What’s the time? What was my sleep score last night? What’s the weather doing today, Alexa? No, we’re not talking to a smart home hub. We’re actually playing with the new offering from FitBit, the Versa 2 Health and Fitness Watch.
Loaded with features such as Amazon Alexa, 24/7 heart rate tracking, a sophisticated sleep tracker, on-screen workouts and smartphone notifications, Versa 2 is an affordable smartwatch with looks to boot. It’s elegantly curved with a new AMOLED screen and an anodised aluminium finish. Unlike its predecessor, Versa 2 has an always-on display. Just remember though, if you select this option, you will chew through your battery life a lot quicker.
Speaking of battery life, one of the most impressive specs about Versa 2 is the 5+ day battery life (which varies with use, as we mentioned earlier with the always-on display). This is a significant point of difference when comparing battery life with the Series 5 Apple Watch which only offers 18 hours before requiring a recharge. The Versa 2 extended battery life allows you to wear the smartwatch while you sleep, if you’re interested in monitoring your sleep pattern. Each night, Versa 2 will track your light, deep and REM sleep and after it learns your sleep patterns, it will provide you with a personalised sleep score.
With the newly integrated microphone and Alexa function, you can ask Alexa a question, but unlike a home hub, she won’t talk back to you (which probably isn’t a bad thing, right)? She only responds via text on your smartwatch screen. The Versa 2 is compatible with both Android and Apple smartphones, however voice-to-text message responses only work with Android phones. This may (or may not) be a deal breaker for iPhone users.
The watch also includes the standard smartwatch features such as access to your favourite apps, controlling your music experience such as Spotify from your watch and the ability to upload your credit card details to make secure purchases from your wrist (called Fitbit Pay).
It comes in one size only – 40mm – but includes two wristband sizes. The small wristband fits wrists 140mm – 180mm in circumference and the large fits wrists 180mm – 220mm. There are three tones to choose from: copper rose (rose gold), carbon (black) and mist grey (silver) and all include a classic sport wristband. There is also a special edition version which includes the sport wristband, a woven wristband plus a 3-month trial of Fitbit Premium.
Fitbit users will be familiar with the general insights their device provides, however Fitbit Premium goes one step further and provides the user with personalised, advanced insights about their activity, exercise, heart rate and sleep. Users looking to seriously improve their fitness levels may find this membership service useful.
So if you’re looking for a functional yet sleek smartwatch to look the part while you’re working out or just sitting at your desk looking busy, Fitbit Versa 2 is definitely a contender given its reasonable price point.
