Google's secret Fitbit Air just got an official announcement, and Steph Curry has a hand in it

After months of leaks and Steph Curry teasing it on his wrist in public, Google has officially unveiled the Fitbit Air. It's the company's smallest, screenless tracker yet, and it lands with a clear pitch: this is the wearable for people who don't want a smartwatch on their wrist all day, or at least not while they sleep.

What you're actually getting

In a new announcement, Google confirmed that the Fitbit Air is up for pre-order today at $99.99 and hits shelves on May 26. Don't let the size fool you, because this thing packs serious sensor tech inside a tiny pebble that pops out of the band.

You get 24/7 heart rate tracking, AFib alerts, SpO2, heart rate variability, sleep stages and duration, and automatic activity detection. Battery life stretches up to a full week, and a five-minute fast charge gives you a full day of power.

It works with Android 11 or higher and iOS 16.4 or higher, and it ships with three months of Google Health Premium included. The screenless design is the real headline. No notifications buzzing on your wrist, no display to charge, and no temptation to check your stats every two minutes. Everything routes through the Google Health app on your phone.

The Stephen Curry Special Edition

Google also unveiled the Fitbit Air Special Edition, co-designed with Stephen Curry. It's the same hardware as the standard model, but with a Performance Loop band in rye brown and game-day orange.

The band has a water-resistant coating, a raised interior print inspired by athletic racing stripes for airflow during high-intensity movement, and Curry's #LockIn signature plus his number 30 stitched on the underside.

Pre-orders open today at $129.99 with the same May 26 on-shelf date, and it includes the same three-month Google Health Premium trial. It's a $30 premium for the band, which is reasonable if you're a Curry fan or just want a more sport-forward look.

The subscription reality

Google Health app and Premium offerings. | Image by Google

Here's the part you need to know before pre-ordering. The Fitbit Air is built around the Google Health Coach, and the Coach lives behind the Google Health Premium paywall at $9.99 a month or $99 a year after your trial ends.

Without that subscription, you can still see your raw data in the Google Health app, but the personalized AI coaching, weekly fitness plans, and step-by-step workout guidance are gated.

If you're already paying for Google AI Pro or Ultra, you're covered, since Google Health Premium is now bundled in those plans. For everyone else, factor that recurring cost into the math.

Who this is actually for

I want to be clear about something, because this gets confusing fast. The Fitbit Air does not add anything new on top of wearing a Pixel Watch. Wearing both at the same time gets you no extra data and no extra benefit.

What it does do is make it easy to swap from your Pixel Watch during the day to the Fitbit Air at night, and the software handles the handoff for you. So in my opinion, this product is for two specific groups. The first is people who don't want to wear a smartwatch at all, or only want one for workouts.

The second is people like me who love wearing a smartwatch all day but find it inconvenient to sleep in. That second group is where I think Google has a real winner.

Sleeping in a Pixel Watch is not comfortable for many people, and a screenless, lightweight band built specifically for passive tracking solves that pain point.

Just be honest with yourself about whether you'll actually pay the subscription long-term, because that's where this product either becomes worth it or quietly turns into a $99 dust collector.

For more hot takes, opinions, and behind-the-scenes coverage, follow me on X at https://www.x.com/jojothetechie and on Threads at https://www.threads.com/@jojothetechie.