Fitbit Air vs Whoop: Don’t Pick Wrong!

Google's Fitbit Air is finally here, and its Gemini-powered health coach, $99 price tag, and new Google Health app are a pretty appealing package, but is it appealing enough to take on Whoop? I've been using it for the past week, and I think I have the answer. Before we begin, be sure to leave a like, subscribe, and check the descriptions for our best deals on the Fitbit Air. So, what exactly is the Fitbit Air? Well, think of it as Google's answer to the growing popularity of screenless fitness trackers like Whoop or even the Oura Ring. The Fitbit Air is a tiny, lightweight wearable with no display and practically no notifications. The only time I've even had it actually vibrate to notify me of something was my alarm when I had set it up because of my sleep schedule. Besides that, it focuses entirely on passive health tracking. That means tracking things like heart rate, sleep stages, HRV, recovery, and workouts all happen quietly in the background while the data gets sent to the new Google Health app, which is available on both iOS and Android. And honestly, I think Google understands something a lot of people are realizing lately. We're tired of being constantly connected. Visually, it's very minimalist. Google calls it a pebble design, and compared to something bulky like a smartwatch or even Whoop, it's noticeably smaller and lighter. So small and light, in fact, that I barely even feel it on my wrist, which makes sleep tracking a breeze. Their design makes me prefer it on my wrist all day and night compared to the Whoop or my Apple Watch. Even with its small design, you still have bands you can switch between, just like the competition. Although at the moment, your three options are a performance loop, active band, and an elevated modern band. Whoop and Apple Watch have the advantage here with a much larger selection, but they also have been around for much longer, so I'm sure that over time, we will see more designs come to the Fitbit Air too. The Fitbit Air is small but mighty when it comes to battery life. It doesn't quite reach the two weeks that Whoop boasts, but the Fitbit Air lasts a full week, which is definitely an improvement over my Apple Watch and still plenty for most people. But when it does come time to charge, the Air comes with a magnetic charger and gets you from zero to 100% in about 90 minutes, or a quick five-minute charge should provide enough to get you through the day. Now, here's where things get interesting, because the Fitbit Air is really just a conduit for the bigger story here. Google is basically transforming Fitbit into an AI-powered health ecosystem. In fact, the Fitbit app itself is literally becoming the Google Health app, which, yes, was a long time coming, but still a significant moment in the multi-year dismantlement of Fitbit since Google acquired it in 2021. The idea is that all your health data will all live in one place. Metrics, workout history, sleep data, medical records, HealthConnect data, even Apple Health integration are all finally centralized. Although the app is capable of pulling data from sources like an Apple Watch or Whoop, using Google devices like the Fitbit Air or a Pixel Watch 4 will provide deeper insights into your activities. That's right, Pixel Watch 4 users, Google Health will now be your home fitness hub as well. Guys, tracking for all the metrics I just mentioned is all completely free. But of course, there is a more optional premium version you can use via subscription because what doesn't have a subscription nowadays? Google layers Gemini AI through something called Google Health Coach, and it's the highlight of the optional $10 a month or $99 a year Google Health premium subscription. So instead of just saying you slept six hours, the app can take that information and utilize it into your workout. So you can take it easy or go for that extra push. It can factor in injuries, change a workout if you're on vacation and don't have access to your usual gym, and add other health metrics like lab results or nutrition info to further have guidance on your goals. You can even just take a photo of your meal or snacks and it will automatically log nutritional info for you. I do think it's important to mention that this AI driven health coaching could genuinely help people build healthier habits. But on the other hand, this is a lot of personal health data being centralized under Google. And I think people should at least be aware of that data collection trade-off before jumping in blindly. The coach in my experience has also been making a few mistakes. For example, I had a workout randomly changed to kilograms from pounds and it made a push workout for me when I had asked it to do a cardio day. So just keep an eye out for mistakes before you accidentally log 55 kilograms instead of pounds. And Google thinks you've done bicep curls with 121 pound dumbbells. The optional subscription also helps the Fitbit Air stand out compared to Whoop as Whoop requires a subscription to even function. Whoop's cheapest plan available is $199 a year and that climbs up to $359 a year depending on the features you're looking to have access to. That alone immediately makes the Fitbit Air more appealing to the average person because once you buy it, it can provide helpful info and tracking without a monthly payment. And if you do go the subscription route, you're still paying up to half the cost of Whoop. So if you're someone like me who values helpful fitness, nutrition and health insights without paying a premium, the Fitbit Air is the solution we really haven't had yet. With that said, the Whoop is hyped up for a reason and still the benchmark for top tier health and fitness tracking. There's a good reason why you see so many professional athletes rocking one. Whoop provides more health and data features such as an ECG and blood pressure insights and does a much better job with insights on strain, stress and recovery, including pretty incredible info about your biological age and pace of aging. It also has a two week battery, a battery charging pack and its own version of a coach. The years of waiting for something really interesting to come out of Google's acquisition of Fitbit seems to have finally arrived. And it's arrived at a price point that really makes it stick out from the competition. The first real Whoop alternative is a big win here guys. And if you're looking to get serious about your health and fitness, the Fitbit Air is definitely a buy. For $99, you're getting a lightweight health tracking device that's distraction free, lasts a week and provides incredibly helpful daily insights. And if you do use it alongside other devices like an Apple Watch, it still ties together with those health tracking apps and devices all without sucking you into a required monthly subscription. That's all for today's episode of Buyer Skip. Be sure to leave a like and subscribe and let me know in the comments what you guys think about the Fitbit Air and the Whoop. And check out our links in the description to get the best deals on either. As always, I'm Phil Rodriguez, this is Tom's Guide and I will see you in the next video.