Smartwatches and fitness trackers have gained popularity in the past few years, getting smarter with every new release. Fitbit, an American digital health and fitness brand, has launched multiple fitness trackers, the latest being Fitbit Charge 4 and Charge 3 and smartwatches, the latest being Fitbit Sense and Versa 3.
While both a smartwatch and a fitness tracker keep track of fitness and health, smartwatches also connect to different devices, hence delivering notifications, short replies and many more features.
Also read: Fitbit Versa 2 vs Fitbit Charge 3.
Design
The design of the Fitbit Versa 3 is sleek and rectangular, with a 1.59 x 1.59 inch and 336-by-336-pixel AMOLED display. Its thickness is 0.49 inches, while its weight ranges between 1.4 to 1.5 ounces, depending on the band attached. All in all, it is incredibly lightweight and can comfortably be worn while sleeping as well. The Versa 3 comes in 5 colour combinations – Midnight / Soft Gold Aluminium, Black/Black Aluminium, Pink Clay / Soft Gold Aluminium, Thistle / Soft Gold Aluminium and Olive / Soft Gold Aluminium.
The Fitbit Charge 3 is a fitness tracker with a monochrome OLED touch screen of width 0.8 inches and screen size of 0.7 inches by 1.35 inches. Weighing 1.02 ounces, the tracker has a thickness of 0.46 inches. The Charge 3 comes in 5 colour combinations – Black / Graphite, Blue Gray / Rose Gold, Berry Sport / Rose Gold, Frost White Sport / Graphite, and Lavender Woven / Rose Gold.
Battery
The Fitbit Versa 3 and the Fitbit Charge 3 both use the Lithium-polymer battery. The battery life typically depends on the operations being performed by the device. The battery life of the Versa 3 is estimated to be approximately up to 6 days, while for the Charge 3, the estimate is up to 7 days.
The full battery charge time for the Versa 3 is approximately 40 to 50 minutes, and for a single day’s battery usage, it is 12 minutes. Features like the always-on display use more battery, hence increasing the overall charge cycles. On the other hand, the full battery charge time for Charge 3 is 2 hours.
Also read: How to restart Fitbit Versa?
Fitness Features
The Fitbit Versa 3 offers a variety of fitness features.
- Built-in GPS
- Active zone minutes
- Floors climbed
- All-day activity tracking
- Workout intensity maps in-app
- Goal based exercise modes along with smart tracking
- Cardio fitness level
- Swim proof
The Fitbit Charge 3 provides almost all the Versa 3 but with more added elements.
- Reminders to move
- Personalised remainders
- Heart rate zones
While the features of Charge 3 are also available in Versa 3, some settings need to be enabled for the same while setting up the device.
Health Features
The health features of the fitness trackers and smartwatches set them apart. Along with keeping track of the basics like steps, calories, active zone minutes and others, these smart devices also have 24/7 heart monitoring, sleep scores, guided breathing sessions, menstrual tracking and others.
The health features provided by the Fitbit Charge 3 are:
- 24/7 heart rate tracking
- Sleep stages and scores
- Guided breathing sessions
- Breathing rate
- Menstrual health tracking for women
- Resting heart rate
- Total calories burnt
The Fitbit Versa 3 provides all the above features and a few more.
- Notifications in case of major fluctuations of heart rate
- SpO2 monitoring
- Skin temperature variation
- Smart wake
- Sleep and Do Not Disturb modes
- Stress management scores and logging of mood
Also read: OnePlus Band vs Mi Band 5: Which one should you buy?
Miscellaneous Features
Other than the regular health and fitness features, these smart devices offer a few more smart features enhancing the use and feel of the device. These devices connect wirelessly, over Bluetooth, and have a dedicated Fitbit app to manage and view the dashboard. The Fitbit app also offers multiple clock faces to choose from for the smart device.
The Fitbit Charge 3 has minimal features, including apps like timer and weather, on-wrist statistics of daily goals and accomplishments, and smartphone notifications.
On the other hand, the Fitbit Versa 3 is loaded with smart features, giving it the feel of a mini-phone.
- Music playback with apps like Spotify premium and Deezer
- Calls from the smartwatch
- Apps, texts and call notifications
- Voice assistants – Alexa and Google Assistant
- Fitbit Pay
- Different apps on the wrist including weather, statistics of goals, clock, timer, trainer, Find my Phone and many more
Also read: How to reset Fitbit Versa?
Which one should you buy?
| Parameter | Fitbit Charge 3 | Fitbit Versa 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Monochrome OLED touchscreen | 336-by-336-pixel AMOLED touchscreen |
| Weight | 1.02 ounces | 1.4 to 1.5 ounces |
| Battery | Lithium-polymer | Lithium-polymer |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 days | Up to 6 days |
| Charge time | 2 hours | 40 minutes |
| Colours | Black / Graphite Blue Gray / Rose Gold Berry Sport / Rose Gold Frost White Sport / Graphite Lavender Woven / Rose Gold | Midnight / Soft Gold Aluminium Black/Black Aluminium Pink Clay / Soft Gold Aluminium Thistle / Soft Gold Aluminium Olive / Soft Gold Aluminium |
| Water resistance | Water-resistant to 50 meters | Water-resistant to 50 meters |
| Operating conditions | The operating temperature is -10° to 45° C, and the maximum operating altitude is 8,535 m | The operating temperature is -20° to 60° C, and the maximum operating altitude is 8,534.4 m |
| Sensors | 3-axis accelerometer Optical heart rate monitor Altimeter Vibration motor Relative SpO2 sensor NFC (in special editions) | Built-in GPS Red and infrared sensors for SpO2 monitoring 3-axis accelerometer Altimeter Wi-Fi Ambient light sensor Microphones Speaker NFC Vibration motor Optical heart rate sensor Device temperature sensor |
| OS compatibility | Android, iOS | Android v5.0, iOS |
| Sync range | Up to 6 m | Up to 9.14 m |
| Cost | $229.95 Rs. 18,999 | $149.95 Rs 9,999 |
Also read: How to update Fitbit Versa?
Fitbit Charge 4 and Fitbit Sense
While the Fitbit Charge 3 is not quite old, the Charge 4 is the latest. The cost and battery life of both the trackers are the same. Still, the Charge 4 also provides built-in GPS, automatic workout detections, SpO2 monitoring, Spotify controls and even contactless payments. Charge 4 is a better bet than Charge 3 since it offers better features for the same rate.
The Fitbit Sense, on the other hand, launched along with Versa 3. Initially, the cost of the Fitbit Sense was more than Versa 3, but now the official Fitbit website prices them at the exact cost. Sense provides an ECG app along with EDA scan apps that help keep better track of stress levels. At this given point, Fitbit Sense would be a better option than the Versa 3, given that they are equally priced now.
Overall, all the four devices mentioned above – Fitbit Charge 3, Charge 4, Versa 3 and Sense, share almost the same basic features. In contrast, Charge 4 and Fitbit Sense have a few advantages over Charge 3 and Versa 3, respectively, based on your usage and requirements.
Also read: OnePlus 9 vs OnePlus 8T: Which one to pick?
