Fitbit Versa 4 review: A step in the wrong direction for Fitbit's midrange line

When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.

If you're expecting the Fitbit Versa 4 to be one of the best fitness trackers, or even an upgrade over its predecessor, you'll likely be disappointed. While the number four suggests a generational advancement over the Versa 3, the wearable is instead an almost-carbon copy that pales in comparison to the company's other offerings, like the Sense 2 or the Google Pixel Watch.

This puts the Versa 4 in a tough spot in Fitbit's lineup, even though it has some appeal. It features the same lightweight, minimalist design of Versas past, as well as a diverse array of trackable activities, a nearly week-long battery, and an upgraded version of Fitbit's stress-management tools.

But even those positive aspects feed into the Versa 4's main sticking point: Much of what the watch does was lifted directly from the Versa 3. And while the Versa 3 is one of the best Fitbit devices you can buy, the fourth-gen does little to push the line forward is disappointing. What's more, the Versa 4 actually drops key features that made the Versa 3 great, including third-party app support and onboard music playback. 

It's such stagnant innovation that also makes it hard to pin down who exactly benefits best from wearing one. Versa 3 owners don't benefit from an upgrade, and it'd be hard to convince any wearer of an Apple, Garmin, or Suunto watch to embrace a new ecosystem for something this lackluster. 

To get the full Versa 4 experience, I spent the better part of a month using it as my everyday wearable. While I found it to be somewhat of a well-made activity tracker, its shortcomings were apparent far too often.

The Fitbit Versa 4 looks similar to the last model, with the biggest design change being a physical button

The design of the Fitbit Versa 4 is nearly identical to the Versa models that came before it, featuring a square watch face with curved edges. Overall, it has a thin, lightweight design that looks and feels minimal. This is especially noticeable (or, more accurately, not noticeable) when I exercised, as it hardly felt like I had a wearable on at all.  

I also found both the display and the text on the display easy to read and navigate, even at a glance, no matter if I was jogging on a treadmill, riding my bike, or sitting at work. It has the same 1.58-inch AMOLED display as the Versa 3, as well as the same resolution.

Navigating the screen requires the same touchscreen controls as before, with a swipe up populating any notifications, while a swipe down allows access to features like brightness control or Do Not Disturb. Swiping left or right scrolls through each of the Versa 4's standard features like daily steps, heart rate, stress levels, and more. It's a highly intuitive interface with a low learning curve for new users. 

The watch also features a side button that can be used in addition to the touchscreen controls. A double press of the button takes you to the Amazon Alexa voice assistant while pressing and holding the button displays a few of your key daily stats like distance traveled or calories burned. A single press of the button brings up the app screen.

The watch band is also quite light and comfortable, and it never chafed my wrist, even during more grueling workout sessions. Fitbit packages both a small/medium and a large/extra-large band with the watch, so it was easy to dial in the perfect fit right out of the box. 

Fitness tracking misses the mark on the Fitbit Versa 4

Fitbit's main selling point is fitness tracking, so you'd think the company has perfected how well its trackers, well… track. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case with the Versa 4, which experienced quite a few hiccups during my tests. 

Inaccuracies happened most often with the built-in GPS that seemed to take forever to sync. Even if that forever was only actually a few minutes, it was always far too long to wait before I could start my run or bike ride. 

I wouldn't have been as dead-set on using the GPS for every activity so long as it amassed somewhat accurate tracking data while not synced. But it missed the mark more often than not. When not synced with GPS, the Fitbit Versa 4 often produced much different distance readings, sometimes being off by as much as a 1/8th of a mile (or more). 

Although a 1/8th of a mile may not seem like much, that could spell the difference between thinking you ran roughly a 9-minute mile when you actually ran closer to an 8-minute mile. For those pacing for a marathon or trying to hit a personal record, that time gap is huge. 

The automatic exercise tracking feature also tended to be a clunky experience. Oftentimes, I was never alerted it was actually tracking via the watch in real-time but when I opened the Fitbit app later, it had recorded a workout. This was fine since it logged a relevant activity, but it does put the overall accuracy into question since I wasn't able to interact with the workout session while I was actually working out.

