Hardware

Fitbit Versa 2 Review, Pros and Cons

The much awaited upgrade of Fitbit’s popular smartwatch Versa is here. The Fitbit Versa 2 release date has been confirmed. It launches on September 15th. You can pre-order it already at the same price of $200. There is a special edition too, that is slightly expensive, at $230. It has a different, woven band.

Fitbit Versa 2: Hardware

Highlights:

  • Aluminum body in 3 distinct colors: Carbon, Mist Grey, Copper Rose
  • Impressive lineup of bands: woven as well as silicon bands in different colors
  • Ships with 2 bands: small and large
  • OLED screen

Fitbit Versa 2 has an OLED screen. This means improved battery life and better looking display. Not many watches have OLED display. Not in this price range at least.

The metal of the watch has 3 distinct colors.Then there is an impressive collection of bands to go with your watch. All this means that you can personalize your watch to your liking. And to top it all, every Versa 2 comes with 2 bands so you don’t have to worry about the size that would fit.

Fitbit Versa 2019 edition looks pretty impressive. Let’s dive a bit deep and see what makes it better, and what features it’s missing.

Fitbit Versa 2: Features

Highlights:

  • Amazon Alexa built-in
  • Native sleep tracker: Sleep Score (1-100), and Smart Wake
  • Always on display: shows time and date, and battery life

Always on display could very well be the game changing feature. It makes Versa 2 much more similar to a conventional wrist watch. You can just glance at it to check battery life, date and time. Without pressing any button, like you have to do on other smartwatches. It is very useful. We will have to see what impact it could have on the battery though.



Then there is sleep tracking that scores your sleep.

Fitbit Versa 2 Sleep Score and Smart Wake

Fitbit Versa Pros and Cons

Pros: 5 reasons to buy Fitbit Versa 2

  1. Always on AMOLED display is the game changer
  2. Up to 5 days battery life. Most smartwatches won’t give you more than 2 days.
  3. Sleep tracking and Smart Wake to score and improve your sleep
  4. Fitbit Premium subscription option for guided workouts and coaching. You also get access to other Fitbit services targeted at health and fitness tracking.
  5. Light on your pocket: Fitbit Versa 2 prices is $200, a lot cheaper than major competitors

Cons: 5 reasons not to buy Fitbit Versa 2

  1. No built-in GPS: you have to connect and use your phone’s GPS
  2. Does not have an LTE version
  3. No ECG
  4. Limited Spotify functionality: transferring music is not easy.
  5. Fitbit OS might not be easy to adapt to for some users

To use GPS, you will have to connect Fitbit Versa 2 to your phone. Only then you can see your pace, distance, location, etc. This is a big turn off. Considering Fitbit focuses so heavily on fitness related features. A built in GPS would have been a lot better. But still, there is a workaround and a lot of users may be okay with it.

There is no LTE version. And Versa 2 does not have the ECG functionality yet. But very few watches have ECG at the moment. Apple Watch Series 4 was first to introduce it. And Samsung copied it this year with Galaxy Watch Active 2.

There is Spotify support, but it’s not as convenient as on some other devices. For example, you can download Spotify tracks on your smartwatch. But with Versa 2, you have to rely again on your phone to download tracks. You can only play Spotify tracks.

Fitbit Premium Subscription Service

Alongside the Versa 2 smartwatch, the company is also launching Fitbit Premium – a fitness and coaching service. It will offer guided workout plans to meet your fitness goals. This makes perfect sense considering Fitbit started off as a company focused on fitness products. Fitbit Premium subscription cost will be $10 per month, or $80 per year – whichever option you would like to opt for.

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