Google has officially entered the rapidly growing screenless wearable market with the launch of the Fitbit Air, a new AI-focused fitness tracker priced at $99.99 that is designed to compete directly with premium recovery wearables like Whoop and Oura. Instead of smartwatch features, the device focuses entirely on passive health tracking with features like 24/7 heart-rate monitoring, sleep analysis, blood oxygen tracking, stress insights, and AFib alerts. The launch is one of Google’s biggest wearable strategy shifts since acquiring Fitbit for $2.1 billion in 2021.
Unlike conventional smartwatches, the Fitbit Air has no display, no app launcher, no notification center, no media controls, and no watch face. Google intentionally stripped away every traditional smartwatch distraction to create what it describes as a ‘background wellness device’. It is designed to function as a passive wellness device that continuously collects biometric and physiological data throughout the day and night without demanding constant interaction.
The Fitbit Air hardware itself is extremely compact and lightweight. The sensor unit weighs around 5 grams without the strap and around 12 grams with the fabric band attached. The lightweight construction is one of the device’s major selling points because it is intended for continuous wear, including overnight sleep tracking. Removing the display also significantly reduces battery consumption, allowing Google to advertise battery life of up to 7 days on a single charge. And even a five-minute fast charge can deliver around one full day of use, while a complete charge takes about 90 minutes.
The wearable continuously monitors a broad range of biometric signals using onboard sensors. These include heart-rate tracking, heart-rate variability analysis, blood oxygen saturation monitoring, respiratory tracking, stress detection, skin temperature variation sensing, sleep-stage analysis, calorie expenditure estimation, movement detection, cardio readiness scoring, and automatic workout recognition. The device also supports atrial fibrillation detection algorithms.
The tech titan claims that the Fitbit Air is water resistant up to 50 meters, allowing it to be used during swimming, workouts, showers, and outdoor activities. The wearable uses subtle haptic feedback for alarms and alerts, while a small LED indicator provides battery and charging information. Since there is no display, nearly all interaction occurs through the companion smartphone app. Users can reportedly log activities, meals, and wellness data through voice or smartphone input rather than direct device interaction.
Google is also launching multiple interchangeable accessories, including the Performance Loop, Active Band, and Elevated Modern Band, with additional straps priced around $35. Available launch colours include Obsidian, Fog, Lavender, and Berry.
However, the Fitbit Air is only a small part of Google’s bigger AI health strategy. Along with the launch, the tech giant is transforming the Fitbit platform into a new AI-powered ecosystem called Google Health, with deeper integration of Gemini AI and Health Connect services. The redesigned Google Health app now focuses on four main sections, Today, Fitness, Sleep, and Health. And a new Gemini-powered Health Coach analyzes biometric data to give personalized suggestions for workouts, recovery, stress management, sleep, and nutrition. The Fitbit Air is priced at $99.99 and will be available in select global markets later this month, while advanced AI coaching features will require a Google Health Premium subscription priced at around $10 per month.
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Ashutosh is a Senior Writer at The Tech Portal, largely reporting on new tech, and intersection of technology and business. Ashutosh’s career spans across nearly a decade of technology writing across multiple platforms and languages.
