The Fitbit Versa 3 is a sporty smartwatch with no buttons - British GQ

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Fitbit’s foray into the world of smartwatches has had its up and downs. After single-handedly getting people to obsess about their step counts and night's sleep, its debut Ionic timepiece received a lukewarm reception and has since been ejected from the Fitbit family. Then came the Versa, the one Fitbit dubbed its “mass appeal smartwatch”. With its more aesthetically pleasing look, it certainly had more appeal than Fitbit’s first effort.

After last year's much-improved Versa 2, with an always-on display and Amazon Alexa smarts, now we’ve hit the Fitbit Versa 3. At £199, this smartwatch promises plenty for a fraction of the price of the Apple- and Samsung-shaped competition. Can it deliver?  We've worn one for the past fortnight to find out.

Keeping it curvy

Like every other company who’s made a smartwatch that’s not round, the Fitbit Versa 3 has to contend with the charge that that it’s just another Apple Watch clone, at least in aesthetic terms. Although the two devices are similar on first glance, the Versa's wider aluminium case sits more prominently than Apple’s, wrapping its gently curved frame around a screen that’s grown in size and improved quality. 

This 1.39-inch display is exceptionally bright and sharp, making for a reliable companion on both our night-time runs and being dunked in and out of chlorinated water at our local swimming pool. That screen can be set to stay on at all times too, but you’ll need to be prepared to stick it on the charger every couple of days or so.

Instead of peppering the Versa 3's case with a confusing array of buttons, it has one button that's effectively built into the case. So you can squeeze its side to wake up the screen or hold it for longer to open up a few menus where you can access Alexa and some other features.

While it does the trick of creating a more streamlined look, it can be unresponsive to use at times and we don’t think it’s a change that’s going to be universally loved.

Map my runs

Fitbits do step counting and sleep tracking better than most and this is still one of the Versa 3's biggest draws, especially if you're a fitness fundamentalist who's not so bothered about more complicated metrics. This watch is made for casual runners who care less about cadence and more about just getting their heart pumping on a regular basis. That's not to say it doesn't have some tricks up its sleeve.

It wants to be a better sports watch by throwing GPS into the mix so you can map your outdoor runs, rides and hikes without relying on your phone: a big step in the right direction. If you’re yearning for something that’s going to make a good marathon training partner, then you’re simply not going to get the necessary level of accuracy to obsess over during or after your exercise time. 

Where you’ll find more joy with the Versa 3 is with the smartwatch staples. When a message lands, you can fire back a response via voice or preset replies, though this is a feature that’s currently reserved for Android phone owners. Fitbit will eventually let you take calls when your phone is nearby, but it’s not ready to roll that feature out just yet.

As for iPhone owners? They can make use of the Versa 3's Amazon Alexa voice assistant capabilities, just like everyone else. This landed on the last Versa and it’s back once again to handle the kind of queries you can direct at your Amazon smart speaker. 

Its success rate at dealing with queries about the next England game or setting reminders to go for a run at lunch was spot on. It’s a smart assistant on a smartwatch that’s a joy to interact with, even though it can't read those answers back to you through its speaker. Fitbit will be adding similar support for Google Assistant before the end of the year and here’s hoping it’s as well integrated as Alexa.

Speedy charger

Something Fitbit can hold against other smartwatches that will burn a deeper hole in your pocket is giving you a good amount of battery life. We’re not talking months here, but the Versa 3 has the ability to stretch to a full week if you’re not tracking huge bike rides and you opt out of keeping the display on 24/7. 

If you’re running low before you go to bed and want to track your sleep or you forget to drop it on the charger overnight, just over ten minutes' charging time will give you enough battery to get you through the night or another day. Well played, Fitbit.

Fitbit Versa 3 verdict

If there isn’t an iPhone nestling in your pocket, the Fitbit Versa 3 connected timepiece looks good, has a great screen and the kind of strap collection at your disposal to give you room to mix things up. It’s got you covered for those core smartwatch features and is proof once again that you can put a smart assistant in a watch that does hear what you’re asking at the first attempt. It’s still one of the best at keeping tabs on your daily activity and monitoring your sleep, though its abilities as a sports watch do remain a little undercooked. Add in that impressive battery life and the Versa 3 is fit to be one of the stronger contenders to Apple’s crown.

£199. amazon.co.uk

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The Link Lonk


October 25, 2020 at 03:00AM
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The Fitbit Versa 3 is a sporty smartwatch with no buttons - British GQ

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