Google recently launched a new Fitbit health tracker that looks interesting, but it’s a little different from what you might be used to.
That’s because the $99 Fitbit Air doesn’t have a screen, instead opting for a combination of a mobile app and an AI trainer to meet your health-tracking needs. While Mashable’s review is still in the works and will be ready soon, reviews of the device from other professional critics are out this week, so let’s dive in and see what they have to say. Is it time to upgrade from your old Fitbit, or should you stick with something with a screen?
Fitbit Air review: No screen required
Without dancing around the point, let’s be straight forward that almost all Fitbit Air reviews are positive. Despite complaints from longtime Fitbit users on Reddit about the Google Health app, first-time users are really loving the Fitbit Air so far.
Critics generally enjoyed the device’s sleek design and health-tracking capabilities, though a few had nitpicks here and there. One thing you should understand right away is that the Fitbit Air costs $99 (with an additional $99/year subscription to unlock all features of the Google Health app) a lot it’s cheaper than the latest Whoop tracker, which is the obvious inspiration for Fitbit’s new device.
A Whoop fitness tracker comes as part of that subscription it starts at $149/yr, so Google’s option is a definite win in terms of price, and critics have noticed. In addition, Gemini super users who are already registered for Google AI Pro or AI Ultra get complimentary access to the Google Health app, so no additional registration is required.
I ran the NYC Marathon wearing 7 fitness trackers and they all watched me throw them away
Despite the price, it feels like the Fitbit Air tends to nail the important things you’d like to nail, like comfort. Like any other Fitbit device, it offers a variety of band styles to choose from, which will largely come down to personal preference. PCMag’s Andrew Gebhart had kind things to say about Performance Loop’s polyester-based band.
“The Performance Loop covers the sensor, so I didn’t feel the need to take precautions when lifting weights, and the device didn’t bother me,” Gebhart wrote. “Conversely, I often had to reposition the Oura Ring for comfort, or move the smartwatch screen to protect the display, when lifting weights. The Active Band provides more protection, but the Performance Loop lasts long enough for all daily activities.”
Mashable Light Speed
Since the Fitbit Air doesn’t have a display, it relies entirely on the Google Health mobile app to track health, adjust settings, or do anything else you might need a screen for. This has ruffled some feathers online, especially those who are long-time Fitbit users who prefer the old Fitbit app. But critics like Engadget’s Cherlynn Low found the Google Health app very easy to use, with a home page that does a good job of displaying important user information.
It looks cozy.
Credit: Google
If you choose to pay a subscription fee, you’ll unlock access to an AI trainer within the app, which is one of the defining features of the Fitbit Air. It works similarly to the automatically generated progress reports in other fitness apps, but now you can make your requests in natural language using a chatbot interface. At Engadget, Low admitted that the AI trainer can sometimes be distracting or insensitive about disordered eating, but found that it’s generally decent for basic tracking and health guidance.
“For example, it was almost impossible to ask the app to enter ‘the same cup of muesli and milk I had yesterday’ and get the desired results. Thanks to its Gemini capabilities, the AI Trainer did what I asked, looking at my log history of the products I specified and simply adding them to my data for the relevant day,” wrote Low. “Yes, it was wrong and occasionally I had to correct it. But I generally found it easy to get Coach to do basic things like track my nutrition and activity.”
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Of course, there are some basic issues with a screenless tracker that need to be addressed. One thing you get if you choose to pay more for a Whoop tracker is better battery life. Contemporary Whoop trackers are rated for about 14 days of life on a charge, but every reviewer I read was only able to get about seven or eight days out of the Fitbit Air. Apparently it charges fast, so it shouldn’t be a big problem, but we should be aware of that anyway.
One last thing to note, courtesy of CNET’s Vanessa Hand Orellana, is that the Fitbit Air is worse at being a watch than any other Fitbit model. Orellana liked the device overall, but made the most important observation that its form factor has real limitations.
“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve glanced at my wrist waiting to see the time, only to be met with a group of blank stares like, ‘What?,'” Orellana wrote. “Between that and the fact that it couldn’t ring my phone, there were times when the Fitbit Air felt like it was freeloading on my wrist.”
If you want a watch, you should get something with a screen. If that doesn’t matter to you, the Fitbit Air might be worth a try.
The new Google Fitbit Air is available now from GoogleAmazonand other retailers for $99.99.
Disclosure: PCMag, CNET, and Mashable are owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.