Google's $179 Fitbit Edge replaces the Charge 6 with a bigger screen and new health alerts, but it can no longer pay at a store checkout.
Google's new Fitbit Edge is a clear step up from the Fitbit Charge 6 in most ways, but it drops contactless payments. Tom's Guide says the Edge beats the three-year-old Charge on screen, health tools and outdoor tracking. The Edge was announced on October 12, 2026, and costs $179.
The screen is the first thing you will notice. The Charge 6 has a 1.04-inch screen. The Edge has a 1.34-inch screen, which should make it easier to tap and easier to read for people with big fingers or tired eyes. It also gets roughly twice as bright at its maximum, so it is easier to read in direct sunlight.
Both trackers work with Google's overhauled Google Health app, which replaces the old Fitbit app. Both give daily insights on sleep quality, energy levels, heart rate, blood oxygen, and body temperature trends. Both can take ECG readings, which check your heart's rhythm. The Edge adds several things the Charge 6 lacks:
The Edge also has a built-in altimeter, a sensor that measures elevation. The Charge 6 does not have one, and it does not show elevation gain at all. Some trackers without this sensor guess height from GPS, which the reviewer calls far from precise. How accurate the Edge is has not been tested yet. A full review is due in a few days.
The Edge has no NFC, the chip behind tap-to-pay. The Charge 6 does. So if you like paying with your wrist, the newer model cannot do that. The reviewer guesses Google may have cut it to make room for the altimeter, but that is a guess, not something Google has said. He says he would take precise elevation tracking over wrist payments.
The Edge looks best for people who want broader health alerts and better hiking, skiing or climbing data. People who rely on paying from their wrist have a reason to stay with the Charge 6 or look elsewhere. Preorders are open at major retailers such as Amazon, and the Edge is expected to ship by the end of the month.
The Fitbit Edge offers a bigger screen, more health alerts and elevation tracking for $179, but if you pay with your wrist, it will not do that.
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