Fitbit Versa review: How does the new Fitbit stack up against the Blaze and Ionic?
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BEFORE the Versa came along, the Blaze was my favourite Fitbit (besides the much more expensive Ionic).
The Blaze strikes a decent balance between affordability - - and usefulness, with its on-screen workouts and its ability to sync with your phone’s sat nav and track your runs.
But the Blaze has a couple of annoying drawbacks: it isn't waterproof and it just didn’t look anywhere near as slick as the , the or the .
The Versa has remedied these issues and more.
Fitbit’s latest offering certainly looks the part. I'm not sure I prefer it to the Ionic or the Apple watch, but it's square screen and rounded edges are an improvement on the Blaze.
The Versa is comfortable to wear too; definitely easier to have on your wrist that one of the cheaper Fitbits such as the Alta HR and the Charge 2.
Unlike the Blaze, the Versa is fully waterproof to 50 metres… in case you want to track your step count when you go scuba diving.
Either way, it’ll survive the shower or a run in the rain, which is nice.
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The other standout feature of the Versa is its ability to store around 300 songs on its internal memory and sync them to your wireless headphones, which saves you from having your phone rattling around in your pocket or strapped to your arm on the run.
It’s a nice feature, although it’s a bit of a time commitment getting the songs across from your PC/Mac to your Versa.
You can also use the Deezer app on the Versa to sync your playlists from the streaming platform.
I can’t be alone in having absolutely no music saved to my computer any more, so I liked the idea of this - although again, it is a bit of a hassle getting everything synced up.
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If you don’t have Deezer already, you get the option to sign up for free for three months, which gives you a chance to work out if you think the feature is useful for you.
Like on the Blaze, on-screen workouts are an option. You get three as standard with the Versa, and the option to add more through Fitbit Coach.
Although most of the additional workouts require you to subscribe to the premium service - £5.99 a month or £29.99 a year - which feels a bit cheeky to me.
That said, Fitbit Coach is cheaper than a gym membership, and having browsed a few of the programmes, they look like a pretty accessible way to get into fitness, as well as providing you with structured plans to gradually help you achieve your fitness goals over time.
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As well as all of the above, there’s the option to download a ton of apps to read news, control the lights in your house and use Fitbit Pay (the same as Apple Pay… with a Fitbit).
I think some of the apps are a bit gimmicky, but there’s a good number that look useful for the right audience, including swim tracking, tennis tracking and drink counting.
All in all, the Versa is a solid package.
It looks good, I like the features and it’s a definite upgrade on the Blaze.
However, as things stand, I’d probably buy the Ionic instead.
The problem with the Versa is that is costs £199.99.
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That’s barely £40 less than the Ionic on Amazon right now, and if you’re going to stump up that sort of cash, you might as well spend a little extra and get the Ionic.
The most expensive Fitbit looks better (I think), lasts longer (five days instead of four) and comes with built-in GPS.
When the price of the Versa inevitably starts to come down in a couple of months, it’ll probably become my pick of the fitness trackers.
But until then, I’d rather spend the extra and get the Ionic, or just buy the Blaze, which is still a very handy piece of kit in its own right.
- Get the Versa for £199.99 from the Fitbit Store -
- Get the Versa for £199.00 from Amazon -