Fitbit Versa tested: fitness watch with music player

The Fitbit Versa is an all-round solution: it tracks sports and everyday life, offers music playback and you can (actually) pay with it. We Review the sports watch, show strengths and weaknesses.

Scope of delivery, design, furnishings

In addition to the actual watch, the package includes a charging cradle, some reading material and a longer bracelet. As with the Tracker Alta HR (Review report), Fitbit uses easy-to-change bracelets that are simply clicked into place. The shorter bracelet is preinstalled on the device.

The design of the Versa is reminiscent of the first Apple Watch, but is a bit smaller and square. In the Review, we had the version with a silver aluminum housing, the contrast between light metal and dark screen comes into its own. Alternatively, there are versions with black, gray and rose-gold aluminum. The 1.3-inch touchscreen protects a layer of Gorilla Corning Glass 3 from scratches. The watch sits firmly on the wrist, but was comfortable to wear in the Review.

There is a large button on the left and two small buttons on the right. The left button goes back one step in the menus, a long press shows various quick settings and the music player. The two right buttons depend on the context. In the main menu, the upper button gives quick access to the different workouts, the lower one shows the alarm clock.

The app connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth, and it also has its own WLAN module for downloading data. This is relevant for the transfer of music, for example.

The setup is simple, it runs via the associated app. Unfortunately, the clock cannot be used until the setup is complete. A catch: The Versa can only be set up in connection with a WLAN that is "normally" secured by WPA or WPA2 or not at all. A hotel network, for example, which shows a hotspot front page, continuously prevented the setup in the Review. Annoying, because a potential firmware upgrade cannot be downloaded and installed via the mobile network. And without the latest firmware, the setup cannot be completed. Anyone who buys the Versa as a gift should keep that in mind.

App

The Fitbit app is characterized by its simplicity. The design is appealing and does not overwhelm the user with information. Yes, an account is required and yes, data goes to the cloud to be processed there. If you don't want that, you should immediately pick another device. The Suunto 3 Fitness (Review report), for example, offers the basic functions even without an online account.

Clicking on one of the information tiles leads to further data. For example, you can see which day you walked how many steps or how well you slept. All of this is sensibly prepared, Fitbit has a pleasantly clear app.

New watch surfaces and applications can be found and installed in the app. This works very well, the Fitbit Store is much tidier and clearer than the Samsung version of the Gear Fit 2 Pro (Review report). Especially with the watch surfaces there are some very cool alternatives to the standard display. They are downloaded and installed with a click. It is a bit annoying that the app does not save the latest designs, if you want to change quickly you have to download them again and again.

A kind of app store for the watch is integrated in the Fitbit app, from which new applications can be downloaded free of charge. It can already be used to control Philipps Hue and ifttt environments or to display information and tickets for BA flights. It would be nice if Fitbit stayed on the ball and encouraged developers to create more programs.

In addition to the integrated training, Fitbit offers a fee-based one Coach at. This helps, as the name suggests, when training and when achieving goals. But that costs extra, Fitbit takes 43.99 euros for an annual subscription at the time of the Review.

activity

The watch is a reliable companion in everyday life. She measures the steps and recognizes when you are climbing floors. The step detection seemed reliable to us, without it being too imprecise or measuring too many "ghost steps". The detection of floors is also good, but sometimes a little too generous. As with most other trackers, this way of counting should be seen as a trend rather than as 100 percent correct. From normal movement, the Versa recognizes when you are active for a longer period of time and try to store a suitable workout. It works quite well with walking or cycling, but once movement was recorded as an “elliptical trainer”. Entries can be edited later.

Fitbit has certified the watch as water-repellent up to 50 meters. Swimming is not a problem, but we would advise against diving or fast sports in the water (water skiing or similar). The touchscreen switches off in the water.

The Versa regularly measures the pulse via optical sensors on the back, giving a trend towards your own heart rate throughout the day. The app calculates your own cardio fitness from the values ​​and also shows how long you have been in which frequency zone.

In addition to classic activity monitoring, Versa offers to track the menstrual cycle. This should give an overview of fertile days or explain about possible causes in the case of a headache.

training

Up to seven types of training can be stored on the watch, which can then be accessed quickly. These include classics such as running, cycling or swimming as well as interval training, hiking, lifting weights, yoga or martial arts. The associated app offers a wide selection of sports.

If you want to have speed and distance data in track training, you have to take a smartphone with GPS. Only when this is smart health connected can the watch use its GPS, it does not have its own system for position detection. After a session, the app delivers the data, but differentiates between planned training units and those recorded in this way. With the former there is still the map and the heart rate zones, with the others there is only rudimentary information.

