Fitbit Air: Google's Budget Screenless Tracker Lands in UK Shops

Google's Fitbit Air has been on UK shelves since 26 May 2026, and if you haven't looked at a Fitbit in years, this one is worth a second glance. Priced at £84.99 and requiring no ongoing subscription, the screenless tracker is the first new Fitbit hardware Google has released in almost three years — and it arrives at a moment when the screenless wearable category is getting genuinely competitive.

What is the Fitbit Air?

Strip away the familiarity of the Fitbit name and you are left with something that looks and behaves quite differently from most fitness bands. The Fitbit Air has no display, no buttons, and no screen of any kind. It is a small pebble worn on the wrist — 34.9 × 17 × 8.3 mm, weighing just 12 grams with the band, or 5.2 grams for the core module alone. A status LED on the side can be activated with a double-tap if you want a quick pulse of information without reaching for your phone.

The sensor suite, however, is anything but stripped back. The Air monitors 24/7 optical heart rate, SpO2 blood oxygen via red and infrared sensors, heart rate variability, breathing rate, skin temperature variation, and resting heart rate. It also offers AFib detection during stillness and sleep, auto workout detection, Sleep Score with Sleep Stages, and both a Cardio Load and Readiness Score — metrics that, until recently, would have cost considerably more to access.

Battery life is rated at up to seven days, and five minutes of fast charging delivers a full day of use. The device carries a 5 ATM water resistance rating, meaning it is suitable for swimming, showering, and water sports. Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.0, and it is compatible with iOS 16.4 or above and Android 11 or above. A Google Account is required to set it up.

No screen, but what about no subscription?

This is the detail that will catch the attention of anyone who has priced up a WHOOP band recently. Unlike WHOOP, which requires a subscription starting at £169 a year just to use the device, the Fitbit Air charges nothing beyond the upfront cost. Every core health metric is accessible without a paywall. Google Health Premium — which adds deeper AI-driven coaching and analysis — is available after the included three-month trial, but it is entirely optional.

Google values that trial at approximately £30. Post-trial US pricing is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year; confirmed UK pricing for the ongoing subscription had not been formally announced at the time of writing. Users who already subscribe to Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra get Health Premium included at no extra cost.

The Google Health app and AI coaching

The Fitbit Air launched alongside a significant software change. On 19 May 2026, the Fitbit app became the Google Health app, rolling out as an automatic over-the-air update with existing Fitbit data carrying over automatically. The new app features four tabs — Today, Fitness, Sleep, and Health — with a customisable dashboard.

Central to the Premium offer is Google Health Coach, built on Google's Gemini AI models. According to Google, the coach can create tailored fitness plans, adjust recommendations around specific goals such as improving sleep, and account for factors like an unexpected injury. The app also integrates with Apple Health, Peloton, continuous glucose monitors including Lingo, and hundreds of third-party apps — meaning it is not restricted to Android users. For those still on Google Fit, the legacy app is scheduled to close by the end of 2026, with automatic history migration to Google Health.

How does it compare to rivals?

The Garmin CIRQA launched globally on 24 July 2026 at £179.99 in the UK — £95 more than the Fitbit Air. The CIRQA monitors continuous heart rate, stress, respiration, Pulse Ox, and skin temperature, and it can be worn on either the wrist or the upper arm, which gives it an edge for contact sport athletes. Garmin described the CIRQA as designed "for those who are passionate about staying healthy and active," adding that its "discreet design and trusted health and fitness tracking tools… complement our lineup of popular smartwatches and wellness monitors."

WHOOP, meanwhile, remains the professional athletes' choice but demands a subscription that starts at £169 a year before you have bought anything physical. The Fitbit Air undercuts both significantly on total cost of ownership.

Google's own previous Fitbit Inspire 3 carried the same RRP and included heart rate and AFib monitoring, but it does have a screen and no AI integration — the latter being central to what makes the Air a different device rather than just a stripped-down one.

What to know before you buy

• There is no built-in GPS. The Air uses connected GPS from a paired phone, so runners who train without their phone will need a different device for route mapping.
• A wrist bicep band option is confirmed for later in 2026 but was not available at launch — an important gap for contact sport athletes.
• Some Android users experienced pairing difficulties at launch because the Google Health 5.0 app update rolled out more slowly on Android than on iOS.
• Additional accessory bands are priced from £34.99.
• The housing is made from recycled polycarbonate and PBT plastics; packaging is 100% plastic-free.

The Fitbit Air is available now from the Google Store and Amazon UK at £84.99. A Special Edition was also made available from 26 May 2026, though UK pricing for that variant had not been confirmed at the time of publication.