Hear me out… when you think of Fitbit you think of those bracelet-like fitness trackers that focus on fitness and don’t really provide a “smart” experience. That was then, this is now! Fitbit now offers what I think is one of the best smartwatches for most people. Their newest model is the Fitbit Versa 4. I took it for a test.
Yup, It looks like a watch
The Fitbit Versa 4 has a strap, a color touchscreen watch face and a bevy of sensors on the back to press up against your skin. It’s exactly what you would expect a smartwatch to look like. Compared to previous Versa models the watch and screen are more rounded, the physical button has returned after being replaced by a touch button in the Versa 3. The physical design of the Versa is very unassuming… as it should be.
Fitness features galore
The expectation for any smartwatch is that it offers a wide array of fitness, sleep and health-tracking options and the Fitbit is no exception to that. Fitbit, afterall, has been doing health tracking for 15 years. The Versa 4 includes a ton of sensors including a heart rate sensor, skin temperature sensor, an blood oxygen level sensor, an altimeter, an accelerometer and GPS chip. There is a lot of stuff packed into this small watch. It’s all designed to track your heart, your workouts and your sleep. These features are front and center as you’d expect on a Fitbit device.
Smartwatch stuff
With the fitness features a priority, that’s not to say the Versa 4 doesn’t shine as a smartwatch too. You setup which notifications are sent from your phone to your watch. As many or as few as you like. You can answer phone calls on the Versa 4 with the built-in microphone and speaker. You can also reply to text messages using pre-canned responses or voice to text. One thing you CAN’T do is start a text message from the watch. This has been a limitation since the first Versa and I’m surprised it hasn’t been added. Nonetheless, I don’t find myself missing it often. Personally I don’t wear a smartwatch to replace my phone, I wear it to supplement it and I imagine most people do the same. This isn’t a deal-breaker for most.
Alexa built-in
Oddly enough, Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant is built-in on a watch sold by Google (they purchased Fitbit a few years ago). Perhaps this is an old contract that they’re stuck with. Good news is, Alexa works exactly as you’d expect. Hold down the side button, talk to Alexa as you would normally in your home and it just works. The Versa 3 eventually added Google Assistant as an option, we might see the same added to the Versa 4.
More Google features coming soon
Fitbit is promising more Google goodies will be added to the Fitbit with future software updates. Google Wallet support (you can use the built-in NFC chip to use tap-to-pay at stores) has been added and Google Maps navigation is coming soon. It’s good to see Google actively adding more features to their Fitbit watches.
The most important feature
I hate charging my smartwatch. Mostly because I like to track my sleep and it’s hard to track your sleep when you have to charge your watch when you go to bed. The Fitbit Versa 4 SHINES when it comes to battery life. The company promises 6+ days on a single charge. In my testing, this is accurate! If you use the “always on” screen feature, get an abundance of notifications or simply use the watch a lot it will bring that number down. Once you get into the groove I have found that getting 5-6 days of battery life on a single charge is very realistic.
This is the smartwatch for most people
Overall, I really love the Versa 4. If you’re an Apple product lover, go with the Apple Watch. If you swear by your Google Pixel products, the Pixel Watch is a great option. For the rest of us, who don’t want to break the bank on a smartwatch and don’t want to constantly be looking for a charger, the Fitbit Versa 4 is a great option.
The Fitbit Versa 4 gets 4 out of 5 geeks from me! It’s a great option with a few shortcomings that won’t bother the average user.
It’s available directly from Fitbit and in most major stores. Typically $230 it’s currently (12/21/22) on sale for $160. If you’re a Sams Club member, I found it on sale there with an extra strap for $150.