I’ve never been the biggest fan of smartwatches. As someone who despises charging things, the limited battery life you get with them has always put me off. Sure, it’s nice to be able to track my workouts, check my notifications and glance at my health stats. But I hate constantly having to put it on charge in the evening, only to forget to put it back on my wrist again, inevitably abandoning the smartwatch altogether.
Which is why Google’s new Fitbit Edge has me excited. While I have enjoyed ditching a screen entirely with the Fitbit Air, I do miss having an actual timepiece on my wrist to glance at, and it’s always nice to be able to view your stats in real time without having to pull out your phone. The Fitbit Edge, however, promises the best of both worlds.
The spiritual successor to the Fitbit Charge 6, it boasts a new hybrid OLED display, built-in GPS, upgraded sensors, automatic tracking for up to 100 activities and – the best part – a whopping seven days of battery life. It might just be the ideal fitness tracker for someone who doesn’t really want a smartwatch. Here’s everything you need to know.
Read more: Best fitness trackers, reviewed
Fitbit Edge: £159.99, Google.com
The latest fitness tracker in Google’s arsenal, the Fitbit Edge looks like a halfway house between the Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 5. It has the slim, minimalist footprint of the Fitbit Air, except with a screen plonked in the middle and a silicone wristband that’s more similar to the Pixel Watch in design. Google says it’s just 11.5mm thin.
It has a hybrid OLED display on the front, which Google says is the largest and brightest on any fitness tracker it’s made so far, featuring 46 per cent more viewing area compared to the Charge 6. That should make it easier to see your stats, even in direct sunlight.
With that display, you’ll be able to scroll through and view your stats with a range of glanceable complications and tiles, so you can quickly view your steps, check the weather, start on-demand workouts, track your sleep, monitor your menstrual cycle and check your heart rate. You also get access to Google Maps, media controls and call and message notifications.
Google also says it has redesigned the physical side button to provide more tactile feedback. Like older Fitbit trackers, the button will let you quickly pause a workout without having to glance down at the screen. There are no buttons at all on the Fitbit Air.
The Fitbit Edge also features a new GPS chipset and built-in altimeter for tracking elevation, with Google claiming route tracking is up to 40 per cent more accurate than on the Charge 6.
While there are more than 50 exercise modes to choose from, including Pilates, running and HIIT, the Fitbit Edge also features automatic workout detection.
One of the best features about the Fitbit Air is that you don’t have to specify a workout; the tracker just figures it out. That same tech comes to the Fitbit Edge. Google says the Fitbit Edge can automatically recognise and log up to 100 different activities, using AI to distinguish between different workouts based on your movements, location and routine.
If you do choose one of the 50 exercise types from your wrist, Google says you’ll get real-time guidance and dedicated workout views on the screen. The guidance includes pace guidance when running, which tells you when to speed up or slow down, as well as exercise recommendations and form guidance for strength training.
In terms of health features, there’s an ECG sensor for checking your heart rhythm, continuous heart rate monitoring, a dedicated skin temperature sensor and overnight sleep tracking. You’ll also get access to Google’s new Health Guardian, which gives you insights into blood pressure and insulin-resistance trends, though this does require a Google Health Premium subscription.
Google also claims its sleep-stage detection is 15 per cent more accurate than previous generations, thanks to an improved algorithm, so you should get a better picture of how much time you’re spending in each stage of sleep.
The most disappointing omission is the lack of EDA stress scanning, which was a feature found on the Fitbit Charge 6. It let you measure your body’s response to stress. Google says it’s focusing on continuous background monitoring instead. The Edge doesn’t offer the dedicated stress-sensing capabilities found on the Fitbit Sense 2 either, which automatically detected potential signs of stress as it came up throughout the day.
Sadly, there’s no NFC chip in the Fitbit Edge, so you don’t get support for Google Wallet or contactless payments. It also lacks offline music, but you can control playback from your wrist.
Like the Fitbit Air, you get access to Google’s AI-powered Health Coach, which looks at your activity, sleep and health data to give you some direct advice on what you need to be doing more or less of, as well as providing workouts (if you want them).
The astounding thing about the Edge is the battery life. Despite having a screen, it boasts the exact same battery life as the Fitbit Air, giving you up to seven days of battery life on a single charge. Pop it on the magnetic charger for five minutes and you’ll get an extra day of charge.
In fact, I think the Fitbit Edge might even be a better buy than the Fitbit Air. You get a display so you can actually see your stats (if you want to), a built-in GPS and lots of ways to interact with your data. All of that and you still get a week’s worth of battery life. Unless you want something specifically free of a screen, the Edge might be the best Goldilocks device.
In a very pleasing move, Google also says the Fitbit Edge is its first repairable fitness tracker, kitted out with a replaceable battery to extend its lifespan. It’s also rated IP68 and water-resistant to 50 metres, so it will be fine to track swims.
The Fitbit Edge comes in the same four colours as the Pixel Watch 5 – obsidian, fog, olive and canyon. There are a variety of interchangeable straps to choose from, including a breathable sport band, a performance loop, a magnetic band and – what looks quite nice – a metal link bracelet.
It costs £159.99 and is available to pre-order now. It launches on 27 October. Every purchase comes with three months of Google Health Premium.
Read more: Best smartwatches, reviewed
