Fitbit Versa 2

9 Reviews for Fitbit Versa 2

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Caz – September 15, 2019

   The Versa 2 brings some modest improvements to the original, both inside and out. Here are some highlights:The screen is now AMOLED, yielding brighter colors and deeper blacks.The glass cover no longer has a bezel, giving it a smooth, low profile and premium look.The optical sensor on the bottom is bigger and doesn’t protrude from the case, making it more comfortable on the wrist.The music and exercise buttons are gone. A mic to command Amazon Alexa is in their place. She can do things like set timers, alarms, reply to texts, give you the weather forecast as well as a FEW other useful things.The processor is faster. Apps load faster and the touch screen is more responsive.Always on display is now supported.Screen brightness is now always adaptive, though you can preset the base brightness.There is a new sleep mode which turns off autowake and notifications during during selected times so your watch doesn’t bother you while you sleep. Do not disturb mode will silence calls and notifications during exercise as well.You can control the Spotify app on your phone from your watch.Fitbit pay is now standard on all Versa 2 editions.*The battery is rated for 5+ days. I’ve been getting a solid 6.5 with always connected, all day sync, 24 hour HR, and at least 3 hours of running.That being said, the Versa 2 isn’t perfect. Fitbit OS is still feature lite, the app store is still rather small and there is still a dearth of useful clock faces. I’d still like to see a screen lock feature, a stride per minute counter and music controls in the exercise app, and a bunch of small. QoL improvements.If you’re like me and mostly want an excellent fitness tracker with a handful of productivity features sprinkled on top, then the Versa 2 is for you, especially if you want a battery life long enough to make use of any of those things. If you care less about fitness and more about controlling your phone from your wrist, then you might want to look at a Galaxy Watch or a Fossil Gen 5, especially if you don’t plan on tracking sleep, as you’ll need to recharge both at the end of the day. If you have an iPhone I don’t know why you’re reading this.

2. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   babsen – September 16, 2019

   Imagine buying a smart watch that claims to have Spotify integration, and then Spotify just doesn’t work. Right out of the box, one of the main features just gives you an error message each time you try to access it. And though you never get it working, it turns out that it doesn’t actually have Spotify integration. You can just use your watch as a controller for Spotify on your phone. Which your earbuds already probably do.Now that I’ve spent some actual time using the Versa 2 to assist in my workouts, I’m going to deduct another star (previously I rated this a 2 star watch). During exercise the Versa 2 will frequently pause the music I’m listening to for some reason. The screen will be off and I’ll be using the “Weights” exercise option, and maybe every 10 minutes or so the song I’m listening to will cut off mid set. So I finish and look at my Versa 2. Everything seems fine. It’s still connected to the earbuds, it’s still tracking my heart rate and time, but when I navigate to the music section, the song is paused.Sometimes during a workout, the Versa 2 will just restart. This has happened to me twice (Versa 2 had a near full battery since I charged it before heading to the gym). Basically I’ll be exercising and my music will cut off, and I’ll think I just need to hit the play button again, but when I look at the watch I just see the Fitbit logo. A few seconds pass, and then it starts back up. I have to reconnect my earbuds, my workout was cancelled so I had to start a new one.The more I use this watch, the more I dislike it.Welcome to the Versa 2.

3. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Honest Reviewer – September 16, 2019

