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We now have more information on Google’s new (possibly Fitbit-branded) smart band, which Stephen Curry teased in an Instagram video on March 31. Several tech news outlets have noticed that Curry has been wearing the band off-and-on in public for at least two months, meaning we have plenty more views of it to pore over.
What was originally teased
The video was posted to Steph Curry’s Instagram page on March 31, so it’s not an April Fool’s stunt. In a few short clips, we see a gray and orange fabric band around Curry’s left wrist. He says “I’m excited for what this is going to mean for health for the world and wellness. It’s a first of its kind, in a way. I don’t want to spoil it. You kind of have to see for yourself.” Text on the screen states: “A new relationship with your health. Coming soon. [Google logo].”
Google hasn’t launched a new Fitbit device since 2023, instead seeming to pour all its hardware efforts into Pixel watches. But all along the company refused to confirm that Fitbit hardware was truly dead, and the new promotional video may hint at the reason—it looks like there’s a Whoop-style smart band on the way. We don’t officially know that it will carry the Fitbit brand, but that seems like a logical guess. The minimalist wristband format follows logically from Fitbit’s previous offerings (consider, for example, the Fitbit Flex.)
All the angles we’ve seen so far
While we don’t have any official specs (or a name, or a release date) the discovery that Curry has been wearing it for months has given us some new clues as to the device’s build, shape, and even a peek at the companion phone app.
Kellen at Droid Life seems to have been the first to notice this, tracing the band’s public appearances back to Jan. 9 of this year. I scrolled through hundreds of Getty photos of Curry and noticed that he doesn’t wear the distinctive gray-and-orange band on the court during games, but I did see him wearing it on his left wrist while warming up, when arriving for a game, and at various other appearances and events. The photo at the top of this article is from an event that occurred during the All-Star weekend, on Feb. 13.
But that’s not all: We have video, too. This press conference video from April 4 (after the official reveal) gives us a good view of the band during an interview. We can also see it in several shots from this vlog about the All-Star weekend—there’s a peek of it under his white sweatshirt in the first scene. Kellen spotted an even better source, this video from Sotheby’s where Curry speaks about some pairs of shoes that will be auctioned off. We see him holding the sneakers from multiple different angles, so we can see specifics like how the band closes and how it appears to attach to the device.
As far as I can figure, one end of the strap is attached to the device itself. Whether it’s fixed permanently or can be removed is hard to tell from these shots. I could imagine a sideways-sliding mechanism where the strap joins the device, like what Whoop bands have on one end, but that’s just my guess. The other end of the device seems to have a metal loop, so that you can pass the other end of the strap through the loop and wrap it over the top of the device. There is a Velcro-style closure at the end of the strap that sticks onto the outside of the strap. The overall size and shape are impressively slim. It looks comfortable to wear, and well-designed, at least as far as I can tell from here.
We also have a peek at the software. In that same All-Star weekend vlog, a trainer points out Curry’s heart rate on a phone app. (Here’s a link to the exact spot.) It looks like what you’d expect, giving his heart rate, elapsed time, and calories burned. The activity is labeled as “sport”, and there’s a running tally of his cardio load. Cardio load is one of Fitbit’s main metrics, and it seems likely that this view is coming from the Fitbit app. (The Fitbit app currently works with both Fitbit and Pixel devices.)
What we actually know
Google has not publicly confirmed any details. News and rumor sites, and user forums, are converging on the explanation that this is a Whoop-style smart band with Fitbit branding. The Fitbit branding isn’t confirmed—we only see a Google logo in the teaser video, not a Fitbit one, and Google hasn’t made any statements about what the device is or how it will be marketed. A Bloomberg article cites “a person with knowledge of the matter” as saying that Google is working on a Fitbit-branded smart band.
Right now, Fitbit’s most recent device is the Charge 6, released in 2023, and a few 2022-era models: the minimalist Inspire 3, and two smartwatches (Versa 4 and Sense 2) that Google still sells but does not seem excited about. Smart bands, meanwhile, seem to be a growing product area. Whoop was the undisputed leader in this area for years, but last year we got the Polar Loop, Amazfit Helio/Core, and a Garmin sleep band. This year, fertility-tracking app Natural Cycles began selling a temperature-tracking smart band, while Luna and Speediance announced new smart bands at the CES trade show. (Neither of those last two has launched yet.)
Google may have competition from Garmin
Ironically, the fitness gadget internet has lately been abuzz with expectation for a new Whoop-style smart band. But not from Fitbit! The rumor (here, for example) was that Garmin was about to announce one. A listing for a “Cirqa smart band” appeared briefly on some Garmin websites earlier this year, but if it’s a real product, it doesn’t seem to be ready yet.
This reminds me of something that happened last year in the smart band space: Amid rumors of a Garmin smart band, Polar announced it was working on its own smart band. Garmin’s Index Sleep Band dropped the next day.
So this feels like round two. Garmin’s new band might be a proper Whoop competitor (which the Index sleep band wasn’t), and Fitbit might be trying to get ahead of an imminent Garmin product announcement. I don’t have any inside information on when or whether either of these two rumored products are launching, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Garmin’s arrives before Fitbit’s.
The same week as the smart band teaser, Google announced an expansion of the AI health coach in the Fitbit app. (Yes, this the the same AI coach that told me the Pixel Watch 4 didn’t exist, and that was comically bad at the actual coaching part. Maybe it’s gotten better.) The AI coach is now available to free users and not just subscribers, and has incorporated more features.
Smart bands are having a moment, and I think it’s because gadget makers have run out of new things they can stuff into a watch. Once you’ve got sensors for motion and heart rate, you have the main functions a fitness watch needs. Extra bells and whistles don’t add enough excitement to justify higher prices or frequent upgrades, so companies are realizing they can pare down the hardware and pivot to software features and subscription services. The smart ring market is already a bit further down this path, as I’ve noted before. Now it’s time to see what happens with smart bands.
