Fitbit Versa 4 assessment: Not so good now

The Fitbit Versa 4 is the smartwatch successor to the Versa 3, which launched again in 2020 and is the extra reasonably priced path to getting a mixture of Fitbit’s newest health, well being and smartwatch options in a watch design.

For the Versa 4, Fitbit has introduced again the bodily button, ushered in some new apps from proprietor Google, all whereas sticking fairly carefully to what we acquired on the Versa 3.

So, does all of it add as much as one of many best smartwatches you can buy right now?

Pricing and competitors

The Fitbit Versa 4 is accessible in only one measurement and is available in 4 color choices, with all variations priced at $199.95/£179.99. That is roughly $10/£10 cheaper than choosing up the Versa 3 immediately from Fitbit’s personal web site.

It does make it significantly cheaper than choosing up the Fitbit Sense 2 ($299.95/£269.99) or the Google Pixel Watch ($349/£339), which is powered by Fitbit and Google smarts.

It is also extra reasonably priced than smartwatches just like the Apple Watch SE ($279/£259) whereas a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 sits at $299.99/£289, so is a pricier purchase too.

Design and show

• Sq. design with rounded corners
• Bodily button returns
• Identical AMOLED display as Versa 3

At first look, the Versa 4 would not look all that completely different from the Versa 3, however there may be one factor that has modified and that is the re-introduction of a bodily button to that lightly curved sq. aluminium watch case. Which means you now not should press the perimeters of the case to shortly enter the principle menu screens or manually get up the show, as you probably did on the Versa 3. Typically buttons are good, and it’s good to see Fitbit has introduced it again.

Elsewhere, it is actually extra of the identical right here as what we acquired on the Versa 3. You’ve acquired considered one of Fitbit’s snug basic silicone bands that are available giant and small sizes and may be simply clipped away from the case, with Fitbit providing a variety of different band supplies and appears. You may nonetheless go swimming with it because it carries a 5ATM (as much as 50 metres depth) waterproof ranking, however nonetheless solely helps pool swim monitoring.

There is a 40mm AMOLED show as soon as once more that may be set to remain all the time on in the event you do not need to use the raise-to-wake gesture help, however it’s properly responsive whenever you do. Whereas it isn’t the most effective at school AMOLED show, it is nonetheless very clear, vibrant and has these good, deep blacks you affiliate with an AMOLED display. Visibility has been good indoors and open air and undoubtedly excels whenever you’re glancing down at it indoors.

For those who care about colors, it is available in graphite, platinum or copper rose-coloured aluminium circumstances. The graphite model with black strap we needed to assessment undoubtedly feels essentially the most understated choice to go for, however you do have some good color choices right here with scope to combine up these band appears to be like and make the Versa 4 really feel a bit extra distinctive and classy.

Options

• Constructed-in GPS
• Google Maps and Google Pockets
• Step, sleep and coronary heart price monitoring
• Alexa and Bluetooth calls

The Versa 4 provides you lots of the options you will discover on the Sense 2, simply with a number of the larger health-focused choices neglected, and likewise grabs some smartwatch smarts from the Google Pixel Watch, which could be very a lot thought-about a part of the Fitbit household.

The large ones are arguably centred across the additions from Google with Google Maps and Google Pockets now preloaded, and aren’t accessible on the Versa 3. You do nonetheless get Fitbit Pay right here, however the Fitbit AppGallery has in any other case been massively scaled again with plenty of third social gathering apps now gone. There are nonetheless an array of watch faces to obtain although.

On the well being and health monitoring entrance, you do nonetheless have built-in GPS to trace out of doors train whereas onboard movement sensors can monitor day by day step counts, allow sleep monitoring and higher observe indoor actions like pool swimming.

You’ve acquired Fitbit’s PurePulse optical coronary heart price sensor know-how to trace coronary heart price exercise in the course of the day and night time and through train, whereas that sensor additionally helps energy metrics like Lively Zone Minutes and Cardio Health Scores for those who take that train time slightly extra severely. It will also be used to arrange irregular coronary heart price rhythms notifications, which suggests the Versa 4 does nonetheless have a contact of significant health-tracking edge to it.

There’s a pores and skin temperature sensor and blood oxygen monitoring supported right here too, to ship further metrics that may provide basic wellness insights, although aren’t designed for medical use.

Health and smartwatch efficiency

• Nonetheless a greater health tracker than sports activities watch
• Third social gathering apps and music help disappear
• Fitbit Premium wanted for some metrics

For those who’re trying on the Versa 4 from a smartwatch perspective, properly, issues have modified on that entrance fairly drastically for the reason that Versa 3.

