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

Maria Diaz/ZDNET
ZDNET’s key takeaways
The Fitbit Ace LTE
The Fitbit Ace LTE features a rich, kid-friendly platform that is easy to navigate. Also, the monthly fee is inexpensive, especially at 50% off for the annual plan through August.
However, the watch doesn’t feature sleep-tracking insights or support for receiving images or voice messages. Parents also don’t get a phone number with the data plan.
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 good smartwatch on its own, so you can presumably trust it to only get better in time, as evidenced by some recent updates.
Also: Skip the iPad: This $190 tablet is redefining what a kids tablet can do
The new Fitbit Ace LTE features a large 41mm by 45mm Gorilla Glass watch face, which seems huge for a kids’ smartwatch but it 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.
View at Amazon
For comparison, I’ve been testing the Xplora XGO3 for over a year. This is a $130 kids’ smartwatch that also 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.
Also: I tested the Samsung Galaxy Ring and it’s smarter than my Apple Watch in one big way
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.
Also: This sleep-tracking baby sock was one of the best purchases I made as a new parent
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.
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.
Also: Samsung’s $99 Galaxy Watch is still the best Wear OS deal right now – here’s how to qualify
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.
Also: Schools will remove app from students’ Chromebooks and iPads following security breach
Google launched the Fitbit Ace LTE with six games and promised that new games would soon be available in the Fitbit Arcade. Now, Google added two new games for Fitbit Ace users, including Sproutlings and Spirit Garden.
‘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).
Also: How we test smartwatches at ZDNET in 2024
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, including siblings. Their Eejies can interact in Bit Valley but can’t message or call each other. When added as siblings, kids can communicate with other Fitbit Ace users or a sibling with a smartphone.
Also: One of the longest-lasting sports watches I’ve tested is also the most gorgeous
Bit Valley has occasional ‘Snowstorms,’ which come up when a kid has spent too much time in the virtual land. These give kids a chance 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 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.
Also: The best tablets for kids: Expert tested and parent recommended
The Fitbit Ace app lets parents see their kids’ recent activity broken down into