Fitbit just announced two new devices. First, there’s the Fitbit Versa, a $199 smartwatch that can do almost everything that the Ionic, Fitbit’s $299 smartwatch that was released this past October, can do. The other new device is the Fitbit Ace, a fitness tracker that’s designed to inspire kids to stay active.
Fitbit Versa
At $199, the Fitbit Versa is probably a better value proposition for most people than the Ionic (which is only $30 less expensive than the hugely popular Apple Watch Series 3). The Versa is extremely slim and, according to Fitbit, it’s the company’s lightest metal smartwatch in the U.S. market. It promises to track workouts, sleep and overall health; its smartwatch features include displaying notifications, accessing a range of unique apps and, if you have an Android device, allowing you to quickly reply to text messages. Maybe its best feature is its four-day battery life, which is huge. It also looks like a slimmed-down Apple Watch, which most people will like.
As far as music goes, Fitbit partnered with Deezer and Pandora; if you’re a premium subscriber to either of those music services, you can download playlists (up to 300 songs) directly to the watch and listen to them without your phone nearby. The Versa doesn’t allow you to download songs from Apple Music or Spotify, but it does have enough internal storage to store mp3 files (so you can upload songs directly from an iTunes library, for example, and save them to the smartwatch).
The big tradeoff with the Versa is that, unlike the more expensive Fitbit Ionic and Apple Watch Series 3, among other more serious fitness trackers, it doesn’t have built-in GPS. This means it’s not going to be as accurate at tracking distances and speed for runs, cycling, hiking, swimming or whatever activity you’re doing. This is probably going to be turn off for serious athletes, but it’s worth noting that will use your smartphone’s GPS to track your location when it’s nearby.
Fitbit is also targeting women with the Versa. The smartwatch has a new female health tracking feature that’s designed to help women track “their period, estimated fertile window and overall health and wellness.” This health tracking feature will also be available for women who use the Fitbit Ionic or Fitbit app this spring.
