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For the last 120 days, the only thing that has been on my wrist has been a Google Fitbit Air. It has no screen, which might be the best thing about this. Now, before this, I was wearing the Pixel Watch 5. I took it off, I put this on, and I never went back. And 4 months of wearing it every single day is long enough to answer the question I care about. Can a smart band with no screen replace a smart watch? And I'll tell you what I loved, what annoyed me, and who I think should buy this instead of a smart watch. So, the best thing about the Fitbit Air is the price. It is around 100 bucks, which is very good. Everything else you have to do on the Fitbits is on your phone and the Google Health app.
And speaking of smartphones, it works with iPhones, Samsungs, and I guess every other smartphone in the world. Now, the first thing you notice is how lightweight this thing can get. It is around 12 g, which is very good because you forget it's on your wrist. Yeah, many times I'm working and I have to periodically look down on my wrist and see if it's there. That being said, going from a Pixel Watch had an adjustment period because there were times where I needed to check time, and obviously it didn't have a screen. Or other times when I'm in the gym and I had to set a timer for the resting period, but no screen again. It took a few days to get used to
this, but those few days were a minor annoyance. Now, the bigger change for me was notifications because there aren't any. Now, the Fitbit Air doesn't buzz for calls, texts, or any app alerts. The vibration motor inside only goes off for alarms. And you have up to eight alarms that you can set. And the Fitbit Air then wakes you up with a buzz on your wrist. There is something called a smart wake option that starts looking for a good moment to wake you up 30 minutes before your alarm. So, it avoids, you know, taking you out of very deep sleep. And to shut off your alarm, all you have to do is firmly double tap the band. And if you don't, it snoozes for 9 minutes. You can choose a low or high vibration level in your device settings. Now, I do use
the alarm every single day, but honestly, I don't really miss notifications. And one of the reasons I love the Fitbit is that I can get away from the constant buzzing all throughout the day. Now, giving up the screen and notifications took some time to get used to, but what I got back was battery life that I never really thought about. So, it's supposed to have 7 days of battery life, but in my experience, I charge it every 3 to 4 days. It's a shorter time, for sure, but I don't think it really matters because it charges very fast. So, one thing that really annoys me about the hardware is the band itself, and just how dirty the band gets. I wasn't expecting it to get this dirty, but it does. And
it does make sense because you are going to work out with your Fitbit Air. You're going to take a shower. You're going to do so many things, and the oils from your skin definitely get on the band and get it dirty. However, what I do to clean mine is put it in the washing machine, and I don't think I'm supposed to do that, but I do it, and it cleans it. It just doesn't clean it very well to like a brand new standard. It is annoying, and it's something that I just thought you guys should know. That's just what I personally do, and it has worked for me every time, so you do what you're comfortable with. If you don't want to wash it often, you can just get a black band. It does hide the dirt, but
however, it is still dirty, which is kind of nasty. Get nasty. Now, you don't have to stick with one band to start with. The tracker pops out very quickly, and you can put it in any other band that, you know, that you want. Google sells a silicone active band and a woven performance loop for about 35 bucks each, both in four colors, plus a dressier elevated modern band. Now, there are third-party straps on Amazon and Etsy, if that is something that you're interested in. And there are even adapters that let you use other straps for your watch. Now, I haven't tried any of them because I'm very fine with what I have. And honestly, I don't really see the need to spend extra money. All this is fine and well, but how is the tracking? Now, the
Google Health app tracks a lot of things, and what you check will depend on what matters to you. For me, it comes down to three things: sleep, steps, and my workouts. Now, for workouts, the Google Health app has a long list of workouts that you can track. So, whatever you're into, it is most likely there. And if you don't want to plan anything yourself, the AI coach can build a workout for you. I told mine that I'm getting back into the gym after 3 months off, and he put together a plan to ease me back in. Now, speaking of coaching, here's where premium comes in, because the coaching features and the AI side of the Google Health app sits
behind Google Health Premium. On its own, it is $9.99 a month or 99 bucks a year, and Fitbit Air buyers get 3 months with this device. It does start to feel expensive when you start adding stuff, because if you want both, your first year comes to about 200 bucks. But, the good news is that Fitbit Air works without Premium. So, you can start with just the tracker, and then decide later if the extra stuff is worth paying for. Now, the AI coach is pretty useful. I used mine to create a new workout, because I'm just getting back into the gym after about 3 to 4 months, but you can use it for so many other things, like taking a picture of your food and tracking your calories and your protein.
You can use it to explain your sleep patterns, and also ask it on how you can get better sleep. That being said, while it's good, I had to contend with something else, which is the fact that this thing talks a lot. I will give the AI coach some sort of credit, because it's there to help. However, it is annoying in a few instances. For one, I know I did not sleep well. You do not need to tell me. I don't need to get a notification telling me about it in the morning and later in the day. Same thing with my workout, same thing with my sleep. Like, I know when I have bad sleep, I know when I have good sleep. It's just constantly telling you this over and over again. A coach is supposed to push you at the right moment, but this one pushes you
every single time, and it feels invasive on a device I'm supposed to forget that I'm wearing. Now, there's one more limit worth knowing though. The Fitbit Air has no built-in GPS, so runs and rides you have to lean on your phone. If tracking your pace and route is a big part of how you train, a screenless band like the Fitbit Air is not just for you. But, if you're something like me that is just tracking your sleep, your steps, or your workout, then you have no problem. So, should you buy the Fitbit Air over say the Pixel Watch 5? And for me, the answer is yes for a few reasons. For one, I've slept with the Pixel Watch 5 on my left wrist, and every time without fail, I have removed it in the middle of the
night because it was just annoying and too bulky to wear to sleep. The Fitbit Air is so light, it never gave me that issue. Battery life on this is also pretty good. I get about 4 to 5 days of battery life, and of course, I charge it in between, so I'm never really out of battery, which is very good. There's also no consistent buzzing on my wrist. You know, buzz for messages, for calls, for all those things. That's what my phone is for. This is just to track the essentials for me. But, if you want your watch to be an extension of your phone, then the Pixel Watch makes a lot of sense. Texts, calls, tap to pay, directions from Google Maps, all in one place. Plus, you
get health guardian for free. So, it's a trade-off. You give up the screen, and in return, you get a lighter feel and a quieter life with a lower price. Those trade-offs are worth it because after 120 days, I'm still using the Fitbit Air, and I haven't been tempted to go back to the Pixel Watch 5. That being said, they could make improvements to the Fitbit Air like adding a timer. I'm not sure how they would, but adding a timer would be good. They could reduce how the AI coach is annoying, and they could give us a band that is very easy to wash or doesn't get dirty visibly at all. However, all those things I can
live with. I don't really have any problems. That's why I will still be using the Fitbit Air. If you guys want to see all the information about the Google Book, click right here. And if you want to see the comparison between the iPhone and the Pixel 11 Pro XL, click right here.
