half the time, I forget the Fitbit Versa is on my wrist.

It's the lightest, least obtrusive fitness tracker

I've ever worn.

Yes, it's got a duller design than last year's

Fitbit Ionic, but it's also a much better smartwatch

than that one was at release,

at a much lower price too.

I'm Mr. Mobile, and this is the Fitbit Versa Review.

(upbeat music)

The Versa is one of those products you really need

to use to understand.

Seeing it on the screen, it's natural to draw

comparisons to the Apple Watch.

Or maybe to the old Pebble Time, put out by the company

Fitbit acquired in 2016.

Not being a fan of square watches or big bezels, I didn't

find a lot to like in the Versa when I saw the announcement.

But, when I slapped it on, the featherweight build

made me forget all about the casing design.

And the mostly black interface distracted me from

the big picture frame here.

The display is small, but it's great.

It's vibrant and plenty bright for outdoor use.

And while it is a touchscreen, you also have

the option of using the side keys to control some of the UI.

You can also assign long press shortcuts to some functions,

which is very handy.

If you're used to watches from Apple or Google,

the feature you'll probably most appreciate

is the endurance.

Instead of charging every night, I was able to

get through a solid four days wearing the Versa,

and once up to six days when I turned off notifications

and just used it as a fitness tracker.

That means you can keep it on your wrist most nights,

and the Versa will track your sleep quality using

an always on pulse monitor and accelerometer.

I like learning about my sleep patterns with the feature.

It's easy to forget that health isn't just a step count.

Oh, in the same vein, this spring both the Versa, and

Ionic will get updated with female health tracking features.

When you do need to charge it, the cradle is a little bulky,

but at least it's straightforward.

Squeeze to charge, squeeze to stop charging.

(upbeat music)

Despite the broader take on health that devices like this

are encouraging, most folks still think of exercise

when they see a Fitbit.

To test out those features, I went to my least

favorite place in the whole planet, the gym.

Fire up AOL Instant Messenger, I mean the exercise hub,

and you'll get customized tracking for things like

running on treadmills, or ellipticals,

or my favorite, weight lifting.

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Okay, in all seriousness, the exercise modes work

pretty well for tallying things like calorie burn,

and so on, and there are 20 custom workout profiles

in the app if you're less of a runner, and more

of a spinner, or martial artist.

I was dismayed not to see kayaking though.

When you're not in the gym you can get a quick snapshot

of your current activity level by swiping up

from the bottom of the screen.

Or you can swipe down from the top to see the most

recent notifications passed on from your phone.

Step counts over my two weeks with the Versa

have agreed with other devices on my person,

though the Versa does like to give you a lot of

bonus steps that you haven't really earned.

I get constant pats on the back for sitting

at my desk, typing, which I don't think is intended.

For folks who need a different type of motivation,

Fitbit labs has some experimental apps like

Treasure Trek, which turns walking into a

pirate style treasure hunt.

Fitbit says apps like this get some users

to log about 50% more steps per day.

Get further from fitness and the Versa stumbles a bit

as a smartwatch.

The software is still fairly bland in design

and more sluggish than pretty much all

of the competition.

There's also this annoying bug where you'll get

multiple vibrations for the same alert if you

haven't checked old notifications when

a new one comes in.

Tough to describe, but basically it just means

your wrist is buzzing a lot more often than

it should be.

And while there are plenty of watch faces available,

there are very few third party apps.

(upbeat music)

Those things come with time, though.

After years of designing devices with a pure

exercise focus, the Versa is only Fitbit's second

real stab at a smartwatch.

And the pace of improvement from the Ionic release,

less than a year ago, has been impressive.

The Android Quick Reply feature is coming soon,

so you'll be able to respond to messages from your wrist.

This and many of the Versa's features will be back ported

to the Ionic.

Given that fact, and the Ionic's other advantages

for fitness tracking, like standalone GPS,

you shouldn't feel the need to buy the Versa

if you already own the earlier device.

But, if you're looking for your first wearable,

and you want something that splits the difference

between fitness tracker and smartwatch, yeah, the Versa

is a very good option.

That's especially true if your daily driver is an iPhone.

As an alternative to the Apple Watch, the Fitbit

is less expensive and a bit less complex,

with substantially better battery life.

Over on the Android side, the question is a tougher one.

Officially Fitbit only supports a handful of devices.

Most of them, laughably old.

It's brought us compatibility as with Samsung phones,

which is weird because Samsung already sells

a compelling suite of fitness wearables in its Gear line.

So, yeah, lots of room for improvement on the Android

side of things.

(upbeat music)

The Fitbit Versa goes on sale April 16, and comes in

three colors for $199.

That's for the version I reviewed.

Toss in an extra 30 bones and you can pick up

the Special Edition graphite or rose gold editions

with custom watch bands, like my leather and metal ones

running you 50 bucks a piece.

And be prepared for some frustration when dealing

with those fiddly release switches.

I think those prices are fair.

Despite it's rough patches, the Versa is a

much stronger product than I might have expected

as a sophomore effort.

And it's my new, go-to recommendation for those

in search of an Apple Watch alternative.

(upbeat music)

This video was brought to you by Thrifter.

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tell 'em Mr. Mobile sent you.

(upbeat music)

Folks, if you want more wearables, check out my recent

reviews of the Motiv smart ring, and Movado Connect,

and let me know what you think of Fitbit's latest efforts,

the Versa and Ionic, in the comments below.

Until next time, thanks for watching,

and stay mobile my friends.

(upbeat music)