Apple Watch Series 3 vs Fitbit Versa 2 – Which is Better?

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Featured in this comparison chart are two decent-looking smartwatches; the Apple Watch Series 3 vs Fitbit Versa 2. Each of these two is compact, lightweight, and well equipped to track your daily activities. Both smartwatches also have significant onboard storage that allows you to store music on the watch. However, the Watch 3 is a more comprehensive smartwatch than Versa 2. We’re taking a look at the differences between these two to help you make a more informed decision.

The Versa 2 has a longer battery life and it can monitor your blood oxygen. (Source: Fitbit)

While the Watch 3 is available in two sizes, 38mm and 42mm, the Versa 2 only comes in a single size. Featured in the table below is the 42mm unit of the Watch 3. Both the 38mm and 42mm units of the Watch 3 have the same design and features except for differences in display size and price.

Apple Watch Series 3 vs Fitbit Versa 2: Specifications Compared

 
 
Product Info
Apple watch series 3 (42mm) specs

Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm) Specifications, Features and Price

Fitbit smartwatches

Fitbit Versa 2 Specifications, Features and Price

Price - $149.95
ABOUT DEVICE ABOUT DEVICE ABOUT DEVICE
Device name Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm) Fitbit Versa 2
Device type Standalone/Fitness smartwatch Fitness/Sport smartwatch
Gender Unisex Unisex
Release date September, 2017 September, 2019
Predecessor Apple Watch Series 2 Fitbit Versa
Successor Apple Watch Series 4 Fitbit Versa 3
Versions Apple Watch Nike+ Fitbit Versa 2 Special Edition, Fitbit Versa 2 Standard Edition
BODY BODY BODY
Dimension 42.5 x 36.4 x 11.4 mm 40 x 40 x 12 mm
Weight 52.8 grams 40 grams
Shape Rectangular Rectangular
Case material Aluminum Aluminum
Strap material Elastomer Silicone
Bezel material Bezeless Aluminum
Strap size 140 – 180mm (small), 180 -220mm (big) 140 – 180mm (small), 180 -220mm (big)
Interchangeable strap 24mm, Yes Yes
Screen protection Ion-X glass (aluminum) Corning Gorilla Glass
Water resistance Yes, 5ATM Yes, 5ATM
Durability test
Swim-proof Yes, recommended Yes, recommended
Color Black, White Black, Bordeaux, Grey, Petal/copper rose, Stone/mist grey
DISPLAY DISPLAY DISPLAY
Display size 1.65 inch 1.4 inches
Display type 1000nit, OLED AMOLED
Display resolution 312 x 390 pixels
Pixel density
Always on No Yes
Custom watch face Yes Yes
Input type 1 Physical button, Digital crown, Touchscreen 1 Physical button, Touchscreen
CONNECTIVITY CONNECTIVITY CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth Yes, Bluetooth v4.2 LE Bluetooth v4.0
Bluetooth calling Yes No
GPS GLONASS, GPS No
NFC Yes Yes
Wi-Fi Yes Yes
MEMORY MEMORY MEMORY
RAM 0.768GB
ROM 16GB (GPS + Cellular), 8GB (GPS) 4GB
Memory card slot No No
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY
Technology None None
SIM type None None
Band
NOTIFICATIONS NOTIFICATIONS NOTIFICATIONS
SMS alert Yes Yes
Calls alert Yes Yes
Email alert Yes Yes
Event reminder Yes Yes
Third-party apps alert Yes Yes
Reply to Notifications - -
MEDIA MEDIA MEDIA
Audio mp3/mp4 mp3/mp4
Bluetooth music Yes Yes
Loudspeaker Yes No
Microphone Yes Yes
Camera No No
Radio No No
SENSORS SENSORS SENSORS
Sensor(s) Vibration motor
ACTIVITY TRACKING ACTIVITY TRACKING ACTIVITY TRACKING
Blood oxygen No Yes
Blood Pressure No No
Calories Yes Yes
Distance Yes Yes
ECG tracking No No
Heart rate monitoring Yes Yes
Sleep tracking Yes Yes
Steps Yes Yes
Floors climbed Yes Yes
Stress Yes Yes
Fall detection No No
Menstrual cycle Yes Yes
VO2 Max Yes Yes
Swim-tracking Yes Yes
Underwater heart rate tracking No No
On-screen workout No Yes
Sport modes Yes 15
BATTERY BATTERY BATTERY
Battery type Non-removable Li-ion battery non-removable Lithium-polymer
Battery capacity 279mAh
Battery life Regular: up to 18hrs Regular: 5 days+, Standby: 8 days+
Charging type Charging dock Charging dock
Charging time 1-2 hours 2hrs
Solar charging No No
PLATFORM PLATFORM PLATFORM
Chipset Apple S3
CPU Dual core
GPU
Operating system WatchOS 4 Fitbit OS
MISC MISC MISC
Companion app Apple Watch App Fitbit App
Compatibility iOS 12.0+ Android, iOS
Payment system Apple Pay Fitbit Pay
Voice command Yes, Siri Yes, Alexa
Find my phone Yes Yes
Box content Apple Watch Series 3, Charger, Manual, Straps Charger, Fitbit Versa 2, Manual, Straps

