On Wednesday, American wearable manufacturer, Fitbit announced the next-generation device in their line of smartwatches, the Versa 2.

This device picks up from where the previous generation left off and continues to improve upon what is offered. Here we compare the two generations of Fitbit Versa smartwatches across five parameters.

Design and Display

Coming to the design of the device, Fitbit has not made radical changes, but has mostly refined upon the first generation.

The Versa 2 has only one button on its side compared to the three present on its predecessor, and the company expects this change to translate into a smoother and user-friendly experience. A part of the hardware that has received a noteworthy change is the display. Gone is the old 1.34 inch LCD which had bezels that only took away from the user experience. Fitbit has replaced it with a brand new AMOLED display which is 1.39 inches, has visibly smaller bezels and deeper blacks to provide great visuals.

The backplate which houses the charging connector, the heart rate and several other sensors has been integrated into a uniform structure, making the watch more comfortable to wear.

Also read: Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Apple Watch Series 4 vs Fossil Gen 5

Alexa functionality

A feature that Fitbit has highlighted is the support for Amazon’s Alexa, who is now available to users due to the inclusion of a microphone on the wearable.

Due to the absence of a speaker on the device, Alexa interacts with the users via text. Questions about the weather or your fitness stats are some of the few things that you can ask Alexa.

Battery life

With every new generation, we see upgrades being made to the batteries, and so is the case with the Versa 2. Fitbit claims that the watch will provide five days of usage on a single charge compared to the four of the Versa. The improvements made have also allowed them to include an ‘Always-on’ mode for the display.

Fitness features

This is the one segment where you will not notice any differences between the devices down the line. At the time of launch, the Versa 2 will have workout presets similar to that of the Versa but will tie in the new sleep tracking feature.

Note: All features being released with the Versa 2 will make their way to the older device with software updates.

Alongside Versa 2, the company has also launched Fitbit Premium, a paid subscription in its app that will update users with coaching tips and actionable guidance to achieve their fitness goals.

Also read: WearOS vs Tizen OS: An Android user’s perspective

Pricing and Availability

Talking about the pricing and availability of the device, the Versa 2 is available for preorder on Fitbit’s website and is set to be on sale worldwide from September 15.

The Versa was introduced at $200 (INR 19,999) to make their line of smartwatches more accessible and appealing when compared to the Ionic which sold for $270 (INR 22,990) — this was more fitness-oriented and had a boxier design. The newer generation continues on this path as it packs in more features for the same price.

The pricing in India has seen a slight increment with the Versa 2 starting at INR 20,999 compared to the INR 19,999 of its predecessor, the special edition of the Versa 2 will be sold for INR 22,999. It is set to available at popular retailers like Reliance Digital, Croma, Helios and several others. It will also be available online on Amazon and Flipkart.

Extras

With the original Versa, consumers in USA had to shell out an extra $30 for the special edition to get the NFC feature which would allow them to use Fitbit Pay, that is not the case this time around as this feature comes inbuilt with the base model.

Fitbit Versa 2 price list

• Australia: $329.95
• Canada: $249.95
• Europe: $199.95
• India: INR 20,999
• Hong Kong: $1798
• New Zealand: $359.95
• Singapore: $318
• UK: £199.99

Also read: Amazfit Verge 2 vs Galaxy Watch Active vs Fitbit Versa