Fitbit May Be Developing a Smart Band Similar to the Whoop.
Google hasn’t released any new Fitbit devices since 2023, instead seemingly focusing all its efforts on developing the Pixel watch. But all this time, the company has refused to confirm that Fitbit hardware is truly discontinued, and a new commercial seems to indicate why—it appears a Whoop- style smartband is on the way.
What was announced
The video was posted on Steph Curry’s Instagram page on March 31, so it’s not an April Fool’s joke. In a few short clips, we see a gray-orange fabric band on Curry’s left wrist. He says, “I’m excited about what this will mean for the health and well-being of the world. In some ways, this is a first. I don’t want to spoil it. You need to see it for yourself.” The text on the screen reads, “A new relationship with your health. Coming soon. [Google logo].”
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What do we really know?
Google hasn’t publicly confirmed any details. News and rumor sites, as well as user forums, agree that it’s a Whoop-style smartband without a screen, and that it will be released under the Fitbit brand. Visually, I agree with the smartband theory—it definitely looks like one, and the only way it could be is if the screen were rotated inward on the wrist.
There’s no confirmation of Fitbit’s use—in the video, we only see the Google logo, not Fitbit. A Bloomberg article , citing a “source familiar with the matter,” states that Google is working on a Fitbit-branded smartband.
Currently, Fitbit’s only real offerings are the Charge 6 , due in 2023, and a few 2022 models: the minimalist Inspire 3 and two smartwatches ( the Versa 4 and Sense 2 ), which Google still sells but doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in. Meanwhile, the smartband segment appears to be growing. Whoop has been the undisputed leader in this space for years, but last year saw the arrival of the Polar Loop, Amazfit Helio/Core, and Garmin’s sleep tracker. This year, fertility tracking app Natural Cycles began selling a temperature-tracking smartband, and Luna and Speediance announced new smartbands at CES. (Neither of these two products are yet available for purchase.)
Why do I think they are announcing this now?
Ironically, the fitness gadget community has been buzzing lately about the upcoming Whoop-style smartband. But not from Fitbit! There were rumors (for example, here ) that Garmin was planning to announce such a band. Earlier this year, some Garmin websites briefly mentioned a “Cirqa smartband,” but if this is a real product, it doesn’t seem to be ready yet.
This reminds me of what happened last year in the smartband market : amid rumors of a Garmin smartband, Polar announced it was working on its own device. The next day, the Garmin Index Sleep Band was released .
It looks like this is round two. Garmin’s new tracker could be a worthy competitor to Whoop (which isn’t the case with the Index sleep tracker), and Fitbit may be trying to get ahead of Garmin’s upcoming product announcement. I don’t have any inside information about when or if these two potential products will launch, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Garmin launches before Fitbit.
Also this week, Google announced expanded functionality for the Fitbit app’s AI health coach. (Yes, this is the same AI coach that told me the Pixel Watch 4 didn’t exist and was laughably bad at actually coaching me . Maybe it’s gotten better.) The AI coach is now available to free users, not just subscribers, and it has more features .
Smartbands are all the rage right now, and I think it’s because gadget makers have run out of new features to build into watches. Once you have motion and heart rate sensors, you have the basic functionality of a fitness watch. The extra bells and whistles don’t add enough appeal to justify the higher price or frequent updates, so companies are realizing they can simplify the hardware and focus on software features and subscriptions. The smart ring market has already made some progress in this direction, as I’ve written about before. Now it’s time to see what happens with smartbands.