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The Fitbit Versa 3 is Fitbit’s greatest smartwatch for most individuals. With an always-on show, built-in GPS, blood oxygen and temperature tracking throughout sleep, and a battery that lasts six days, the Versa 3 holds its personal in opposition to some of its pricier rivals just like the Apple Watch SE and even the Fitbit Sense. While you aren’t getting the stress tracker and FDA-cleared electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) just like the Sense, the remaining of the Versa 3’s smartwatch and fitness features are related. As an added bonus, the Versa 3 prices $100 lower than the Sense.
Better design all-around
The Versa 3 nonetheless has the identical square-ish watch physique and steel body as its predecessor the Versa 2, but it surely now has a bigger 1.58-inch AMOLED display with slimmer bezels. It’s brilliant, crisp and straightforward to see in direct daylight. It can keep always-on (as a toned-down model with fewer metrics displayed) to offer you a fast look on the time with out transferring your wrist. And since Fitbit helps third-party watch faces, you will have a whole bunch of completely different choices to select from.
Despite its aesthetic enhancements, the touchscreen and Fitbit interface nonetheless aren’t as responsive as what you’d get on an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch, which even have AMOLED screens. The Versa 3 lags a bit between swipes and takes some time to load apps and show data.
Instead of a bodily button on the facet of the watch like its predecessors, the Versa 3 now has an indented haptic facet button. In principle, this works precisely like an actual button, however the haptic suggestions is nowhere close to as satisfying as urgent an actual button and it takes some getting used to.
Fortunately, not all of the design adjustments have a studying curve. Fitbit has additionally overhauled the strap mechanism on the Versa 3 and now all it’s a must to do to swap out bands is press a button. It’s a lot simpler than earlier fashions, which had a tiny, fiddly clasp.
Better coaching instruments for fitness tracking
At this level it is protected to imagine most Fitbit gadgets can deal with your primary fitness-tracking wants, measuring steps, distance, energy burned and coronary heart charge. The Versa 3 covers the fundamentals nicely and has the identical fitness features because the dearer Sense. It tracks 20 completely different actions together with indoor and out of doors swimming and has computerized exercise detection for some train sorts like operating should you neglect to start out a session.
It’s additionally the primary Versa smartwatch to have built-in GPS, though not the primary Fitbit, because the Charge 4 and Sense even have built-in GPS. As a runner, not having GPS on earlier Versa fashions was a giant ache level for me as I must take my telephone to get a map of my run (or bike journey). With the Versa 3, I can depart my telephone behind and nonetheless get the space and route data of my out of doors exercises. The one draw back is that the watch can take a couple of minutes to lock on to a GPS sign. You’re supposed to face nonetheless whereas it does this, however I might neglect and take off instantly after urgent begin, then it could take about 4 minutes earlier than receiving the affirmation.
The Versa 3 also can provide you with coronary heart charge zone notifications throughout exercises. These use your coronary heart charge to find out your effort stage, so the watch buzzes to inform you as you enter completely different zones equivalent to fats burn, cardio or peak for instance. This may help you will have a way of when to push your self a bit tougher, or ease up a bit throughout coaching. Instead of utilizing steps taken as the only measure of success throughout your day, the Versa 3 has a metric referred to as Active Zone Minutes which makes use of coronary heart charge information to find out how lengthy you have engaged in some kind of bodily exercise, even those that do not require strolling round a lot. So moderately than aiming for 10,000 steps, you may goal for one thing like 20 or extra Active Zone Minutes, relying in your objectives. According to Fitbit, Active Zone Minutes are a extra correct illustration of your fitness stage than steps alone.
I like that the Versa 3, in addition to different Fitbit gadgets, units weekly exercise objectives moderately than judging you every day. As a mum or dad of two small youngsters, working from residence and attempting to squeeze in exercises throughout a pandemic is hard. I undoubtedly have my off days, so weekly objectives have been far more reasonable and encouraging. I’d take a look at my day by day stats on the watch as a piece in progress moderately than as a whole failure. The Versa 3 notifies you (and celebrates with an on-screen animation) while you attain your aim earlier than the top of the week. You’ll proceed to build up factors till the top of the week and can see an in depth breakdown of your exercise within the Fitbit cell app.
