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Fitbit Versa has nothing on Apple Watch

I

iFan83

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 12, 2017
104
82
I've been curious lately about these smartwatches and fitness trackers and that lead me to read and watch reviews on the new Fitbit Versa vs Apple Watch. Every review seemed to claim the Fitbit Versa as the better fitness tracker and Apple Watch as the better smartwatch, so I bought the Versa since I'm fitness first... I had it for a week and a half before I returned it for the Apple Watch, I can say the Versa isn't in the same league as the Apple Watch for either fitness tracking, health or smartwatch.

Issues with the Versa

1) The screen doesn't turn on when flicking the wrist, about half the time it will turn on, it gets frustrating over the day! You flick the wrist and the screen doesn't turn on, you flick it again and nothing, so I tap the screen and still doesn't turn on, finally hit the power button to wake it up. Apple Watch Screen turns on naturally and every time without an issue!

2) Fitness and health tracking... this was a big let down as Fitbit heart rate sensor just isn't accurate when your up and moving, out for a walk or at the gym, when at rest its good. With all the heart rate data Fitbit collects it really does nothing with it!! doesn't give you any feedback of the data it's collecting. Also.... I can't believe you cant pair a Bluetooth chest strap to the Fitbit, I don't understand how these youtube and tech reviewers rate it as the better fitness tracker, it's honestly not even close to the Apple Watch.

When I bought the Apple Watch I immediately bought the app bundle that includes HeartWatch and AutoSleep, I'm impressed by the data it tracks and provides you with, since wearing the Apple Watch, I get alerts from HeartWatch saying my heart rate is too low while sleeping (42ish BPM) this is great feedback, again Fitbit doesn't offer any feedback or alerts. I will say, Fitbit sleep tracking is outstanding! and I feel it's the best out there, I do like how HeartWatch gives me more info about my heart rate and has an easy way to view how long it was in the low range, resting and high and shows you the exact times over the night and day. Plus, I can pair my Polar HR to the Apple Watch for the most accurate data when working out. Heart Watch workout app is pretty decent, I like how it'll collect my recovering heart rate after a work, plus my waking heart rate. Fitness and health tracking on the Apple watch is way better, it's really not close.

3) Comfort! Fitbit just didn't feel comfortable to wear over the day, the strap made my wrist sweat a lot and it either felt too tight or too loose as it would move around more. Apple Watch strap is comfy and has a much better fit and feel, doesn't seem to trap heat as much as the Fitbit did. With the Apple Watch I put it on and I basically forget it's there.

4) Smartwatch features! I'm digging the smartwatch features much more than I thought I would, Apple Pay is just amazing on the watch! I no longer pull out my visa card, I just use apple pay on the watch. Other things like unlocking my front door with my watch over my cell phone feels more natural. Although, Fitbit gives me good notifications with text and who called me, but to be able to set my Apple watch to give me notifications of my work only email is incredible!. I don't text on my watch as that's weird, I'll pull out my phone, same with replying to emails but to see who it is and how important it is very handy.

If your thinking of buying one of these two watches don't listen to the reviewers on Youtube, pay the extra and just buy the Apple Watch it's a MUCH better fitness and health tracker than the Fitbit and blows it away on the smart features, it's honestly worth the extra cost over the Versa.
 
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I use to use Fitbit but their quality control and customer service is in the toilet. Their hardware is cheaper but the Versa was released before it was ready and they still have lots of bugs. My neighbor bought one and had to take it back because it would not charge. The guy at Best Buy says lots have been returned. My neighbor got his exchanged but the next day went swimming in a kiddie pool with his kids and the watch stopped working with in a few minutes. He said it started to constantly vibrate and looked at the screen and half was black. It shut down, never to wake again.
 
