Long-press the side button and Alexa will open, from which you can ask it questions or tell it to do Alexa-related tasks like control smart home gadgets, set timers, or show you the weather. The microphone also comes into play with the new Alexa features.
New for the Versa 2 is a microphone which can used for voice replies with Android phones and to give Alexa commands It does take two or three taps on the screen to record a voice reply, which is a bit tedious, and you can’t actually initiate a new message by voice - you can only reply to incoming ones, so there is room for improvement here. (Sorry iPhone users, you still can’t reply to messages at all with the Versa 2.) This worked well in my tests, with quick and accurate transcriptions of my voice. There’s no speaker, so you can’t use it as a speakerphone, but if you have it paired to an Android device, you can speak replies to messages and it will turn those into text. Two to three days between charges is still excellent battery life for a smartwatch and more than I’ve gotten from any other smartwatch I’ve worn.įitbit has also added a microphone to the Versa 2, giving it some limited voice control abilities. If you use the always-on display feature, you can expect that figure to roughly drop by half. Like the Versa, the Versa 2 has excellent battery life it easily hit the five-day mark for me in testing.
On the plus side, the Versa 2 ditches the tacky “Fitbit” branding that was below the screen on the first-gen model. Unfortunately, the display is still surrounded by a thick, chunky bezel, which has the effect of making it look even smaller than the postage-stamp size that it is. But the always-on feature has very limited customizability (you can choose between digital or analog clocks and that’s it) and it disables the raise-to-wake feature, so you have to double-tap the screen or press the side button to wake the watch. The OLED panel also enables the new always-on display feature, which lets you always see the time or your workout progress. I was able to view the screen with no problem in direct sunlight and through polarized sunglasses. It’s bright, colorful, and easy to see both indoors and out.
The Versa 2 can display notifications from a smartphone, but only Android users can reply to messages from the watchįitbit has traded the Versa’s LCD panel for an OLED screen and this is the best upgrade that the Versa 2 brings. My review kit included a very comfortable perforated leather strap that was much easier to install, but that will cost you $50 extra. I do wish Fitbit had made it easier to change straps on this model - the Versa straps have quick-release pins, but the mount is so recessed into the watch’s body that getting the pins to click into place is very difficult, especially with the rubber strap that’s included in the box.
The watch doesn’t lose any functionality, however - you can still do all of the same things with the Versa 2 as could be done with the first Versa.
The general design of the Versa 2 is the same as before, but Fitbit has simplified the interactions down from the previous multibutton setup to a single button on the left and the touchscreen. The Versa 2 is one of the few wearables that I’ve been able to comfortably wear 24/7, even while sleeping. It’s also very lightweight and the tapered design hides the bulk of the watch well. It’s not too large, not too small, and should be fine on a wide variety of wrist sizes. The original Versa was one of the most comfortable smartwatches you could wear and the Versa 2 is just as pleasant on the wrist. But overall, it’s not a better smartwatch.īuy for $199.95 from Fitbit Buy for $199.95 from Walmart Buy for $199.95 from Best Buy It is a better Versa and an excellent fitness tracker. As you can tell from the name, it’s an evolution of the Versa, with a few design tweaks, a handful of new features, and the same price. The new $199.99 Versa 2, which hits stores on September 15th, is the company’s latest smartwatch effort. But at the same time, it fell far short of other smartwatches on the market, with poor notification support and lack of productivity features. It was comfortable to wear, had great battery life, and included all of Fitbit’s advanced fitness and sleep-tracking features. Last year’s Versa was the company’s best effort in making a competent smartwatch. Fitbit even purchased the remains of Pebble to help facilitate this. But for the past few years, the company has also been branching into the smartwatch world to compete with the likes of the Apple Watch and Samsung’s wearable lineups. Fitbit’s name has been synonymous with fitness trackers since its inception.