The Air “pebble” is inserted in bands from the bottom.
Credit: Google
The Air “pebble” is inserted in bands from the bottom.
Credit: Google
The Fitbit Air will have all the standard wearable health sensors: heart rate, accelerometer/gyroscope, infrared SpO2, and skin temperature. Google notes that the heart rate monitor is not as advanced as the latest Pixel watches, so the Air may not be as accurate during vigorous activity. The Air also has a vibration motor that can be used for alarms, but it won’t ring for phone notifications like a smartwatch.
The Fitbit Air launches on May 26 for $99.99 with the Performance Loop band included. There are also Performance Loop and Elevated Modern Band silicone options. The bracelets start at $34.99 and come in various colors. The Fitbit Air purchase also includes three months of Google Health Premium (which replaces Fitbit Premium), which now includes Google’s new AI Health Coach.
Goodbye, Fitbit… Hello, Google Health
The Fitbit app is getting a major makeover and a new name. An update in the coming weeks will transform that app into Google Health, featuring a new interface with a more extensive Material Expressive aesthetic and redesigned menus and tabs. You won’t see Fitbit branding in as many places either: the Fitbit Premium subscription will become Google Health Premium.
Without a subscription, the app still does all the basic things, like tracking your health stats, automatically logging workouts, and displaying it all in a nice dashboard. With the Premium subscription, you get all the features of Fitbit Premium plus the new AI Health Coach. It’s a chatbot, so you can ask it about any health or wellness topic, and the answers are based on your health data.
Google suggests asking the Health Coach for personalized exercise routines or exploring health concerns. In theory, the robot can use your accumulated health metrics, such as workouts, nutrition and sleep, to provide better suggestions. You can even upload a picture of food to Health Coach and automatically record it in the app.
