Fitbit Versa Lite Overview: Trimmed-down With Options You Want
“The Versa Lite nails it with an inexpensive price ticket and a characteristic set that’s strong sufficient for everybody besides the hard-core athlete”
Light-weight
Helps smartphone notifications
Strong health options
Clear, easy design
Inexpensive value
No onboard GPS
Not totally appropriate with iOS
No music streaming or storage
Fitbit’s Versa Lite smartwatch is the corporate’s most inexpensive smartwatch thus far, however this low value comes with some strings connected. To maintain it inexpensive, Fitbit trimmed a number of options it bundled in its fashionable Versa smartwatch. Are these lacking encompasses a deal breaker? Not fairly. The Versa Lite cements itself as the proper look ahead to the informal athlete, who doesn’t want all of the bells and whistles, however core fundamentals.
Streamlined design
The Fitbit Versa Lite retains the identical Apple Watch-esque design of its predecessor, the Fitbit Versa. It has a clear and sq. look with chamfered edges, and it sits comfortably on the wrist. The 1.34-inch show is an ideal dimension for each women and men, and the skinny casing retains the watch tucked neatly out of the best way so you possibly can take off your coat or change your shirt with out it snagging on the watch. The small profile additionally lets you put on different jewellery with it.
Fitbit opted to incorporate just one button on the Versa Lite, additional including to its streamlined look. The only button is positioned on the left aspect of smartwatch and is raised barely above the casing. When pressed, the button has a pleasant click on and may be very responsive. As a result of it’s the solely button on the machine, it’ll see vital utilization. I didn’t have any points with it throughout our testing, although I can’t assist however marvel how nicely it’ll maintain up after a 12 months or two.
The smartwatch ships with two silicone bands — small and enormous — that accommodate a variety of wrist sizes. You may simply change between the 2 bands to dial within the excellent match. Don’t just like the inventory silicone bands? Not an issue, as Fitbit gives further bands to customise the watch.
The Versa Lite compiles all of the health stats you should keep wholesome with out overwhelming you.
I examined a number of watch bands and most popular the inventory silicone strap throughout the week so I might go from the office to a exercise with out having to alter out the band. On the weekends, I made the fast change to the leather-based or metallic band when the event known as for a extra formal look.
The Versa Lite has extra shade choices than the Versa or Versa Particular Version. You may select between White/Silver aluminum, Lilac/Silver aluminum, Marina Blue or Mulberry. I reviewed the Marina blue mannequin, and the colour falls between a royal blue and navy blue. It’s colourful, however not gaudy. The blue shade was eye-catching however generally clashed with what I used to be sporting. I do want Fitbit provided the Versa Lite in black, my favourite shade for a watch as a result of it matches most outfits and equipment.
Strong efficiency and health monitoring
Fitbit’s roots are in health monitoring, and it reveals. The Versa Lite compiles all of the health stats you should keep wholesome with out overwhelming you. On the watch, you possibly can observe workout routines, coronary heart fee, steps, sleep, and whether or not you might be transferring every hour.
Fitbit could have minimize the value on the Versa Lite, but it surely stored the standard of the monitoring intact. I discovered the center fee monitor, step counting, and sleep monitoring to be on par with different smartwatches I’ve examined. That being stated, I do miss seeing the variety of stairs climbed as that’s one characteristic Fitbit opted to take away to maintain the price of the machine low.
The train app displays Fitbit’s dedication to providing decisions to the person, however not overwhelming them with so many choices, most of which they gained’t use. The train app enables you to select from seven totally different actions, and you may customise which workout routines seem on this shortcut checklist and the way they’re ordered. Fitbit contains 19 of the commonest actions together with operating, weights, interval coaching, biking, mountaineering and extra. As soon as you choose and begin your train, you possibly can view your efficiency metrics on the watch when you work out. The Versa Lite will observe distance, coronary heart fee, time, energy burned and extra. All this information is synced to the Fitbit app for additional evaluation.
The Fitbit Versa doesn’t have a devoted GPS chip however as an alternative makes use of the GPS in your telephone (related GPS) for route monitoring and correct mileage calculation. I examined the Versa Lite with an iPhone XR whereas operating and mountaineering on recognized routes, and the monitoring/mileage was useless on. It does imply that you’ll want to hold your telephone with you if you wish to observe your routes, although.
No music
Fitbit needed to make cuts to decrease the value on the Versa Lite and music is one space that obtained the axe. Whereas the unique Versa which had onboard music storage, Wi-Fi to sync music tracks, and Bluetooth to attach headphones, the Versa Lite solely has music controls that assist you to cease/pause/skip music enjoying out of your telephone. It but once more signifies that you’ll must deliver your telephone with you whereas exercising.