You may even learn the way match you might be should you’re keen to dig deep sufficient into the settings. The Versa 3 makes use of your coronary heart charge to estimate your Vo2 max (most oxygen consumption throughout train) and plots it on a graph to inform you the way you evaluate to your demographic. On the Fitbit cell app it is referred to as Cardio Fitness ranges and you will discover it by urgent the center charge tile on the Today abstract and swiping left on the graph.
Fitbit Premium subscribers even have entry to guided exercise packages and movies. A premium subscription prices $10 a month, however you get three months free with the Versa 3. You comply with alongside in your telephone with courses from manufacturers equivalent to Popsugar and Daily Burn, or you may obtain a complete exercise to your watch utilizing the Fitbit Coach app. Downloading a exercise was extra sensible for me, as I may normally squeeze in a 10-minute ab exercise proper after a run with out having to have a look at my telephone for directions.
Read extra: Best smartwatches of 2020
Plenty of health information if you’d like it
But the Versa 3 is far more than a fitness tracker. It additionally displays different features about your health, together with SpO2 (blood oxygen ranges), respiration charge and variations in pores and skin temperature when you sleep, which might collectively assist paint a broader image of your general health.
It’s vital to notice, nevertheless, that this isn’t a medical system, and shouldn’t be used for diagnostic functions. Always seek the advice of with a doctor or different certified health supplier about any health-related points you’ll have a couple of medical situation or health goals. Only the ECG on the Fitbit Sense has acquired FDA clearance.
Fitbit shines with regards to sleep tracking and the Versa 3 gives one of probably the most complete appears at your sleep in comparison with another smartwatch. Whether that is truly useful to you is one other factor.
It takes under consideration period in addition to the completely different phases of sleep (deep, mild and REM), which is customary with regards to sleep tracking. But then it additionally breaks out your respiration charge, coronary heart charge, blood oxygen ranges and variations in pores and skin temperature when you sleep, and you may assessment all these stats within the Fitbit app within the morning.
Fitbit additionally affords superior sleep analytics for Premium subscribers which put some of this data into context by telling you ways you evaluate to the typical individual, which was useful for an beginner sleep tracker like myself. It additionally offers you tips about tips on how to enhance your sleep. For me, that features attending to mattress earlier, which I used to be already nicely conscious of. Sadly it may well’t drive me into mattress at 10 p.m. — but.
But one of the most important ache factors for me was that you may’t get this data at a look in your watch face while you get up. There’s a abstract of your sleep and your SpO2 vary (so long as you employ a particular watch face), however you may have to modify to the Fitbit app for extra insights. To me, that sort of defeats the aim of having a smartwatch. I’d typically go days or generally even weeks with out checking the app. When I did go in and test, although, I used to be pleasantly stunned by some of the information I discovered. For pores and skin temperature variability for instance, I seen the dips within the chart coincided with some of the adjustments in my menstrual cycle (be aware that the Fitbit Sense additionally displays pores and skin temperature too) and I can see how you could possibly begin to make correlations between some of these information factors over time. Temperature tracking shouldn’t be one thing you may in all probability use every day, but it surely’s good to have a lot information about your self to look again on should you ever want it.
The Versa 3 will get smarter, however nonetheless cannot catch the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch
Fitbit’s earlier smartwatches lagged behind rivals such because the dearer Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch as they lacked a big selection of third-party apps and LTE connectivity. The Versa 3 has the identical drawbacks and depends closely on the telephone, but it surely’s not less than beginning to catch as much as the pack, particularly when paired with an Android telephone.
The Versa 3 now has a built-in microphone and speaker so you may take fast calls in your wrist in case you have an Android telephone or iPhone. You also can pair the Versa 3 with Bluetooth earbuds. Incoming name notifications will likely be displayed on the watch regardless of which telephone you will have, however solely Android customers will have the ability to reply to messages from their wrist with fast replies, or by dictating a response.
