Google’s latest wearable seems like a Fitbit Air with a screen, but the two actually have less in common than you might think.
Now, you do have to pay for Google Health Premium if you want to use them to their fullest, but the Edge and the Air otherwise seem like great options if you’re not interested in spending hundreds of dollars on a smartwatch. Just because they support some AI tools doesn’t mean they’re completely interchangeable, though. The Fitbit Edge features a screen, and some subtler differences that might make it worth picking over the Fitbit Air depending on what you’re looking for.
A screen isn’t the only thing that differentiates the Fitbit Edge
Beyond those surface-level distinctions, the two devices also feature slightly different sensors. They both have optical heart rate sensors, but only the Edge has the electrical sensors necessary to support ECG readings. The Edge also includes an altimeter for calculating elevation and an ambient light sensor, likely to make sure its screen is calibrated to the right brightness.
Google says both the Edge and the Air are supposed to get seven days of battery life, though that math changes slightly thanks to the Edge’s display. It can last seven days if its screen isn’t in always-on mode. When the always-on feature is enabled (making the Edge more like a modern smartwatch), it’s only rated for around two days. To make up for the difference, the company says the Edge can charge to 100 percent in 90 minutes, and when it’s on low battery, a 15-minute charge can give it a day of battery life.
Battery life might be an area where the Edge falls short, but both it and the Air are equally water and dust resistant with IP68 ratings and protection up to 5ATM.
The Fitbit Edge can do and track more things than the Fitbit Air
When it comes to what each individual wearable is capable of, though, things get a bit more complicated. Both the Edge and the Air offer things like activity tracking, a daily readiness score, cardio load insights, step tracking, continuous heart rate monitoring, irregular heart rhythm notifications, sleep tracking and a resilience score that approximates stress. The screen and additional sensors on the Edge enable extras, too, like ECG readings, the ability to track the number of floors you’ve climbed and live workout metrics on the built-in screen.
Because the Edge, again, has a display and runs Google’s lightweight Fitbit OS, it can also show more of your health data on-device, receive notifications from your phone and even run a stripped-down version of Google Maps. The Air can’t offer the same without a screen, and depending on your perspective on wearables, you might not want it to.
One of the draws of the Fitbit Air is it’s less in your face: just sensors and a companion app when you want to look at the data you collect. By design, the Fitbit Edge is far more obvious. It’s not a mini-smartphone in the way a Pixel Watch is, but it could be harder to ignore, if that’s something that matters to you.
