What you need to know

• Alongside the Fitbit Edge launch, Google announced a partnership with Flo Health to improve health features for women.
• Women will find a more personalized experience across topics that don't get enough attention, i.e. perimenopause, postpartum recovery, and more.
• The Fitbit Edge launched with a starting price of $180.

Google's latest partnership will strengthen the health features available for women's health on the new Fitbit Edge and Pixel Watch.

This morning (Oct. 12), Google announced that it's entering a multi-year partnership with Flo Health. This platform is reportedly used by over 80 million women every month to improve their health, an area that Google feels it should improve too. Google states, "we’re building a personal health experience that adapts to your lifestyle, habits, and biology — which is especially important for women."

Google Health wants to give women a complete view of their well-being from top to bottom. As such, it states that its partnership with Flo Health will focus on "ground-breaking research." Google's focus will lie in topics that don't get enough attention, such as perimenopause, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), pregnancy, and postpartum recovery.

Since Flo Health is coming on board for a few years, Google Health will continue to rely on its cataloged insights and algorithms to improve its systems for new products tailored for women.

Flo Health data integration with the Google Health app will offer personalized guidance and suggested actions for women based on sleep, cycle health, and recovery data.

Your information and privacy will be kept under lock and key, the companies said. Beginning in early 2027, users will have the option to sync their Flo Health data with Google Health. Google says its Flo Health partnership will work to help women manage their well-being on the Fitbit Air, Fitbit Edge, and Pixel Watch 5.

Flo Health for Google's wearables

The Fitbit Edge is Google's latest launch. It's a fitness tracker that improves upon what consumers enjoyed from the old Charge 6. Google states the Fitbit Edge offers a touchscreen and the same advanced health features you'd expect from a more powerful smartwatch. Comparing it to the Charge 6, the Fitbit Edge's OLED is 45% larger and 40% brighter.

Users will find several key features, such as built-in GPS, heart rate monitoring, ECG, blood oxygen tracking, and more. Additionally, the Fitbit Edge features a replaceable battery that should extend its life beyond what we'd normally expect. If you've got a Fitbit subscription, the Gemini-powered AI Health Coach is available for the Fitbit Edge.

Android Central's Take

It's always good to have more personalized care or in this case, understanding and insight. This is an issue that anyone can run into. You're trying to understand or see a snapshot of what's going, but you're unsure of where to look. Google partnering with Flo Health is a good place to a start. It's a platform that's already well-known with years of data and understanding. Everyone deserves care, and improving that starts with steps like this.

What you need to know

• Google’s new fitness tracker offers a touchscreen and advanced health features without the price of a full smartwatch.
• Its replaceable battery could extend the device’s lifespan and reduce electronic waste.
• The OLED screen is 45% larger and over 40% brighter than the Fitbit Charge 6’s display, according to Google.
• Preorders are live now for $180 ahead of an October 27 launch, alongside a $220 Stephen Curry Special Edition.

Google has announced the Fitbit Edge, a new fitness tracker with a proper touchscreen, advanced health monitoring, and week-long battery life in a slim design.

Available for preorder for $180 starting October 12, the Fitbit Edge is targeting those who want more than the screenless Fitbit Air but don’t want to pay more for a full-blown smartwatch. It also addresses one of the biggest frustrations with wearable devices: battery replacement.

Google says the Edge is its first repairable fitness tracker, with a replaceable battery meant to extend its useful life rather than force owners to replace the whole device when the battery capacity declines.

The Fitbit Edge has an OLED touchscreen that’s 45% bigger and over 40% brighter than the screen on the Fitbit Charge 6, according to the Fitbit Edge product page. It also has a built-in GPS, heart rate monitoring, blood-oxygen tracking, ECG readings, skin temperature sensing, and an altimeter to measure elevation on outdoor workouts. The tracker can automatically detect more activities and gives you the option to track your menstrual cycle on your wrist.

Google is also bringing its Gemini-powered Health Coach to the Edge via a Google Health Premium subscription. It gives you recommendations on what workouts to do and adapts your training plans to your routines and goals. Google Health Premium is free for three months for buyers.

Battery life is another strong selling point. Google says a single charge will last up to seven days, and five minutes of charging will provide a full day of use. It also has a water resistance rating of up to 50 meters and is compatible with Android phones and iPhones running iOS 16.4 or later through the Google Health app.

The Edge is available in Obsidian, Fog, Olive, and Canyon finishes, with bands sold separately for interchangeability. A Stephen Curry Special Edition, developed with the four-time NBA champion, costs $220.

But there are trade-offs. The Edge lacks NFC for contactless payments and has no microphone or speaker, so it won’t be a smartwatch replacement for everyone. That said, the Fitbit Edge will be on sale October 27.