Fit for the wrist: Fitbit Versa 2 a great watch, but not the right upgrade

The Fitbit Versa 2 is not an Apple Watch Series 5 competitor. The Watch 5 costs twice as much, has twice the features and lasts less than half as long on a single charge. Plus it has things for iPhone users — such as voice replies and phone-free access to Apple Music — that the Android-first Versa 2 is simply not allowed to. I refuse to indulge in this equivocal war on paper. Instead, here’s my take on Versa 2’s capability as a smartwatch and its value for money as an upgrade to the OG Versa. 

Design 3/5

The new Versa’s AMOLED screen is brighter and more lively than its predecessor’s LCD. But it’s stuck in the same 1.34-inch case with the same 300x300 pixel display, which is too small for me to appreciate the difference. The interface, too, is maybe deliberately simple that it hardly needs a better screen. Does it work? Yes. But despite Fitbit’s battery and fitness tracking prowess, the screen and interface are stale. 

On the upside, the Versa 2, at about 450gm, has shed a few grams (a couple of buttons, in particular) and looks slimmer. My advice on dressing it up will be to stay away from the black aluminium dial and instead opt for the copper rose dial, which looks great with green and bordeaux straps. Both Versa 1 and 2 come in 40mm and their straps are interchangeable.

In terms of comfort, if there’s one watch I can sleep with strapped to my wrist, it’s this.  

Performance 4/5

Talking about sleep, winter is here. And Fitbit is excellent at indulging lazy bones. It doesn’t go as bonkers as it does over rapid muscle movement but a detailed sleep score is good motivation. The Fitbit app interface is also great at keeping a count on steps taken, floors climbed, calories burnt and minutes spent active, and also calories and water consumed (both have to be logged manually), every day. Good stuff, but nothing that the OG Versa didn’t already do.

The new version is an always-on display. But there’s a catch. The “always-on” is not a dimmed version of your colourful analog or specs-rich digital clock face, but a dull, black-and-white display that tells time and a few other things.  Another new feature is the built-in Alexa. But she is mute. There’s a microphone for you to give her commands but there’s no speaker for poor Alexa to voice her interpretations. You will have to read them on the screen. For what it’s worth, she can hear you well even in noisy places.

Verdict 4/5

The Versa is an excellent fitness tracker, which has been tuned to last even longer — about five full days, which is a day more on paper than the Versa OG and at least eight hours more in practice. It also has a better display, a faster processor and a mute Alexa (I can’t get over it). 

The tweaks are not perfect (clearly) but they are a step forward. Which makes the Rs 14,900 Versa 1 a great buy, too. My advice: spend the extra Rs 6,000 and buy the Versa 2 if it’s your first Fitbit. It’s a better watch. Fitbit Versa 1 and lite users, hang on, this one is just not the right upgrade.