With the Versa 3, Fitbit continues the profitable Versa sequence in a significant method. The smartwatch affords just about each health monitoring function that you really want in your wrist in a compact and light-weight type issue along with wonderful battery life. In contrast to its predecessor, GPS connectivity can be included with this unhealthy boy. Nonetheless: One drawback presists - along with one or two new ones exhibiting up.
Good
- ✓Nice and versatile health monitoring functionality
- ✓Refined and well-designed app
- ✓Strong design
Dangerous
- ✕Closed ecosystem
- ✕Person expertise may very well be higher
- ✕Restrictions and not using a premium subscription
Abstract: Premium costs comes with a premium subscription
Health trackers from Fitbit have by no means been and are nonetheless not the most affordable choice that’s obtainable in the marketplace. Nonetheless, the US firm additionally affords wonderful {hardware} (for now, no less than), and the Versa 3 isn’t any exception. This smartwatch is extraordinarily gentle, affords a numerous variety of sensors for health monitoring, and comes with an all-round profitable app for Android, iOS, and Home windows 10.
However although the Versa 3 affords complete options for the amount of cash paid, it’s annoying that the app is consistently peddling you in a technique or one other. There are occasions when a banner pops up for a mindfulness session that’s solely obtainable with a premium subscription, whereas typically the “Subscribe to Premium Now” display is hidden behind a “Particulars” button. In the event you’ve simply dropped round $200 bucks for this unhealthy boy, it’s definitely unbecoming of it to behave that approach.
No less than you’ll be able to attempt the Premium subscription out for 3 months totally free. As soon as the honeymoon interval is over, Fitbit want to cost you 9.99 USD month-to-month. In the event you go for the annual subscription, you’ll pay a barely much less quantity at 80 USD, which quantities to 6.67 USD per 30 days.
Good design, higher consolation
The Fitbit Versa 3 is available in a strong and stylish case that appears actually elegant, particularly the “delicate gold” mannequin. The straps will be modified inside a matter of seconds with the watch being actually gentle and comfy.
What I appreciated:
- Strong construct high quality
- Simply interchangeable wristbands
- Snug to put on
What I disliked:
- Black mannequin seems somewhat plain
Admittedly: Our Fitbit Versa 3 evaluate unit seems fairly fancy with the golden case and orange wristband, which is considerably fancier than our black mannequin of the Fitbit Sense, which I had attributed to having the appeal of a weight bench in its evaluate.
As an alternative of utilizing stainless-steel like within the Sense, Fitbit determined to depend on aluminum for the Versa 3. This is able to mechanically imply the case is a little more delicate to scratches than standard, nonetheless, I needed to apply an inexpensive quantity of strain with a pair of scissors with the intention to go away slight marks. The show makes use of Gorilla Glass 3 which suggests the scissors are unable to do a lot.
Apologies to Felix Baumgartner and Reinhold Messner: The utmost working altitude of the Fitbit Versa 3 is 8535 meters based on the {hardware} specs. Area vacationers, alternatively, needn’t have to fret about that studying of their pressurized cabin.
The Versa 3 was actually comfy to put on all day lone. Armed with its silicone wristband, those that are hirsute across the arms would possibly need to take notice since there’s a tendency for the wristband to drag in opposition to your arm hair now and again. Based mostly on my expertise, nonetheless, Fitbit’s wristbands don’t final perpetually and should not precisely low cost to switch with the unique equipment costing anyplace from 30 to 50 USD. In case you are not so choosing, you may at all times accept quite a few third-party wristbands which can be obtainable on Amazon and different on-line shops for a number of euros.
The Fitbit Versa 3 is absolutely nice to put on.
It sits flippantly and inconspicuously on the wrist in contrast to different smartwatches, and is much more comfy to put on than many health trackers. I by no means felt the necessity to take away the watch after I retire for the night time.
Show is sort of flawless, digital residence button response is spotty
The Versa 3 exhibits off Fitbit’s quite a few years of expertise relating to health trackers and smartwatches. Whereas navigating by the person interface must be a painless affair for a lot of, there are nonetheless kinks to be labored out because the digital residence button causes frustration often. The show itself is sort of flawless, leaving almost nothing to be desired.
