“The Fitbit Versa 3 is so comfortable and works so well that you forget you're wearing it until you need it. Best of all, it has all the fitness tracking features you could want. "
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Very convenient
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Easy to use
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Comprehensive health tracking
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Battery lasts a week
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Side key is awkward to press
I put the Fitbit Versa 3 on more than 10 days ago and pretty much forgot it was on my wrist, which means it stayed there 24 hours a day, silently tracking my movements, sleep and exercise. The way it has slipped into my everyday life testifies to its simplicity and good design, and while it isn't exactly a smartwatch, it is definitely a step above basic fitness trackers. Let's dig deeper into this excellent wearable.
design
The Versa 3 is more of a watch-like fitness tracker than a full smartwatch. My trial version has a simple black strap, made of a material that feels similar to the synthetic rubber used for Apple Watch sports bracelets, attached to the black aluminum case. It's a 40mm case and only 12mm thick, so it can be worn under a cuff without disturbing, and the weight of 42 grams makes it completely inconspicuous.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The straps are easy to remove with a single push of a button and a short or long strap is included. I stayed with the short strap that fits my 6.5 inch wrist, has a hole left over, and minimizes the amount of extra strap to stow it away. This went a long way towards making the Versa 3 so comfortable to wear. It's lightweight and doesn't get particularly hot or sweaty, and I was able to wear it overnight to keep track of sleep.
There is a single button on the side of the case that acts like a rear control, but it's not a physical button, more of a touch-sensitive panel. It's placed low on the case and awkward to find and squeeze, and I still spend a few seconds looking for it. The 1.58-inch AMOLED touchscreen has a resolution of 336 x 336 pixels and is sharp and very bright. The size is just right, it's easy to interact with, and information is clearly displayed and legible in most lighting conditions.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Fitbit gets almost everything right with the Versa 3, aside from the overall design. The basic shape and lines are conventionally not attractive and I would not wear them and flaunt them. The sleek look and color choices will put it above a fitness band for some, but since it's in no way overtly stylish, I'd rather go for the black stealth model and keep its existence under the radar.
Fitness tracking
It's hard to imagine what other features most people will need to keep track of their health and activity beyond what the Versa 3 has to offer. It has a heart rate sensor on the back, can monitor blood oxygen levels (SPo2), check skin temperature and more, plus has GPS, is swimproof and offers a variety of workout tracking modes, some with automatic detection. What it doesn't have is an electrocardiogram (EKG), which comes with the more expensive Fitbit Sense wearable.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
My selected watch face shows heart rate, steps and calories burned, that's all the data I need at a glance. There are other, more comprehensive watch faces out there as well, though I struggled to find one that I thought looked good. To see more details, either select the Today app or simply swipe up on the screen to see step count, distance traveled, floors climbed, active time and sleep values. If you choose to manually add the calorie intake, water consumption, and even core temperature, these will also be shown. Everything is clear, concise and easy to find.
Tracking workouts is similarly easy and all options are accessible through the workout app. I followed a walk with the Fitbit Versa 3 and the Apple Watch SE, both with GPS. The Versa 3 showed a total distance of 1.58 miles, 243 calories burned, and an average heart rate of 97 beats per minute. The Apple Watch SE recorded 210 total calories burned, a distance of 1.6 miles, and an average heart rate of 99 beats per minute. Both wearables showed the same GPS data, but the Versa 3 lost the signal once. The differences between them are minimal, and at all other times they have remained consistent with each other.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Compared to Apple's fitness app, the Fitbit app is far more comprehensive and offers many details for the more committed exerciser. However, it's also accessible to someone who just wants the basics. For example, the GPS maps show heart rate zones and pace where you've worked the hardest, but it's all under a different tab and not mixed up with general data.
For more detailed information, you'll need to pay for Fitbit Premium, the subscription service for $ 10 per month. For most people, however, this won't be necessary. Watch faces are another area that can be further paid, with many of the watch faces paying a small fee before you can use them.
Software and battery
I've used the Versa 3 connected to the Fitbit app on an iPhone 12 Pro, and it's also available for Android phones. I keep coming back to the fact that Fitbit is so easy to use and that continues with the software. The Versa 3's app and UI itself don't take time to learn, aren't hampered by weird UI options, and are largely reliable too. However, the Versa 3 fell over once and got stuck on the dial. It had to be placed on the charger and held down for it to restart which then fixed the problem. The connection between the Versa 3, the app and my iPhone 12 Pro was great and syncing only takes a few moments.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
However, it is not a smartwatch. While the Google Assistant will respond to my voice and do what I ask and the Versa 3 will take calls, it is terrible at providing notifications and never really feels like a connected part of my smartphone like the Apple Watch does . Notifications don't interact and even though I've played with the settings several times, it still doesn't properly warn me of all incoming messages.
There are many additional features that add value, including Fitbit Pay, Spotify online only playback and offline Deezer support, a Find My Phone notification, and some short animated “coaching” workouts to follow. Before you check out the community aspect of the Fitbit app, you can challenge friends and join groups based on a common health goal. Perhaps the best part is that all of this is optional and none of the features are endlessly pushed as something you should be doing. Again, it adds to the Fitbit's overall friendliness, and you can get involved as you wish without pressure.
The battery life is better than most smartwatches, but not as good as most fitness bands. The Versa 3 lasted seven days with all-day heart rate monitoring and overnight wear, but without the always-on screen. It takes less than an hour to charge with the included proprietary magnetic charging base.
Price and availability
The Fitbit Versa 3 is priced at $ 230 or £ 200 and is available now at Fitbit, Amazon and other retailers.
Our opinion
The Fitbit Versa 3 is perhaps one of the most comfortable fitness wearables I've ever worn on my wrist. It's a true wear-and-forget device, not just from a hardware perspective, but also from its simple and effective day and night fitness and health tracking tools. As good as that is, it works against the Versa 3 too, because the boring design won't necessarily flaunt you.
Not really noticing the Versa 3 also highlights another of its strengths: comfort. It stays reliably connected to my phone, produces helpful and easy-to-read statistics, and has useful features that I might actually want to use, including the Google Assistant and call assistance. The GPS works fine and is another feature you don't need to “think” about, it only works when you need it.
The Fitbit Versa 3 is hugely appealing, provided you can live with the faceless design, and is really one of the few wearables that you can wear around the clock without any discomfort. The friendly, comprehensive functionality contributes to its attractiveness. However, you can find almost anything the Versa 3 does for a lot less money, or get something much better looking that is a real smartwatch for not much more.
Is there a better alternative?
If you're not worried about the Fitbit Versa 3's smartwatch design but love the fitness tracking aspects including GPS, then the Fitbit Charge 4 for $ 130 would be a cheaper alternative. If you want a smartwatch more than a fitness bracelet, the Apple Watch SE is our recommendation for iPhone owners, while Android owners should take a look at either the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 or the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3.
If the prices of all of these alternatives are too high, the Honor Band 6 and Xiaomi Mi Band 6 can both be found for around $ 50 and offer many of the same features. No, the software isn't as slick as Fitbit's, but you won't mind the price.
How long it will take?
The Fitbit Versa 3 feels very durable from the strong strap to the aluminum housing and is waterproof up to 50 meters. The bracelet is easily interchangeable but uses proprietary fittings. Fitbit has regular software updates, and the latest versions have added new features that probably won't change for a while, which makes the Versa 3 great value for money if you want to use it long term. There's no reason to believe it won't take more than two years.
Should you buy one?
Yes. It's far fetched to call it a smartwatch, and the design is a bit bland, but otherwise this is a brilliant fitness tracking wearable that you'll love to wear and use every day, all day.
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