   Pros:__________• It’s very comfortable. When you wear the Versa 2, the weight is balanced enough that it doesn’t bring any discomfort, and light enough to sometimes forget you have it on.• The design is almost identical to an Apple Watch. With square rounded corners, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference if you had both of them side by side.• I had no discomfort wearing this Fitbit when I slept and had no itchy feeling around my skin when I woke up. Overall, you can wear this all day without any issues.• The screen has great contrast, vivid colors, and has excellent brightness. On a clear sunny day, I put this display to the test and it passed with flying color. Outstanding outdoor viewability.• The Alexa feature does work. I did like the fact that with you can speak to this watch as if it was a smartphone, and Alexa will answer to you (in text). Weather report, nearby stores, and overall a quick way to get an answer (More details later on).• Fitbit is pushing this Versa 2 into the world of smartwatches, as you’re able to control any of your smart home devices with this watch. I only have some smart light bulbs, so my testing was turning them on and off with this Fitbit. Please to say that it worked flawlessly.• I felt the sleep scoring system was pretty accurate. I tested it for almost a week and the graph displaying for my sleep fit my experience. Fitbit always does a great job providing your data in a visually appealing look on the app and in desktop form.• The alarm feature is very useful. When the Versa 2 is tracking your sleep, it will find the best time to wake you up before you “actually” have to wake up. Everyone has a different sleep cycle (light and deep sleepers) so you may expect a different outcome. Usually, it’s within the 30-minute time frame before your alarm is set.• The other fitness programs in the Fitbit (activity trackers, heart rate, distance travel, calories burned, and so forth) are all decently accurate and effective. This technology isn’t new, but Fitbit does make fitness trackers that are consumer-friendly. You’ll be surprised how complex some tracker out there are. If you had the previous Versa, you should expect the same layout.• Some features like the Relax app (guides you through breathing exercises), movement reminders (lets you know when you been sitting for too long) and step counts all stimulated me to be more active. It’s hard to explain but when you see your progress on a graph, or even a number, you feel compelled to keep growing it. Because of Fitbit’s friendly visual graphs, you don’t have to write anything and overall it brings a form of motivation to keep increasing your numbers.• Numerous exercise modes, training guides, and even 10-minute training cycles. Like I mention before, if you need something to motivate you to work out, this will be it.• One of the best features in the Always-On-Display. I’m a huge fan of this because you’re not wearing the watch every second of your life. It’s nice to see that you can leave it on a table and the display will still viewable, like any other watch.• Third-party apps like Uber are available for this watch. I don’t use Uber, but it’s good to know that third-party app companies are putting their foot in Fitbit.• Going for a jog, the watch vibrates when I get a notification, which is just a text for me. It’s also pretty straight forward in deciding what you want to be notified about.• Yes, you can swim with it. Haven’t tested this out though.• Battery life is good, compared to the other smartwatches out there. Around 3 days of use before I need to charge it. Maybe 2 if I’m using it a lot, and the Always-On-Display is on max brightness.Cons and Oks:__________• There is a connectivity issue that I’m dealing with my Versa. It would disconnect from my phone and would take numerous times in trying to reconnect it. I have no idea why it’s doing this but I’ve noticed past reviews online addressing the same issue. It has to be a software problem because others are not getting this issue as well. Be on the lookout.• Another issue with the connectivity is you won’t know if there is no connection until you physically look at the display. This is a huge issue if you have notifications, texts, and updates coming from your phone to this watch. If the watch is disconnected, and your phone is not with you, you may miss some important stuff.