What I appreciated:
- Excessive-resolution AMOLED show
- Straightforward to learn even beneath direct daylight
- Refined working idea
What I disliked:
- Person interface takes some getting used to
- Incorrect residence button response occurs typically
Below the aforementioned Gorilla Glass 3, Fitbit put in an AMOLED panel with a 336 x 336 pixel decision. The pixel density on the 1.58-inch show is great, with the show brightness being adjustable throughout three ranges. Fitbit would mechanically regulate the brightness degree accordingly primarily based in your ambient lighting to maximise battery life, and I discovered legibility to be wonderful beneath all lighting situations with out feeling blinded at night time.
I do admit, nonetheless, that utilizing the Fitbit Versa 3 will take slightly getting used to at first. As an alternative of a mechanical button that’s discovered on its predecessor, there’s solely a squeeze gesture to work with right here: the place you squeeze the case between your thumb (left) and index finger (proper) to activate the “residence button”. You should first get used to activating the “residence button” correctly earlier than continuing.
When my wrist was bent, I typically pressed activated the “residence button” by mistake, together with moments after I take pleasure in my push-up classes in addition to different on a regular basis life actions. When the show is turned off, a protracted press launches the usual pre-configured Fitbit Pay every time. Nonetheless, you can even reconfigure the shortcut or disable it utterly. It additionally helps to forestall this from taking place by carrying the watch additional away out of your wrist.
Except for these quibbles, the controls are very well executed. On the left of the house display are the fast settings, the place you may swipe from the the highest to view notifications. On the proper, Fitbit will depict varied obtainable features and put in apps. All the things is offered in a tidy method and are simple to search out.
Regardless of the occasional enter error, the Versa 3’s person interface works nicely.
You’ll finally get used to the squeeze gesture and it performs reliably for essentially the most half. Navigating by the person interface would then turns into second nature to you by then.
Monitoring: All the things necessary is included!
The Fitbit Versa 3 affords a beneficiant variety of sensors that ought to maintain most individuals comfortable. In comparison with its greater sibling, the Fitbit Sense, solely the ECG operate and the pores and skin temperature sensor are lacking which in flip barely limits the stress measurement functionality on the Versa 3.
What I appreciated:
- Nice options when it comes to sensors
- Good accuracy for endurance sports activities
What I disliked:
- BUY ME NOW! GET A PREMIUM ACCOUNT!
- Closed ecosystem
Exercise monitoring
Monitoring exercise with the Fitbit Versa 3 is an easy course of. Wake the watch up, swipe proper, launch the exercise menu, choose the suitable exercise, and get going! Fitbit affords a complete of 20 totally different sports activities to select from, from jogging and yoga to swimming and tennis.
The chosen sporting exercise influences the info that’s collected through the exercise in addition to the processed info proven on the show when you find yourself midway by the exercise. Along with time and coronary heart fee, you may see the space lined throughout jogging and the energy burned to date. You too can set sure targets earlier than starting the exercise, similar to a particular period of time or distance that you simply want to cowl.
Squeezing the show pauses the exercise, which might occurs all of the sudden within the warmth of the second, particularly when you find yourself performing push-ups and different intensive bodily actions. No less than you may pay attention to it when it occurs by way of haptic suggestions. Nonetheless, I by no means bumped into this difficulty with the Sense on account of barely totally different sensor modules.
Along with beginning exercises manually, the Fitbit Versa 3 can be able to understanding once you start exercising. This works nicely for chosen actions like strolling or biking. Nonetheless, you’ll have to make do with out GPS monitoring for these automated exercises.
Coronary heart fee measurement
The Versa 3 depends on optical sensors to measure the wearer’s pulse. This operate works very nicely when the wrists should not notably harassed throughout sports activities similar to when you find yourself working or biking on a fairly clean floor. The deviation in comparison with a carrying a extra exact chest strap system is negligible right here. When jogging, I discovered a deviation of 1 or 2 beats per minute for the common or most pulse fee.
When my wrists are in a bent place or beneath stress, the distinction turns into clear. Throughout a full-body exercise that lasted round 60 minutes, I clocked a mean pulse of 114 and a most pulse fee of 159 beats per minute on the Versa 3. Right here, my chest strap system recorded a mean pulse of 120 and a most pulse fee of 178 bpm. If I hadn’t tracked each my heat up and funky down classes, the common distinction would have been much more noticeable.
