For most consumers, the Fitbit Versa 3 is the company’s best smartwatch. The Versa 3 can compete with more expensive options like the Apple Watch SE and the Fitbit Sense thanks to its six-day battery life, always-on display, built-in GPS, and blood oxygen and temperature tracking during sleep.
The Versa 3 is a comparable smartwatch and fitness tracker to the Sense, minus the stress tracker and FDA-cleared electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). The Versa 3 additionally offers a $100 savings over the Sense.
Contents
Better Design All-Around
The Versa 3 boasts a larger 1.58-inch AMOLED screen with smaller bezels than its predecessor, the Versa 2, but maintaining the same square-ish watch body and metal frame. It is clear and readable even in broad daylight.
It can be set to always-on (although in a simplified form with fewer metrics displayed), allowing you to see the time without having to remove your wrist from your pocket. Because Fitbit allows for the installation of third-party watch faces, you have access to a vast catalog of designs.
Although it looks better than previous Fitbits, the touchscreen and Fitbit interface still lag behind those of the Apple Watch and the Galaxy Watch, both of which use AMOLED displays. The Versa 3 has a noticeable delay when swiping between screens and while loading apps or displaying content.
Better Training Tools for Fitness Tracking
It’s safe to assume that most Fitbit devices can now fulfill your rudimentary fitness monitoring needs, such as counting your steps, distance traveled, calories burned, and heart rate.
The Versa 3 offers all the same fitness functions as the more costly Sense, and it does a good job of covering the basics as well. It keeps tabs on 20 distinct physical pursuits, such as swimming both indoors and outdoors, and features automated workout detection for some pursuits, such as running, in case you forget to begin a session.
Not the first Fitbit, as the Charge 4 and Sense also include GPS, but the first Versa smartwatch to do so. For me as a runner, not having GPS on older editions of the Versa was a major inconvenience because I had to pull out my phone to follow a chart of my route (or bike ride). The Versa 3 allows me to track my distance and route during outdoor workouts without needing to carry my phone.
Plenty of Health Data if You Want it
Yet, the Versa 3 does a lot more than just track your workouts. It also keeps tabs on your SpO2 (blood oxygen levels), breathing rate, and skin temperature fluctuations while you sleep, all of which can add up to a more complete picture of your health. Please note that this is not a medical equipment and should not be used for diagnosis.
If you have questions about a medical condition or health goals, you should always speak with a doctor or other trained health provider. The Fitbit Sense’s ECG is the only officially approved feature. As compared to other smartwatches, the Versa 3 from Fitbit offers one of the most in-depth examinations at your sleep patterns. Whether or not that aids you is another question.
Fitbit Versa 3 Review: Design and Display
The Fitbit Versa 3 continues the squircle design of its predecessors, but its rounded corners and indented contact area with haptic feedback replace the Fitbit Versa 2’s hardware button. It took some getting accustomed to because I haven’t tried a Fitbit with this design element before, but ultimately I decided that I prefer it to a button.
It also improves the Versa 3’s usability in regular situations. Few of the models I’ve tried this year come close to the slimness of my preferred smartwatch, which I prefer because it looks better on my wrist. One of the top sports watches is a great option if you like the look and feel of a larger watch.
Fitbit Versa 3 Review: Activity Tracking Features
Activity monitoring is Fitbit’s mainstay, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Versa 3 is a competent health companion. Despite its compact size, it has all the bells and whistles of a top-tier fitness tracker, including a heart rate monitor, blood oxygen (SpO2) monitor, VO2 max reader, workout log, and sleep log.
The Fitbit Sense, which costs $329, is the best Fitbit because it has an ECG monitor authorized by the FDA for detecting atrial fibrillation, stress management features, a skin temperature reader, and alerts for both high and low heart rates.
You may find the Sense useful if any of these pieces of information could change how you interact with your health. But if you just need something that works well and looks good, the Versa 3 can hold its own.
Conclusion
The Versa series from Fitbit is, if anything, dependable. The Fitbit Versa 3, the third generation of the popular fitness tracker, has been updated with new features and a sleeker look to make it a worthy competitor to the Apple Watch SE. The addition of GPS is the major improvement of the Fitbit Versa 3.
The Versa can now (at long last) monitor your whereabouts while you work out in the great outdoors even if you forget to bring your phone with you. Furthermore desirable is a more rounded, expansive screen. The $229 price tag is too high to be considered among our top affordable smartwatches; it’s $50 more than the Fitbit Versa 2 (which retails for $199).
