Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports that Google is developing a screenless, buttonless Fitbit wearable to rival the popular Whoop Strap used by athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James.
- The device, teased by Google Performance Advisor Steph Curry, appears expected to launch in 2026 with health tracking features including heart rate, sleep, and energy monitoring.
- This move signals intensifying competition in fitness wearables, with Apple also reportedly considering its own fitness band to expand beyond the Apple Watch.
After teasing that we would see a new Fitbit arrive in 2026, it seems as though Google’s next wearable has turned up on the wrist of basketball legend Steph Curry.
This as-of-yet untitled device was teased via a video posted on Steph Curry’s Instagram, which shows the athlete wearing a wristband made out of woven material, seemingly lacking a screen or any type of buttons to interact with.
We were expecting the Charge 7 or Inspire 4, and didn’t have this on our bingo card for 2026.
The Golden State Warriors basketball player is Google’s Performance Advisor and appeared at the Made by Google event in August 2025, where the Pixel 10 phones and Pixel Watch 4 were announced.
In the short teaser, Curry says, “I’m excited for what this is going to mean for the world, for health and wellness. It’s the first of its kind in a way.” It finishes with “coming soon”, the Google ‘G’ logo and the official Fitbit account has commented with the ‘eyes’ emoji.
The Whoop blueprint
The whole design is very reminiscent of the Whoop Strap 5.0, a discreet fitness tracker that’s meant to be worn 24/7 to gain detailed insights into your health – like a smart ring, but in a strap form.
Users can then interact with the band via the Whoop app, wherein they can see statistics on how well they’ve rested, how much energy they should ideally exert across a single day, and if there are any outliers in their heart rate and skin temperature data that might signal an oncoming or underlying illness.
The Whoop Strap has become a popular device with its intended audience of professional and amateur athletes, having been worn by names including Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Michael Phelps, so it makes sense that Fitbit would try to tap into this sector.
Credit: Stephen Curry Instagram
A report from Bloomberg suggests that the Fitbit band will have some features available at no additional cost beyond the initial price tag, but that extras will be available to Fitbit Premium subscribers which, at the time of writing, costs £79.99/$79.99 a year.
We’ll have to wait for the official announcement to find out the full details of Google’s new Fitbit band, though that might happen soon now it’s been officially teased.
An Apple fitness strap as well?
While not a confirmation of development, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has suggested that Apple will need to put out its own version of the fitness-band concept in order to avoid being left behind in the health tracking sector.
Given that the latest AirPods Pro 3 helped to bring heart rate tracking to those who don’t use an Apple Watch, it’s easy to imagine that Apple would look to expand its wearable range in the near future.
It’s worth noting that this might not be the only new Fitbit we see this year, with the long-awaited successor to the Fitbit Charge 6 also anticipated.
