Google appears ready to launch a new Fitbit with a screen, and the latest leak suggests the Fitbit Charge 7 could arrive under a different name: the Fitbit Edge. Here’s what we know so far.
To recap, Google released the Fitbit Air earlier this year, a screenless fitness tracker. It was the first new Fitbit in years, arriving at a time when many assumed the brand was fading away for good.
The Fitbit Air also raised hopes for a proper successor to the Fitbit Charge 6, which is still on sale but now feels dated. Those hopes grew after the Pixel 11 launch in August, when an unidentified wearable appeared in Google adverts in Australia (pictured below).
It could have been a mistake, but a glimpse of an unannounced device was the more likely explanation. The wearable looked a lot like the Charge 6, with a more modern, Pixel Watch-style design, and most people concluded it was the long-awaited Fitbit Charge 7, possibly already through certification.
Now, Android Authority has obtained images and details of the device, and they suggest it may not carry the Charge 7 name after all.
Introducing the Fitbit Edge
As expected, Google appears to be positioning the Fitbit Edge between the Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 5, as if the two devices had merged into one new wearable.
Google has yet to explain the branding. Over the years, “edge” in tech has usually meant either a thin device or a curved-edge display. It could also be a nod to the competitive advantage the watch promises in your fitness and training.
The Fitbit Edge certainly looks like an updated Charge 6, with an oval screen and straps that seem to match some of the Pixel 11 phones. Final names are still to be confirmed, but the leak shows black, green and orange options, with the last two possibly called Olive and Canyon.
The case finishes may also vary, with Matte Black, Champagne Gold and Satin Pyrite reportedly on the way to match the Pixel Watch 5.
The Fitbit Edge is said to include GPS, Bluetooth, an altimeter and a button on one side. We’d also expect a heart rate sensor (the images show a live reading on the screen), NFC, and sensors for things like blood oxygen and skin temperature.
Importantly, the Fitbit Edge reportedly won’t run Wear OS like the Pixel Watch 5. That means no advanced features such as Gemini Intelligence, but it should deliver battery life of up to 7 days, matching the Fitbit Air.
Without Wear OS, the Fitbit Edge should also work with both Android and iOS. Expect apps such as Google Maps, Find My Phone and YouTube Music.
Fitbit Edge price & release date
It looks, unsurprisingly, as though the Fitbit Edge will sit between the Air and Pixel Watch 5.
The report puts the price between $149 and $199, which looks about right given that the Charge 6 costs £139/$159. We wouldn’t be surprised if Google went for the upper end of that range, given how much tech prices have risen this year.
The Fitbit Edge may not be far off, either. The report says it will be announced this month, with a release date likely to follow shortly after, in time for the holiday season.
We’ll update this article with the final details as soon as the device is official.
