Google announced the Fitbit Edge on Monday, and the screen is back. The tracker is $179.99, with built-in GPS, an on-wrist ECG app, a larger OLED display, and Fitbit's first replaceable battery. Pre-orders are open now on the Google Store and through retailers, and it reaches stores on October 27. A Stephen Curry edition is $219.99. It works with Android 11 or later and iOS 16.4 or later through the Google Health app.
The catch is there's no NFC, so there's no Google Wallet tap-to-pay, which the Charge 6 had (Wired, Android Authority).
Between a band and a watch
Charge 6 owners have waited three years for a screen to come back on a band, rather than stepping up to a full watch. The Edge sits between a Pixel Watch and the screenless Fitbit Air. Unlike the Pixel Watch, it works with iPhones, so you don't have to change phones to get that screen.
The battery is replaceable, but it still isn't clear whether you can do that swap at home or whether the tracker has to go in for service. A charge is rated for up to seven days.
You also lose the microphone and the speaker, which is easy to miss beside the new screen. Alerts arrive as a vibration, and you can't take or make a call from your wrist. The bands are new, too, and they don't reuse what you already own. They snap in on a different mechanism, so a strap from an older Fitbit or a Pixel Watch won't fit. If you use a wrist for payments, calls, or an old band, those are the three things this tracker gives up.
Google's post lists Google Maps on the wrist, but Wired says turn-by-turn directions arrive later this year.
Blood pressure and insulin-resistance trends, plus the Health Coach, need Google Health Premium, and three months are included.
If you tap to pay from your wrist, the Edge is a step back, so keep the Charge 6 or look at a Pixel Watch. If you want a screen, GPS, and a battery you might be able to replace, and you're on iPhone or Android, pre-ordering is reasonable. Wait for reviews to confirm the seven-day battery claim, and don't plan on reusing old bands.
Photo: Wuefab / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
