Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,120
38,878



Fitbit today announced its latest smartwatch, the Versa Lite Edition. Priced at $160, the Versa Lite is $40 cheaper than the standard Versa model released last year and less than half as much as the Apple Watch Series 4, which starts at $399.

fitbit-versa-lite-edition-crop.jpg

The new Versa Lite Edition looks similar to the standard Versa, beyond having one button versus three. Of course, the Lite Edition loses some features compared to the standard Versa, including Wi-Fi, on-device music storage and playback, on-screen workouts, and the ability to track swim laps and floors climbed.

Nevertheless, the Lite Edition has most features you would expect from a fitness tracker, including step counting, calories burned, sleep tracking, heart rate tracking, guided breathing sessions, and more than 15 exercise modes.


Compared to the Apple Watch, the Versa Lite Edition is unsurprisingly basic. It has fewer apps, lacks built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, or optional LTE, can't be used for contactless payments, doesn't have a microphone for voice control, and so forth. The simplicity of the Versa Lite does allow for up to four-day battery life though.

Fitbit is the world's second largest smartwatch vendor according to estimates, but it trails Apple by a significant margin, so it's clearly attempting to win market share with an aggressive pricing strategy. This includes the also-announced Inspire, Inspire HR, and Ace 2 fitness trackers priced between $70 and $100.

Versa Lite Edition is available for pre-order in white, lilac, mulberry, and marina blue.

Article Link: Fitbit's New Versa Lite Edition Costs Less Than Half as Much as the Apple Watch
 
"Compared to the Apple Watch, the Versa Lite Edition is unsurprisingly basic. It has fewer apps, lacks built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, or optional LTE, can't be used for contactless payments, doesn't have a microphone for voice control, and so forth. The simplicity of the Versa Lite does allow for up to four-day battery life though."

Lol, such terrible journalism with "and so forth" and "though". no conviction on whats a con or a pro. not everyone feels these things are important.
 
This is a pretty nice offering. I love my Apple Watch S3, but realistically I usually only use it for heart rate, sleep, steps and checking the time.

Exactly. That's why my wife and I bought the Versa with NFC payments. Really couldn't be happier. It does just what we want and nothing more. I don't need an EKG, so I don't want to pay for it.
 
No WiFi? OK, might as well spend the extra $40 for a Versa.

But if you’re going to spend $200 on a Fitbit, you might as well save for an extra week or two to get the extra $80 for a Series 3. If you’ve got an iPhone, that is.
 
How hard is it to sync these things with Apple Health?

I was blown away that the answer when I searched this wasn't a simple "Yes" but "it requires a 3rd party app and then follow these x steps" among others.
I am only going to use it for workouts so don't need a true smart watch but if its a pain in the ass to sync with Apple Health I'll just pay the damn premium.
 
  • Like
Reactions: robbysibrahim
I owned a couple of Fitbit models a few years back. They all had quality issues (band falling apart, malfunctioning, sync issues, etc.). Several of my colleagues were experiencing the same issues. It wasn't a $300.00 watch but for a device over $100.00 you'd expect it to work better and last longer. We all tapped out on Fitbit back then and never looked back. Never had an issue with my Gen 3 Apple watch.
 
I'd rather spend the extra money on the full product. Thats a lot of features to miss for $US40 extra.

The price tag is too much for a basic device, IMO. Looks like they are trying to complete against the Garmin Vivosmart, amongst other similar products. This is not in competition with the Apple Watch, this is a different market entirely.

Battery life is pretty bad - 4 days. I get 5+ days with my Vivoactive / and old vivosmart.
 
  • Like
Reactions: t1meless1nf1n1t
In the sense of what the ‘lite’ version is trying to execute here, this is perfect for the price, especially if someone is just focused on just the fitness abilities, this offers more than enough with 15 exercise modes _and_ it has sleep tracking.

The Apple Watch in comparison, is a great tool, but I don’t utilize half of it’s features and capabilities, and for some, the Versa might be the perfect fit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0947347 and Stella
I own a gen4 Apple Watch, and this sounds interesting. Four days of battery life would be so nice, considering I just looked down at my watch and surprise surprise, the battery is dead, after less than 24 hours.
 
Apple will continue to face more pricing pressure across their IOS product line. It's nice to be a premium product, but not everyone can afford a premium product.

You can already purchase decent smartphones with 6" screens, dual SIMs and other value features at under $100. Watches will be next.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RickTM
It's nice to be a premium product, but not everyone can afford a premium product.
It wouldn’t be a premium product if everyone could afford it. It would be a commodity.

These products don’t really compete together any more than the $100 kindles compete against an iPad. For some it’s the perfect choice but each are aimed at different markets and are featured/priced accordingly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MrUNIMOG
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.