Beneath are a number of comparative examples that I’ve famous down for every exercise, shortly after finishing the train. The extra my palms/arms/wrists are concerned within the exercise, the much less correct the outcome.
Coronary heart fee measurement: Fitbit Versa 3 vs. chest strap system
| Train | Pulse (Fitbit Versa 3) | Pulse (Sigma chest strap) |
|---|---|---|
| Plyo Push-Ups | 115 | 165 |
| Single leg medication ball burpees | 132 | 177 |
| Drugs Ball Reverse Roll | 145 | 160 |
| Aspect Plank Crunches | 144 | 153 |
| Fitness center Ball Crunches | 155 | 155 |
| Lateral single-leg jumps | 140 | 140 |
It must also be talked about right here that I’ve little or no physique hair and have moderately truthful pores and skin, that are optimum situations for measuring my pulse fee. That is the place a serious weak spot of Fitbit involves gentle: As of at this time, the Fitbit system is totally closed. There isn’t a method to join a third-party chest strap to the Versa 3 and Fitbit itself doesn’t provide one.
Sleep
Like just about another piece of expertise that you simply (voluntarily) strap round your wrist, the Fitbit Versa 3 is able to monitoring your sleep. As a tough information, it labored fairly nicely, the place the occasions after I fell asleep and wakened roughly matched my bedtime and alarm occasions.
Nonetheless, the Versa 3 additionally registered occasions after I laid down and showered instantly after getting up as gentle sleep and thus prolonged my sleep time by about half an hour to 4h 31min. How did I get a sleep rating of 70 with the brief variety of hours and no less than one too many beers? That is what my puffy eyes have been questioning all Tuesday lengthy.
Additional down within the sleep display, you may see your pulse fee throughout your sleep in addition to a measure your nocturnal restlessness - no less than should you’re a Premium person. In any other case, there’s just a bit lock that teases you by urging you to pay up.
Because of the lack of a sleep lab, we have been unable to make sense of the sleep phases intimately. No less than the logged sleeping and waking occasions up are sufficient sufficient to ship info which might then be utilized by the software program to point the optimum variety of hours of sleep that’s required to stay alert and wholesome.
Stress
The Fitbit Versa 3 combines varied metrics to find out the wearer’s stress degree. The smartwatch integrates coronary heart fee variability, train ranges, and sleep regularity right into a single rating. Premium customers will have the ability to view the detailed breakdown right here, whereas health peasants should accept a determine between 0 and 100, with a better determine being higher.
Well being Values
Below the “Well being Values” part, you may discover a variety of different metrics, similar to nightly respiratory fee, coronary heart fee variability, pores and skin temperature, and resting coronary heart fee. Non-premium clients will solely have the ability to view the outcomes of the final seven days. Aww!
Nonetheless, those that need to see their resting coronary heart fee throughout an extended time frame may discover it beneath the “Coronary heart Charge” part within the app.
GPS
Final however not least, the Fitbit Versa 3 has a GPS module that was lacking in its predecessor, the Versa 2. The accuracy is usually sufficient for informal athletes. Nonetheless, should you have been to go path working in a forest, do count on the monitoring to be lower than passable.
So far as the sensor expertise used is anxious, the Fitbit Versa 3 leaves hardly something to be desired.
Positive, the Sense nonetheless affords a number of extra features, however personally, I believe that these are overkill for the common Joe. It bothers me extra that I can’t connect with exterior sensors similar to third-party chest straps or cadence sensors. Nonetheless, sensors within the Versa 3 are utterly enough for mountaineering, jogging, biking or for protecting monitor of your resting pulse fee.
Smartwatch performance
The Versa 3 is explicitly listed as a smartwatch by Fitbit albeit with the standard health features additionally supplied by the producer. However what does the watch have to supply when it comes to smartwatch performance?
What I appreciated:
- Sportify controls
- Helps apps
What I disliked:
- Fitbit Pay is poorly executed
Principally, the Fitbit Versa 3 additionally affords the standard deluge of smartwatch options, though not fairly on the extent of the very best smartwatches. For instance, notifications are solely obtainable on normal apps such because the calendar, SMS, and calls, with direct answering being doable solely on Android gadgets.
