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Google Launches Fitbit Air, a Screenless Band Focused on Sleep and Health

The product shifts interaction to the Google Health app and monetizes personalized coaching through an optional Gemini-powered premium subscription.

Overview

  • Fitbit Air, which launched Tuesday, went on sale in the U.S. for $99.99 and in Europe for €99.99 and includes a three-month trial of Google Health Premium with purchase.
  • The band is deliberately screenless: its capsule design sends all metrics and controls to the Google Health app rather than showing data on the wrist.
  • Fitbit Air offers continuous 24/7 monitoring of heart rate, SpO2, HRV, sleep stages and scoring, and irregular-rhythm/AFib alerts, and it promises up to seven days of battery life with a five-minute fast charge for a day of use.
  • A Gemini-based Google Health Coach and an expanded exercise library are gated behind the optional Google Health Premium plan, priced at about $100 per year, while basic tracking works without a subscription.
  • Google positions the device for users who want low-friction, all-day health and sleep tracking, but the lack of on-wrist features like music controls or Google Wallet and the reliance on phone-based interaction create tradeoffs for people who prefer immediate, on-device access.