Fitbit is one of the biggest names in wearables and its Fitbit Versa 2 comes in as something of a competitor for the Apple Watch 4 – the latest device by the biggest name in wearables.
Both are smartwatches with a big focus on fitness, but they also have a lot of differences, not least their price.
We’ve compared them in full below, so you can see exactly how similar – or not – the Fitbit Versa 2 and Apple Watch 4 are.
Fitbit Versa 2 vs Apple Watch 4 design and display
The Fitbit Versa 2 has a somewhat similar look to the Apple Watch 4, as both have a fairly square screen with rounded corners and up to 1,000 nits of brightness.
While Fitbit hasn’t confirmed the exact size or specs of the Versa 2's color touchscreen, we know that the watch body is 40mm, while the Apple Watch 4 comes in a choice of 40mm (with a 1.57-inch 394 x 324 screen), or 44mm (with a 1.78-inch 448 x 368 screen).
However, while the Fitbit Versa 2 only comes in one size, it does have both small and large straps in the box.
Speaking of straps, the Fitbit Versa 2 comes with a silicone one (or a woven one if you opt for the Special Edition), while the Apple Watch 4 comes with a sport, leather or stainless steel strap. The case of the Apple Watch 4 is either aluminum or stainless steel, while for the Fitbit Versa 2 it’s always aluminum.
Another design difference between the two is that while the Apple Watch 4 has a digital crown, the Fitbit Versa 2 has a standard button.
Ultimately they’re visually quite similar, but the Apple Watch 4 arguably looks a bit more premium, and is more customizable.
Fitbit Versa 2 vs Apple Watch 4 fitness and features
Both watches are water-resistant to 50 meters, so you can safely use them to track your swimming. They also both include general activity tracking, plus sleep tracking, and tracking for numerous different exercises, helped by a heart rate monitor.
The Apple Watch 4 goes further here though as it includes GPS (whereas the Fitbit Versa 2 can only connect to your phone’s GPS). The Apple Watch 4 also has an ECG (electrocardiogram) which can read the rhythm and electrical activity of your heart. This isn’t offered by the Fitbit Versa 2.
As for other features, Fitbit has added Amazon Alexa to the Fitbit Versa 2, so you can leverage the power of Amazon’s AI Assistant. Apple Watch 4 owners get similar skills from Siri.
Both watches can also display notifications from your phone and allow for contactless payments (with either Fitbit Pay or Apple Pay). They also both have storage space for music. So there are a lot of similarities here too, but with its GPS the Apple Watch 4 feels like a more full-featured fitness device.
Fitbit Versa 2 vs Apple Watch 4 OS, power and battery
While the Fitbit Versa 2 runs Fitbit OS, the Apple Watch 4 uses watchOS 5. These are both full smartwatch operating systems with support for apps, but Apple’s – being on version 5 – is the more mature of the two.
The Apple Watch 4 also comes in an LTE version, so you can go truly phone-free. This isn’t offered by the Fitbit Versa 2.
As for core specs, Fitbit hasn’t gone into many details, but we know there’s space for at least 300 songs. The Apple Watch 4 meanwhile has 16GB of storage (which is likely a lot more than the Versa 2) and a dual-core S4 chipset.
Battery life could be one area where the Fitbit Versa 2 wins out though, as it promises 5+ days of life, whereas the Apple Watch 4 only promises up to 18 hours.
In practice we actually found you could get up to two days from it, but that’s still well short of Fitbit’s claims for the Versa 2. We’ll let you know how well those claims hold up in our full Fitbit Versa 2 review.
Fitbit Versa 2 vs Apple Watch 4 availability and price
The Apple Watch 4 is out now and starts at $399 / £399 / AU$599 for the 40mm GPS-only model, rising to $429 / £429 / AU$649 for the larger 44mm one. Want LTE? That starts at $499 / £499 / AU$749 for the 40mm model and $529 / £529 / AU$799 for the 44mm one.
The Fitbit Versa 2 is set to hit US stores on September 15 and should arrive in other regions before long. It costs £199.99 / $199.95 / AU$299.95 (unless you opt for the Special Edition which comes with a woven strap). So it’s roughly half the price of the cheapest Apple Watch 4.
Takeaway
As you can see, these are quite similar devices, but with the Apple Watch 4 offering more in both big (GPS) and small ways. It has an arguably more premium design, more choice in terms of style and sizing, more storage, optional LTE connectivity, and more.
However, its battery life is theoretically a lot worse and it costs upwards of twice as much, so if you want an affordable alternative – and can live with having to use your phone’s GPS – then the Fitbit Versa 2 could be a strong choice.
- The Apple Watch 5 is coming soon
