Five years after buying Fitbit, Google has put out the clearest answer yet to what happens to the brand: the Fitbit Edge, a $179 tracker that lands between the screen-free Fitbit Air and the much pricier Pixel Watch line. Reviews published Monday from Tom's Guide and 9to5Google agree on most of the hardware story and split hard on the software.
The Edge replaces the Fitbit Charge 6, which launched back in 2023 at $159. It carries a 1.34-inch AMOLED screen rated at 1,000 nits of peak brightness, a step up from the Charge 6's 1.04-inch panel at roughly 450 nits, according to Tom's Guide. Both trackers keep an aluminum case and 50 meters of water resistance. Google also swapped the Charge 6's haptic side button for a physical, clickable one, a change Tom's Guide welcomed outright.
GPS, altimeter and the Fitbit Air gap
The headline fitness upgrade is a barometric altimeter, something the Charge 6 never had and still doesn't report climb data for. Tom's Guide tested the Edge's onboard GPS against Strava on an iPhone 16 Plus during a roughly 2.5-mile hilly walk in Seattle and found step counts and elevation gain lined up closely, though distance and pace tracked a bit looser. The reviewer flagged that auto workout detection still needs 15 consecutive minutes to kick in, which makes it unreliable for interval training.
9to5Google's take is less enthusiastic. Its reviewer described the Edge as closer to "a Fitbit Air with a screen than it is a 'Pixel Watch Lite,'" pointing out the $179 price puts it nearer the bottom of Google's wearable lineup than a true middle tier. The one clear win over the Air, that review said, is the ability to start a workout directly from the wrist using a Quick Start tile, rather than relying on the phone.
Notifications and a band that kept falling off
Where the two reviews diverge most is software reliability. 9to5Google said notifications on its review unit worked inconsistently for most of the test period, then started functioning on their own, and that a colleague on its video team never got them running at all. Google told the outlet an upcoming Health app update will address the issue.
The same review reported the band connector failed twice during a two-week test, once overnight and once during a walk around the house, echoing a complaint that reviewer had with the older Fitbit Charge 5. Tom's Guide's review did not raise a band or notification problem.
Both outlets noted the Edge drops NFC, which the Charge 6 had, and that deeper tools, including new insulin resistance and blood pressure trend reports, sit behind a Google Health Premium subscription.
Google is selling the Edge in five case and strap combinations, including a Satin Pyrite case with a limited-edition Stephen Curry band priced at $219, alongside a wide range of extra straps in silicone, metal and woven cloth. It's already available through Amazon and other major retailers at $179, putting it $79 above the Fitbit Air and roughly in line with the Charge 6's launch price once inflation is factored in.
RRFiled by The Reviews Roundup Desk
What the reviews are saying: verdicts on new devices from the outlets that tested them, summarised and credited to each. This desk does not test products itself.
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