Swappable battery: Google launches Fitbit Edge, its first repairable fitness tracker
The new tracker has a replaceable battery, GPS and ECG and is rated for up to seven days per charge. It costs $179.99 and goes on sale in the US on October 27.
Symbolic image · Photo: PamD / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Google on Monday unveiled the Fitbit Edge fitness tracker, calling it its first repairable tracker. The device has a modular design and a replaceable battery, so it can be used longer instead of being thrown away when battery capacity declines. Google did not initially give details on the cost or process of replacing the battery.
Google says a single charge lasts up to seven days, and five minutes of charging when the battery is low provides a full day of use. The tracker measures heart rate and has GPS, an altimeter, a skin temperature sensor and an ECG app, which is not available in all countries. The OLED display is 45 percent larger and more than 40 percent brighter than on its predecessor, the Charge 6, according to the company. There is no NFC for contactless payments.
The device costs $179.99 in the US and is available for pre-order, with retail availability from October 27. Google's announcement does not say whether or when the Fitbit Edge will launch in Europe. The tracker works with Android phones running version 11 or later and iPhones running iOS 16.4 or later.