Fitbit Edge Adds Screen and $80 Premium as Android Authority Weighs Air and Rivals
Fitbit Edge costs $80 more than Air, adding a screen, GPS and ECG, but health-tracking features overlap broadly.
According to Android Authority, the Edge has a 1.34-inch AMOLED touchscreen and a side button, while the Air has no screen and sends all data to the Google Health app. The Edge’s Stephen Curry Edition costs $219.99; the Air is $99.99, or $129.99 for a Special Edition. The Air weighs 12 grams, 5.7 grams less than the Edge, and the publication said it is generally seen as more comfortable overnight.
Both trackers provide continuous heart rate, heart-rate variability, resting heart rate and SpO2 readings. Blood pressure trends and insulin resistance trends are supported on both but require Google Health Premium, which costs $9.99 a month and comes with three months free at purchase. The same Premium requirement applies to the Gemini-powered Health Coach, which builds weekly routines and workout plans on both devices. Core tracking is free on both.
Differences appear in sleep, heart-rhythm and workout features. The Edge tracks sleep stages, duration, fluctuations and a sleep score; the Air tracks sleep stages and duration. Sleep Breathing Quality is not supported yet on the Edge, and Google says it is looking to bring it but has not guaranteed support. The Air does not have the feature live yet, but Google says it is coming soon. The Edge has an on-wrist ECG app and AFib checks; the Air has passive irregular rhythm notifications and no ECG. The Edge has a dedicated far-field skin temperature sensor, while the Air measures variation using its temperature sensor.
The Edge supports 50+ exercise modes, starts workouts from the wrist through the Exercise app, shows live workout metrics on its screen and offers real-time coaching prompts. The Air supports 40+ exercise modes, starts workouts only from the phone app or by auto-detection, shows live metrics on a compatible device and does not offer real-time coaching. Auto workout detection covers up to 100 activities on the Edge and 100+ on the Air after an October update, including fast sports such as tennis. The Edge has built-in multi-system GPS that Android Authority said is about 40% more accurate than previous generations, plus an altimeter and floor tracking and post-workout route maps. The Air has no built-in GPS; it provides a workout intensity map when the user carries a phone. Both broadcast heart rate to gym equipment and are 5ATM for swimming. The Edge adds a physical button for wet-hand control and an ambient light sensor, the publication said.
On wrist functions, the Edge shows Google Maps directions and notifications and supports quick replies on Android. The Air has none of those on the device. Both work with Android and iOS. The Edge lasts up to seven days, or about two days with always-on display; the Air lasts up to seven days. Both provide about a day of use from a five-minute charge. Android Authority said the Air loses little in health tracking for its $80 lower price, while the Edge’s screen, GPS, ECG, altimeter, on-wrist workout controls and live coaching are the main additions.
In a separate report, Android Authority listed five alternatives to the Edge. The Google Pixel Watch 5, at around $399, offers the full Android Wear experience, third-party apps, microphone and speaker, Google Gemini, a larger display and NFC for Google Wallet payments, along with additional sensors. It does not match the Edge’s seven-day battery life and does not support iOS. The Fitbit Air is the lower-cost Fitbit option, saving about $80 for buyers who do not need a screen or a timepiece and do not mind using a phone to view data.
The Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 costs around $70 and has a 1.6-inch AMOLED display and up to two weeks of battery life, below the price of the screenless Air. It offers heart rate, SpO2 and sleep tracking but cuts continuous heart rate monitoring, skin temperature and ECG. The Oura Ring 5 costs $399 and requires a $5.99 subscription; it has no display, is designed as jewelry, provides basic fitness tracking and six to nine days of battery life, and Android Authority described its sleep tracking as among the best on the market. The Fitbit Charge 6, an older model, remains an obvious alternative with many of the same basic fitness sensors as the Edge.