Fitbit Versa 4 Review 2022: A Basic Smartwatch With Long-Lasting Battery

I’ve been data-driven ever since I was in the fifth grade and my older brother showed me Microsoft Excel. I kept food logs, sleep logs, and spending logs—much to my parent’s chagrin. They thought I was a little too obsessed with crunching numbers (or maybe they were just mad I was always on the home computer). Naturally, when fitness trackers first came out, I was an early adopter. My first tracker was the Go Active Stepometer that came with a Mcdonald’s Happy Meal in the early 2000s. 

Fitness trackers have come a long way since then. In fact, this September, Google launched three new Fitbit wearables to its already diverse line of trackers and smartwatches. Though I did research on all three new devices—Sense 2, Inspire 3, and Versa 4—I was most keen to try Versa 4. The Versa 4 is an entry-level smartwatch ($230) with plenty of features including a few upgrades from the Versa 3. A Google designer spoke to SELF and said it’s designed for avid exercisers wanting to track activity 24/7—that described me to a T.

How I Tested

I’ve worn my Versa 4 pretty much 24/7 for over a month now. I wore my first Versa 4 while surfing in Portugal, one of the 40 exercises that the Versa 4 tracks (the Versa 3 only tracks 20 exercises). In addition to surfing, I also used my Versa 4 to track all of my cardio workouts. I wore it while on the treadmill, the stair master, the elliptical, and walking my dog outside. Since I never took it off, I also tracked my strength training and my sleep.

• Steps
• Calories burned
• Distance covered
• Heart rate
• Active zone minutes (time spent in certain heart rate zones)
• Heart rate variability
• Skin temperature
• Oxygen saturation
• Breath rate
• Menstrual cycle
• Sleep

Of course, I also took advantage of Fitbit’s premium features like sleep profile, blood glucose tracking, daily readiness score, and the wellness report (a comprehensive PDF). With the purchase of Versa 4, you get six free months of Fitbit Premium which is normally $10 per month.

In terms of apps, I used most of Versa 4’s included apps such as Fitbit Pay, Amazon Alexa, Weather, and GPS (although it just shows where you’ve been, so you can’t get turn-by-turn navigation). I’ve had some difficulty navigating all the apps; for example, I’m currently still figuring out how to use the Find My iPhone feature. 

In this Fitbit Versa 4 review you can see the highlights and lowlights of my experience based on SELF’s fitness tracker and smartwatch buying guide.

Reliability and Ease of Use

I’m not the most tech-savvy person, but I was up and running—literally—within minutes of opening the box. It only takes about 12 minutes for Versa 4 to get a day’s charge, and the device was easy to sync with my smartphone once I downloaded the Fitbit App. Since the Versa 4 can’t connect to WiFi—a serious oversight if you ask me—you do need to have your phone nearby and Bluetooth turned on. The setup was so simple, the longest step was setting up Fitbit Pay, and that’s only because I had to input my credit card number.

Perhaps my favorite physical feature, and a serious upgrade from Versa 3, is the physical side button used to power the device on and off, though I would love an upgrade where I didn’t have to push the side button every time I want to ask Alexa a question. (Isn’t she supposed to be voice-activated?)

The biggest con I’ve found on the Versa 4 is that, unlike other smartwatches, it does not support third-party apps. In other words, no Spotify or Pandora. So if you’re like me and you want to listen to music or podcasts while working out, you’ll still have to have your phone with you. (I thought the whole purpose of having Fitbit Pay on your smartwatch was that you didn’t have to pack your phone or wallet with you; make it make sense!)

Fortunately, my experience so far has been seamless. Any major hiccup I’ve encountered I simply had to restart the device and things were working normally again. 

Accuracy

A skeptic at heart, I’m always wary of accuracy when it comes to fitness trackers. I love stats, but I take them with a grain of salt. However, I’ve been nothing but impressed with the accuracy of the Versa 4 based on what I could measure myself. 

Steps: When it comes to counting steps, I’ve found the device to be freakishly accurate. I did several test walks where I manually counted each step I took. After 50–100 steps, the device always registered within 1–2 steps of the number I had counted.

Distance: I also used the GPS feature to measure distance. The route I walk behind my house when I take my dog out is exactly 1.3 miles, according to Google Maps. Versa 4 also measures it as 1.3 miles. 

