- The Google Fitbit Edge fitness tracker has arrived, with Google's 'largest and brightest tracker screen yet'
- It's 11.5mm thin, and costs $179.99 / £159.99 / AU$TBC (around AU$300)
- It's got a physical side button, because 'people love physical buttons'
If you thought the Google Fitbit Air spelled the end of the 'old style' screen-bearing Fitbits, think again — Google has dropped the Google Fitbit Edge, a slim tracker with Google's 'largest and brightest tracker screen yet'. According to Google, it sits in between the 'quiet simplicity' of a Google Fitbit Air and a Google Pixel Watch.
It costs costs $179.99 / £159.99 (AU pricing is TBC, but that's equivalent to around AU$300), and features a powerful 'hybrid OLED' screen delivering 46% more viewing area than previous Fitbits, designed for direct sunlight visibility.
The screen offers an improved browsing experience based on Tiles that, while not sporting full Wear OS, seems to take cues from the Materia 3 Expressive design language Google uses on its best Android watches. It sports call and notification management, as well as — surprisingly — Google Maps support, so it really is like a smartwatch-lite.
The exercise app features improved automatic activity tracking that can detect up to 100 workout types, without you needing to manually start a workout. This will also be rolled out to the Google Fitbit Air. Unlike the Fitbit Air, it's also packing onboard GPS. The means Fitbit Edge users will be able to run, cycle, swim or hike and track their routes and speeds without piggybacking off their phone.
Menstrual cycle tracking, sleep tracking, and all of Google Health's usual tools (including the AI fitness coach) are present and correct here, as are the new Health Guardian features like Insulin Resistance Trends and an ECG scan functionality.
The chassis is 11.5mm thick, features metal touchpoints 'everywhere' across the device, and a 'satisfying' physical button. This is terrific news for me, because I love the buttons on the best Garmin watches and older Fitbits. It's nice that Google is bringing some of that old-school Fitbit heritage back — even though it has axed the old Fitbit app and migrated all users to Google Health.
The Fitbit Edge sports a long-lasting battery life that will go for a week, and a 90-minute charge can bring it back to 100%. The battery is also replaceable, extending the lifespan of your hardware.
Like the Google Fitbit Air and previous Fitbits before it, bands are swappable: you can choose an Active Sport band, a micro-adjustable, flexible Performance Loop, or more stylish Metal Links for a watch aesthetic.
Tactile, repairable, affordable
This 'middle ground' Fitbit, situated between a Google Fitbit Air and full Pixel Watch, looks terrific. I'm not the biggest fan of Google's new Health app due to its reliance on the AI coach, but Google absolutely nails its wearable hardware, and the Fitbit Edge looks like another winner, reinventing the classic Fitbit pebble design.
I love the form factor of the Pixel Watch and the Fitbit Air alike, and a halfway-house featuring a tactile button (my favorite feature on the Garmin Cirqa, and something I missed on the Fitbit Air), week-long battery life and the repairability of a replaceable battery for under $180 / £160 sounds like a slam-dunk. I look forward to testing it.