You continue to have someplace you may view your notifications in a fairly simplistic trend, entry the beautiful helpful Amazon Alexa integration and make calls over Bluetooth if that is your factor. What you may’t do is use it to manage music taking part in in your cellphone or add audio to it both. As talked about, the Fitbit AppGallery has been stripped again too, so the one high-profile apps accessible are from Google.

By way of these Google apps, you’ve acquired Google Maps, Pockets, however oddly no Google Assistant, which did seem on the Versa 3. The Google Maps help requires you to obtain the devoted app, then arrange the help within the Fitbit companion app in your cellphone, which basically grants the watch entry to Google Maps there.

This implies the expertise of utilizing it’s fairly fundamental and mirrored out of your cellphone, that means it would not actually provide something new, other than the comfort of getting it in your wrist.

The expertise of utilizing FitbitOS on the watch is okay, however feels a contact laggy in locations when swiping by way of screens. The added button means there’s now a faster strategy to get by way of to settings and your apps, whereas widgets to indicate off monitoring stats and parts like climate are properly optimised too. It does really feel a tad disjointed in comparison with some working methods although, together with WearOS, which is what the Google Pixel Watch is after all packing.

For health monitoring, the Versa 4 nonetheless seems like a greater match for doing issues like monitoring steps, monitoring coronary heart price in the course of the day and reliably monitoring your sleep at night time, fairly than something extra in depth. The sports-tracking options merely aren’t on par with what you will get on an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch, whether or not that is the extent of metrics, accuracy over longer intervals of train, or feeling like one thing you’d need to use outdoors of a fast jog or dip within the pool.

Constructed-in GPS would not match as much as the efficiency of a equally priced Garmin working watch, whereas heart-rate accuracy was fairly far off a heart-rate monitor chest strap for extra high-intensity train time.

Shifting the main target to the Versa 4’s wellness and well being options and also you aren’t getting the ECG sensor or EDA sensor included on the Sense 2 for deeper insights into your coronary heart well being and talent to deal with stress. You do get guided respiration workout routines to comply with and the flexibility to log stress scores primarily based on sleep information, train historical past and coronary heart price. You even have these irregular coronary heart price rhythm notifications as properly, which fortunately I wasn’t notified of at any time throughout testing.

For essentially the most detailed view of your information you do must be signed as much as Fitbit Premium, which prices simply shy of $100/£100 a yr or $9.99/£7.99 a month, to have the ability to do issues like see deeper stress analytics, have the flexibility to detect loud night breathing throughout bedtime and entry the Each day Readiness rating for those who need a greater thought of when to train or take a relaxation day.

So far as how helpful the stress options are, I might say like plenty of Fitbit’s software program options, it makes checking in on stress a quite simple factor to do. It is also pushed by information that’s reliably tracked on the entire, so in all probability not a foul indication of the way you’re doing in that division.

Battery life

• 6+ days battery life
• At some point battery from 12-minute cost
• 3 days in always-on show mode

In contrast to an Apple Watch or a Samsung Galaxy Watch, the Fitbit Versa has excellent endurance for a smartwatch. It may not provide Huawei Watch ranges of stamina, however it has the flexibility to final per week between expenses, which is not the case for lots of prime flight smartwatches.

I discovered that I may get per week so long as I wasn’t utilizing the display set to always-on. Once you try this, the battery life drops beneath three days. That’s nonetheless displaying although. This may even rely upon how usually you utilize options like GPS, as a result of that can drain the battery a lot faster in comparison with the continual monitoring of metrics like coronary heart price, which appears to be accomplished in a extra environment friendly method.

Once you do get low on juice, Fitbit features a helpful fast-charging characteristic that will provide you with sufficient battery for a day’s value of monitoring by spending 12 minutes on the charging cradle – precisely the identical one used on the Versa 3.

Verdict

The Fitbit Versa 4 does nonetheless really feel like the most effective Fitbit health monitoring watch, although its skills on the smartwatch entrance have been notably scaled again in comparison with the Versa 3.

It is nonetheless nice for monitoring day by day exercise and sleep ,and the step into basic wellness and stress monitoring are particular positives, together with delivering one thing that is snug, customisable and affords good battery life.

For those who can afford to spend a bit more cash on one thing just like the Apple Watch SE or the Samsung Galaxy Watch, these smartwatches will provide you with a significantly better stability when it comes to sports activities, well being and smartwatch options. You may must sacrifice battery in return, however finally it is laborious to see what the long run holds for the Versa 4 as a smartwatch when the Pixel Watch is grabbing the larger options, and seems to carry extra focus for Google than Fitbit’s personal smartwatches.