Fitbit Versa 4 : Is it Worth Buying or Upgrading?
When it comes to the worthiness of a smart watch, it’s a difficult question to answer, however, from my experience as a smart watch reviewer, I’m going to attempt to answer the question of where you can get the most value for your money. That is the entire purpose of why you clicked on my article to seek out clarity, and more importantly, is it worth investing your hard-earned money in a smart watch.
This is how I see it, Is the Fitbit Versa 4 really worth buying or upgrading? Well if you are a current Fitbit Premium subscriber yes, if you are not a Fitbit Premium subscriber, No. My answer seems very straight forward however providing a simple answer isn’t that easy because it always depends on what you are looking for in a smart watch.
With that said, in this article, I am going to explain in detail as to why I think this is the best answer to your question but first I will go into detail what are the best features of the Fitbit Versa 4 and the things that are not so good which I think is very important to mention as well.
What You Need To Know First as a Current Fitbit Premium Subscriber
Fitbit’s real strength is in the Health tracking features that come with their devices, but in order to take advantage of the full range of features you must have a Fitbit Premium subscription.
For those of you who own a Fitbit device, not all premium features are available to all of them, and it depends on which device you currently possess. If you’re a current Fitbit Premium subscriber, it’s important to note what I’m about to say.
1. No ECG App To Track Afib Detection
If your main reason for signing up to Fitbit Premium was the ECG app for atrial fibrillation detection, I’m sorry to say that this feature is not available in the Versa 4 model. It is, however, a highly effective app for those that are worried about their heart health and want to detect any potential atrial fibrillation in order to decide if they should consult their doctor.
If this is applicable to you, then it would be better to avoid upgrading to the Versa 4. The two Fitbits that provide the information you need are the Sense, Sense 2, and Charge 5. If you’re in the market for a device that can do ECG readings, then these are the ones you should be looking at.
2. No Built In EDA Sensor
If your main reason for signing up to Fitbit Premium was to take advantage of the EDA sensor to detect your stress levels, then Im afraid that this feature is not available in the Versa 4 model. This powerful sensor can detect your stress levels by analysing your heart rate, skin temperature and also when you sweat. This is a great tool for those who want to be able to track their stress levels and potentially find out how to manage their stress levels more effectively.
If this is applicable to you then it wouldn’t be a good idea to upgrade to the Versa 4. The best options for you would be the Sense, Sense 2 or Charge 5. These are the only Fitbit devices that have a built in EDA sensor and will give you accurate stress levels.
3. No All Day Response Tracking For Stress
Although this feature is quite new to Fitbit devices, the all day stress tracking is only available on the Sense 2. So if you were thinking of getting the Versa 4 because you wanted to take advantage of this feature, then you should definitely reconsider and purchase the Sense 2 instead.
Just a quick explanation on how this feature works, is that it can give an idea on how much physical stress you are experiencing throughout the day. It does this by collect data from four different sources which is your heart rate, skin temperature, heart rate variability and cEDA which stands for continuous electrodermal activity.
All of this information is then fed through a complex algorithm that calculates your stress levels. However be warned that this isn’t an exact science and it requires your input. A better way to describe this is that the device is like a infant. It needs to be fed data (emotional feelings) to make sense of what you are experiencing.
The physical stress doesn’t always align with your emotional feelings. For example you have experienced a traumatic event but your heart rate and skin temperature stays normal and vice versa. It’s a little confusing, but if you persist with the device and tell the device of your current emotional state, then you will start to see patterns and get a better understanding of how your stress levels change throughout the day. That’s how it affectively works but I will be doing a full article explaining this in detail.
You Have a Fitbit Subscription : Worth Upgrading or Buying
As mentioned before Fitbit’s real strength lies in their subscription model. If your main reason for signing up to Fitbit premium is for it’s accurate sleep tracking, daily readiness score, advice on healthy eating then the Versa 4 is definitely worth buying or upgrading to.
You already know what to expect from the Fitbit ecosystem, so it’s just a matter of syncing your new watch with the Fitbit app on your phone and you’re good to go. You will definitely get good value from the new Versa 4, because you know exactly why you’re paying for the subscription.
You Don’t Want A Fitbit Subscription : Definitely Not Worth Buying.
If you do decide to buy a Fitbit Versa 4 you will get for free 6 months of Fitbit Premium. If you decide to not continue after the 6 months, is the Versa 4 worth buying? and in my opinion, it’s definately not worth buying.
Like I mentioned before that Fitbit’s real strength lies in their subscription model. You take away the premium features of the Versa 4 you are left with a basic level smart watch that’s really only for monitoring your steps and your calories.
Taking the price into consideration, I would recommend the Fitbit Inspire 3 as an alternative. The Inspire 3 is almost like for like with the Versa 4, the only difference being the screen size and the cost. I got my Inspire 3 for $130 NZD, whereas the Versa 4 cost me $380 NZD – that’s over a 60% price difference.
Then again if you do decide to buy the Versa 4 without the subscription, you can take advantage of some of the free features that Fitbit has to offer
- NFC : Now part of google wallet so the contactless payments is more reliable and seamless with google wallet. If you have used a Samsung device, the process is the same.
- Google Maps: Now added to the Fitbit downloadable apps. Im not sure how useful this can be so I will be doing a future article this.
- Google Assistant: A handy feature for any wearOS device
- Fantastic Battery Life : Fitbit claims that the Versa 4 can last up to 6 days on a single charge. However based on my typical usage I an get close to 8 days on a single charge. It does come with a catch, GPS tracking was not used. I have written an article about the battery life of the Versa 4, so check that one out if want to know more.
- Downside – GPS tracking could be better : If you do a lot of GPS tracking, you may want to reconsider something else like the Galaxy Watch or the Huawei GT3 series. I tend to get reasonable results, but for more information please check out my Versa 4 article on GPS accuracy
Final Conclusion
To sum up, the Fitbit Versa 4 is a great buy, however, those who have opted to pay for the subscription by Fitbit will get the most out of it. The strong point of this brand is its premium features.
You can still find the Versa 4 still useful without the subscription, but that really depends on the features you want to use. Thank you for reading and I hope you found this article useful.
- No ECG App for Afib detection built in: Best to buy a Fitbit Charge 5 or Fitbit Sense
- No EDA sensor built in: Best to buy a Fitbit Charge 5 or Fitbit Sense
- No All day stress response tracking: Best to buy Fitbit Sense
- Versa 4 is worth buying: You are a current Fitbit premium subscriber that prioritizes Heart health, sleep health stress management and nutrition and fitness advice.
