Fitbit Air gets a Pokémon Sleep edition with one annoying catch

Google has launched the Fitbit Air Special Edition Pokémon Sleep, pairing its screenless tracker with a new Sleepy Blue strap featuring a sleeping Pikachu. It is available in the US and Japan and costs $129.99.

Pikachu is doing most of the hardware work here

The new version is essentially the regular Fitbit Air dressed for Pokémon’s 30th anniversary. Google has given it a blue micro-adjustable band with a silk-printed sleeping Pikachu and Pokémon Sleep logo, while the tiny tracker that slots inside remains the same Air that launched earlier this year.

That means the same screenless design, lightweight construction, sleep tracking and health sensors. If you want a deeper look at what the device is actually like to use, I’ve been wearing one for some time and covered that in my full Fitbit Air review.

The price does change. The Pokémon Sleep edition costs $129.99 in the US, around $30 more than the standard $99.99 Fitbit Air, and shipping starts September 15. Availability is also fairly limited, with Google confirming that the special-edition band is only being offered in the US and Japan.

You also get three months of Google Health Premium, although that is not exclusive to this particular design. Google included the same three-month trial when it launched the original Fitbit Air earlier this year.

The Pokémon Sleep integration is more interesting

The strap will probably get most of the attention, but the software side is arguably the more useful part of today’s news. Pokémon Sleep can now pull sleep information from Google Health through Health Connect on Android and Apple Health on iOS, with Google saying the experience works across its Pixel Watch and Fitbit wearable range.

That means the Pokémon version of Fitbit Air does not have some exclusive connection to the game. A regular Fitbit Air can do the same thing, as can compatible older Fitbit devices and Pixel Watches.

Once connected, the game uses sleep duration and sleep-stage information from the app. Your sleep contributes to the game’s Sleep Score and Drowsy Power, which in turn influences which Pokémon and sleep styles appear when you wake up.

It is actually quite a natural fit for Fitbit Air. Sleep is already one of the stronger parts of the device, partly because the tracker is so small and there is no display glowing on your wrist at night.

Existing Fitbit Air owners may be less impressed

There is one fairly obvious problem with Google’s approach. If you already own Fitbit Air and just want the Pikachu strap, Google is not currently selling it separately.

That has already become the main complaint among Fitbit owners discussing the launch on social media. Several existing Air users said they liked the new band but had little interest in buying another complete tracker simply to get it, while others questioned why Google was restricting the edition to the US and Japan.

Fitbit Air*

Order now

It is a particularly odd restriction because Fitbit Air was designed around interchangeable bands. The tracker itself pops out of the strap, so selling special-edition straps separately would seem like an easy way for Google to keep the device fresh without expecting existing owners to buy another Air.

Google did something similar with the Stephen Curry Special Edition, so this does appear to be deliberate rather than an oversight. Still, accessories feel like the obvious place for Fitbit Air to have a bit of fun with collaborations, colours and limited editions.

There is nothing technically new about this Fitbit Air. You are paying an extra $30 for the Pokémon design rather than better sensors, new sleep metrics or additional functionality, and anyone buying purely for the hardware would be better served by the regular version.

Source: Google blog