A familiar set of features, but the Versa 4 is "dumber" than the Versa 3

As a smartwatch, the Fitbit Versa 4 looks the part. But the more you use it, the less impressive it becomes. Yes, it has many of the same apps as the Versa 3, but there are many that are missing. Why? Because Fitbit nixed third-party app support entirely. 

For instance, you can't download Spotify for music playback. And since the watch doesn't store music, you're left without accessing tunes of any kind, which is a bummer for a watch I used so frequently for long runs or bike rides. 

What's left is a basic assortment of Fitbit-specific features that don't put the watch in any sort of unique category. It's just a collection of run-of-the-mill features that have become standard, even on wearables that aren't considered "smart." 

The Versa 4 can track and measure: 

• Steps
• Calories burned
• GPS and distance covered
• Sleep 
• Heart rate monitoring and variability
• Blood oxygen tracking
• Menstrual cycle logging and tracking
• More than 40 compatible exercises 

It's not the best smartwatch, but the Versa 4 offers standard features like the ability to get call, text, and email notifications. There's also a "Find my Phone" feature. The device supports Amazon Alexa, but not Google Assistant, which is an odd choice given Fitbit is now owned by Google. Either way, Alexa can be used to start workouts, set reminders, or get a snapshot of the news. These all work fine, though the watch does need to be tethered to your phone in order to use Alexa. 

One of the more interesting applications of the Versa 4's features is its Daily Readiness Score and Cardio Fitness Score, two metrics that provide an in-depth look at your overall well-being and fitness. 

With the Daily Readiness Score, which is only available via Fitbit's Premium membership, you're provided insight into how well your body has rested and recovered from the previous day's activity. This can help inform how hard you should push yourself during a workout or if you should take it easy. 

Similarly, the Cardio Fitness Score is a metric designed to show you how well your body performs during exercise. This is done via a VO2 Max reading which signifies how well your body uses oxygen while working out. Even for casual athletes, these two metrics are fun to use and can be a solid motivational tool. 

The Fitbit Versa 4 also offers in-depth sleep tracking, which not only tells you how long you hit REM or deep sleep each night but it judges the quality of your sleep via a daily Sleep Score, too. More advanced features, like creating a sleep profile and getting actual feedback, are only accessible via Fitbit Premium and the Fitbit app.

This brings us to the app experience. No big changes were made to how the app functions, and I found it quite easy to use and that it provided lots of extra information than what I could access on the watch. It's nice to see all my activities grouped in one place and having a snapshot of my daily stats is cleaner on the phone than scrolling through on the watch. 

Impressive battery life, which should come as no surprise

Perhaps the Versa 4's best feature is its battery life. I consistently found the watch to last close to its on-paper listing of six full days even while I was using most of the main apps and tracking activities. I did notice a slight dip in battery life if I had the GPS running multiple times a week but it wasn't significant.

One of the battery's other features I appreciated was how I'd be able to get a full day's worth of charge in just 12 minutes. This was ideal for days I knew I wouldn't be around a plug-in for hours at a time and didn't want to leave the house with under 15% battery life. I'd just plug it in while I was getting ready to leave and then it'd be good to go for the entire day.

Should you buy it?

I was conflicted while testing the Versa 4 and had a hard time figuring out who it was best recommended for. I kept wondering if it offered enough to warrant shelling out $180.  

Though perhaps the Versa 4's saving grace is that price. Mind you, paying $180 (its current sale price) for a wearable that's a near-replica of the previous generation isn't exactly cost-effective. But if a Fitbit die-hard is in the market for a new smartwatch, and doesn't already have the Versa 3, then maybe there is a market for it — however limited it is.

But honestly, the answer for most people is going to be no. Versa 3 owners will already have a wearable that does everything the Versa 4 offers while new buyers would be better off investing in one of the brand's other watches, like the Sense 2 or the Google Pixel Watch. Both of those watches offer a smarter and more advanced experience, albeit with slightly more expensive price tags of $250 and $300, respectively. 

But both of those are true smartwatches, with the Sense 2 being more on the sporty side while the Google Pixel watch is bona fide "smart." Put plainly, those two are (mostly) worth their entry fee while the Versa 4 fails to live up to the expectations that come with being a fourth-generation Fitbit smartwatch.