Fitbit Edge: The Charge 6 Successor Fixes GPS but Costs $179

There will be no Fitbit Charge 7. Google’s replacement, the Fitbit Edge, finally ships with GPS that its maker says works, but it costs $179, and drops contactless payments. It also settles, in DC Rainmaker’s view, whether Google is still committed to the Fitbit name. For Charge 6 users weighing an upgrade, the answer depends on whether they actually run with the tracker.

What Happened

Google announced the Fitbit Edge on October 12, and DC Rainmaker’s detailed breakdown lists what changed from the Charge 6 released in 2023. The headline items:

• GPS: a new chipset and aluminum case, with accuracy claimed at 40% better than the Charge 6. DC Rainmaker notes that on the Charge 5 and Charge 6, GPS only worked if you loosened the band substantially, which then stopped heart rate from working.
• New hardware: an altimeter for stairs and elevation, a physical button that clicks, a 1.34-inch AMOLED display that is 46% larger, and a user-replaceable battery, the first on a Fitbit-branded product.
• Software: automatic detection of roughly 100 sports, 50 manual workout profiles, structured workouts, and an interface matching the Pixel Watch 5.
• Removed: Google Pay contactless payments and the EDA Scan feature, though continuous background stress monitoring remains.

Per DC Rainmaker, battery life stays at a claimed seven days, and five minutes of fast charging is rated for a day of use. Pre-orders opened on announcement day, with availability on October 27. A Stephen Curry edition costs $219.

Why It Matters

The price is the real change. DC Rainmaker says the Charge 6 officially listed at $159 but sat between $99 and $129 “virtually all the time.” At $179, the Edge moves Fitbit’s small-screen tracker closer to watch pricing, without a watch’s screen.

What the money buys is mostly training hardware. Working GPS and an altimeter make the Edge a credible phone-free running and hiking tracker for the first time in the Charge line. The health sensor stack carries over: optical heart rate, SpO2 sensors, a skin temperature sensor, and ECG functionality that DC Rainmaker says is FDA and EU approved, including background AFib detection. Tracker readings are wellness data, not a diagnosis, and anything flagged belongs with a clinician.

Google also announced a multi-year partnership with Flo Health, which DC Rainmaker says will sync data both ways starting early next year: cycle data into Google Health, and resting heart rate, skin temperature, heart rate variability, and sleep metrics out to Flo. That fits Google’s broader push to turn wearable data into health features, from its SensorFM wearable model to the Fitbit app’s rebrand to Google Health.

The Edge also supports dual use with the Pixel Watch and the screenless Fitbit Air, switching between devices. That suggests Google sees the Edge as one device in a set, for example a slim tracker for sleep and a watch for the day, rather than a sole wearable. DC Rainmaker had a unit in hand at announcement and says hands-on testing details start tomorrow, so the 40% GPS claim is Google’s figure for now, not a tested result.

Source: DC Rainmaker

Content created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.