• On the display, I felt Fitbit’s main icons are very unclear. What I liked about Android and Apple is that even if you never used there OS, you can tell where to go with the icons they provide you. The icons that Fitbit provide are very unclear and if you don’t use this device often you’re going to be lost in there OS.• You’re paying decent money for the device but Fitbit restricts a lot of it as they want you to sign up for their monthly “Premium” services. This monthly Fitbit service offers a great deal of programs, but if you don’t want to pay a monthly payment then you’re stuck with the “basic” software of the watch.• No idea why Fitbit did this but you can’t stream Spotify on this watch unless you have premium Spotify subscription. Not only that but you can’t even allow playback from this device to your speakers, phone, etc. I hope they fix this as it seems you need to pay more to use the watch fully.• Alexa provides the basics of communication but other than that I found it useless. The voice recognition lacks useful search results and since there are no built-in speakers, you’ll never get any audio notifications and hear Alexa’s answers. Middle of a workout, you will have to stop and look at the text that Alexa provides.• To even use Alexa, you need to install Amazon’s Alexa’s app on the phone and have an account with it.• No integration with Apple Health and Google fit. You have to stick with Fitbit all the way.• No GPS. You need to connect it to your phone to all GPS tracking. Without it, this creates a reduction in accuracy when you run. I didn’t find it to be that much off, but it’s enough that I think you should know.• Has some thick bezels around the screen.• If you want to change the strap, expect a fight. Fitbit locks the brands pretty solid, so taking them out ain’t going to be fun.• I wish that you can customize the Always-on-display because currently, it’s a very simple layout. Not customizable to your choosing.• Currently I can’t respond to text messages with this watch with my iPhone, but you can use this feature on an Android.• I notice that Fitbit doesn’t have a payment system of their own. When you want to buy an app, you’re going to paying directly to the developer, where they can use any payment system they want. So far this isn’t an issue but it’s something to note in the long run due to security reasons.• You can’t even store your favorite apps for quick access.• Up 300 songs you can store on the desktop Fitbit app, but you have to transfer them over WIFI. No wire transfer and depending on your WIFI speed, it will take some time.• When you get a notification, or ask Alexa a question, you’re going to get a one-sentence answer. Numerous times I found this frustrating because you’re not getting any context to help you, and it just leads you to want more.• Your phone needs to be with you to fully use this watch. The Versa is an accessory to your phone.Bottom Line:__________It’s not a smartwatch for your phone. You have to get on board with this idea before you buy this watch. The point of Fitbit is to have a digital fitness book on you at all times. With the Versa 2, It’s a fitness book that does all the writing, tracking, and you’re only requirement is to workout. This is what Fitbit does a great job in. It provides you as much detail as you need on exercises, your workout routines, and your health. I felt the need to check on my stats every day as it’s one of the few devices that can visually show you that you’re improving. A light device, excellent display, and a great motivation tool.But you need to put it in your head, it’s not a smartwatch. The Apple Watch is a smartwatch. The Galaxy Watch is a smartwatch, and this isn’t. Unlike other smartwatches, once you buy this, you still need to pay more to have the full experience. Fitbit premium “monthly” services provide a great deal of data and programs to help you out, but you need to pay for it. Even with the payment you still need to have your phone around as Alexa currently isn’t useful enough other than asking for the weather. With no built-in GPS tracking, limited text/notification updates, and Spotify restriction, you can see why this isn’t in the same category with Apple and Samsung.This is a fitness tool to help you keep your body in shape. Fitbit does a great job in that, but if you’re looking for a smartwatch then go over to Apple and Samsung. Those are smartwatches, this isn’t.Overall: A virtual fitness book that is a must-have for those who want to get in shape but has too many issues to be called a real smartwatch.Hope I was a help to you.Love,Honest Reviewer

4. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   MC – September 16, 2019

   I have used Fitbits for many years – all the way back to the days of the first Fitbit Flex. I have upgraded over the years to the Charge, the Charge HR, Charge 2, and now the Versa I and finally the II.LOOKSFitbit Versa 2 is significantly better looking than the Fitbit Versa 1. The screen has less bezel, and doesn’t have that ugly Fitbit logo at the bottom. Even if the screen size isn’t a massive increase, it feels as if it is because of the rounded glass. This gives it a much more premium feel. The screen is also now a AMOLED display which means it will provide an ample amount of brightness and great sharp colours in the great outdoors (compared to the LED model of Versa 1).BUTTONSIf you were a fan of the three button system the old Versa has, then look away. Now you have to rely more on the swipes and taps on the bigger screen to navigate. I rather like this more polished look as it becomes sleeker in my view but not everyone may have this opinion.OSThe OS has some new tweaks like a dashboard which enables you to set night mode, do not disturb, brightness and whether you have a screen that wakes on movement or manually. This is quick useful as in the past it took a few more taps and was more clumsy of a process. Overall i have found over the years the Fitbit sleep tracking and exercise tracking to be fun to use and best in class compared to other trackers. The new sleep score system puts all the information together to give you a singular number to compare you sleep on a daily basis.SPEEDThe Fitbit Versa 2 is much snappier thanks to the upgraded internals. Whilst scrolling through, you can tell the touch response to the screen is much quicker than the prior generation.COMPATIBILITYThe Fitbit Versa 2 has a new charger hub, which means you can’t use the old Versa 1 charging cable. Fitbit loves making new products that aren’t compatible with old chargers. Whilst this is disappointing, at least the Versa 1 straps are backward compatible with Versa 2. So at least you have that. The watch faces are also compatible vs the older Versa, so there is already a massive existing library for you to customise your experience.NEW FEATURESThere aren’t really that many new features compared to the Fitbit Versa 1. The main addition worth mentioning is really just Alexa capabilities. Unfortunately i found out that you need to keep the Fitbit app open in the background. It seems to have no problem picking up what I am saying. I have found Alexa to be a bit of a gimmick as the connection is not always reliable. It often tells me that there is no internet connection or the app isn’t open and therefore Alexa doesn’t work.BATTERY LIFEAccording to the specifications the battery life is supposed to last 5 days. This is 1 more than the old model. After a year with the old Versa, it seemed to decrease in battery life, but this is expected with older devices. I will update in this review once I can put it to the full test. However, Fitbit over the years has lived up to the specifications on every device i have owned (except of course if it is defective). I would expect it to last the full 5 days as advertised. This is far longer than many of Fitbits competitors out there.SHOULD YOU GET IT?If you already own a Versa, and it still works fine, then no – probably not. But if you have a defective or bashed up old on, then you might consider the upgrade. I think given the unreliability of Alexa and connectivity being required to access these smart features, it loses 2 stars for me. However, this is hopefully a software update away from being far far better. I will update this review should anything change.If you are a newbie to Fitbit, then I do think this is a good starter to get into the Smartwatch/fitness watch game. It is less smart than some of the competitors out there like Apple Watch and even the Garmins, but it does what it says on the tin, is reliable and at the end of the day a household name ecosystem that many of your friends will be part of.UPDATE: After 6 days of using, the battery is still at 32%. Fitbit has outdone themselves with the battery life. The connectivity problems with Alexa are still intermittent, but i have found it to be slightly more reliable than when i started. I also found the resting heart rate sensor to be quite different from the Versa 1. I will continue to monitor, as it hasn’t changed as much as it usually does in a 1 week period with my Versa 1.

5. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Deadcow – September 16, 2019

   This arrived Monday. After a tortuous setup process that took, in the end, nearly three hours, multiple phone resets, multiple watch resets and multiple un/reinstalls of the Fitbit app, I finally managed to get this thing working.Tuesday morning the notifications stopped working. I had to delete and reinstall the app to get them working again. Tuesday afternoon, the notifications stopped working; same process. Wednesday morning the notifications stopped working. And on Wednesday afternoon. And Thursday morning. And on Thursday afternoon. However, on Thursday afternoon I factory reset the watch, deleted the app, and sent the thing back to Amazon.The worst experience I’ve ever had with a tech product by far. No help from Fitbit support either. It’s a shame because I think their fitness tracking software is exceptional. Everything else is terrible though.

6. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Jeffrey and Sandra – September 17, 2019

    An update: my Sister got a new Fitbit versa for me again and I wore both Apple Watch and Fitbit Watch. The step count was very different. Almost 3 thousand more steps with the Fitbit. It counted extra 800 steps while I was in the resting position. Ones again I contacted the Fitbit asking them why this has happened, they told me Apple and other devices count steps differently. 2856 step difference is huge though.My wife just got her Fitbit Versa 2 yesterday and went swimming with it as it today. The watch initially worked for a few minutes while using the swimming app. After 20 minutes she came out and the watch was totally off. We tried to charge it everything but it seams that it got water fried. It’s supposed to be water resistant up to 50 meters! The pink band was bought separately. Original was purple. Had exactly same problem with last generation Versa. And from googling it seams that we are not alone with this problem. I returned my watch and asked Fitbit if they would give a discount if I buy a new watch they said they will not. Well I guess I’ll just save up extra and get an Apple Watch. Will definitely send all the videos I had made to the bloggers so others won’t make the same mistake.

7. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Jeffrey and Sandra – September 17, 2019

    Another update before I return my watch for the second time: it’s 5:36am and my watch says that I slept 8 hours. I’ll upload the imagine. I went to bed at 11:15 and woke up at 5 am. I can’t believe how off the sleeping app is today.An update: my Sister got a new Fitbit versa for me again and I wore both Apple Watch and Fitbit Watch. The step count was very different. Almost 3 thousand more steps with the Fitbit. It counted extra 800 steps while I was in the resting position. Ones again I contacted the Fitbit asking them why this has happened, they told me Apple and other devices count steps differently. 2856 step difference is huge though.My wife just got her Fitbit Versa 2 yesterday and went swimming with it as it today. The watch initially worked for a few minutes while using the swimming app. After 20 minutes she came out and the watch was totally off. We tried to charge it everything but it seams that it got water fried. It’s supposed to be water resistant up to 50 meters! The pink band was bought separately. Original was purple. Had exactly same problem with last generation Versa. And from googling it seams that we are not alone with this problem. I returned my watch and asked Fitbit if they would give a discount if I buy a new watch they said they will not. Well I guess I’ll just save up extra and get an Apple Watch. Will definitely send all the videos I had made to the bloggers so others won’t make the same mistake.

8. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Jimmy Nothing – September 17, 2019

   Pre-ordered this and delivery was on time.In the box you get the watch, charger, and some straps. There’s also an instruction pamphlet, but it’s pretty basic. To get started properly you need to download the Fitbit app, after which the app will take you through the installation process. Be warned that there will most likely be a firmware update to go through first, so you need to have the Fitbit on charge.So the charging cable is a custom USB cable purely for the Fitbit. An industry standard cable would have been better – just one less cable to manage.The watch is easy to use. I suggest buying a custom clock face (you can do this via the app. The custom clock faces provide a lot more info). There’s a lot of customisation you can do. I have the display set to off, and the watch will switch on the display if you make the action with your wrist to look at the watch (not 100% perfect though).Battery life looks to be very good. I’ve used the watch extensively for a 24 hour period so far, and the battery is at 84%.Edit: the battery life is awesome. I charge it once a week, even then I reckon I could get a couple more days out of the existing charge.The biggest negative for me is that the watch can sense when your exercising and start to log the activity. Only problem is that is works for some exercise types only e.g. it didn’t work for when I did weight training. You do have the option to manually add the activity, or start it via the watch, but given the price of this watch it should log automatically.The other issue I found is with the app. Some clock faces require an activation code. This can only be done via clock face settings in the app, which isn’t yet supported for the Versa 2. Edit: this is now fixed.Another issue I found with the app is that it doesn’t log a walk properly when using GPS. I stress this is an issue with the app and not watch. What happens is the app starts to log, and then at some random point stops logging using GPS, but still provides the correct statistics, only that according to the GPS part of the stats the walk ended long before it did.I’ll update this review as I delve more into the features of this watch.Edit: The watch records your sleeping heart rate, but Fitbit charge a premium for you to see YOUR data. Not impressed. That’s one star knocked off

9. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Jessica L – September 24, 2019

   It states you can download music onto watch and play from watch, however doesn’t mention the additional £9.99 month for the app to do this. Also to track the sleep mode to track sleep disorders isn’t in UK yet but will charge for this service when it is. I have had FitBits for some years now but will be moving to another watch.