In addition to the classic training, there is guided breathing training.

Music playback

The big plus of the fitness watch is the integrated music playback. In addition to its own songs, the Fitbit Versa plays music from the streaming service provider Deezer, but only for its premium customers. The playback takes place via Bluetooth headphones, the coupling of corresponding devices is simple and intuitive. Unfortunately, this does not apply to the transmission of the music. For example, songs cannot be played directly from a cell phone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct but has to set up the Fitbit app for Windows or Mac. To do this, the watch must be smart health connected to the same WLAN and be accessible from the computer.

At Deezer it is similarly painful: no playlists or songs can be selected on the watch itself, a smartphone with an installed Fitbit app and a coupled Deezer account are required. Here you can then choose which playlists should be transferred and the watch loads the songs while it is smart health connected to a WLAN and in the charging cradle. It is exactly as complicated and uncomfortable as it sounds.

We liked the solution of the Samsung Gear Fit Pro (Review report) much better. This installs a slimmed-down Spotify app, via which you can load suitable playlists for sports or your own playlists directly from the tracker. Why it makes Deezer and Fitbit so cumbersome to use a really cool feature is a mystery.

What we didn't like was the integration of music into the training. The playlist could not be changed during a session, instead the training had to be ended, a new playlist loaded and the training restarted. That's not fun.

This shows the problems of the Versa: It cannot replace the cell phone in normal sports. In order to be able to use GPS, you have to be smart health connected to a smartphone anyway – then you can also listen to music via it. So it makes sense to use the somewhat hidden muscle control. How to activate them in the Fitbit Versa is on this page.  

sleep

Sleep monitoring in the Versa is very good. The watch measures automatically at night, the app then prepares the information about falling asleep, waking up and the various sleep phases in detail. As with the other devices, it is difficult to check the data without a sleep laboratory. Nevertheless, the app provides a good overview of the long-term trends. The topic of falling asleep and nightly restlessness is particularly beautiful in the app.

The watch contains an alarm clock that vibrates the device at a set time. That was a bit too weak for us in the Review, so we set two or three alarm clocks.

Payment function

The Fitbit Versa actually has a payment function. In short, you store an existing Master or Visa card on the device and can then use it to pay at contactless terminals. The function is currently compatible with two systems, the BW Bank and Boon from the payment service provider Wirecard. Fitbit is slowly expanding this ecosystem.

Boon relies on a prepaid model, here you set up a virtual credit card. At BW Bank you have to create a classic account. Both solutions cost money monthly. After three months of testing, Boon takes 1.49 euros per month, and the credit card itself is free. Abroad, 1.25 percent of sales are due. At BW Bank, the credit card is included in the extend classic or extend gold account, for which 6.90 euros or 11.90 euros are due. Alternatively, there is a prepaid Visa card for customers, which costs 35 euros per year.

So if you don't want to change your bank anyway, you should either wait or the period until more institutions are there, or try the boon variant. Beware, who has unlocked their Android and uses it with a custom ROM, is blocked for Boon and many other payment apps.

We will Review the function and update the text accordingly.

notification

The watch integrates seamlessly into the existing notification system from Apple or Android. Incoming updates, such as new emails, chat messages or the like, are shown on the display. In addition to the sender, you can also see the subject or the first sentences. That worked properly in the Review. On Android, the app shows the information of the apps for text messages, calendar data or emails by default. You can also define which other applications can send notifications. All in all, the topic of notifications has been resolved sensibly.

battery pack

The Fitbit Versa lasts almost five days in practice, a good value for the size and this type of device. The Fitbit Versa is roughly on par with the Suunto 3 Fitness (Review report), but is a bit smaller in size. The watch is loaded in just under an hour.

Price for Fitbit Versa and accessories

Silver / aluminum

Versa, black / aluminum

Versa, peach / rose gold

Versa, graphite / silver

Versa, lavender / rose gold

Charging cradle

Bracelet, white, small

Bracelet, leather, large

Bracelet, stainless steel, silver

Conclusion

As a fitness tracker and sports watch, the Fitbit Versa leaves a good impression, if not a perfect one. The music playback is actually quite practical, but since you need a cell phone for GPS anyway, it makes the function a little redundant. In addition, streaming playback is currently limited to one service and the transfer of your own music is very cumbersome. The payment function would be nice, but is not currently working.

That being said, it's a solidly crafted sports watch with some very cool surfaces. The simple changing of the bracelets allows you to adapt the watch to your own taste. As a passive activity and sleep tracker, the Fitbit Versa does a good job, supported by an excellent app on the smartphone.

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