it:

• Sleep Score: Receive a nightly score in the Fitbit app for better insight into your sleep quality. Your score is based on heart rate (sleeping and resting), restlessness, time awake and Sleep Stages. For more insights and analysis behind your Sleep Score, upgrade to Fitbit Premium.
• Smart wake: Coming soon to all Fitbit smartwatches, smart wake uses machine learning to wake you during an optimal time of your sleep cycle while in light or REM sleep, based on a pre-selected 30-minute interval, so you wake up feeling more refreshed.
• Sleep Mode: Simultaneously disable your screen display and silence notifications for a night free of disturbances. Sleep Mode can also be used anytime you don’t want to be interrupted, like during a workout or in a meeting.
• Estimated Oxygen Variation Graph: Coming soon, this graph will provide users with an estimate of the variability of oxygen levels in their bloodstream. The data is derived from a combination of the red and infrared sensors on the back of your device. Being aware of short-term variations in the oxygen levels in your bloodstream may indicate variations in your breathing during sleep.

Fitbit continues to deliver the advanced health and fitness features that our users know and love. On Versa 2, these include: automatic activity tracking, PurePulse 24/7 heart rate tracking, 15+ goal-based exercise modes, connected GPS and water resistance up to 50 meters.

Versa 2 offers all the essential smart features like smartphone notifications so you can view app, call, calendar and text notifications right from your wrist. If you have an Android phone, you can also use the new on-device microphone to reply to texts and notifications from the wrist. Plus, you can also choose from nearly 3,000 apps and clock faces to personalize the stats you see and access the apps you need so everything is in one place.

Versa 2 is also powered by a faster processor compared to Versa for better performance and seamless navigation. Plus, a larger AMOLED display delivers a superior experience with boosted viewability and crisper color, and enables an optional always-on display mode, which boasts 2+ days battery.

Versa 2 is available for presale today on Fitbit.com and select online retailers for $199.95 (USD) in black with a carbon case, petal with a copper rose aluminum case, and stone with a mist grey case; accessories range from $29.95-$99.95 (USD). Versa 2 Special Edition is available for $229.95 (USD) in navy and pink with a copper rose aluminum case and smoke with a mist grey case.

Versa 2 will be available in stores worldwide beginning September 15, 2019, including North American retailers Amazon, Best Buy, Kohl's, Macy's, Target, Verizon and Walmart. Two exclusive editions –emerald and bordeaux, both with a copper rose case – will also be available this fall, only on Fitbit.com and select retailers.

Fitbit separately launched Fitbit Premium, which will give its users personalized coaching including health reports, workouts and sleep features at a cost of $9.99 per month, beginning September.