ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Google just unveiled the $180 Fitbit Edge, a smart watch with a slim display.
- It’s a new product, but it resembles Google’s own Fitbit Charge, among other slim smart watches.
- Despite a price increase, not too much is different between the devices.
The Pixel Watch 5, for all intents and purposes, is my ideal platonic smartwatch. Of all the exercise smartwatch apps I’ve used, Google Health is the most approachable for tracking sleep, stress, readiness, and exercise.
But the chunky watch was never my favorite to wear. At 12.3 mm, the bubbled display is too thick and round for my liking — thicker than the Galaxy Watch (8.6 mm) and Apple Watch Series (9.7 mm) lineup. I always felt like the bulbous device calls attention to itself with its big display and thick frame — not a smartwatch that disappears on the wrist, by any means.
Also: After one week wearing the Pixel Watch 5, here’s what I want most
A new(ish) wearable
There are other smart watches with similar builds, like Xiaomi’s multi-generation Smart Bands. But the Edge most resembles products from within Google’s ecosystem. For example, it has a width similar to the Fitbit Air, but adds a touchscreen so you can check the time, initiate a workout, or check your progress during a recorded exercise. It’s a smidge thinner than the Pixel Watch, at 11.5 mm — still not as thin as competitors, but thinner than the Pixel Watch 5 (thank God).
Its closest sibling is the three-year-old Fitbit Charge 6, which is 11.2 mm thick, has a seven-day battery life, and the same display as the Edge. Just looking at the specs, there doesn’t appear to be many fundamental differences between them, with the exception that the Edge is Google’s first repairable Fitbit, and it’s $20 more.
Like the Fitbit Air and Charge, the Edge also includes a week-long battery life, with one big caveat. You’ll get seven days of battery life with always-on display disabled. With always-on enabled, the battery drops down to two days.
Unlike the Charge, Google adds a side button — similar to Apple’s Action Button — for activating workouts and selecting information. Under the hood, sleep tracking improves in the Edge by 15%.
Like the Pixel Watch 5, wearers will be able to see their workout details, health metrics, and other messages on the Fitbit Edge. This visual guidance is displayed on a vibrant hybrid OLED screen built with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It also syncs to your phone for incoming texts, Google Maps directions, and other notifications.
My concerns
When it comes to the price, I was expecting something similarly priced to the Fitbit Charge, and am wondering whether the small upgrades available on the Edge justify a $20 price increase. If the two most substantial upgrades are sleep tracking accuracy (which is software driven) and repairability, what part of this device is $20 more expensive to build?
Also: Google’s Fitbit Air is a $99 screenless wearable that I can actually take seriously
The Fitbit Air was perfectly priced at $100, and, though I haven’t tested the Edge yet, I’m skeptical the added screen will justify the $80 price difference between the Air and the Edge — especially when the Air lasts seven days, while the Edge with always-on enabled only lasts two.
The Fitbit Edge is available to pre-order now, and it’s available everywhere on Oct. 27.