Heart rate: I’m also satisfied with Versa 4’s heart rate readings. Granted, there is a 20-second lag. If I’m running on the treadmill I can immediately see my heart rate get up to 154 beats per minute, per the machine’s sensors. Within 20-30 seconds of that number registering on the machine, the same number, or perhaps a beat or two off, appears on my Versa 4 as well.

Sleep: Another data point I was interested in measuring was my sleep. The data Versa 4 records— in terms of when I fell asleep and when I woke up—is exactly what I expected it to be. I look at my phone first thing in the morning, and if I first looked at it at 7:15 a.m. my Versa 4 would have my wake-up be approximately around 7:14 a.m. It’s scary accurate! (Of course, I have no way of really knowing if my time spent in sleep’s MVP, REM, is 100% on point, but it feels right.)

Battery Life

Versa 4 is like the Energizer Bunny. It just keeps going. After four days of use—wearing it 24/7 with the display automatically turning off after six seconds—I still had 60% battery left. And when I have the display on all the time, my Versa 4 still can go two full days without needing to be recharged. I also love the notifications I get reminding me to charge it. When my device’s battery level gets below 40 percent, Fitbit sends me a friendly reminder that my Versa 4 is due for a recharge. I especially love that the battery charges so fast I don’t ever have an excuse not to exercise. I can fully charge the device, taking it from 0 to 100%, in just two hours. Although we haven’t tested this long-term, the Versa 4’s battery life is still way better than any other battery-powered device I own.

Comfort

I’m incredibly sensitive to wearables. In fact, I don’t wear earrings larger than studs because hoops and dangly earrings feel too heavy. As someone who doesn’t normally wear a watch, I was expecting the Versa 4 to bother me or, at the very least, feel bulky. It doesn’t do either. It weighs just 5.6 ounces and is noticeably slimmer than its predecessor. In fact, I don’t even notice I’m wearing the device while sleeping. Of course, I think it helps that I use the sport band it comes with. This band is made of smooth and soft silicon that doesn’t rub or chafe, even when wet. I like the look of the leather bands you can buy for the Versa 4; however, I don’t think they’d be as comfortable when wet.

Style

The Versa 4 is available in four color combinations with a basic square face and a subtly curved glass screen. Though I’m not a fan of how big it is (I have small wrists), I am, however, a huge fan of the strap that it comes with. There’s no metal clasp, and the strap goes over and under so it looks rather minimalistic. I don’t like the look of watches where the remaining section of the strap sticks out and can catch on things. I think this over-under strap style also helps prevent the device from sliding around on your wrist. Of course, if you don’t want to wear the watch as is, there’s no shortage of other straps and accessories to choose from.  

Syncing

It’s easy to view workouts from the device’s dashboard, but I prefer to view them in the app. Fortunately, Versa 4 syncs seamlessly with my iPhone 12 (it also syncs with Android devices). I have it set up so it automatically syncs throughout the day. And should I want to do a manual sync, it only takes about five seconds. On the app, I can see a month’s worth of data for a specific metric in one graph and can also scroll back through years of data for all the metrics I’m tracking. I can also log my food and water consumption, see which days I’m fertile, and log my mindfulness (something I wish I did more often).

Water Resistance

I plan on scuba diving in Mozambique in December, and I can’t wait to test the Versa 4 out on that trip. It’s rated to be water resistant up to 50 meters (164 feet). In the meantime, I know from weeks of testing that I can shower with it on without worrying about later needing to store it in a bag of rice to resuscitate it. I also know I can surf with it (as long as I have the strap securely fastened and not too loose). When I’m surfing the device isn’t entirely submerged; however, between paddling and wipeouts, it spends plenty of time in the water.

Other Features

According to Google, other features are “coming soon” to Versa 4. They include Google Wallet—which I suspect will eventually replace Fitbit Pay since Fitbit is now owned by Google—and Google Maps. Another promised feature that I look forward to is Bluetooth calls. Currently, I can only receive notifications but, eventually, I’ll be able to answer calls from my wrist and even send callers to voicemail. 

Should You Buy It?

In summary, I’m happy with the Versa 4 although, as a smartwatch, I don’t think it’s the smartest in class, especially with an MSRP of $230. Fortunately, it’s discounted to $150, which is a reasonable price for an excellent fitness tracker—what we found the Versa 4 to be in our review. If you’re an avid exerciser and you don’t mind having your phone near you to use third-party apps, we definitely recommend the Versa 4.