Google's fitness tracker lineup now has three rungs, and PCMag says the middle one is the sweet spot. The outlet's review of the Fitbit Edge, published Monday, gave the $179.99 device its Editors' Choice award, calling it the tracker to beat for anyone who wants a screen on their wrist without stepping up to a full smartwatch.
The Edge replaces 2023's Charge 6 and is built around a 1.34-inch AMOLED touchscreen, up from the Charge 6's 1.04 inches, covered in Gorilla Glass with adjustable brightness and an always-on option. PCMag's reviewer also credited the Edge with more accurate standalone GPS than its predecessor, an altimeter for counting floors, and a battery that's user-replaceable, something the Charge 6 didn't offer.
Not everything moved forward. Fitbit dropped NFC support on the Edge, so there's no tap-to-pay, a feature the Charge 6 had. PCMag also noted that heart rate readings can take a few minutes to stabilize and that battery life, while serviceable, isn't a standout.
Where it sits against the Air and the Pixel Watch 5
Google now sells three fitness wearables at three price points. The $99 Fitbit Air, which PCMag separately named Editors' Choice for screenless trackers, skips the display entirely. The Edge adds that screen plus standalone GPS for phone-free pace and route tracking during a run, which the review flagged as its clearest advantage over the Air. At the top sits the $399 Pixel Watch 5, PCMag's pick for Android smartwatches, which runs Wear OS and gives wrist access to Gemini, Google's AI assistant.
The Edge and the Air don't get that Gemini integration, and neither can install extra apps. The Edge ships with a fixed roster capped at nine: Alarm, ECG, Exercise, Google Maps, Health, Media, Stopwatch, Timer and Weather. Maps only delivers turn-by-turn prompts once navigation is already running on the phone, and Media is a playback remote rather than a standalone player. One point in the smaller trackers' favor: both the Air and the Edge work with iPhones running iOS 16.4 or newer, while the Pixel Watch 5 stays Android-only.
The Edge measures 1.54 by 1 by 0.46 inches and weighs 0.62 ounces without the band, carries 5ATM and IP68 ratings for water and dust resistance, and runs an Ambiq AP5 chip with 64MB of flash storage to hold data between phone syncs. Sensors include an optical heart rate monitor, red and infrared SpO2 sensors, and electrodes for ECG readings. It connects over Bluetooth 5.4 and needs Android 11 or newer, or iOS 16.4 or newer, paired through the Google Health app, which is also where clock faces and widget layouts get customized before being pushed to the watch.
PCMag's verdict leaves the Edge as the pick for buyers who want glanceable stats and phone-free GPS without paying Pixel Watch 5 money or losing iPhone compatibility. Whether other outlets land in the same place as more Fitbit Edge reviews land in the coming weeks will shape how that Editors' Choice call holds up.
GDFiled by The Gadgets Desk
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