Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch Launched in India with Price Rs.20999/-, Review
Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch Launched in India with Price Rs.20999/-, Review:
When the first Fitbit Versa came out last year, I told you how well it worked as a fitness tracker in the gym, and how much promise I thought it had as a smartwatch, if only Fitbit would make a few changes.
Enter the Fitbit Versa 2, a sequel with a better screen, fewer buttons and more features.
But does any of that make it a better smartwatch?
Look, I know “fit” is right in the brand name but some people like me, buy Fitbits to use mainly as smartwatches.
So, this article is really for them or for folks who want to know about the smartwatch side of this wearable.
Fitbit Versa 2 SmartWatch Features & Review:
Let’s start by callings out the bits of this fit that are objective great improvements.
Switching the display technology to Amoled from last year’s LCD means the colors are more vibrant and black pixels are truly black.
That means graphics really pop beneath the Gorilla glass, as you can see with this Nixie Tube watch face.
Somewhere under that Amoled panel sits a more powerful processor than last year, too. That’s impressive because Versa 2 also has more features.
NFC for Wallet payments, which work well and Amazon Alexa.
Just hold down that side button and use the built-in microphone to set reminders, ask questions and dictate messages.
In other big names, Spotify is here too, alongside Uber, Starbucks and a handful of others in the Fitbit App store.
For me, the best bit about the Versa 2 is that it improves on something Versa 1 was already great at, battery life.
Where a typical Apple or Galaxy watch needs to be charged every other night at best, the Versa 2 got me through six full days on a single charge.
And that’s not vacation days, but trade show days where my wrist never stopped buzzing from notifications.
And then it didn’t even get a break overnight, because it was tracking my sleep too, I’ll come back to that in a second for now let’s just give Fitbit props for all workweek endurance, well done.
But, it was Allen Watts who said: “That doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on doing things you don’t like doing, is stupid.” In other words, it doesn’t matter if something lasts a long time if you don’t enjoy using it and as a smartwatch, Versa 2 doesn’t address a lot of my complaints from last year.
First, you still need to manage an awful lot through the app, I’m talking about basic things. If you want to change the watch face, that happens on the phone. And pushing a new one to the Versa 2 takes roughly a decade.
I’ll leave this real-time footage up to prove my point as I complain about another thing.
As a frequent traveler, I like to be able to change the clock manually on the plane when I’m flying through time zones, but you need to do that. This means you need to take your phone out of airplane mode and you can only change the time zone, not the time.
So okay, let’s just move on you get the point.
One, while Alexa is pretty good at the basics like reminders, the voice reply feature when your sending a message is hit or miss. And thanks to the iPhone lockdown eco-system it only works on Android.
Two, as I always say on my Wear OS reviews, watches should force you onto those tiny touch screens less often, not more.
I don’t like the Fitbit removed the two additional side buttons from the Versa 1. Whether you’re running or just trying to get through life it’s a lot easier to feel out a button than to focus on a touch screen.
Three, while I’m glad that the interior space is filled up with more battery. It seems weird that something with a fitness focus doesn’t have GPS onboard. You still need to carry your phone if you want to map your runs.
Four, ditto if you want to bring your Spotify playlists along. You can control it from your wrist, but you can’t actually put your playlists on there, and you need a premium account to do even that.
Yes, you can manually move Mp3’s over, but that is not fun. Great, but using it locks you into just two ugly options and cuts your battery life in half.
Finally, let’s talk about the two things I think most people will use this for, steps and sleep.
For the former, well it still gives me credit all the time for steps it thinks I’m taking while riding in a car or typing at a keyboard.
It feels like to dumb of a problem to still be dealing within 2019, but as Russell Holly points out in an editorial I agree with that it’s not unique to Fitbit, that happens to most fitness trackers.
And with the possible exception of the Apple Watch, Fitbit has the most friendly breakdown of health data out there.
With an app that sorts the information so it’s accessible and a huge community of users, if the thing that gets you to go to the gym is competing. And Fitbit’s new premium service only adds to those advantages.
As for sleep tracking, well here’s an editorial from Russell Holly I don’t agree with. I think sleep tracking is actually pretty useful, as long as you understand that he’s right.
I think sleep tracking is actually pretty useful, as long as you understand that he’s right.
The data isn’t perfect but being able to breakdown results over days and weeks and see the amount of rest you get effects how you feel, it’s compelling stuff.
But according to my sleep score, it was just delightful. The Fitbit Versa 2 is now available in India for the starting price of Rs.20999 INR.
It’s still not a great smartwatch, so if you’re looking for the right messaging and plentiful apps check out the Apple watch if you have an iPhone or the Galaxy Watch from Samsung or the Wear OS devices from the Fossil group.
If instead, you want to health-focused wearable that does a little more and looks a little better than your typical fitness band, well then the Versa 2 just Fitbit owners and wearable wearers in general, I want to hear from you. Buy Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch.