You also can bark orders at your wrist with two selections of voice assistant on the Versa 3: Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. And whereas I have never had an opportunity to totally evaluate them but (Google Assistant launched whereas I used to be already nicely into my assessment) for now Alexa is the one one that may learn your responses out loud moderately than simply displaying them on the display.
You also can make contactless funds with the Versa 3 with Fitbit Pay and hearken to music from Pandora or Deezer. There isn’t any onboard music storage for songs you personal, like MP3 information. Instead, you may want a Pandora or Deezer subscription to save lots of and retailer songs for offline listening. While the Versa 3 does have a Spotify app, you may solely use it as a distant to regulate playback in your telephone.
Battery life is second to none
The Versa 3 is probably not the neatest watch, but it surely destroys the competitors on battery life. Even firing on all cylinders with the always-on show lively, a pair GPS exercises and sleep tracking, I used to be nonetheless capable of get nearly three days of battery out of the watch. You can lengthen this as much as six days with extra reasonable use and by disabling the always-on show. The Versa 3 additionally prices quicker than earlier Versa watches: Fitbit says 12 minutes on the charger will get you a full 24 hours of battery, and 30 minutes on the charger will get you to 100%. But should you’re updating from a earlier mannequin, be aware that the Versa 3 makes use of a brand new, proprietary charger so it is not appropriate together with your earlier one. It’s magnetic and should be positioned at simply the fitting angle to cost, which takes some getting used to.
A happy medium of health features and fitness tracking
The Versa 3 has sufficient health metrics for folks seeking to be taught extra about their our bodies with out having to spend further on the Fitbit Sense. It affords sensible fitness instruments for coaching and can lastly be thought to be a viable choice for out of doors operating and biking due to its built-in GPS. And it does sleep tracking higher than any smartwatch I’ve examined up to now.
While the Versa 3 is a strong smartwatch choice for Android house owners, the Charge Four could also be a greater guess for iPhone customers wanting a a Fitbit system. For about $100 much less, you get loads of the identical nice health and fitness features. You lose the some of the added sensible features like voice to textual content replies, however many of them aren’t iPhone-compatible anyway.
Read extra: Fitbit Sense, Versa 3 and Inspire 2 are right here: How to resolve which to purchase
Fitbit Sense vs Fitbit Versa 3
Fitbit Sense | Fitbit Versa 3 | |
---|---|---|
Shape | Square | Square |
Materials | Aluminum and stainless-steel | |
Display measurement, decision | AMOLED | AMOLED |
Always On | Yes | Yes |
Interchangeable bands | Yes | Yes |
GPS | Yes | Yes |
Automatic exercise detection | Yes | Yes |
Water resistance | Yes, as much as 50m | Yes, as much as 50m |
Notifications | Text replies (Android) | Text replies (Android) |
Microphone | Yes | Yes |
Speaker | Yes | Yes |
Voice assistant | Alexa and Google Assistant | Alexa and Google Assistant |
Music | Onboard (Deezer, Pandora), playback management (Spotify) | Onboard (Deezer, Pandora), playback management (Spotify) |
Mobile Payments | Fitbit Pay | Fitbit Pay |
Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
Period tracking | Yes | Yes |
Special features | Stress tracking and SpO2, ECG and pores and skin temperature | SpO2 and pores and skin temperature |
Compatibility | Android and iOS | Android and iOS |
Battery life | 6 days | 6 days |
Price (USD) | $329 | $229 |
Price (GBP) | £300 | £200 |
Price (AUD) | $500 | $400 |
First revealed Dec. 1
The data contained on this article is for instructional and informational functions solely and shouldn’t be meant as health or medical recommendation. Always seek the advice of a doctor or different certified health supplier concerning any questions you’ll have a couple of medical situation or health goals.
(This story has not been edited by Newslivenation workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)