Screens are distracting. That much is accepted as a maxim today. If your phone is tempting enough when it’s out of sight in a purse or pocket, how anxiety-inducing must it be to have a screen tied to your wrist in the form of a Garmin fitness tracker or Apple Watch?
Enter the $100 Google Fitbit Air. It appears to be nothing more than a fabric wrist band, with the removable guts of the device hidden underneath a small bump on the top of the wrist. That bump connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and provides all the sleep, fitness, and health tracking you want, just out of sight when you don’t want it blaring in your face and demanding your attention.
Videos by VICE
Google only just announced it on May 7, 2026, but you can already preorder it at most major retailers. Most of them are offering their own deals, as long as you preorder before the Fitbit Airs start shipping out on May 26. Here’s where to find the deals.
no screen, no distractions
Google seems to be on a mission to remind everyone, constantly, that Fitbit is a Google brand property these days. After announcing that it’s merging Fitbit accounts into Google accounts this spring and causing a minor ruckus among the Fitbit faithful, Google has pushed ahead by branding it the Fitbit Air, the first new Fitbit product since 2023’s Charge 6, as the Google Fitbit Air.
Amazon’s deal and Best Buy’s deal both include a free silicone Active Band with preorders. You pop the electronic “guts” of the Fitbit Air out of the fabric watch and into the Active Band for sweaty workouts so that you can presumably keep the fabric band fresh and stank-free.
The Google Store’s deal seems to be the best on offer, though. Preorder it there, and you receive a $35 Google Store credit. “What the hell can I use it for on the Google Store?” I can hear you wondering.
Well, you get a three-month free trial of Google Health Premium, which gives you personalized health coaching and workout plans through Gemini AI, “science-backed” answers to health questions you can pose to it (through your connected smartphone), and “proactive” insights into your fitness, sleep, and health. Free users of Google Health can use the Fitbit Air to track activity, sleep, and health. They just don’t get the full complement of Gemini AI features that come with Premium.
Supposing you like Google Health Premium enough to keep using it after the trial expires, you could use your $35 in Google Store credit to buy another three months of the subscription, which normally runs $10 per month. I’d take that deal over a free Active Band, although if you decide later you want that silicone band after all, you could just use your Google Store credit to buy it there.
Contest Alert: VICE Playlist Project
If you’re making music, VICE just launched the Playlist Project, a global song contest built around real life moments. Instead of genres, you’ll submit songs to a specific category that fits your track. Entries are open now, with cash prizes and VICE social & editorial features on the line.
More
From VICE
-
Photo: sutiporn somnam / Getty Images -
Photo: tracielouise / Getty Images -
Photo: We are / Getty Images -
Photo: Nichole Hamilton/MFM Sonographer / Woodland Park Zoo
