Fitbit Edge Brings Back the Simple Fitness Band, With an AI Coach Attached

The Fitbit Edge, priced at $179.99, is a modern take on the slim fitness bands that Fitbit sold between 2014 and 2020, including the Charge, Alta and Inspire lines. A reviewer at The Verge who spent about two weeks testing it said anyone who has worn one of those older trackers will already know most of what to expect.

The device is light, uses a small swipeable display for basic health and fitness numbers, and lasts roughly a week on a charge. That figure fell to about a day and a half when the always-on display was switched on. The Edge works with both iOS and Android, and has a physical side button.

Compared with the Fitbit Charge 6, whose display felt boxy, the Edge is fully rounded and looks softer. Straps can be swapped using an easier release system. A metal link bracelet costs $150, nearly as much as the tracker, while a $60 magnetic silicone strap that imitates leather was the reviewer's favorite. Widgets borrow from the Pixel Watch's Material 3 Expressive redesign, though the Edge runs a proprietary Fitbit OS rather than Wear OS. Some watchfaces look elegant, but others draw attention to the large black bezels.

The Edge goes beyond the cheaper Fitbit Air with built-in GPS for tracking walks and runs without a phone, plus alarms, notifications and music controls. It cannot take calls because it has no microphone or speaker, and it lacks contactless payments. Andy Abramson, head of product at Google Health, said "less than one percent" of Charge 6 owners used payments, and that Google prioritized a "sleek design, altimeter, and weeklong battery."

On the software side, the Fitbit app has been replaced by Google Health, which offers an AI coach through a yearly subscription. Buyers get three months free, then pay $10 a month. Google has recently improved automatic activity tracking, and the reviewer tested it by logging several runs without starting a workout. On a 2.4-mile run with a five-minute warmup walk and cooldown, the Edge correctly caught the moment the walk turned into a run and back again, and estimated the distance at 2.55 miles. Pace was less accurate: the Edge logged a 10'49" mile, while an Apple Watch Ultra 4 and a phone running the Runna app recorded 11'38".

The reviewer found the AI coach talkative and in need of weekly input, and said the Google Health app can feel cluttered, with items such as past workouts harder to find. Still, for newcomers who want a custom AI-generated routine, it was the best experience the reviewer has had so far. Mentioning a past case of shin splints left the coach convinced the reviewer's shins were at risk on every run. Health Guardian features, meant to show noninvasive insulin resistance and blood pressure trends, could not be tested yet, with initial results not due until November 1.

The main complaint is price. The Fitbit Air costs $99, the Apple Watch SE 3 starts at $249 for iPhone users, and brands such as Xiaomi and Amazfit sell cheaper trackers with displays, though they are less sleek on the wrist. The reviewer still expects smartwatches to stay dominant, but sees the return of simple bands as notable at a time when AI coaches ask for more and more personal data.

Setting up the Edge involves three mandatory agreements, along with several optional permissions for location, Bluetooth, camera, notifications and other features. Using health data to train Google's AI is off by default and requires opting in. Terms tied to Google's acquisition of Fitbit also require that health data be stored separately and not used for Google's targeted advertising business.