Fitbit Air First Look: What You Need to Know Now

Summary

This is your first look at the new Fitbit Air, a slim wearable designed to track your health, compared against competitors like Whoop and Polar. The design is notably smaller than the Whoop band, featuring a removable "pebble" for band attachment, a nod to Fitbit's Pebble acquisition. Fitbit claims seven days of battery life, which will be tested in a full review. Note that this initial look is subject to a media embargo, meaning some data comparisons and pairing details are held back for a full review later in May. After 30 hours of use, early impressions of the Google Health app, formerly Fitbit's app, are mixed. While it offers a customizable dashboard and a chronological feed of your day, the customization options are limited, missing key metrics like HRV status. The app did successfully detect sleep and automatically recognized a bike commute, though with a slight delay and inaccurate start time compared to other wearables. A subsequent run was recognized correctly as a run within a minute. The reviewer highlights heart rate accuracy and automatic exercise recognition as crucial for any wearable. Fitbit aims to improve its limited automatic detection of activities, which currently lags behind competitors like Whoop. The app's usability is also a key focus, as a well-organized data presentation is essential for user engagement.