48 hours later, I’m already impressed

First impressions matter, and after 48 hours with the Fitbit Air, Google’s new screen-less tracker is making a very good one. Honestly, I’m already more impressed by the physical device than I was by the idea of it.

Ever since the early rumors surfaced, the Fitbit Air sounded like another minimalist wellness wearable chasing the same passive-tracking trend as devices like the WHOOP 5.0. I’m also generally wary of first-generation devices and the inevitable quirks that come with them. But on my wrist, Google’s first swing already makes good contact (especially for $99). Until I spend more time digging into features, accuracy, and the company’s new Health Coach platform for my full review, I won’t call it a home run just yet.

The Fitbit Air is easily the most comfortable tracker I’ve tested, and it’s tied to a platform with a lot of potential.

The Fitbit Air feels tiny, and that’s hard to accomplish when you also have tiny wrists (me). At just 8.3mm thick and 12g with the band attached, it feels dramatically lighter and slimmer than any smartwatch I’ve tested.

I’ve repeatedly forgotten I have the Air on, which is the highest compliment I can give a wearable, let alone a sleep-focused one. It doesn’t shift around while I’m typing, dig into my wrist during workouts, or feel awkwardly bulky overnight. I’ve even worn it on the same wrist as another watch to see how realistic that setup would be, and I genuinely didn’t mind at all. It’s about as unobtrusive as the collection of hair ties I keep stocked on my opposite arm.

A huge part of that comes down to the fact that the Fitbit Air doesn’t have a display, just a slim sensor puck tucked beneath a band. It avoids not just the weight, but also the visual clutter that makes wearables feel like a style commitment. It’s also noticeably thinner than the WHOOP band, which gives more of an ’80s racquetball sweat band impression.

Of course, the screen-less design won’t be for everyone, and I’ve definitely attempted checking the time about 67 times, but if you’re sold on minimalist wellness tracking, this is my favorite design yet. It also still packs a fairly capable sensor array, including optical heart rate tracking, SpO2 monitoring, skin temperature sensing, and an accelerometer (though unfortunately no GPS). I’ll put those sensors to the test during my full review in the coming weeks.

My only real complaint about the overall build is that Google added yet another proprietary charger to my growing nest of cables. I would have swooned for compatibility with the Pixel Watch charger, but the Fitbit Air’s puck is slightly smaller and uniquely designed for the tracker. Its capable length is ample, and I appreciate that it’s USB-C, but it’s nothing to write home about. I’d love to see Google get more creative in future generations, whether that means on-wrist charging like WHOOP or a battery-equipped charging case.

Google offers the Fitbit Air in three distinct band styles, each available in a mix of colorways. Swapping between them is absurdly easy, with the simplest band attachment system I’ve used, making it much more likely I’d be willing to invest in extra styles.

Each order ships with a woven Performance Loop band, which is simple, soft, lightweight, and micro-adjustable as long as you don’t mind the sound of Velcro. It’s my favorite style of the bunch from a comfort perspective, but I loathe moist wearables, and it would definitely take a minute to dry out if I got it too sweaty.

For working out, Google’s silicone Active Band is a safer bet for rinsing sweat off. Despite looking fairly stretchy in renders, the material is actually firmer than I expected, but it still feels soft against the skin and stays stable during workouts. It also has an almost excessive number of tightly clustered clasp holes to help find the right fit.

Visually, though, the bubbled ridge design reminds me inexplicably of the Michelin Man, especially in the Fog gray tone I chose. Overall, it’s not my favorite in terms of looks, but it is comfortable and well-designed for the gym.

The third band style is the Elevate Modern Band, and it makes the strongest pitch for the Air as a lifestyle wearable. I’d wear something like it even if there wasn’t a tracker hiding underneath. The clasp system is especially interesting with an elegant sliding closure and a clever textured pattern on the inside of the band to keep everything in place. I was very skeptical about how secure it would be, but it’s surprisingly effective.

The Fitbit Air hardware may be intentionally minimal, but the new Google Health app definitely isn’t. The redesigned experience feels more modern (and more Google) than the older Fitbit app, with the inevitable wave of AI features.

Speaking of which, Google’s Health Coach is a little harder to judge after only 48 hours. At its best, the AI-powered system surfaces useful patterns and contextualizes my tracked metrics in a conversational, digestible way. It’s checked in on injuries I’d forgotten ever mentioning, called out my terrible sleep habits, and highlighted heart rate changes that aligned with me being fairly sick this week.

At other times, though, it drifts into the same vague fluff as a lot of other AI tools. It’s also almost uncomfortably supportive of me “taking it easy,” including commending me for skipping an hour-long walk I don’t remember ever saying I planned to take. Still, I haven’t run into the workout hallucinations reported elsewhere or any radically inaccurate insights. So far, Health Coach mostly feels par for the course in terms of companies layering AI onto existing health platforms.

I’m eager to dive deeper into Health Coach and the rest of the Fitbit Air’s features in my full review. In the meantime, I’m happy to have the band strapped to my wrist, because I barely notice it’s there.