I found the best smartwatch for kids, and it’s not an Apple Watch or Garmin

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Fitbit Ace LTE is a kids’ smartwatch and fitness tracker that costs $230, with a proprietary Ace Pass LTE data plan costing $10 a month or $120 annually
The Fitbit Ace LTE features a rich, kid-friendly platform that is easy to navigate, and the monthly fee is inexpensive
However, the watch doesn’t feature sleep-tracking insights or support for receiving images or voice messages, and parents don’t get a phone number with the data plan. $229 at Amazon $229.99 at Target more buying choices
Google recently launched the new Fitbit Ace LTE, a kids’ smartwatch that gamifies physical activity to encourage movement in exchange for playtime on the device. The coolest thing about it is that Google doesn’t skimp on the features; it’s a great smartwatch on its own, so you can presumably trust it to only get better in time, as evidenced by some recent updates.
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The new Fitbit Ace LTE features a large 41mm by 45mm Gorilla Glass watch face, which seems huge for a kids’ smartwatch but proves to be just the right size in practice. All the games are meant to be played on the watch, so the extra screen real estate is readily appreciated when kids are interacting with it.
For comparison, I’ve tested the Xplora XGO3 for over a year. This $130 kids’ smartwatch requires a monthly data subscription and gamifies physical activity. However, the Xplora XGO3 gives kids virtual coins in exchange for steps taken, which they can exchange for games on a phone or tablet. It’s also very limited in what kids can write — there’s no keyboard in the messaging app — and it has fewer features than the Fitbit Ace LTE.
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Using the Fitbit Ace LTE
This smartwatch is so feature-rich that I decided to break down the biggest ones based on my kid’s experience using each one:
‘Noodles’ or activity rings
This Noodle has a cat with ice cream on its head. As the kid gets closer to closing it, an ice cream cone appears on the lower right corner. Maria Diaz/ZDNET
The Fitbit Ace LTE features a pedometer and heart rate sensor to track steps taken, light physical activity, and active exercise. Kids wearing the smartwatch start each day with a Move Goal displayed on their screen as a Noodle, similar to an Apple Watch’s Activity Rings or Wear OS fitness tracker.
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Like most features on the Fitbit Ace LTE, Noodles are customizable. Kids can choose their preferred Noodle and see an animation when it transforms to an upgraded version after they complete their daily move goal. For example, it can be a cartoon snake getting closer to a leaf bug as the day progresses. When the Move Goal is reached, the snake eats the bug and changes color as it ‘dies,’ seemingly poisoned.
Google added new Noodles for kids to choose from in November.
Fitbit Arcade games
Kaiju Golf has kids make golf swing movements. Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Games on the Fitbit Ace LTE are unlocked as the kid wearing it reaches exercise goals, with new features available as the kid moves more. The watch features games played through physical activity, like fishing and golf, which require arm movements. My kid particularly loved the fishing game Smokey Lake, which has new locations where she can try catching different fish. However, these locations are an X number of steps away, unlockable only if she completes the set number of steps.
Playing Kaiju Golf on the Fitbit Ace LTE kids smartwatch. Maria Diaz/ZDNET
The Fitbit Ace LTE only works with the Fitbit Ace Pass, so you can’t bypass the subscription to use the smartwatch. The Fitbit Ace Pass, paid monthly or annually, gives the wearable access to calls, messaging, GPS location, and games. The games are part of Fitbit Arcade, accessible only with the data plan and updated almost daily. These games don’t have in-game purchases or need to be downloaded; they only become available when the child does physical activity.
Google launched the Fitbit Ace LTE with six games and promised that new games would soon be available in the Fitbit Arcade. Subsequently, the company added two new games for Fitbit Ace users, including Sproutlings and Spirit Garden. Now, Google announced it’s adding Solar Sword, a new game, to the Fitbit Arcade.
‘Eejies’ or avatars
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Each watch has an Eejie, an avatar that kids can customize and keep happy by achieving move goals. Eejies live in a house in Bit Valley that kids can decorate, unlocking rooms as they progress to different levels. Think of an Eejie as a modern-day Tamagotchi (without the hatching or dying).
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Maria Diaz/ZDNET
If parents allow it on the Fitbit Ace app, kids can friend each other in Bit Valley when two or more Fitbit Ace LTE users are nearby. Their Eejies can interact in Bit Valley but can’t message or call each other. When added as siblings with Fitbit Ace devices, kids can communicate with each other on the smartwatches.
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Bit Valley has occasional ‘Snowstorms,’ which occur when a kid has spent too much time in the virtual world. These snowstorms encourage kids to do something else besides decorating their house in Bit Valley, like get moving.
Interchangeable wristbands
Google sells different wristbands in polyester yarn and sports finishes. But unlike other smartwatches, each band unlocks a new Noodle, levels up their Eejie’s house, and has new decor and outfits for their Eejie. The bands each have a theme, like the Strange Arcade, Moovin, Spooky Pugs, Glitterbomb Skate, Camp Nightmare, and Courtside. The different wristbands only add to the watch experience, so kids don’t lose their Eejie or any progress they made before switching bands.
Fitbit Ace app for grownups
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
The Fitbit Ace LTE looks more like a grownup smartwatch than one for kids, but it doesn’t include a phone number with the Ace Pass. Instead, the watch requires the parents and anyone who will communicate with them to use the Fitbit Ace app on their iOS or Android smartphone, which gives them full access to their kids’ smartwatch settings, location, data plan, messaging, calling, and more.
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The Fitbit Ace app lets parents see their kids’ recent activity broken down into