Fitbit has introduced a new member from its widely popular Versa family of devices. This is the Fitbit Versa Lite Edition, priced at Rs 15,999. On receipt of a bold and colourful trial unit —both band and case are in Marina Blue Classic colour—my first reaction was to resurrect my year-old Fitbit Versa; I had discontinued using it (on a temporary basis) in favour of the relatively new Fitbit Charge 3 smart band. The objective was to compare the new Versa with the older variant and check out how it’s different.
At first look, it is very difficult to figure out any significant physical difference because both the devices have the same square aluminum frame. The Fitbit Versa Lite features a simple one button (three buttons in case of the older Versa). The single button has just three functions: turning the screen on, turning it off when on the clock, and going back on any other screen. Navigation is done by swiping and tapping the screen.
The Versa Lite has a lightweight, swimproof design in new bold colour choices for the young at heart. It comes with interchangeable bands. The numerous clock faces present are intended to match the Lite’s specific body colours. Once on the wrist, it has a nice fit and doesn’t feel bulky at all. The bottom edge has enough real estate to accommodate the company logo. Also, in terms of usage the single button feature provides the user better navigation capabilities. It is definitely much easy to use.
The Versa Lite is an everyday smartwatch with most of the core fitness and smart features. It’s also Fitbit’s most affordable smartwatch yet, for users who want an attractive, versatile, and easy-to-use device with core features, actionable insights and personal guidance to motivate them to improve their health. The Versa Lite includes automatic activity, PurePulse 24/7 heart rate and Sleep Stages tracking, 15+ goal-based exercise modes, connected GPS, smartphone notifications, apps, 4+ day battery life and relative SpO2 sensor, a pretty innovative feature that has the potential to estimate changes in blood oxygen levels and help track new health indicators about health, such as sleep apnea.
Compared to Versa, the new version does not seem to have some of the sought-after features such as Wi-Fi, on-board music and on-screen workouts. My guess is that Wi-Fi is basically used for music transfers and since the Versa Lite does not support on-board music, the Wi-Fi functionality won’t find much use. However, once I synced the Versa Lite with my Android device, day-to-day functionality, notifications, everything worked in a splendid manner.
The Versa Lite’s battery life will easily last more than four days. Its automatic activity tracking, heart-rate monitoring and customisable exercise modes are pretty accurate too. Overall, a fantastic activity tracker and a must-have device to flaunt around.