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I’ve been using the new Fitbit Edge for a little over a week, and am happy to report that it’s quite good at its job. It shipped with more features than I expected (Google Maps directions were there from the jump) and corrects the missteps that Google made with the Fitbit Charge 6. After running the Fitbit Edge through its paces, here’s my breakdown of what works well, what doesn’t, and what I think of the device overall.
The Edge is the device I expected the Charge 6 to be
When I reviewed it in May 2025, I liked a lot about the Charge 6, but found it had a few serious flaws. Tightening the strap messed up its GPS readings (weird but true), and some of its features required a subscription (like the music controls that only worked with YouTube Music). Its promised side button wasn’t really a button, and didn’t even always work.
I’m happy to report that all of my biggest gripes have been fixed in the Fitbit Edge. Or to put it another way: the Edge is what the Charge should have been in the first place.
The Fitbit Edge's heart rate and GPS sensors are impressively accurate
Accuracy tests are always one of my top priorities in testing, but honestly I wasn’t expecting much from this device. A Fitbit can still be successful in my eyes even if its heart rate sensor is only “good enough.” Nobody should expect lab-level precision from a Fitbit.
But I was pleasantly surprised by just how capable the Edge is in this regard. It sometimes takes a few minutes to lock on to a heart rate signal (as most optical devices do), but after it does, it is spot-on—I think it might be in the running alongside the Apple Watch and high-end Garmins as one of the better heart rate wearables on the market. The Edge’s accuracy is notably better than the Fitbit Air's, even though they seem to share the same sensor hardware.
Location accuracy is also quite good, only deviating slightly from a Garmin I tested alongside the Edge. It may not be the best out there, but it’s miles ahead of what the Charge 6 was able to do.
The Fitbit Edge's music controls actually work
The Fitbit Edge has real music controls, unlike the Charge 6. I can play something in Spotify or in Castro (my favorite podcast app) on my phone, and then control the audio from my wrist—and you no longer need to use YouTube Music or have a subscription to get this feature.
You can now swap Fitbits in the app
When the Fitbit Air and the Google Health app first launched, it was possible to pair both a Fitbit and a Pixel Watch to the same phone, but not two Fitbits. That has finally changed: I was able to connect the Edge to my phone without losing my connection to the Air. It also works to swap seamlessly between the two Fitbits. For example, one night the Edge was low on battery, so I slept with the Air on, and then swapped back in the morning once the Edge was charged. The app happily showed my sleep data from the Air and my activity data from the Edge without my having to do mess around in the app.
As a nice bonus, the charger for the Fitbit Edge is the same as for the Fitbit Air. (The chargers for the Pixel Watch and for the Fitbit Charge 6 are not compatible with the Edge.)
The Fitbit Edge fits better and looks nicer than the Charge 6
The Fitbit Edge is a similar size as the old Charge 6, but with noticeably more screen real estate. The strap fits pretty much the same way as a Pixel watch band—that is to say, normally, not with the strange hang-off-the-wrist stiffness of the Charge 6.
The Fitbit Edge also has a physical button—not a haptic nub like the Charge 6, but an actual, physical button. And it even works (to return you to the home screen) nearly every time I press it. The Charge 6’s nub was not as reliable.
The Fitbit Edge still has two major flaws
Overall, I’m quite happy with the Fitbit Edge. It’s much better than the Charge 6, and adds accuracy and a screen to the things I already liked about the Fitbit Air. But there are a few things I don’t totally love.
One is that there is no NFC chipset, which means no option to use Google Pay. I don’t mind using my phone or card at checkouts (and I always carry my phone), so this isn’t a big deal for me, but I know a lot of folks love a wrist-based payment, and that’s missing from the Fitbit Edge. (Google reportedly said most Fitbit users didn’t actually use Google Pay, so they removed the functionality—presumably to fit in the other components while keeping the device small.)
The other downside is, I hate to say it, the Google Health app. It’s OK, but I still find myself arguing with the AI when it assigns me workouts I never asked for, and I have to agree with the redditors who are commiserating about the lack of a “yesterday” view. (On the bright side, Google recently added a feature that lets you turn off the AI insights, which helps a lot.)
The bottom line
Overall, the Fitbit Edge is a great fitness tracker. It measures heart rate and running/walking mileage accurately; it can control music in a sensible way; and it looks good, feels good to wear, and works smoothly. The price also tracks: It’s definitely worth the $20 premium over the Charge 6, and it’s not quite double the price of the Air, which I think is fair. For anyone who doesn’t want a smartwatch or a running watch and will be satisfied with just “a Fitbit,” this one is pretty much perfect.