Fitbit Versa 3 v Versa 2: We compare Fitbit smartwatches

The Fitbit Versa 3 is still an incredibly popular smartwatch – and a worthy upgrade to the dated Versa 2.

Of course, we now have a brand new Versa 4. But that doesn't mean these two aren't worth your time.

The Fitbit Versa 3 features excellent health, fitness, and sports tracking features that make it a great upgrade, and solved some of our biggest bugbears with the Versa 2.

But many people will find the older version great value, especially as it's treated to a host of deals.

We've used both – here's how the Versa 3 and Versa 2 match up. And don't forget to read our Versa 3 vs Versa 4 guide too.

• Fitbit Versa 3 review
• Fitbit Versa 2 review
• Fitbit devices compared and reviewed

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Design and comfort

Wareable

The Versa became known as Fitbit's 'mass appeal smartwatch' because it boasted a more everyday, unisex style than the Fitbit Ionic.

Fitbit has offered up largely the same look on the Versa 3, though it takes some design cues from its Sense health watch, with softer lines and increased comfort.

The Versa 3 is slightly larger with a 1.58-inch display and a 336 x 336 resolution. The Versa 2 features a smaller 1.39-inch display with a 300 x 300 resolution screen.

In terms of dimensions, the Versa 3 measures 40.48mm x 40.48mm x 12.35mm compared to Versa 2’s dimensions of 39.95mm x 39.84mm x 12.15mm.

Wareable

Fitbit Versa 2

The Versa 3 colors that will be available include a pink band with a soft gold case, a navy band with a soft gold case, and a black band with a black case.

In typical Fitbit fashion, it also rolled out straps that include its Infinity band as well as Horween leather, woven, and knitted bands. It's also introduced partnerships with designers Pendleton and Victor Glemaud to make bands for the Versa.

It carries the same 5ATM waterproof rating to make it safe for a shower and a pool swim (up to 50 meters depth).

Fitness and sports tracking

Wareable

The Fitbit Versa has always felt like Fitbit's best watch for 24/7 activity tracking. Those features remain on the Versa 3 including tracking steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, hourly activity and stationary time.

And it monitors heart rate 24/7 and keeps tabs on resting heart rate too.

You'll get sleep monitoring including the heart rate based Sleep Scores. You still have all-day calorie burn and access to guided breathing exercises.

Wareable

Fitbit Versa 2

The bigger disparities lie in what can be tracked when you're ready to get a good sweat on.

The Versa 3 gives you all of the Versa 2 features including 20 goal based exercise modes, such as pool swimming, automatic exercise recognition and working out in heart rate zones.

But the Versa 3 also has built-in GPS, so there's no need to borrow the GPS signal off your phone to track outdoor activities.

The latest Versa uses Fitbit's PurePulse 2.0 heart rate sensor, which the company claims will improve accuracy and features. Fitbit says its machine learning algorithms can map multiple heart rate signals and build them into a better picture of your heart rate.

The Versa 3 also gets Active Zone Minutes – Fitbit's metric based on heart rate zones – and workout intensity maps, which will show where your heart was really working its hardest on a map of your run.

If you care about sports smarts, the Versa 3 will have the upper hand.

Health tracking

Wareable

Fitbit Versa 3

While Fitbit's Sense health watch has now arrived on the scene, that doesn't mean the Versa can't be used to closely monitor your health too.

Both the Versa 2 and 3 enable you to monitor resting heart rate, and access menstrual health tracking features and there's the SpO2 sensor, which can now be used for Fitbit's Estimated Oxygen Variation feature.

The Versa 3 gets all of those same features, but it also makes use of Fitbit's Pure Pulse 2.0 heart rate sensor technology, which leads to an improvement in data accuracy for those health monitoring features.

> Fitbit menstrual tracking guide

It has also inherited the ability to offer high/low heart rate warnings if the watch detects something going on under the hood.

And both devices will feed data into the Health Metrics Dashboard. Both will show:

• Breathing rate
• Blood oxygen
• Resting heart rate
• Heart rate variability
• Skin temperature variation

Both devices have also been updated in 2022 to include the continuous monitoring of irregular heart rate rhythms, which can alert you to conditions such as atrial fibrillation.

Smartwatch features

Wareable

Fitbit Versa 3

Every smartwatch feature you'll find on the Versa 2 is sticking around for the Versa 3. That means something that works with iPhones and Android phones giving you the ability to view phone notifications, store music and download offline playlists from the likes of Deezer and Pandora. You can also access apps and watch faces from Fitbit's App Gallery storefront and make use of Fitbit Pay.

Smart assistants are also in play here on both watches, except on the Versa 3 you're getting an extra assistant to tap into. Fitbit announced it's adding Google Assistant and the software update for that has just begun to arrive.

Another Versa 3 feature that isn't supported on the Versa 2 is the ability to take calls on the watch when connected to Bluetooth. You'll also be able to adjust call volume and send calls to voicemail.

Added to that onboard mic is a built-in speaker, though it's not used to hear Alexa, or Google's Assistant when it arrives. It can be used to take calls on your Versa 3.

Battery life 

Wareable

Fitbit Versa 3

These two watches match up when it comes to battery life. Whether you go for the Versa 2 or Versa 3, you're getting promise of 6+ days battery.

When we put the always-on display mode into action on the Versa 2, we typically got 3-4 days. When testing for our Versa 3 review, the smartwatch tended to last us 5-6 days without always-on display mode and having notifications enabled, and using the GPS 2-3 times a week.

One big addition the Versa 3 gets over the Versa 2 is fast charging technology. It uses a magnetic charger that will get you 24 hours of battery with just 12 minutes of charge. That's a pretty desirable feature.

Initial verdict

There's no doubt that the Fitbit Versa 3 is a better all round smartwatch.

The big things here are built-in GPS, an extra smart assistant in the form of Google Assistant, a built-in speaker, and a pretty impressive fast-charging mode.

But if you can live without GPS for running, then absolutely jump on any Versa 2 discounts you can find.

GPS is a biggie if you want more in the way of sports tracking while Fitbit has now shown it can put a smart assistant on a smartwatch and make it work.

The addition of a speaker makes it more useful for communication and that charging tech seems pretty impressive too.

It sounds like the Versa 3 makes some pretty significant changes that should make it the smartwatch worth paying a little extra for if you have the choice.