Fitbit Versa 4 evaluate: Not so sensible now

The Fitbit Versa 4 is the smartwatch successor to the Versa 3, which launched again in 2020 and is the extra inexpensive 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 bought 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 on the market 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 inexpensive 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
• Similar AMOLED display screen as Versa 3

At first look, the Versa 4 does not look all that totally 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 not must press the edges of the case to shortly enter the principle menu screens or manually get up the show, as you probably did on the Versa 3. Generally 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 bought on the Versa 3. You’ve bought one in all Fitbit’s comfy traditional silicone bands that are available giant and small sizes and might 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) water-resistant score, 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 while you do. Whereas it isn’t the very best in school AMOLED show, it is nonetheless very clear, vibrant and has these good, deep blacks you affiliate with an AMOLED display screen. Visibility has been good indoors and outside and positively excels while you’re glancing down at it indoors.

For those who care about colors, it is available in graphite, platinum or copper rose-coloured aluminium instances. The graphite model with black strap we needed to evaluate positively 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 trendy.

Options

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

The Versa 4 provides you most of the options you will discover on the Sense 2, simply with among the larger health-focused choices overlooked, and in addition grabs some smartwatch smarts from the Google Pixel Watch, which may be very a lot thought of 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 out there on the Versa 3. You do nonetheless get Fitbit Pay right here, however the Fitbit AppGallery has in any other case been vastly scaled again with a number of third occasion 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 each day step counts, allow sleep monitoring and higher monitor indoor actions like pool swimming.

You’ve bought Fitbit’s PurePulse optical coronary heart charge sensor know-how to trace coronary heart charge exercise in the course of the day and evening and through train, whereas that sensor additionally helps energy metrics like Energetic Zone Minutes and Cardio Health Scores for people who take that train time a bit of extra critically. It may also be used to arrange irregular coronary heart charge rhythms notifications, which implies 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 extra metrics that may supply common wellness insights, although aren’t designed for medical use.

Health and smartwatch efficiency

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

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

You continue to have someplace you possibly can view your notifications in a fairly simplistic vogue, entry the gorgeous helpful Amazon Alexa integration and make calls over Bluetooth if that is your factor. What you possibly can’t do is use it to regulate music enjoying 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 out there are from Google.

When it comes to these Google apps, you’ve bought 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 inside 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 does not actually supply something new, aside from the comfort of getting it in your wrist.

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

For health monitoring, the Versa 4 nonetheless appears like a greater match for doing issues like monitoring steps, monitoring coronary heart charge in the course of the day and reliably monitoring your sleep at evening, 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 does not match as much as the efficiency of a equally priced Garmin operating 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 respiratory workouts to observe and the flexibility to log stress scores primarily based on sleep information, train historical past and coronary heart charge. You even have these irregular coronary heart charge rhythm notifications as effectively, which fortunately I wasn’t notified of at any time throughout testing.

For essentially the most detailed view of your information you do have to 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 Every day Readiness rating for people who need a greater thought of when to train or take a relaxation day.

So far as how helpful the stress options are, I would say like a number 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
• In the future battery from 12-minute cost
• 3 days in always-on show mode

Not like an Apple Watch or a Samsung Galaxy Watch, the Fitbit Versa has excellent endurance for a smartwatch. It may not supply Huawei Watch ranges of stamina, but it surely has the flexibility to final every week between fees, which is not the case for lots of high flight smartwatches.

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

If you do get low on juice, Fitbit features a useful fast-charging function that offers you sufficient battery for a day’s price 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 very best 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 each day exercise and sleep ,and the step into common wellness and stress monitoring are particular positives, together with delivering one thing that is comfy, customisable and gives 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 offers you a significantly better steadiness when it comes to sports activities, well being and smartwatch options. You may have to sacrifice battery in return, however in the end it is exhausting to see what the longer term 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.