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  • - [Michael] Even after wearing it for two weeks,

  • half the time, I forget the Fitbit Versa is on my wrist.

  • It's the lightest, least obtrusive fitness tracker

  • I've ever worn.

  • Yes, it's got a duller design than last year's

  • Fitbit Ionic, but it's also a much better smartwatch

  • than that one was at release,

  • at a much lower price too.

  • I'm Mr. Mobile, and this is the Fitbit Versa Review.

  • (upbeat music)

  • The Versa is one of those products you really need

  • to use to understand.

  • Seeing it on the screen, it's natural to draw

  • comparisons to the Apple Watch.

  • Or maybe to the old Pebble Time, put out by the company

  • Fitbit acquired in 2016.

  • Not being a fan of square watches or big bezels, I didn't

  • find a lot to like in the Versa when I saw the announcement.

  • But, when I slapped it on, the featherweight build

  • made me forget all about the casing design.

  • And the mostly black interface distracted me from

  • the big picture frame here.

  • The display is small, but it's great.

  • It's vibrant and plenty bright for outdoor use.

  • And while it is a touchscreen, you also have

  • the option of using the side keys to control some of the UI.

  • You can also assign long press shortcuts to some functions,

  • which is very handy.

  • If you're used to watches from Apple or Google,

  • the feature you'll probably most appreciate

  • is the endurance.

  • Instead of charging every night, I was able to

  • get through a solid four days wearing the Versa,

  • and once up to six days when I turned off notifications

  • and just used it as a fitness tracker.

  • That means you can keep it on your wrist most nights,

  • and the Versa will track your sleep quality using

  • an always on pulse monitor and accelerometer.

  • I like learning about my sleep patterns with the feature.

  • It's easy to forget that health isn't just a step count.

  • Oh, in the same vein, this spring both the Versa, and

  • Ionic will get updated with female health tracking features.

  • When you do need to charge it, the cradle is a little bulky,

  • but at least it's straightforward.

  • Squeeze to charge, squeeze to stop charging.

  • (upbeat music)

  • Despite the broader take on health that devices like this

  • are encouraging, most folks still think of exercise

  • when they see a Fitbit.

  • To test out those features, I went to my least

  • favorite place in the whole planet, the gym.

  • Fire up AOL Instant Messenger, I mean the exercise hub,

  • and you'll get customized tracking for things like

  • running on treadmills, or ellipticals,

  • or my favorite, weight lifting.

  • To see more of Michael, fish out of water,

  • please subscribe to the Mr. Mobile on YouTube.

  • Okay, in all seriousness, the exercise modes work

  • pretty well for tallying things like calorie burn,

  • and so on, and there are 20 custom workout profiles

  • in the app if you're less of a runner, and more

  • of a spinner, or martial artist.

  • I was dismayed not to see kayaking though.

  • When you're not in the gym you can get a quick snapshot

  • of your current activity level by swiping up

  • from the bottom of the screen.

  • Or you can swipe down from the top to see the most

  • recent notifications passed on from your phone.

  • Step counts over my two weeks with the Versa

  • have agreed with other devices on my person,

  • though the Versa does like to give you a lot of

  • bonus steps that you haven't really earned.

  • I get constant pats on the back for sitting

  • at my desk, typing, which I don't think is intended.

  • For folks who need a different type of motivation,

  • Fitbit labs has some experimental apps like

  • Treasure Trek, which turns walking into a

  • pirate style treasure hunt.

  • Fitbit says apps like this get some users

  • to log about 50% more steps per day.

  • Get further from fitness and the Versa stumbles a bit

  • as a smartwatch.

  • The software is still fairly bland in design

  • and more sluggish than pretty much all

  • of the competition.

  • There's also this annoying bug where you'll get

  • multiple vibrations for the same alert if you

  • haven't checked old notifications when

  • a new one comes in.

  • Tough to describe, but basically it just means

  • your wrist is buzzing a lot more often than

  • it should be.

  • And while there are plenty of watch faces available,

  • there are very few third party apps.

  • (upbeat music)

  • Those things come with time, though.

  • After years of designing devices with a pure

  • exercise focus, the Versa is only Fitbit's second

  • real stab at a smartwatch.

  • And the pace of improvement from the Ionic release,

  • less than a year ago, has been impressive.

  • The Android Quick Reply feature is coming soon,

  • so you'll be able to respond to messages from your wrist.

  • This and many of the Versa's features will be back ported

  • to the Ionic.

  • Given that fact, and the Ionic's other advantages

  • for fitness tracking, like standalone GPS,

  • you shouldn't feel the need to buy the Versa

  • if you already own the earlier device.

  • But, if you're looking for your first wearable,

  • and you want something that splits the difference

  • between fitness tracker and smartwatch, yeah, the Versa

  • is a very good option.

  • That's especially true if your daily driver is an iPhone.

  • As an alternative to the Apple Watch, the Fitbit

  • is less expensive and a bit less complex,

  • with substantially better battery life.

  • Over on the Android side, the question is a tougher one.

  • Officially Fitbit only supports a handful of devices.

  • Most of them, laughably old.

  • It's brought us compatibility as with Samsung phones,

  • which is weird because Samsung already sells

  • a compelling suite of fitness wearables in its Gear line.

  • So, yeah, lots of room for improvement on the Android

  • side of things.

  • (upbeat music)

  • The Fitbit Versa goes on sale April 16, and comes in

  • three colors for $199.

  • That's for the version I reviewed.

  • Toss in an extra 30 bones and you can pick up

  • the Special Edition graphite or rose gold editions

  • with custom watch bands, like my leather and metal ones

  • running you 50 bucks a piece.

  • And be prepared for some frustration when dealing

  • with those fiddly release switches.

  • I think those prices are fair.

  • Despite it's rough patches, the Versa is a

  • much stronger product than I might have expected

  • as a sophomore effort.

  • And it's my new, go-to recommendation for those

  • in search of an Apple Watch alternative.

  • (upbeat music)

  • This video was brought to you by Thrifter.

  • Thrifter is a new way to save money on everything

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  • Check out the latest deals at Thrifter.com, and

  • tell 'em Mr. Mobile sent you.

  • (upbeat music)

  • Folks, if you want more wearables, check out my recent

  • reviews of the Motiv smart ring, and Movado Connect,

  • and let me know what you think of Fitbit's latest efforts,

  • the Versa and Ionic, in the comments below.

  • Until next time, thanks for watching,

  • and stay mobile my friends.

  • (upbeat music)

- [Michael] Even after wearing it for two weeks,

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