Fitbit Versa 3 evaluate: A well-rounded smartwatch for health

There are seemingly countless approaches should you’re seeking to monitor your well being and health. Smartphones can robotically measure your motion through apps and accelerometers, which offer you primary information, however you could not maintain your telephone on you always. This is likely one of the causes smartwatch health trackers and exercise screens have grow to be so standard: These little wrist computer systems act as intermediaries between physique and telephone, gathering a wealth of knowledge in your well being and habits as you progress by way of life. And the Fitbit Versa 3 completely suits in with but in addition stands out among the many crowd, monitoring coronary heart price, calorie-burning, blood oxygen ranges, step tracker, and extra with out dropping the visible enchantment of a smartwatch.

The Versa 3’s Design

The Versa 3 is the newest within the Versa smartwatch collection and falls between the Versa 2 and the extra dear and superior Sense—putting it as probably the greatest Fitbit watches to transition from workplace to extracurriculars. Evolutionary greater than revolutionary, it’s a step up from the earlier Versa technology in that it has a bigger 1.58-inch, 336 x 336 decision show (a rise from the 1.39-inch, 300 x 300 display within the Versa 2) that provides sharp viewing angles with out weighing extra. It additionally expenses sooner, has an extended battery life, and incorporates extra sensors. To call a couple of new options the platform helps, the Versa 3 has GPS, measures Lively Zone Minutes (time spent burning fats or in full cardio mode) whenever you’re on the health club. Out on the road, it lets you make purchases by tapping your smartwatch to card readers (establishing Fitbit Pay required). Its built-in microphone/speaker lets you take calls straight out of your wrist and work together with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant (over Bluetooth when paired with a smartphone). 

The design of the 40mm aluminum case can also be sleeker than that of its 39mm predecessor’s, in that it doesn’t have a visual button on its aspect. Each generations of the Versa are extra rounded than the Apple Watch and subsequently look extra like common digital watches than an industrial taste of smartwatch. This can be a plus should you’re searching for subtlety, and an adjunct you put on almost 24 hours a day must look delicate. 

Getting Began With the Fitbit Versa 3

I took the Fitbit Versa 3 out of its field and was instantly shocked by how engaging it’s. Different exercise screens I’d seen had been both cumbersome, unwieldy, or much less superior bracelet-style trackers like Fitbit’s personal Cost. Together with the softer, extra modern strains of the Versa 3 physique, I discovered the complete black “infinity band” that’s included to be aesthetically pleasing, although Fitbit sells many Versa 3 bands for these searching for one thing extra fashion-forward, that includes manufacturers equivalent to Victor Glemaud and Pendleton. One caveat: Homeowners of the Versa 2 won’t be able to modify of their bands, as they work on an older system.

As modern-looking as I discovered the Fitbit Versa 3, I nonetheless wasn’t struck by why it ought to be considerably dearer than smartwatch health trackers like these made by LETSCOM and Willful—manufacturers that promote for $150 to $200 lower than the Fitbit and nonetheless look good. As soon as I began exploring the Fitbit’s capabilities, nonetheless, it made sense: the choices felt seemingly countless. The Versa 3 can assist as much as 39 put in apps without delay, permitting it many impartial capabilities that go properly past monitoring steps, and so forth. Catch “New York Occasions” headlines, name an Uber, test the air-quality index, play some video games—you title it. After all, navigating all of those apps on a Versa 3 isn’t as clean as it’s on a smartphone. The touchscreen might positively be a bit extra responsive, as I discovered myself tapping icons a couple of occasions earlier than getting a response. The “button” on the aspect can also be a contact sensor that ought to set off the show to come back on, and I felt it ought to require rather less press depth to activate. That stated, your fingers rapidly get used to finessing the smartwatch and it solely proves to be irritating when tremendous sweaty on the finish of a exercise. 

Key Options of the Fitbit Health Tracker

Establishing the Versa 3 was quick and painless. I charged it for under 12 minutes and was in a position to get a full day’s use (complete battery life is claimed to be as much as six days with typical use, although that reduces to 2 days with always-on show engaged, and 12 hours with fixed GPS monitoring). I then needed to obtain the Fitbit app on my smartphone, create a Fitbit account, and join my telephone to the Versa through Bluetooth 5.0 (a step up from the Versa 2’s 4.0). As soon as the 2 gadgets had been synced, I placed on the watch and began exploring. There are a number of enjoyable and helpful apps preinstalled on the Versa, equivalent to Spotify and Deezer music app controls in your paired smartphone, a music participant with onboard storage for offline listening, and a Starbucks app the place you possibly can entry your retailer card.

Outpacing Expectations

The Versa started gathering information robotically as I walked round, which was enjoyable at first and grew extra satisfying as I hit excessive numbers of steps for the day and better coronary heart charges once I exercised. Seeing my PurePulse 2.0 price, in addition to different exercise, prominently on the AMOLED show positively gave me some incentive to remain lively. I began logging my water consumption and meals consumption within the app on my telephone, and doing so was simpler than a newbie may anticipate. 

One widget that I discovered very cool was the “Chill out” function, which walks you thru respiratory workout routines and logs your aware minutes. The telephone app has a number of guided meditations that assist with psychological well being to enrich your extra trackable bodily well being. In case you’re an Android consumer, this smartwatch has all of it and might go toe-to-toe with a Samsung Galaxy watch. And should you’re not, it’s iOS suitable as properly. The Versa 3 is a particularly well-designed product, and the deeper you dig into its options, the clearer this turns into.

The remainder of the Fitbit Versa 3 specs

Your Fitbit Versa 3 will be as partaking or as passive as you see, properly, match. If you would like textual content and different telephone notifications to show in your smartwatch, you possibly can have them. Alternatively, you possibly can place your Fitbit on Do-Not-Disturb mode and go about your day as if you’re merely sporting a watch, letting it monitor your exercise like a fly on the wall. In case you commit your self to the Fitbit life-style, you possibly can be taught rather a lot about your self. Sporting it to mattress permits it to trace your gentle, deep, and REM sleep, and it’ll even offer you a Sleep Rating. Do you have to determine an issue, you possibly can go about working to repair it. For instance, sensible alarms can wake you throughout a light-weight sleep cycle, making it simpler to begin your day feeling well-rested. The Versa 3 also can monitor the oxygen saturation of your blood, which is a good indicator of normal wellness and fluctuations in your well being. And the watch is waterproof, so you possibly can even monitor your coronary heart price and velocity whereas swimming (or be fantastic should you’re in a rush and overlook to take away the Versa as you soar within the bathe). I received caught in heavy rain sporting the Versa 3, and it was utterly unaffected.

So, who can buy the Fitbit Versa 3?

The Versa 3 can perform as a device to trace merely your coronary heart price and distance whereas exercising, however there are easier, cheaper choices for such instruments. In case you’re dedicated to sporting this smartwatch for almost all of your day (and evening), nonetheless, you’ll squeeze a ton extra worth out of it than any entry-level mannequin. It could provide help to attain your health, sleep, hydration, and psychological well being objectives. It could assist maintain your telephone out of your hand, but add some comfort to your day-to-day routine. In case you want a break from techy-ness of all of it, you need to use it like a watch and test your stats whenever you really feel prefer it. So far, I’ve loved my time sporting the Fitbit Versa 3. From the corners to the information factors, it’s a well-rounded bundle and is likely one of the finest Fitbit watches to go from workday to weekend warrioring.