Google’s Fitbit Air is finally arriving on doorsteps this week, and at $99.99 for the device itself, the screenless tracker is shaping up as the most direct shot at Whoop the fitness market has seen in years. Buyers in the UK started reporting deliveries around June 8, and the early U.S. shipping waves are tracking a similar window. The catch is that the most popular colors are already slipping into backorder at multiple retailers, so if you have been waiting for a Whoop alternative that does not come with a monthly bill, you may need to move before the next restock.
Price: $99.99
Where to Buy: Amazon
What Fitbit Air is, and what it is not
The Google Fitbit Air is a 12-gram, screenless band designed to disappear on the wrist while it tracks steps, sleep, heart rate, and workouts. Google announced the device last May and the company positions it as a one-time $99.99 purchase with no required subscription, undercutting Whoop’s $199-per-year membership model by a wide margin.
Google’s own support documentation describes the Air as a “lightweight, screenless tracker” that monitors “health metrics like your steps, sleep, and heart rate.” Core tracking (steps, sleep, and heart rate) is confirmed free with the Google Health app. The device includes a three-month trial of Google Health Premium (rebranded from Fitbit Premium as of May 19, 2026), after which advanced coaching and personalized insights require a paid subscription.
For comparison, the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro is arriving globally in 2026 with built-in GNSS, sleep HRV tracking, and a 2000-nit AMOLED display, starting around $70, so the Air is not the only sub-$100 wearable pushing the category this year.
Stock status by retailer, as of early June
This is the part that matters if you are reading this on a phone with one tab open to Amazon. The most common colorways are already slipping in and out of stock.
- Amazon US: In stock at the time of writing, with the Obsidian and Berry colorways showing intermittent backorder. The listing’s B0GTMJF7PV URL has been the primary US sales channel.
- Best Buy US: Listing live under SKU 6674689, model GA09509-US. Confirmed in stock at $99.99 for Obsidian. Lavender is showing clearance pricing at $37 on Best Buy, a sign that colorway is moving out fast.
- Currys UK: Both Obsidian (product code 564110) and Lavender (product code 543676) listings are confirmed live. Currys specs also confirm water resistance to 50 metres.
- Google Store US: Confirmed at $99.99 on store.google.com. Pricing is consistent across all major retailers.
Confirmed full color lineup from Amazon and Best Buy: Obsidian, Lavender, Berry, Fog, and the limited Steph Curry SE (Rye). All are verified on primary retailer pages.
What the spec sheet actually says
Pulled from Google’s own product and support pages where I can confirm them:
- Battery life: Up to 7 days per charge, with fast charging (Google’s official blog, May 7, 2026).
- Weight: 12 grams, per Google’s positioning and confirmed by early hands-on coverage.
- Case size: 34.9 x 17 x 8.3 mm (Google Store category page).
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, pairs with Android and iOS (Best Buy listing).
- Storage: 16 MB on-device (Best Buy listing, confirmed 0.016 GB).
- Sensors and metrics: Steps, sleep, heart rate, automatic workout detection, daily activity. Confirmed sensors per Google’s spec page: optical heart rate monitor, 3-axis accelerometer + gyroscope, red and infrared sensors for SpO2 monitoring, and a device temperature sensor (skin temperature variation tracked in-app). Additional tracked metrics per hands-on reviews: respiratory rate, readiness score, Cardio Load, VO2 max, smart wake alarm, and AFib detection. Water resistant to 164 feet (50 metres).
For the Whoop comparison, the closest spec match is Whoop 5.0, which starts at $199 per year (WHOOP One tier) once you add the mandatory membership. The Air’s $99.99 one-time price is a structural break with the Whoop model, not a small discount.
Fitbit Air vs Whoop 5.0: The Price Breakdown
The short version: the Air costs $99.99 once. Whoop 5.0 starts at $199 per year on the WHOOP One tier, with no option to just buy the hardware outright. Over two years, that gap compounds to $300-plus. Over three years, it is closer to $500.
