An Android Police writer says Google's $180 Fitbit Edge would work better as a budget smartwatch for Google apps, with no fitness tracking at all.
A writer at Android Police argues that Google's Fitbit Edge is aimed at the wrong job. Jon Gilbert says the $180 watch should drop its fitness tracking and become a cheap smartwatch built around Google apps. It is an opinion piece, not a product announcement.
The Edge is a fitness-focused watch with a few smartwatch extras. It has a basic version of Google Maps, media controls and Find My Phone. It does not run Wear OS, Google's watch software, so it cannot use apps that were not made for it. The writer says that keeps costs down.
His main complaint is overlap. He says the Fitbit Air offers the same fitness tracking for less money and is less bulky. The Pixel Watch 5 costs more, but he calls it a better and more attractive watch. He also points to a colleague, Mark Jansen, who wrote that the Edge offers nothing new.
The media controls show the problem, he says. They only work with a nearby connected device, which means your phone. If you must carry your phone to play music during a workout, he asks, what is the Edge for?
He would keep the Edge's size and $180 price. He would remove the fitness features, except maybe a basic step counter. In their place would come Wi-Fi, LTE (a cellular connection) and NFC (the tech behind tap-to-pay). The watch would ship with a fixed set of Google apps:
He admits you would lose the choice of apps. He says that would not bother him. In his view, a watch should make your phone more useful, not try to replace it.
He recently pre-ordered the Pebble Round 2, a $200 smartwatch with no fitness tracking. It runs PebbleOS, so it lacks the range of apps found in the Play Store. He calls it a stylish match for his Pixel phone and a bargain at that price.
The article does not say Google plans to build such a watch. It also gives no details on battery life or exact specs for the idea. He compares the approach to the Pixel 10a, a midrange phone he says is better for leaving out extras.
If a watch that supports your phone matters more than workout tracking, compare the $180 Fitbit Edge with simpler options like the $200 Pebble Round 2.
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