00:00Google's Fitbit Air is finally here, and its Gemini-powered health coach, $99 price tag,
00:05and new Google Health app are a pretty appealing package. But is it appealing enough to take on
00:10Whoop? I've been using it for the past week, and I think I have the answer. Before we begin,
00:15be sure to leave a like, subscribe, and check the descriptions for our best deals on the Fitbit Air.
00:22So, what exactly is the Fitbit Air? Well, think of it as Google's answer to the growing
00:28popularity of screenless fitness trackers like Whoop or even the Oura Ring. The Fitbit Air is a
00:33tiny, lightweight wearable with no display and practically no notifications. The only time I've
00:38even had it actually vibrate to notify me of something was my alarm when I had set it up
00:43because of my sleep schedule. Besides that, it focuses entirely on passive health tracking.
00:48That means tracking things like heart rate, sleep stages, HRV, recovery, and workouts all happen
00:54quietly in the background while the data gets sent to the new Google Health app, which is available
00:59on both iOS and Android. And honestly, I think Google understands something a lot of people are
01:05realizing lately. We're tired of being constantly connected. Visually, it's very minimalist. Google
01:13calls it a pebble design and compared to something bulky like a smartwatch or even Whoop, it's noticeably
01:19smaller and lighter. So small and light, in fact, that I barely even feel it on my wrist, which makes
01:24sleep tracking a breeze. Their design makes me prefer it on my wrist all day and night compared to
01:29the Whoop or my Apple Watch. Even with its small design, you still have bands you can switch between
01:34just like the competition. Although at the moment, your three options are a performance loop, active band,
01:41and an elevated modern band. Whoop and Apple Watch have the advantage here with a much larger selection,
01:46but they also have been around for much longer. So I'm sure that over time, we will see more designs
01:51come to the Fitbit Air too. The Fitbit Air is small, but mighty when it comes to battery life.
01:59It doesn't quite reach the two weeks that Whoop boasts, but the Fitbit Air lasts a full week,
02:04which is definitely an improvement over my Apple Watch and still plenty for most people. But when it does
02:09come time to charge, the Air comes with a magnetic charger and gets you from 0 to 100% in
02:14about 90 minutes,
02:15or a quick five-minute charge should provide enough to get you through the day.
02:21Now, here's where things get interesting because the Fitbit Air is really just a conduit for the
02:26bigger story here, Google Health. Google is basically transforming Fitbit into an AI-powered health
02:32ecosystem. In fact, the Fitbit app itself is literally becoming the Google Health app, which,
02:38yes, was a long time coming, but still a significant moment in the multi-year dismantlement of Fitbit
02:43data since Google acquired it in 2021. The idea is that all your health data will all live in one
02:49place. Metrics, workout history, sleep data, medical records, Health Connect data, even Apple Health
02:55integration are all finally centralized. Although the app is capable of pulling data from sources
03:01like an Apple Watch or Whoop, using Google devices like the Fitbit Air or a Pixel Watch 4 will provide
03:07deeper insights into your activities. That's right, Pixel Watch 4 users, Google Health will now be your home fitness
03:13hub as well. Guys, tracking for all the metrics I just mentioned is all completely free. But of
03:21course, there is a more optional premium version you can use via subscription because what doesn't
03:26have a subscription nowadays? Google layers Gemini AI through something called Google Health Coach,
03:31and it's the highlight of the optional $10 a month or $99 a year Google Health premium subscription.
03:37So instead of just saying, you slept six hours, the app can take that information and utilize it into
03:42your workout so you can take it easy or go for that extra push. It can factor in injuries, change
03:48a
03:48workout if you're on vacation and don't have access to your usual gym, and add other health metrics like
03:53lab results or nutrition info to further have guidance on your goals. You can even just take a photo of
03:59your
03:59meal or snacks and it will automatically log nutritional info for you. I do think it's important to mention that
04:05this AI driven health coaching could genuinely help people build healthier habits. But on the other
04:11hand, this is a lot of personal health data being centralized under Google. And I think people should
04:17at least be aware of that data collection trade off before jumping in blindly. The coach in my experience
04:23has also been making a few mistakes. For example, I had a workout randomly changed two kilograms from pounds,
04:29and it made a push workout for me when I had asked it to do a cardio day. So just
04:33keep an eye out for mistakes
04:35before you accidentally log 55 kilograms instead of pounds, and Google thinks you've done bicep curls
04:40with 121 pound dumbbells. The optional subscription also helps the Fitbit Air stand out compared to Whoop,
04:47as Whoop requires a subscription to even function. Whoop's cheapest plan available is $199 a year and
04:55that climbs up to $359 a year depending on the features you're looking to have access to. That alone
05:02immediately makes the Fitbit Air more appealing to the average person. Because once you buy it,
05:07it can provide helpful info and tracking without a monthly payment. And if you do go the subscription
05:12route, you're still paying up to half the cost of Whoop. So if you're someone like me who values helpful
05:17fitness, nutrition and health insights without paying a premium, the Fitbit Air is the solution
05:22we really haven't had yet. With that said, the Whoop is hyped up for a reason and still the benchmark
05:27for
05:28top-tier health and fitness tracking. There's a good reason why you see so many professional athletes
05:32rocking one. Whoop provides more health and data features such as an ECG and blood pressure insights
05:38and does a much better job with insights on strain, stress and recovery, including pretty incredible
05:44info about your biological age and pace of aging. It also has a two-week battery, a battery charging pack,
05:50and its own version of a coach. The years of waiting for something really interesting to come out of
05:57Google's acquisition of Fitbit seems to have finally arrived. And it's arrived at a price point that
06:02really makes it stick out from the competition. The first real Whoop alternative is a big win here,
06:07guys. And if you're looking to get serious about your health and fitness, the Fitbit Air is definitely a
06:12buy. For $99, you're getting a lightweight health tracking device that's distraction-free, lasts a week,
06:18and provides incredibly helpful daily insights. And if you do use it alongside other devices like an
06:23Apple Watch, it still ties together with those health tracking apps and devices, all without
06:28sucking you into a required monthly subscription. That's all for today's episode of Buy or Skip.
06:34Be sure to leave a like and subscribe and let me know in the comments what you guys think about
06:38the
06:38Fitbit Air and the Whoop. And check out our links in the description to get the best deals on either.
06:43As always, I'm Phil Rodriguez, this is Tom's Guide and I will see you in the next video.