There are additionally a number of apps which can be obtainable on Fitbit OS, restricted to only some distinguished ones similar to Uber and Starbucks app. Google Navigation or Komoot are sorely lacking. It is a disgrace, actually, as a result of I personally discover navigation directions on my wrist to be extremely sensible.
What I appreciated is the Spotify integration. When you’re logged in to your account, you may management playback in your smartphone from the watch itself and even play again sources which can be related to your community, similar to suitable speaker programs.
Help for digital voice assistants can be included. If in case you have arrange the Google Assistant, you may start exercises by a voice command or ask concerning the climate. Fitbit can even feed Google Assistant together with your sleep information and your Nest speaker can then inform you simply how a lot sleep you had the night time earlier than, in case your puffy eyes do not already let you know that within the first place once you stare on the mirror.
After which there’s Fitbit Pay. You may embrace bank card info right here for cost functions to facilitate a fast and painless cost course of at suitable terminals. Nonetheless, you should first activate a code lock for the Versa 3 when establishing Fitbit Pay. From that time onward, the smartwatch would request for the code every time you entry it.
In the event you do not need to do that each time you employ the Versa 3, you may allow the PIN lock just for utilizing Fitbit Pay.
The underside line? This health smartwatch is extra fitness-oriented and fewer smartwatch. Nonetheless, the watch does grasp the fundamentals somewhat nicely and will fulfill informal customers.
Battery life: One week is feasible!
Whereas the Fitbit Versa 3 is not fairly as sensible as its rivals, it nonetheless affords probably the most necessary smartwatch options that customers search for: a protracted battery life. Extra importantly, it does not require you to cost it daily!
What I appreciated:
- Very lengthy battery life
- Quick charging: A day’s price in simply twelve minutes
What I disliked:
- Proprietary charging port
- No wi-fi charging assist
The producer claimed to supply a battery lifetime of as much as six days for the Fitbit Versa 3, which I can affirm in my evaluate by utilizing roughly one hour of exercise monitoring per day (with out GPS). Positive, should you have been to run for 2 hours daily with GPS, you may must recharge it at shorter intervals.
One other issue that comes into play right here is the always-on show, which will be turned on and off within the fast settings. You too can delay the battery life right here as nicely, though the distinction must be minimal because of the AMOLED panel and razor-thin font used.
IMAGE
The underside line is, the Fitbit Versa 3 has one comparable drawback to different gadgets that boast of a protracted battery life: you do not have a every day charging routine. With that in thoughts, you could be caught unawares that your Versa 3 doesn’t have sufficient juice to final you for the remainder of the day! That is the place the quick charging function is useful: into in simply twelve minutes, the Fitbit Versa 3 will be charged to hold sufficient juice to final a complete day.
The underside line?
Like all different Fitbit gadgets, the Versa 3 affords a wonderful battery life
that smartwatches with Put on OS or watchOS can solely dream of. Nonetheless, I discover it to be a disgrace that there’s nonetheless no wi-fi charging assist.
Remaining verdict
On the finish of the day, Fitbit has launched a very good health smartwatch with the Versa 3, nevertheless it’s necessary to concentrate on and settle for its limitations. Whereas the smartwatch excels within the “health” division, Fitbit’s closed ecosystem could be a no-go for the extra formidable athletes on the market. On the similar time, it at all times leaves a bitter style within the mouth that fairly a variety of options within the 200 USD smartwatch are solely obtainable once you indulge your self with a further premium subscription.
By way of its smartwatch performance, there are numerous options that we have now not even dived into (in higher element) on this evaluate: You may pay with the watch, take heed to music, make telephone calls, use Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, and a complete lot extra.
Lastly, it must also be famous that the Versa 3 will in all probability be the final Versa system to run on Fitbit’s proprietary working system. Sooner or later, Fitbit will probably depend on the brand new Google-Samsung Put on OS, and a corresponding software program improve for the Versa 3 is extremely unlikely. Therefore, it could be price holding out for the upcoming era. And who is aware of? Maybe Fitbit would possibly lastly resolve to open up its ecosystem then.
Fitbit Versa 3
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