Google readies Fitbit Edge with weeklong battery and GPS

The Fitbit Edge goes on sale Oct. 27, 2026, for $179.99 in the US, and it has been available to preorder since its Oct. 12 launch. A Stephen Curry Special Edition costs $50 more. Google has not yet listed UK or Canadian pricing in the material we’ve seen, so check your local Google Store for regional details.

It comes in four color combinations, Obsidian, Fog, Olive and Canyon, the last of which matches a Pixel Watch 5 finish. Bands are swappable, with a performance loop, a magnetic band and metal links among the options.

Price-wise it sits right in the middle of Google’s lineup: the screenless Fitbit Air costs $99 and the Pixel Watch 5 about $400.

The Edge is a slim fitness tracker rather than a smartwatch. Its pill-shaped 1.34-inch AMOLED touchscreen sits in an aluminum frame and offers 46% more viewing area than the Charge 6. The body weighs 17.7 grams without the band and is rated IP68 and 5 ATM, which covers swimming. It runs Fitbit OS, the same lightweight software as the Fitbit Air, which is different from the software on Pixel watches and means fewer apps but longer battery life.

Here’s what’s inside:

• Built-in GPS: maps runs and rides without your phone, using what Google says is a better GPS chip than the Charge 6.
• ECG app: checks for signs of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, where regulators allow it.
• Altimeter: counts floors climbed and tracks hills, a sensor Fitbit trackers haven’t had since the Charge 4.
• Health tracking: continuous heart rate, sleep score, a daily readiness score, Cardio Load and irregular rhythm alerts.
• A real button: a clicky side button to wake the screen and start or pause workouts, replacing the Charge 6’s unreliable haptic nub.

It also shows calls, texts and app notifications, and it can now control music from any app on your phone, not just YouTube Music as on the Charge 6. It can broadcast your heart rate to compatible gym machines and stores seven days of detailed data, or 30 days of daily totals, if it’s away from your phone.

Get an Edge on your health. 10.12.26 pic.twitter.com/1zRU0eoAS7

— Google Health (@googlehealth) October 9, 2026

Google rates the Edge at about seven days per charge, but that’s with the always-on display turned off. Switch it on and battery life drops to about two days, barely more than the Pixel Watch 5. Continuous GPS tracking lasts up to 10 hours, so plan ahead for very long days outdoors.

Charging is quick. A full charge takes about 90 minutes, and five minutes on the magnetic puck, the same one the Fitbit Air uses, adds about a day of use. Unusually, the battery is user-replaceable, though Google recommends that only adults with technical know-how try it and warns against handling a swollen or damaged battery.

The Edge has no NFC chip, so you can’t use Google Wallet to pay by tapping your wrist. On the Charge 6, that let you leave your phone at home on a run and still buy a drink. If you rely on that, upgrading means giving it up.

Google Maps turn-by-turn directions also aren’t available at launch. Google lists them as coming soon.

The other cost is the subscription. Google Health Coach, the Gemini-powered AI coach that builds training plans and answers questions about your sleep and health trends, needs a paid Google Health Premium plan. Basic tracking, sleep and heart data work without it. Google also says its Health Guardian features from the Pixel Watch 5, covering heart health and insulin trends, are coming to the Edge and the Air.

It depends on what you have now and what you want from your wrist.

• You own a Charge 6: the Edge gives you a bigger screen, a real button, an altimeter and better music controls. If you use tap-to-pay, think twice.
• You’re choosing between the Edge and the Air: the $99 Air has no screen and no GPS of its own. Pay more for the Edge if you want workout stats on your wrist, ECG and phone-free GPS.
• You’re considering a Pixel Watch 5: the Edge skips the apps, payments and smartwatch extras, but costs about half as much and lasts far longer between charges.

At least one early reviewer has warned against buying on day one. Full reviews should land around the Oct. 27 release.