I didn’t expect to crave a device with no screen, and it told me something important about how I use tech
Things were better in the old days?
No, but they were exciting
The Fitbit Air is today referred to as a screenless fitness tracker, which is a whole segment of its own, and a minimalist device ideal for unplugging from our phones.
Turn back the clock more than a decade, and no such distinction was really needed because smartwatches weren’t very popular, and the ones that did exist weren’t very attractive.
Fitness bands were simple trackers, and because they weren’t especially complicated, the costs were low.
The Jawbone Up3, one of the best-looking fitness trackers ever made, was $150 and competed with the slightly less attractive Fitbit Charge HR, which also cost $150.
Models from Jawbone and Fitbit that came before these were a response to the wonderful Nike+ FuelBand, which also cost $150.
Adjusted for inflation, $150 is about $210 today, and even that’s more palatable than $350 or more for a Samsung Galaxy Watch 8.
In the early 2010s, there were plenty of choices available at a similar, fairly reasonable price, and it made the growing trend of fitness and health trackers feel really exciting and quite accessible.
Fitbit is back
Doing it right
The Fitbit Air is $100, or £85 here in the UK, where I’m testing it, and that makes it sound like a bit of a bargain compared to most other fitness and lifestyle trackers today.
As expected, the Google Health app (which replaces Google Fit and the Fitbit app) has a $10-per-month subscription to unlock Google Health Premium and the AI Health Coach, but it is optional. You can buy the Fitbit Air and only pay once.
However, there’s a better value way of unlocking Google Health Premium if you really want it, and that’s through the $20 per month Google AI Pro subscription, which also includes a host of Google’s AI features, 5TB of storage space, and YouTube Premium Lite.
Do you need AI Health Coach?
It’s looking good so far
The AI Health Coach is the big feature included with Google Health Premium. When you first set up a Fitbit Air, the Coach goes through your personal goals, current exercise regimen, and other health information.
It made setting up the Air feel personal and interactive, and the AI “listened” to what I wanted, and didn’t push me into doing more than I wanted.
It also takes into account the current situation, from weather to work pressures, to create its personalized, custom plan.
Beyond that, I really like that I can tell the AI I’ve done some exercises without either having to track them manually or have it automatically recognize them.
For example, a quick circuit of press-ups, squats, and planks in the morning doesn’t register, but when you tell the AI Coach you’ve done it, it looks at sensor data and then adjusts your daily activity accordingly.
It’s fast and easy, and you can log anything using the keyboard or your voice.
I found the AI Coach to be responsive and able to understand natural language, just like Gemini Live.
Time will tell how effective the AI Health Coach continues to be, but it’s a great start.
What about the Fitbit Air’s hardware?
A return to simpler times
There isn’t much to the Fitbit Air. Just like the original Fitbit and other trackers, there’s a central module that fits into a replaceable band that wraps around your wrist and is secured with a hook-and-loop section.
If you’re at all used to wearing a watch or another fitness tracker, you won’t notice the Fitbit Air on your wrist. It’s so light and unobtrusive.
It’s two-thirds of the width of the Whoop MG band, and although the band lacks the Whoop’s elasticity, it’s still comfortable to wear.
It comes with the Performance Loop band, and I chose the Lavender color to match my Lavender Google Pixel 10a, and they look summery and cool together.
The Berry color is even brighter, but there are also the Obsidian and Fog colors if you don’t want to make a statement.
Alternatively, Google will sell you posher versions of the strap if you want to take away the sporty edge.
The Fitbit Air is as colorful as you want, sporty yet unobtrusive enough to be worn all day, and the lack of a screen and notifications makes it delightfully simple.
There’s no pretense here, just good old-fashioned style and value.
All from a company that knows fitness tracking
Buy with confidence?
Fitbit knows what it’s doing when it comes to sport, health, and lifestyle tracking.
It’s not a startup trying to work out algorithms or smooth out bugs from an early app, and it has Google’s might behind it when it comes to its AI. It gives me confidence in the product.
The Fitbit Air is a return to the brand’s early days, and the exciting wearable tech boom that came with it, showing us what worked then, hardware-wise, still works now, just improved with an AI coach, which seems to be doing all the right things so far.
My first 24 hours with the Fitbit Air have been very positive. It deserves the attention it’s getting, and it deserves yours, too.
Android Police will have a full review of the Fitbit Air in the near future.
