I told myself that the Fitbit Air would be a nice addition to my EDC. A simple, companion tracker that I don’t have to worry about charging often. I also told myself that it will never replace a dedicated smartwatch. Turns out I was very wrong.
I love the Pixel Watch 4. In my opinion, this is the best product of 2025 from Google, even if it seems like insignificant changes. Not only does it look good, but it complements any Android phone I’ve used for any length of time. Although this also applies to all previous versions.
When the first leaks for the Fitbit Air appeared, honestly. I had little interest.
Then came the presentation date and curiosity got the better of me. With over £100 of Google Store credit accumulated on the UK site, I thought I’d get one to try out as it was free for me. I know this sounds like huge hyperbole, but this extraordinary decision changed my daily life in ways I really didn’t expect.
A wearable that doesn’t feel like a wearable
For years I’ve been using a smartwatch as a bridge to my phone. I’m not breaking any new ground that millions of others haven’t. I mention this because I have never used notification sounds or vibration on my phone. It drives me crazy when I hear a phone ring that I don’t allow. So I keep it on mute all the time, with only the keyboard and touch haptics enabled – those can stay.
I want the little screen I carry with me everywhere to make noises only when I tell it to.
Then, in my infinite wisdom or stupidity, you’ll decide that I’ve somehow loaded these annoyances into the various smartwatches I’ve worn over the past decade. Transferring pings, bumps and vibrations to the outside of my left wrist. You can probably get where this is going.
Yes, it’s something I’ve come to regret over time.
My various Pixel Watches have become over-extensions of my smartphone. Information overload has truly become a struggle for me. The smart decision would be to turn off those vibration pings, right?
So I did it. But that didn’t stop me from waiting for something to appear on the little screen I could see for over 16 hours a day. My phone may be face down, out of view, or require active interaction to be a “real” distraction. My watch, not so much. It’s literally strapped to my body with all the important sensors needed to get feedback on health and fitness.
Now back to the Fitbit Air. When I finally saw the release of the Air and read the details of the downloads from the smartwatch, I was instantly relieved of this information overload. Something I can wear to focus on these key metrics on my own time. You don’t need to be constantly meddling or meddling to get things going.
I saw it as a really passive piece of technology.
It is small, light and comfortable. A trio of dream features for something you’ll wear all day and all night. Charging only once a week is also liberating, but a sedentary person can stretch even further.
I’m not sure if that’s a compliment in itself, but if you remember them, I liken it to the old Live Strong bands. The biggest compliment I can pay now is that I forgot the Fitbit Air was there, and that’s its best feature. It just blends perfectly into my being while tracking the key health stats I care about.
This is the type of product I want and need more of in my life.
Plus, fitness tracking isn’t all that bad. I recently took an unexpected short retirement to play soccer (soccer to my American friends) with some long-time friends, and it watched the entire 80-minute session without me having to touch my phone. Later, when I picked up my phone from the field, I recorded it in Google Health.
The same goes for when I go for a walk or take my dog for an evening walk. I never set it up or forget it. I can’t speak for accuracy, but that seems pretty fair to me, even though no GPS hardware is placed inside. I’m not too worried if it runs a few meters or a few meters. Anything above a really rough estimate is good enough for me.
Not having a screen actually feels liberating in more ways than one.
First, I don’t engage with the screen during training. Just lift weights, run around, walk the dog. Zero distractions. I focus and damn it feels incredible.
Less is actually more
Maybe my opinion would be different if my Pixel Watch 4 was a model with LTE technology. I can 100% agree that going to the gym or running without having to carry a phone is a tempting prospect. The thing is, most of the time these experiences are for complete closure. Putting in hard hours in the gym and focusing on just one thing – something I’ve been doing more of over the last 18-24 months to improve all areas of my health and well-being.
yes, Google Health could be a little betterbut I only want to see the data. Just give me a fairly accurate picture of what’s going on and I can change my habits to—hopefully—live healthier.
If you had asked me a few weeks ago if my EDC “must-have” items included a Fitbit, I would have called you a liar, but here we are. I have a free go to Pixel Watch and I really love it.
Only negative? I often raise my left wrist to check the time. Unfortunately, there is nothing but a light blue cloth strap and a silver nugget staring back at me, and I need it.
For $99it’s hard to go wrong.
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