Fitbit Charge 2 release date, specs news 2016: Upgraded Fitbit Charge offers sleeker design, auto-tracking, Cardio Fitness Level

Fitbit officially announced its Charge 2 activity tracker at the IFA in Berlin, Germany this week.

The Fitbit Charge 2, which comes loaded with a slew of new features, seems to be geared towards making it harder for users to tire of it, a challenge that many tracker makers face.

The activity tracker boasts a sleek and stylish design, with a new steel body and interchangeable bands and clock faces, allowing users to dress it up or down based on the occasion. Wareable notes that the Classic fitness accessory bands ($29.95) are available in black, blue, plum, and teal, while the Luxe premium leather accessory bands ($69.95) come in indigo, brown, and blush pink. The Special Edition Series bands ($179.95) come in lavender with a rose gold body and black with a gunmetal body.

But the real beauty of the Fitbit Charge 2 is that it does much more than just casually monitoring a user's steps. The notification-rich activity tracker pushes real-time updates such as heart rate data and calories burned, SMS, calls, and even calendar alerts. This means that users don't have to keep pulling out their smartphones to check the Fitbit app for their stats.

The Charge 2 also features built-in auto-tracking, which allows it to determine whether the user is walking, running, or cycling, as opposed to other activities such as lifting weights or doing yoga. There's also a new feature called Guided Breathing Sessions, which is geared towards calming the body and mind through guided deep-breathing, and a new interval workout feature that will take users through high-intensity exercises interspersed with brief rest periods.

Possibly the most interesting addition, however, is the Cardio Fitness Level, which offers users a personalized Cardio Fitness Score based on their VO2 Max, a measurement that tells the user how his or her body uses up oxygen while working out. The Fitbit Charge 2 calculates this using the user's profile data, exercise details, and heart rate.

Tech Radar notes that while previous reports pointed towards a November release, the Fitbit Charge 2 will be rolled out globally throughout September. The new activity tracker is said to replace the Charge HR, which will be eventually phased out.

According to CNET, the Fitbit Charge 2 costs the same as the model it replaces at $150 in the U.S. or £130 in the U.K.