If you’ve been thinking about getting a smartwatch or fitness tracker to help you achieve your fitness goals, you may have heard of Fitbit’s Versa line. Although the Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch is a bit dated now compared to other watches on the market, it’s still got plenty to offer, especially at its bargain price point. It’s an enticing package for those who just want the essential features and don’t want to shell out for extras they’ll never use.
Specs
Product: Fitbit Versa 2
Price: $150 (Amazon)
Screen: 1.39-inch AMOLED display
Compatible OS: Android, iOS
Wristband material: Silicone
Battery life: 6 days
What’s Included
- Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch
- Charging cable
- Wristbands (in small and large)
Features
- Monitors heart rate
- Counts calories burned, steps walked, floors climbed
- Tracks sleep data and calculates daily sleep score based on total time asleep and time spent in different stages of sleep
- Access to Fitbit app to view health data
- Free Fitbit Premium trial with purchase of smartwatch
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Large, elegant touchscreen interface that lets you customize what information is displayed | Lack of calling features, ability to pick up incoming calls is only useful if you have headphones in |
| Long battery life | No built-in GPS |
| Reliable data tracking | Changing wristbands can be frustrating |
| Very affordable compared to alternatives on the market | Fitbit Premium adds additional features, but nothing incredibly valuable |
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Review
Practicality and Convenience
In general, when it comes to operating the Versa 2, it’s pretty simple. Setting up the Fitbit app and syncing the watch was a quick and smooth process. The watch works well and the touchscreen is very responsive. Wearing it doesn’t feel uncomfortable, and the long battery life means it doesn’t pose much of an inconvenience to charge. The only real complaints I have are that navigating to and using some of the functions may take some learning, as it isn’t always very intuitive, and changing wristbands can be rather difficult and annoying.
In all honesty, the Versa 2 is still more of a fitness tracker than a smartwatch. Although you can use it to read text messages, change music, check weather, and store payment methods, the productivity features are limited and not necessarily easier to use than just pulling out your phone. You also can’t make calls or send voice messages from it.
Fitness Tracking: The Good
When it comes to fitness tracking, the Versa 2 does a good job of covering your basic needs and then some. It tracks step count and floors climbed pretty accurately. The heart rate monitoring and calorie tracking may occasionally produce questionable results, but in general they’re fairly reliable and consistent. For someone looking to cut or bulk, the calorie tracking data will give you a reasonable estimate from which you can base your diet plan; however, you’ll want to build in some margin of error because as is the case with most fitness trackers, it inevitably won’t be totally accurate.
The Versa 2 can also track active minutes and exercise data. You can manually track your exercise sessions, but it can also automatically record and analyze exercise data when it detects a sustained increase in heart rate. In addition, it can gather metrics around breathing, heart rate variability, oxygen saturation, and skin temperature. Honestly, most people will never look at some of this information, but at least it’s there.
Something that I found surprisingly valuable was the sleep tracking feature, which analyzes the quality of your sleep and gives you a sleep score. Although I can’t really attest to the accuracy of the sleep analysis, which breaks down how much time one spends in light, deep, and REM stages of sleep, the relative accuracy with which it captures total sleep time convinces me the data is at least somewhat trustworthy.
In my opinion, however, the benefit of this feature isn’t in the accuracy of the sleep data itself, but the fact that it promotes good habits. Getting feedback on my sleep, especially when it’s not great, has since encouraged me to develop a healthier lifestyle of going to bed earlier and waking up at a similar time every day, even on the weekends. Likewise, other features such as tracking my water consumption and weight in the Fitbit app are helpful because they hold me accountable for maintaining healthy habits that can help me improve my fitness and well-being.
Fitness Tracking: The Could-Be-Better
Many of the Versa 2’s features are quite useful, but there are still areas where the Versa 2 leaves something to be desired when it comes to fitness tracking. If you’re a runner, one problem you might have with the Versa 2 is that it lacks a built-in GPS, instead relying on connecting to your phone’s GPS. This means if you want to track stats regarding your route and distance, you’ll still need to have your phone on you. Newer Fitbit models have incorporated this feature, so if this presents a huge pain point to you then it might be worth looking into other alternatives. However, for people like me who don’t really run outdoors, this isn’t a problem at all.
Personally, another thing I was a bit disappointed with was not with the watch itself, but the Fitbit Premium subscription I was given a free trial for. Subscribing to Premium does come with benefits, such as advanced health and sleep data analysis and plenty of exercise content. Unfortunately, most of these features aren’t that appealing to me and don’t quite justify the cost.
When it comes to advanced stats, many people, including myself, really only need what comes standard with the watch. Deeper sleep analysis can be insightful for some people, but as I previously mentioned, most of the value I derive from the sleep tracking capability isn’t necessarily due to how detailed the data itself is.
Lastly, when it comes to all the workout and coaching videos that are available through Premium, they can be great resources if you’re just getting into exercising. If you already attend workout classes, have a personal trainer, or regularly go to the gym, however, you probably won’t find them necessary.
My Final Thoughts
For what I need in a smartwatch and fitness tracker, the benefits of the Versa 2 largely outweigh the drawbacks. I’m someone who prefers typed over voice-recorded messages, and I rarely even use digital payment methods, so I can live with the limited productivity features. On the fitness side, it pretty much does everything I need it to, and its limitations don’t really affect me. Overall, I’m quite satisfied with it and consider it a worthy investment.
It’s not the flashiest or most advanced smartwatch on the market. It’s not even the latest offering from the Fitbit Versa line. If you’re primarily looking for a high-tech smartwatch, you’re probably better off opting for something else.
However, if you look at it as a fitness tracker first with some bonus smartwatch functionality, the Versa 2 is an excellent choice. For most people, it’ll provide more than enough insights into one’s health and wellness. If you simply need a device to track your steps, burned calories, and heart rate, the Versa 2 can certainly fulfill these duties accurately and reliably enough. Especially for the price you’re paying, the value is unbeatable.