Fitbit app
The info from the watch is synced to the Fitbit cell app, which makes use of a dashboard interface to offer perception into your well being every day. The app additionally lets you observe your weight, meals, water consumption, and your menstrual cycles in case you are a girl.
The dashboard is organized into tiles that summarize day by day efficiency. You may faucet every tile to view the statistics for earlier days and weeks. You can also customise the dashboard to take away the tiles you don’t use and organize them, so those most necessary to you might be on the high.
The Fitbit app encourages you to train by offering challenges and communities you could be part of. These are helpful while you want that additional push or accountability to stay to your exercise plan. However don’t anticipate way more — the Versa helps guided exercises through Fitbit Coach, however the Versa Lite drops this characteristic.
Third-party apps and clock faces
The Versa Lite connects to Fitbit’s app and clock face repository. Right here you possibly can select a customized watch face that shows the info that you simply choose. Decisions vary from data-rich digital readouts to easy analog faces.
There’s additionally an app repository that you should use so as to add new options and performance to your machine. However I discovered the apps general to be missing. There’s a good variety of apps, however I didn’t discover any that have been value putting in. The built-in apps and performance of the machine suited my wants.
Nice notification system
Not like a health tracker, a smartwatch additionally has the accountability of being an extension to your telephone. The Versa Lite not solely lets you obtain notifications in your wrist, but it surely additionally permits full management over which notifications you obtain and when you possibly can obtain them. You may customise which apps ship alerts to your telephone within the Fitbit cell app utilizing on/off toggles. Need Fb however not Twitter alerts? You bought it.
The As we speak View brings the perfect options of the dashboard within the Fitbit cell app to your wrist.
You can also change the notification settings on the watch to manage while you obtain the alerts. Need to block alerts when you find yourself sleeping or understanding? There’s an on/off toggle for that. In a gathering and don’t need your personal messages popping up in your watch for everybody to see? You need to use a number of swipes on the watch face to rapidly flip off all notifications indefinitely or solely flip off alerts when the watch is locked.
The interplay between the watch and telephone is seamless. Every time I heard a notification on my telephone, I checked out my wrist and the alert was already there. You may view simply the primary few strains of an alert or faucet on it to learn extra of the message. It’s simple to clear the notifications straight on the watch, and in case you have an Android machine, you possibly can even use pre-set fast replies to reply to messages. Whenever you clear a notification in your watch, it additionally clears it in your telephone, which is extremely environment friendly.
As we speak View
By far, my favourite characteristic is the As we speak View on the Versa Lite, which is proven while you swipe up on the clock face. The As we speak View brings the perfect options of the dashboard within the Fitbit cell app to your wrist. You may view steps, coronary heart fee, sleep, and train particulars with out having to choose up your telephone.
Every of those parameters is neatly organized into tiles you could take away or organize to fit your wants. You can also swipe left or proper on choose tiles to view extra detailed data on that well being metric.
Worth and guarantee data
The Fitbit Versa Lite prices $160, and it’s out there for order on Fitbit’s web site and at retailers resembling Greatest Purchase, Amazon, Goal, and extra.
Fitbit gives a 45-day a refund assure and a one-year restricted guarantee, which covers producer defects.
The Fitbit Versa targets fitness-oriented of us who need greater than a primary health band, however don’t need to spend some huge cash on a smartwatch. The Versa Lite nails this market with an inexpensive price ticket, and a characteristic set that’s strong sufficient for everybody besides the hard-core athlete.
Is there a greater different?
The Versa Lite gives an excellent worth for these available in the market for a brand new smartwatch. If you happen to don’t thoughts paying a bit extra, the unique Versa is a stable different to the Lite Version. The Versa has the identical core options of the Versa Lite however provides again music storage, stair monitoring, Fitbit Coach and extra. Try our greatest smartwatches information for extra choices.
How lengthy will it final?
The Versa Lite is solidly constructed, waterproof and feels sturdy, so we anticipate it to final for at the least two years (if no more). The one questionable half is the button. Not like the unique Versa which has three buttons, the Versa Lite has a single button that’s used often when navigating by means of the machine’s menu system. How lengthy will it final? We truthfully don’t know. We had zero points with it throughout testing, but when there’s going to a failure level down the street, we anticipate it to be the button.
Fitbit has probably the most consumer-friendly interfaces and we hope the corporate continues to develop its cell app, third-party apps, and clock face repository to maintain up with the competitors.
Must you purchase it?
Sure, you can purchase the Fitbit Versa Lite if you’d like the sensible options of a smartwatch, however don’t need to spend some huge cash.