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The ONLY drawback that AW has when comparing against Fitbit, (or Garmin or Suunto, for that matter) is the lack of an actual web based site where one can pull all of the data together and compare in one place. I'm coming from Garmin and Suunto, and trust me, THAT'S CONVENIENT! Other than that, the metrics are very close, especially when one adds a few apps, like Work Outdoors for the outside activities.
 
oeagleo said:
The ONLY drawback that AW has when comparing against Fitbit, (or Garmin or Suunto, for that matter) is the lack of an actual web based site where one can pull all of the data together and compare in one place. I'm coming from Garmin and Suunto, and trust me, THAT'S CONVENIENT! Other than that, the metrics are very close, especially when one adds a few apps, like Work Outdoors for the outside activities.
Click to expand...

And the battery life. That is the only thing I miss. One charge would last me 5 days but also is technically not a smart watch so it doesn’t require much power at all.
 
oeagleo said:
The ONLY drawback that AW has when comparing against Fitbit, (or Garmin or Suunto, for that matter) is the lack of an actual web based site where one can pull all of the data together and compare in one place.
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t go quite that far. A high end Garmin or other device dedicated to a particular activity (running, for me) definitely offers quite a few things an AW does not. But, the AW does more than enough for all but really serious competitors.
 
Freakonomics101 said:
And the battery life. That is the only thing I miss. One charge would last me 5 days but also is technically not a smart watch so it doesn’t require much power at all.
Click to expand...

I would love a longer lasting battery! But TBH it hasn’t been an issue for me, I wear my watch all the time, including to bed. I charge it once a day well I jump in the shower and shave and it’s back up to 95-100% and I’m good till the next day. At the end of the day I’m usually at 55%

Also, another thing I forgot to mention is I love how the Apple Watch heart rate monitor is picky about placement on the wrist, I can low on my wrist and get accurate measurements, with the Fitbit Versa it needs to be 1 to 2 finger widths back from the wrist bone or it struggles to pick up you heart rate, Apple Watch for has zero issues if I have it lower on the wrist.
 
I find a routine of once a day changing easier to manage than a charge it every few days requirement. As a result my watch is never without battery whereas Fitbits used to die on me all the time (the randomness didn’t help: the same Fitbit device would sometimes need charging after a day but sometimes last four days).

What I do like about Fitbit though is the app and the challenges.
 
I also like the Fitbit app better than Apple, the Garmin app is not a friendly but beats even the Fitbit for the sheer amount of information. I tried the Felix 5 Plus but returned it and went back to my AW.

Like others said, the AW works well if you are an iPhone user. Hopefully Apple will greatly improve it health app. Still waiting on the “improvements” to Siri!
 
Newtons Apple said:
I also like the Fitbit app better than Apple, the Garmin app is not a friendly but beats even the Fitbit for the sheer amount of information. I tried the Felix 5 Plus but returned it and went back to my AW.

Like others said, the AW works well if you are an iPhone user. Hopefully Apple will greatly improve it health app. Still waiting on the “improvements” to Siri!
Click to expand...

Like you, I currently own a Fenix 5x (not the new "plus" version), and am comparing the two. I had quite a shock when last week, I took a short walk through a park here when I finished shopping at a Farmers Market here in town. The walk was both through trees, and open areas. The GPS Track of the Apple watch seemed somewhat erratic, indicating to me perhaps a not consistent poll of the GPS. I went back to the Fenix for a few days, and got to thinking that maybe I should try the Fenix on the same route. I did that yesterday, same Farmers Market, same route (basically), except this time with the Fenix. Result? Amazingly, the AW track while having some "jagged" edges, was consistently smoother, and closer to the actual sidewalk/trail that I walked. This truly surprised me, and I thought that I really need to wear both at the same time on a known course to truly compare them. That's today's goal.
Otherwise, other than battery life, which isn't really a problem for me, there's not a lot of difference in the activities, other than having everything in one place, as I mentioned before with Garmin Connect, but RunGap solves that problem also.

This is the exported track from the Apple Watch/Work Outdoors track, imported into Garmin Connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2924302461

And yesterday's track, direct import from the Fenix 5x, (GPS Only, as the Galileo, and GLONASS seem to have problems still) https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2940404467
 
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