The longer version is that the two devices are not direct substitutes. Whoop’s strain coach, multi-year data archive, and recovery system are built on years of continuous data. The Air’s three-month Google Health Premium trial gives you a taste of coaching, but the free tier after that is a different product. The $99.99 upfront is genuinely low. Whether the ongoing cost of unlocking the Air’s full coaching potential narrows the gap depends on what Google charges for Google Health Premium in your region after the trial, which is worth confirming before you buy.
The catch on the “no subscription” claim
Read the fine print before you assume this is a Whoop replacement dollar-for-dollar. Whoop includes a full recovery system, a strain coach, and a multi-year data archive behind its membership. The Air pulls the device-only spend down to $99.99, but confirmed: advanced coaching features (Google Health Coach, personalized insights, and deeper sleep analysis) sit behind Google Health Premium after the three-month trial ends.
Core tracking (steps, sleep, heart rate) is genuinely free. Men’s Health’s reviewer noted that “Premium insights unlocked through Google One membership feels a bit necessary,” which is worth flagging before calling the Air a full Whoop replacement.
This is the part that most early reviews are not pushing back on hard enough, so the buyer should know going in.
Who should buy it now, and who should wait
Buy now if you have been holding out for a screenless fitness tracker under $100, you do not want a subscription in the picture, and you are willing to pick whatever color is in stock rather than wait for a specific one. The Air does the core step, sleep, and heart-rate job that most people actually use a fitness band for, and it does it at a price that competes with budget bands from Xiaomi and Amazfit rather than the $199-and-up Whoop and Oura tiers.
Wait if you specifically want the Steph Curry SE (Rye) edition or a specific color that is out of stock in your region, you want the full coaching experience without a recurring subscription after the three-month trial, you rely on advanced metrics like ECG or skin temperature, or you are considering the Whoop 5.0 with a feature-by-feature check. The Air is the value pick. Whoop is the platform pick. The buyer who wants both will end up paying for both.
Skip it if you want a screen for glanceable notifications or workout controls. The Air has no display, and Google has not announced a display-equipped variant.
Where things stand
Deliveries are landing. Stock is tight in the most popular colors. The base price has held at $99.99 across retailers for Obsidian and Berry. Lavender is the exception: Best Buy has it on clearance at $37, which suggests that colorway is being cleared out rather than restocked. The next restock wave will determine whether the Air becomes a steady sub-$100 player or a launch-only phenomenon, and the next two weeks of retailer data will tell you which.
Price: $99.99
Where to Buy: Amazon
If you are tracking this category more broadly, the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro is the other sub-$100 wearable arriving globally in 2026 with a completely different feature set (screen, GNSS, HRV sleep tracking), and the WHOOP 4.0 review from 2022 still tracks for anyone comparing the screen-free philosophy in detail. The Fitbit Air is not the only screenless tracker in the category, but at $99.99 with no subscription for core tracking, it is the one that resets the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Fitbit Air cost?
The Fitbit Air retails at $99.99 in the US (£84.99 in the UK) with no required subscription. It includes a three-month Google Health Premium trial.
What colors does the Fitbit Air come in?
Four options: Obsidian, Lavender, Berry, and the limited Steph Curry SE (Rye). As of early June 2026, Lavender is on clearance at Best Buy for $37. Obsidian and Berry are available at the standard $99.99.
Is the Fitbit Air subscription-free?
Core tracking (steps, sleep, and heart rate) is free. The device includes three months of Google Health Premium. After that, advanced coaching features (Google Health Coach, personalized insights, deeper sleep analysis) require a paid subscription.
Does the Fitbit Air have GPS?
No built-in GPS. Workout tracking uses your phone’s GPS when available. This is one of the trade-offs versus display-equipped trackers at a similar price.
Is the Fitbit Air waterproof?
Water resistant to 164 feet (50 metres), confirmed by Best Buy and Currys listings.
Fitbit Inspire 3 Health & Fitness Tracker with Stress Management, Workout Intensity, Sleep Tracking, 24/7 Heart Rate - 3-Month Google Health Premium Membership Included - Midnight Zen/Black
(as of June 10, 2026 19:28 GMT -05:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
