Whoop is gearing up for some serious competition. Last year, Polar challenged Whoop is a screen-free health and fitness tracker with him Loop without subscriptionand now Google is jumping into the arena with the Fitbit Air.
as annoying before The $99.99 Fitbit Air by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry is also a screen-less, wrist-worn wearable. It tracks all the things you’d expect from a wearable device—steps, exercise, and sleep—but what ties all the monitoring together and helps you make sense of the data is the updated Google Health Coach (previously in beta).
Is Google using artificial intelligence to understand your fitness and health data? Who could have predicted this?! In all seriousness, this is where wearables are heading. With so much data coming from wearable sensors, it only makes sense to have an AI “coach” to do things like spot trends and provide guidance.
And Google says that this time around, coaching will feel more personal thanks to Gemini — specifically designed for the individual user. Google’s AI will take into account not only your data tracked from the Fitbit Air, but also lifestyle changes like injuries, nutrition and even the weather. In a virtual briefing, Google representatives said that the more you share with Google Health Coach (using natural language), the more personalized your workout will be.
There are several reasons to consider the Fitbit Air over an older Fitbit tracker or even a smartwatch like this one. Pixel Watch 4.
First, it’s screenless and has automatic activity detection. This is great for keeping your focus on the moment when you’re exercising, instead of paying attention to the numbers going up or down on your wrist. The tracked data is sent to the Google Health app, which works with both iOS and Android devices. Without the screen, the battery life is also quite long. Google says the Fitbit Air will last up to 7 hours on a single charge via the included magnetic charger. A five-minute quick charge will give you a day of battery, and a 90-minute charge will fully charge it.
The size is also very compact. I haven’t tried the device personally, but I’m told it’s about 25% smaller than a single device. Fitbit Luxe. It’s easy to adjust to fit any outfit – the standard “Active” band with all the sensors detaches from the “pebble” module, and then you can replace it with any other. There’s also the Stephen Curry Special Edition, which comes in a special pink colorway and includes details like a “raised internal print for increased airflow.”
Google has also improved tracking across the board. The company says the Fitbit Air’s 24/7 heart rate monitor improves sleep tracking by up to 15%. For example, a wearable device can detect naps of 20 minutes or longer. “Advanced algorithms” can help you wake up at the right time every day so you feel better rested. The sleep score has been updated to present the information in a more digestible way.
One convenience I appreciate is that you can now seamlessly switch between wearing the Pixel Watch or the Fitbit Air while you sleep. Both devices can be paired with the Google Health app, so if you don’t fancy wearing a smartwatch to track your sleep, you can slip on the Fitbit Air as you lie in bed. The Google Health app will sync both data in no time, and you can also filter the data by device, according to Google.
Fitbit Weather it sounds great on paper. I like the idea of using artificial intelligence to understand my measurements, but I’m also wary of sharing too much personal information. Google says that in addition to the data collected from the Fitbit Air (and other devices), you can also download health and data in PDF format, and Google Health Coach will accept this and take that data into account when preparing coaching. I understand that the more information AI knows, the better guidance it can offer, but I’m not sure I can fully trust it with my medical information just yet. Maybe I just need a taste of the “magic” and I can believe it. Data privacy, especially regarding your health, is something everyone should think deeply about.
Pre-orders for the $99.99 Fitbit Air begin today, May 7th, and hit store shelves on May 26th. It also comes with three months of Google Health Premium. After your free trial, continuing to access Google Health Coach will cost you $9.99 per month. Bands cost an additional $34.99.
