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The Fitbit Edge lacks a useful contactless feature

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The Fitbit Edge lacks a useful contactless feature

The Fitbit Edge is the brand's latest fitness tracker, combining a slim and sleek band design with a small screen reminiscent of earlier models like the Fitbit Charge 6. In fact, this model is essentially an upgrade of the Charge 6. It's not as feature-rich as a Google Pixel Watch 5 (see our Pixel Watch 5 review) but unlike the screenless Fitbit Air, another new fitness band, it has a 1.34-inch AMOLED screen. You can start and stop workouts from the screen, check your stats and vitals, see notifications and even access Google apps like Google Maps. But there's one contactless feature missing from this device.

The Fitbit Edge does not have a Near-Field Communications (NFC) chip, the short-range technology that facilitates a "tap" connection between two devices. It's what allows you to pay for items at a coffee shop or even the subway using your phone and certain wearables. With devices that have NFC, you can open the virtual wallet and hold the screen up to a contactless terminal to scan and complete payment. It's a convenient feature that's omitted from the Fitbit Edge. But while some people might miss it, there's a reason Google left it out.

NFC for tap-to-pay is useful when incorporated into a smartwatch or fitness tracker. But Google has addressed why it didn't include this chip in the Fitbit Edge. The company says that when analyzing user data for the Fitbit Charge 6, fewer than a single percent of owners said they used NFC.


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