Google’s new Fitbit could make you rethink buying a smartwatch
Google may be preparing to give the Fitbit Charge line the upgrade it’s been waiting for. A new leak has revealed a huge amount of information about the rumored Fitbit Edge, an upcoming fitness tracker that appears designed to sit somewhere between the minimalist Fitbit Air and Google’s much more capable Pixel Watch 5.
The device itself isn’t much of a surprise. Google accidentally showed a mysterious screen-equipped fitness tracker in Pixel 11 advertising earlier this year, while subsequent retail imagery seemingly confirmed the Fitbit Edge name and gave us a much better look at its design. Now, a report from Dealabs Magazine may have filled in most of the remaining blanks, including its price and some seriously interesting hardware.
This sounds like much more than a basic fitness tracker
The Fitbit Edge will reportedly feature a 1.34-inch AMOLED display with an always-on mode, built-in GPS, Bluetooth 5.4, and support for both Android and iPhone. Health tracking looks extensive, too. The leaked feature list includes heart-rate monitoring, SpO2 measurements, ECG readings, VO2 max, sleep tracking, skin temperature, irregular heart-rate notifications, and more than 40 exercise modes. But Gemini could be the Edge’s biggest differentiator.
The tracker reportedly supports personalized fitness coaching powered by Gemini, including customized workout programs, an Ask Coach feature, and coaching directly from your wrist. Google already offers its Gemini-powered Health Coach through Google Health Premium, so bringing that experience to a smaller Fitbit would make plenty of sense. Some of those smarter features may require a Google Health Premium subscription, although it’s unclear exactly which ones would sit behind the paywall.
The battery might be the real reason to want one
Battery life is where the Fitbit Edge could pull away from a full smartwatch. The tracker reportedly lasts up to seven days on a charge, although enabling the always-on display could drop that to around two days. More interestingly, just five minutes of charging is said to provide roughly 24 hours of use. The battery may even be user-replaceable.
Pricing could make the Edge particularly interesting. Dealabs reportedly lists it at €179 (~ $201) in Europe and £159 (~ $211) in the UK. That puts it only slightly above the older Fitbit Charge 6 while remaining substantially cheaper than the Pixel Watch 5. That makes Google’s strategy fairly easy to see. The Fitbit Edge could be for people who want a proper display, GPS, notifications, advanced health tracking, and long battery life without stepping up to a Wear OS smartwatch. The one thing we still don’t know is when it’s coming. Google hasn’t officially announced the Fitbit Edge yet, but given how much has leaked, it probably won’t remain a secret much longer.