It's been two years since a mainline release under the Fitbit name—but fans will still have to wait a little longer
Tacked onto the announcement of its new AI-powered Fitbit Coach app revamp, Google quietly confirmed what many have been hoping for: new Fitbit hardware is officially on the horizon for 2026.
The confirmation, first reported by 9to5Google, is welcome news for Fitbit fans, as the brand’s hardware pipeline has been incredibly stale in the past two years. Even the best Fitbit trackers have become hard to recommend over alternatives from the likes of Huawei and Garmin.
Aside from the flawed Charge 6, which debuted in September 2023, and the niche Fitbit Ace LTE for kids this year, the Pixel Watch 4 (and last-gen Pixel Watch 3) has been sucking up all the oxygen in Google’s wearable division.
It’s not yet clear which devices will get a refresh. However, the 2026 timeline clarifies that Google is sticking to a two-pronged strategy for its hardware releases, rather than just letting Fitbit fade away.
The Pixel Watch is the ‘do-everything’ premium smartwatch, running Wear OS and directly competing with Apple and Samsung.
This leaves Fitbit free to double down on what it’s always done best: basic and dependable health tracking with marathon battery life for an entry-level price.
A new lease of life?
The new AI-first software push signals this new direction. The Fitbit Coach aims to make Fitbit less passive and more active, transforming it from just a data logger into a proactive fitness guide that tells you how to use your numbers effectively.
By launching the software early, Google is paving the way for a 2026 hardware wave designed from the ground up to leverage this new AI coaching and not just simply adding it to outdated devices.
For anyone who wants a simple, smart tracker without the full smartwatch noise, 2026 is the year to watch.
