The Whoop-like wearable that Google teased in March has just launched. Called the Google Fitbit Air, it’s a screenless device that you can wear on a wristband, chest strap or technically anywhere, really, depending on your device of choice. It’s available for pre-order today for $100 and is basically a Fitbit, stripped of its band. However, with a name like Air, the new gadget is much smaller than its predecessor. According to Google Health general manager Rishi Chandra, the Fitbit Air is 25 percent smaller than the Fitbit Luxe and 50 percent smaller than the Inspire 3.
Google also said its latest device was “rated more comfortable than leading competitors” in an independent consumer opinion survey conducted last year, looking at the most popular wearables in the US. The company described the Fitbit Air as having a “secure, slightly adjustable fit” that should make it so comfortable you won’t notice it at work, in the gym or in bed. At only 12 grams (0.42 ounces) with the band and 5.2 grams (0.18 ounces) without, it’s very light.
With no buttons or screen, the Fitbit Air is basically a wearable that sits on your person and collects information. It will monitor your heart rate throughout the day, and with that data it can use the company’s long-term algorithms to record your sleep, deliver details of the time you spent in specific sleep stages and give you a Sleep Score each night. Air can detect “AFib symptoms with abnormal heart rhythm alerts” and help you “understand your heart rate variability (HRV) and its impact on your overall well-being.”
You won’t need to worry about having to take out your phone to start logging a workout session, however, Fitbit Air has automatic activity detection like most of its peers, and can automatically track common types of exercise including cycling (stationary or outdoor), running, walking, rowing, elliptical and other high-cardiovascular sports. You can use the app to automatically start sessions for about 40 types of activities, including aerobics, circuit training, boating, dancing, kickboxing, walking, yoga and more. Stats like your heart rate will show up on your phone as you exercise. Finally, if you want to add an activity to the app that isn’t already in, you’ll be able to find more than 140 options including archery, cycling, badminton, cricket, curling and household chores.
You’ll also get information about your weekly cardio load and fitness, as well as all the basics you’d expect from a modern activity tracker like your steps, distance traveled and time spent exercising. And because it has a vibration motor, it can wake you up quietly by humming against your skin. Google’s Smart Wake feature can use this to help wake you from sleep at the most appropriate times in your sleep cycle.
These all sound like features we’ve come to expect from most smartwatches and fitness trackers today, of course. But Google said Air is “powered by new machine learning models that are 15% more accurate than our previous models.” It also pointed out that the Sleep Score has been improved in a way that “better reflects recovery.”
Air also has the letters A and n in its name, and like many products launched by Google this year, it comes with many AI features. Essential to Air Coach is Google’s Health Coach, which has been in public view since its launch in October. This is Gemini’s powerful interface that allows you to have a conversation with the Google Health app and get personalized suggestions based on your data. Health Coach will create “fitness plans, tailored to your goals – and your health – with workout suggestions and actionable insights that adapt to your real-time performance data and changing schedule.
According to Google, the trainer will be able to work with fitness and health information including Cycle Health and “critical medical information.” The company also says “your data is private and secure.”
Google currently offers three bands alongside the Fitbit Air. There’s a “slow-shifting” Performance Loop band and an active silicone band that’s sweat-resistant and “waterproof” to better withstand workouts. (Google says the Air is water-resistant up to 50 meters, but it’s not officially water-resistant.) A third option is the “Elevated Modern Band,” which Google says turns the Air into “a fashion bracelet.” There’s no chest strap option (or necklace or ankle strap or any other option) available yet, though Chandra told Engadget that more straps are coming. “Right now, the straps are just wristbands,” he said. “We’re looking at how we can reach more.”
Like other Fitbits, the Air has a limited battery life of up to a week, and it can charge quickly enough to get up to a day’s worth of power in five minutes of being plugged in. It can take about 90 minutes to fully charge. Like the Pixel Watch 4’s, the Fitbit Air charger is magnetic and bi-directional so you don’t have to argue about its position when you place the device in the dock.
Google also created a special edition of the Air in collaboration with basketball star (and the company’s “Performance Advisor” Steph Curry. It features a “raised internal print for increased airflow and Stephen Curry’s signature design details,” as well as an additional water-resistant cover. All of those extras will cost you a premium, as the Fitbit Air Special Edition will set you back $130. Each purchase of the Fitbit Air (including the Special Edition) will come with three months of Google Health Premium, and the devices will arrive on May 26.
Update, May 7 2026, 10:40AM ET: This story has been updated to clarify the number and types of activities that the Fitbit Air can automatically detect, as well as those that can be manually started and added to the app.
