Google's Fitbit Air ditched the screen, but according to one writer who just switched to it, that trade-off comes with real gaps compared to the Apple Watch it replaced.
The Fitbit Air is a screenless fitness tracker built to monitor workouts, sleep, heart rate and steps without a display to check or charge as often. In a piece published Friday, an Android Police reporter who moved from an Apple Watch to the Air said they do not regret the switch, citing constant notifications and what they called lackluster battery life on Apple's device as reasons to leave. But the piece lists three features the Air is missing that the writer wants added.
First is lap tracking. On the Apple Watch, a double tap or a side-button press marks a lap mid-run without breaking stride. The Fitbit Air has no equivalent, not even through the Google Health app, which the writer says matters most to runners tracking intervals to measure progress over time. The fix they propose is simple: a side button, with a short press to log a lap and a long press to pause or resume a workout, something they argue would not compromise the Air's screenless design.
Second is media control. The Apple Watch lets wearers skip, pause or replay music and podcasts mid-run without pulling out a phone. The Air has no such option, so every playback change means reaching for the handset, which the writer says breaks the momentum of a run. Borrowing a page from true wireless earbuds, they suggest gesture-style button presses, a single tap for play or pause, two for skip, three to repeat, as an answer that purists could simply leave switched off.
Third, and the biggest gap, is GPS. The Apple Watch has it built in, so a run can be tracked and logged for later review even if the phone stays at home. The Fitbit Air has no onboard GPS, meaning anyone wanting an accurate outdoor route or pace has to carry a phone the whole time or settle for less precise step-based distance estimates. The writer argues modern low-power GNSS chips make the battery cost of adding GPS worth it, with an on-demand setting for anyone unwilling to make that trade.
None of this is confirmed as coming to a future Fitbit Air or a software update. It is one switcher's wishlist, built from weeks of actually wearing the thing. Google has not said whether a side button, media controls or built-in GPS are planned for the device or a successor, and a report earlier this year noted automatic workout detection for the Air is still in the works. Whether any of these three ideas show up depends on what Google does next with the lineup.
GDFiled by The Gadgets Desk
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