{
  "id": 18512639,
  "title": "I bought the knock-off Pixel Watch and Fitbit Air bands, and it’s crazy how good they are [Gallery]",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/i-bought-the-knock-off-pixel-watch-and-fitbit-air-bands-and-its-crazy",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-06T14:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "9to5Google",
    "slug": "9to5google",
    "url": "https://9to5google.com/2026/11/06/google-pixel-watch-fitbit-air-bands-knock-off/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "I bought a knock-off Pixel Watch band and Fitbit Air bands, and they are surprisingly good. Google’s official bands are pricey, so finding affordable alternatives is common. Over time, third-party bands for the Pixel Watch and Fitbit Air have improved significantly. Last year, I tried some knock-off Active Sport bands for $8, which were quite effective until Google introduced more color options. Recently, I purchased a 6-pack of Pixel Watch bands that closely resemble Google’s standard \"Active\" band. Made of silicone, they sit between Google’s small and large sizes and fit the Pixel Watch 5 perfectly. The bands offer colors not available from Google, and I found a purple and deep red option. The price made me buy a whole pack, and the deep red band became one of my favorites. Similarly, third-party bands for the Fitbit Air are of excellent quality. I bought a Stephen Curry edition band for $9, which is identical in quality and feel to the official band I no longer have. The only difference is the absence of the Stephen Curry badge, but it still has a small material piece where the wordmark would have been. The bands for my Pixel Watch and Fitbit Air are identical in quality to the official versions, with the same material and details. The lugs connecting to the watches differ but are not as stylish, but it does not bother me. While Google doesn’t sell bands for the Pixel Watch 5 on their own, the knock-offs are virtually identical to the official ones. It is possible that Google’s supply chain produces near-identical versions, but I am not surprised by the quality. Some of these bands are simple copies, but they are easy to create. I will still purchase some official bands due to their color options, but the knock-offs for the Pixel Watch and Fitbit Air are generally hard to go wrong with.",
  "summary": "I love swapping out the bands on my Pixel Watch 5 and Fitbit Air, but Google’s official options are not cheap. It doesn’t take long to find a plethora of knock-off Pixel Watch and Fitbit Air bands around the web and, as it turns out, they’re actually really good. more…",
  "key_points": [
    "Knock-off Pixel Watch bands resemble official  Active  band",
    "Fitbit Air bands identical to official versions",
    "Third-party bands offer colors not available from Google"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}