Google has unveiled a new wearable under the Fitbit branding. As one can probably tell by the name, the Fitbit Air is a lightweight fitness tracker. What sets this particular device apart is its screenless design, making it a simple and discreet alternative to conventional fitness trackers.
According to Google, the Fitbit Air is the smallest tracker in the lineup thus far, measuring 34.9mm long, 17mm wide, and 8.3mm thick. Beyond that, the pebble alone weighs just 5.2g, making it 20% lighter than the Fitbit Luxe. Its housing is composed of recycled polycarbonate and PBT plastics. Meanwhile, the standard band is textile with a stainless steel buckle.
Despite its size, the device packs an array of sensors for monitoring the user’s vitals. Among the tracked metrics include heart rate, heart rhythm monitoring with Afib alerts, blood oxygen levels, resting heart rate, as well as heart rate variability. In addition to this, the wearable can track the wearer’s sleep stages and duration.
Since the Fitbit Air lacks a display, users will have to pair it with a dedicated app to view all their data. In this case, it’s the Google Health app, which the company introduced alongside the new wearable. Essentially, it’s the Fitbit app with a fresh coat of paint and a new Gemini-powered assistant, the Google Health Coach.
On the fitness side of things, the wearable comes with automatic workout detection that the brand claims “gets better over time”. Furthermore, the user can initiate workouts from the app.
As for battery life, the device can apparently last a maximum of seven days. Furthermore, the lithium-polymer cell takes about 90 minutes to fully charge. A quick five-minute top-up will also net about a day of usage.
The Google Fitbit Air comes in four colourways, namely Obsidian, Fog, Berry, and Lavender. In the US, the wearable is available for pre-order for US$99.99 (~RM392). Aside from the aforementioned shades, there is a Stephen Curry Special Edition, which gets a US$129.99 (~RM510) price tag. It’s unclear whether the wearable will make its way here, though.
(Source: Google [1], [2])