Difference Between Apple Watch Series 3 vs Fitbit Versa 2

  • Design: Both watches are awesomely compact, sturdy and very lightweight

  • The Watch 3 and Versa 2 have the same aluminum build. As a result, each of these two is extremely lightweight that you’ll hardly notice you wearing a watch on your wrist. The straps of both watches are made of fluoroelastomer. Meanwhile, while ion-x glass protects the display of the Watch 3, a Corning Gorilla Glass protects that of the Versa 2.

    The Watch 3 has a touch-sensitive screen, a flat physical button, and a digital crown for effortless navigation while the Versa 2 also has a touch-sensitive screen and a single physical button, yet is also easy to navigate.

    In other words, both watches are durably built with sturdy and lightweight materials.

  • Fitness Tracking: Watch 3 with inbuilt GPS is a more equipped smartwatch than Versa 2

  • Both the Watch 3 and Versa 2 will track your steps, sleep, calories and your heart rate. However, there is an inbuilt GPS in the Watch 3 that allows you to track your outdoor activities like routes, locations, and pace. The Versa 2 doesn’t have inbuilt GPS but supports connected GPS via your phone. This means that you must carry your phone along to track routes and location when you go for outdoor workouts with the Versa 2.

    It’s good to note that Versa 2 will track all four stages of your sleep unlike the native sleep app in Watch 3 which only track your total sleep time. Although, some third-party apps on the Apple App store can track your sleep stages at a premium cost.

    Meanwhile, the Versa 2 will monitor your blood oxygen when you wear it to sleep. This isn’t possible with the Watch 3.

  • Storage: Watch 3 has a higher storage capacity

  • While both the Watch 3 and Versa 2 will allow you to store music onboard the watch, the Watch 3 with 8GB storage capacity will allow you to store more tracks than Versa 2 which only has a 4GB storage capacity.

  • Bluetooth Calls: Watch 3 has both microphone and speaker
  • While there is a microphone in the Versa 2 that supports Alexa voice assistant, it lacks a speaker. The Watch 3 has a microphone and speaker that enables Bluetooth calls when your phone is nearby.

  • Battery Life: Versa 2 has a longer battery life
  • The Versa 2 has a longer battery life than the Watch 3. On average, I get about 5 days of battery life with the Versa 2 which is far longer than about 18hrs with the Watch 3

Which is Better?

Apple Watch Series 3 vs Fitbit Versa 2
Apple Watch Series 3 is a more equipped smartwatch than Versa 2. (Source: Apple)

The Watch 3 with a better design, bigger display, higher storage, bluetooth calling functionality and inbuilt GPS is a better smartwatch than Versa 2.

On the flip side, the Versa 2 is a compact and sturdy smartwatch with longer battery life. It’s a cheaper alternative.