Thinking about going Fitbit Air - am I crazy?

[stanza.richi]

Does the FitBit air work well with Apple health? Planning on wearing the AWU most days but want to start wearing some of my other watches so basically looking for something to fill the gaps.

It's better now than it was at launch, but still pretty underwhelming. Google Health syncs great with the Bevel app, but with Apple Health, all you really get are steps, heart rate, and sleep data. I gave it two tries—once right after launch day and again recently (July 31st–August 11th). I ended up returning it both times because it just doesn't fit into my routine. In the end, I prefer wearing a mechanical watch on my left wrist, usually nothing on my right, and keeping my Apple Watch Ultra 2 strictly for running and sleep tracking.

 

[mcvaughan]

I’ve been an Apple Watch user from the beginning and I just ordered an Air to try out. I’m finding that I only on the rarest occasion use the screen on my watch, but want to continue using something for health tracking. I would miss the ability to unlock my doors at home though.

 

[bunnyechoes]

I had a Fitbit Charge 2 or 3 way back when. The screen got really bad very fast and the HR tracking wasn’t very good, either, so I switched to an Apple Watch. But maybe the Air model is better in this regard

 

[Webcat86]

My wife got an Air last week and I got one today. This is absolutely a form factor that Apple needs to introduce.

Initial impressions are excellent. The app is clear, it syncs with Apple, does steps, sleep, heart monitoring, sees MyFitnessPal, tracks workouts, gives a readiness score, a weekly cardio load target, is super lightweight and discreet, and the battery lasts a week.

I only want a screen when I’m working out. Otherwise I prefer wearing a mechanical watch. It’s bonkers that in 2026 Apple literally doesn’t have a single wearable for customers like us, and is ceding that ground to Oura and Fitbit.

 

[actcyclist]

But you can just get a Fitbit charge 6 which does has a little screen and costs the same.

The way I see it is if something is going to take up space on my wrist I may as well have it do more than the basics, otherwise, I’m just wearing something for its looks. Some people really want to wear a favourite analogue watch in which case a screenless band makes sense, but I prefer just to have one watch to manage.

 

[Webcat86]

But you can just get a Fitbit charge 6 which does has a little screen and costs the same.

The way I see it is if something is going to take up space on my wrist I may as well have it do more than the basics, otherwise, I’m just wearing something for its looks. Some people really want to wear a favourite analogue watch in which case a screenless band makes sense, but I prefer just to have one watch to manage.

Buying a device with a smaller screen as an alternative to a device with a different screen is to miss the point entirely. We specifically want a screenless device, and Oura and Whoop exist because they recognise that need.

Obviously screens have their place, the Fitbit Air wouldn’t replace my Apple Watch for running and seeing my pace etc. And there are people who use the watch as a way to leave the phone in another room and I think that’s a great use case. But for others of us, we want health metrics without the screen.

 

[mcvaughan]

Buying a device with a smaller screen as an alternative to a device with a different screen is to miss the point entirely. We specifically want a screenless device, and Oura and Whoop exist because they recognise that need.

Obviously screens have their place, the Fitbit Air wouldn’t replace my Apple Watch for running and seeing my pace etc. And there are people who use the watch as a way to leave the phone in another room and I think that’s a great use case. But for others of us, we want health metrics without the screen.

Understandable.

My use case is different because I run on a treadmill which has a screen. I much prefer to look more forward than down when on a run.

 

[Webcat86]

Understandable.

My use case is different because I run on a treadmill which has a screen. I much prefer to look more forward than down when on a run.

I would too but I run outdoors. I also use the watch in the gym, I have a workout app so I never need to take my phone out of my pocket in the gym