Google’s Fitbit Airs on the side of less is more

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Not every coach comes with a mustache and a box of biscuits. The one you can use with your Google Fitbit Air lives in an app and has the same Ted Lasso energy: all encouragement, no yelling. (And honestly, the only kind of coach I listen to.)

I’ve used the Whoop (see our review here) and the Apple Watch, and both seem built for people who want to optimize every heartbeat. I’m more of a big-picture person: I want to know I slept OK and moved enough, then get on with my day. At $99.99, the Fitbit Air is a screenless band that tracks your sleep, heart rate, steps, and workouts without making a whole thing of it.

How we tested it: I wore it nonstop for about a month, only taking it off to shower (although it’s water-resistant up to 50 meters). The band pairs with Google Health (formerly the Fitbit app), where all your stats are logged. Otherwise, it mostly minds its own business, apart from a daily nudge to get your workout or steps in.

I asked its Gemini-powered Google Health Coach (free for three months with the band, then $9.99 a month) to build me a workout plan. After a gym-style intake questionnaire, it made one tailored to my goals. We went back and forth before I confessed I simply wanted to keep doing what I was doing, and it rebuilt the plan around my existing routine.

The Good: The price is a fraction of what you’d pay for a Whoop (where memberships start at $199 a year) or an Apple Watch (starting at $399 for the Series 12). The band is also lighter and thinner than both, so it’s much less clunky to sleep in. The battery lasts a week as promised, which is great for a band this light. (My Apple Watch 7 needs to charge every other day at best—with the 12 having up to 24 hours of battery life, too.)

The Bad: The band could saddle you with yet another subscription to keep track of. The basics (sleep, heart rate, steps) still work without Google Health Premium, but you’ll lose the AI coach, personalized exercise plans, guided workouts, and deeper sleep insights (unless you pay for Gemini).

Verdict: ✅ Signal —LC