Google Fitbit tracker
A new era of Fitbit is about to begin, with the Fitbit Air. This is a screen-free tracker, and the first major new Fitbit hardware series since Google acquired Fitbit in 2021.
It’s a big change that should give many people confidence to buy back into the brand again. But this is a little different to anything Fitbit has made, at least since its very earliest days.
Google may announce the Fitbit Air within days, but here’s what’s known about it so far.
In an unusual move, Google commissioned basketball player Steph Curry to promote the as-yet unannounced band on his social channels. There was an ad post on Instagram, but there’s further proof the sports star actually wore it in the weeks before his post.
This gives us almost as good a view on what the band looks like as a full reveal would. And it’s not all that different to other screen-free wearables other than having what looks like a slimmer-than-most sensor module.
The best clue as to when the Fitit Air is out comes from Droid Life, which claims May 16 is the device’s launch date.
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As this is a Saturday, it seems more likely this is when the tracker will start shipping. It could be announced then too, or may get its grand unveil some days beforehand.
The Fitbit Air is expected to cost $99, matching the recommended price of the Fitbit Inspire 3.
You could of course argue the Air has less going on, given the Inspire has both similar health sensors and a screen. But a new set of economic standards have been established for this category. For now at least, it looks like the Fitbit Air will be highly competitive.
There are likely to be three colours of Fitbit Air, and here I’m talking about the shades of the central unit itself.
They are dubbed Obsidian, Lavender, and Berry. The first two are pretty easy to picture: the black one and a purple-lilac one. Based on what the Google Pixel-series phones look like, you can expect the Berry Fitbit Air to be a red-pink color tracker.
For a tracker of this style, it’s a healthy array of options. The central unit is usually mostly hidden behind the strap.
Google is going to offer a whole stash of Fitbit Air straps, which will effectively determine the visual personality of the tracker. And its feel, of course.
These are subbed Performance, Active, Elevated, and Metal Mesh. You can already guess what these will offer because the same wording is used for the Pixel Watch series straps is similar.
In that family Active bands are silicone-like fluoroelastomer, Performance straps are woven fabric — these tend to be very comfortable and very flexible in terms of fit.
Elevated straps aren’t part of Google’s current line-up, but the naming suggests they may be more upmarket, lifestyle-leaning designs that have a less sporty-looking appearance. Metal Mesh speaks for itself. It’s likely to be a fairly fine mesh, perhaps made of stainless steel, that conforms fairly well to the wrist’s contours.
The strap you pick is likely to have a significant on the initial Fitbit Air outlay. For reference the Pixel Watch metal mesh-style band costs $129.99 on its own.
One other element of the Fitbit Air launch is more of wider indicator of what Google thinks of the Fitbit brand. It looks like Fitbit Premium is about to be renamed Google Health Premium.
That the Fitbit Air will apparently come with a $99.99 starting price suggests the subscription likely won’t be mandatory for the basics. But it further nudges the Fitbit name into a tighter niche of lower-tech wearables, and downgrades the brand as the fitness specialist within the wider Google family.
It does make sense, though. Should a Pixel Watch really be tied to a Fitbit subscription when the Fitbit brand really isn’t what it once was — in part thanks to Google?
The ongoing future of Fitbit remains to be seen but the Fitbit Air proves there are still some years left in it.
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