The Fitbit Air is a good wearable weighed down by a chatty AI "coach"
Article excerpt
Google's new Fitbit Air delivers solid basics as a minimalist fitness tracker with reliable performance, but the device stumbles with its overly chatty AI Health Coach feature. The AI assistant, designed to motivate users, instead feels intrusive and unnecessary, offering unsolicited tips and commentary that get in the way of simple activity tracking. For users who want straightforward data collection without constant digital cheerleading, the Air's hardware shines while its software sidekick becomes more annoyance than asset. The gap between what makes the device useful and what Google added suggests a mismatch between engineering and product strategy.
Smartwatches can track your health stats, but they also do a lot of other things you might not always want or need. The $100 Fitbit Air tracker ditches the screens that have become common on people's wrists, leaving behind a tiny puck of health sensors you can often forget you're wearing. You will not, however, forget that Google's new health platform is built around AI.
The Air has no speaker, and there's only one LED on the side to indicate battery level. You can double-tap the tracker to check the level, and that's about the end of on-device features. The vibration motor is only for alarms, it can't sync with notifications on your phone. That makes sense, given there is no screen to tell you what that buzz was all about.
The Fitbit Air doesn't have a display or buttons, just a small LED on the side for battery status. Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The stock Performance Band is simple, consisting of a smooth polyester yarn with small velcro pads and a metal loop. It's durable but does seem to absorb a bit of moisture. For swimming or heavy workouts, you'll probably want the silicone active band. This one hides the Air puck a bit more effectively, and it looks good in a sporty way.
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