Google’s $99 Fitbit Air Wins Review as AI Health Coach Shows Promise and Friction
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Jun 23
Google’s $99 Fitbit Air Wins Review as AI Health Coach Shows Promise and Friction
3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Jun 23
Summary
$99 Fitbit Air is praised as a strong basic fitness tracker, with the review calling it Google’s savviest wearable since buying Fitbit.
Three charges in about a month, a 45-minute top-up from 20% to 85%, and lightweight bracelet-like hardware helped the device stand out even before its software features.
Google’s Gemini-powered Health Coach can give useful daily guidance on sleep, readiness and recovery, but the reviewer said it worked well only after 5 to 6 hours of setup and roughly 10 years of medical context.
That AI layer still forgets prior information, shows inconsistent goals such as 10,000 versus 5,000 daily steps, and requires a $99 annual Premium plan, though basic tracking data is no longer paywalled.
Nearly 500,000 people beta-tested the coach since October 2025, and the Air’s appeal is that buyers can ignore the chatbot entirely or use it as a between-visits tool alongside doctors.