Watch Out, Apple Watch Fans: You Have Competition!
Hi all – It’s Jennifer, one of Collin’s sidekicks.
I know there are die-hard Apple fans out there, and while I admit a lot of Apple products outperform their competitors… the Fitbit Versa is LEGIT! I now have a product that is not running on an iOS system that gives the Apple Watch a run for its money and it’s A LOT cheaper!
And, good news! It can sync up with iOS, Android, and a Windows Phone. Apple Users now have a smartwatch that (in my opinion) is better and cheaper.
I’m not going to do a side by side comparison of everything the Apple Watch and Fitbit Versa can do, but I’ll just focus on my favorite features.
First of all, the battery life on an Apple Watch is around 18 hours. If you want to track your sleep, this becomes a problem unless you decide to charge your watch during the day – but then you want to use it during the day.
The Fitbit Versa has a battery life of a whopping FIVE days! YES! Five days – and mine has never been less than a full five days before I need to charge it. There are several benefits to this, including sleep tracking and not having to stop and charge your watch.
And GET THIS, I left town on Wednesday and returned Sunday, and I still didn’t have to charge my Versa until Monday. That means you can take vacations without bringing a charger, which is nice when you have to bring all sorts of chargers for your phone, tablets, and other devices already. I should also mention it only takes one hour to fully charge my Versa, whereas an Apple Watch takes 2.5 hours to fully charge.
I can check the weather with a tap. And, not just the daily, I can check a detailed 10-day forecast. Yes, I know you can check the weather on an Apple Watch, but I wanted to make sure you knew the Versa had this fun feature as well.
With the Versa, I can track my periods, cramps, and other symptoms. The female health-tracking feature is already on the watch. It helps predict your next fertile window based on the data you enter. While you can’t log the information directly on the watch, you can see your information directly from your wrist. The Apple Watch has third-party period-tracking apps you can get as well, but they’re not part of the original interface.
I like that I can walk away from my phone, but I still receive notifications. If I’m out working in the garden, my Versa buzzes on my wrist when someone is calling, and I can see who it is. This helps me remember to call them back or to grab my phone. The Apple Watch has this same feature, and it works essentially the same.
The Versa has workout routines/plans. It shows you the moves right on your wrist – and you can initiate a guided training session right in your living room. Fitbit’s reminders are also more focused on motivating regular movement (for example, by requiring 250 steps an hour to “win”). This focus is not part of the Apple Watch.
Fitbit consolidates all your fitness data into its main phone app, making it much easier to interpret. The Apple Watch splits your fitness data across 3 apps: the Watch app, the Activity app, and the Health app on the iPhone.
Both the Versa and Apple Watch have a lot of the same cool features. They’re both waterproof, show notifications, track fitness, heart rate, play music, track steps, and more. But did I mention battery life? It’s worth mentioning again – Versa’s battery life is 667% longer than the Apple Watch. And, as you can see, I love the clock faces, too!
Want the best price on a Versa?
Fitbit Versa’s are the same as Apple Watches in the fact that they don’t go on sale. I’ve found the best way to buy the Versa is from Kohl’s when they’re offering Kohl’s Cash. You pay $199 out-of-pocket and earn $40 Kohl’s Cash. This is free money you can use in about a week’s time on other things you need at Kohl’s.
Otherwise, if you shop anywhere else, you pay the $199 and get nothing in return – Still, at less than 50% of the cost of an Apple watch, you’ve still got a great watch!
Note: I’m not being paid by the Fitbit company for this post. I just love this watch and wanted to share my experience with you.❤
I love my FitBit Iconic. I would have gotten the Versa, but I wanted GPS tracking for my running. I’ve had great experience with their customer service.
since you’re a runner do you use Strava? And if so does the Iconic link with strava? In the market for a new gps tracker for my husband for running and biking. He had a garmin previously but his dog decided it was a good snack!
I just got the versa a couple of weeks ago. I found an app that you can load frequently used cards to your watch. I have my library and Kroger card on it and just have to scan my watch, not dig through my wallet!!!!
I was going to buy this watch after this review.
I had $25 in kohl’s cash. And today only you got $15 for every $50. I upgraded and got the fitbit versa special edition for $228. I got $60 in kohl’s cash!
Beth, what is the app you found to add your cards? Thank
Great article!!!
Watchface is called “toriwatch” under “digital” faces!!! So CUTE!!!
We just purchased the versa today! I already love it!!! Also, we used the kohls card and that gave us 10% more kohl’s cash- a total of $55 valid starting tomorrow. WOOT WOOT! Happy Birthday to me 🙂
Since it doesn’t have GPS it is probably more equal to the Apple Watch series 1 that is about the same price as this fit bit. The battery life is impressive- but I still love my Apple Watch. I love being able to answer calls or respond to texts with my watch or read emails. I’m assuming the versa may not have that feature??
Do u have to apple phone to use the watch
I have had Fitbit brand trackers and loved them…I was so excited to get the Versa..until about 2 months using it it froze up and had a to. Of problems and I didn’t even fiddle with all of its options..was too busy to get into all of it lol..so contacted Fitbit (since I purchased directly from them) and I had to prove that it was a lemon by making a quick video showing it not functioning…FINALLY they mailed me a new one when I mailed it back..I started to get excited again..maybe I just got the bad one..lol wouldn’t u know at about the same time the other one zonked out on me the same thing!! I was like are you kidding me?? Contacted them and after this long to do..I just wanted my money back…they said sorry it’s right u dear the purchasing time..blah blah..they finally sent me just a new face…and I haven’t even done anything with it yet…just wanted to let you all know….they have had problems with this model so just be cautious..we all work hard for,our money..and expect products to work when we pay for them 😉
I actually got mine back Friday at Kohls $149.99 $45 Kohls cash!
Love that I can instantly see my heart rate, analyze my sleep, the only disappointment is I’m a runner and have to carry my phone for GPS.
I love mine so much! Every day I have it, I love it even more. So glad you scored that awesome deal, Mary A!
I am debating between a versa and charge 3. The only reason I’m considering a charge 3 is because it has real time stop and start automatically while running. Example, if your running outside and come to a stop light, the watch will automatically pause your run then start up again once you do.
Any thoughts comparing these too? Would love a comparison review on the vers and charge three.
Ugh stop posting about this repeatedly. I love this site but I’m so sick of this!
They are different devices completely
Hi,
The device color in your pics looks more golden than pink. That’s what I was looking for. But in most of the sites I’ve read that it’s more of a pinkish tone. Is it your lighting or does the device is of a golden tone?
Thanks
Hi there! It looks like you can sometimes find them in a rose color or a peach. Hoping that helps!
I need something to monitor heart. Which is preferable in that?
What do you think about the versa lite. I don’t need to store music so I was curious about saving the money.