New Delhi: Google is bringing the Fitbit Air to India, and the pitch is simple: a wearable with no screen, no notifications and not much to it. It goes on sale at the Google Store and retail partners on 2 October for ₹13,999.
The Air is basically a small pebble that sits in a band on your wrist. Google says it’s the smallest tracker it has made. There’s nothing to look at on the device itself. You check your numbers in the Google Health app on your phone, or you don’t.
That’s the point, according to the company. Its argument is that many people find wearables too bulky, too fiddly or too expensive, and a lightweight band you can wear around the clock (including in bed) tackles all three. Sleep tracking is clearly the focus here, and Google says you can even wear a Pixel Watch during the day and swap to the Air at night.
The sensor list is solid for something this small. It covers continuous heart rate, heart rhythm monitoring with Afib alerts, SpO2, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and sleep stages and duration. Google adds the usual caveat that none of it is meant for medical use.
Battery life is rated at up to a week, though Google notes that figure comes from testing on pre-production hardware, so treat it as a best case. Fast charging reportedly gives a full day of power in five minutes.
Workouts are tracked automatically for common activities, and you can also start one from the app or log it by hand. The Google Health Coach can even read a photo of gym equipment or a whiteboard circuit.
One thing to note: the Coach is the real draw, and it needs a Google Health Premium subscription. The Air includes a three-month trial. Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers get Premium at no extra cost. What happens after the trial, and what Premium costs in India, isn’t spelled out in the announcement. That’s worth knowing before you buy.
The Air comes in Obsidian, Berry, Lavender and Fog. The Performance Loop band, made from recycled materials, ships in the box. Active and Elevated Modern bands are sold separately.
It works with Android 11 or higher and iOS 16.4 or higher.
