A few things you need to know before you buy the Fitbit Versa 4 or Sense 2 [VIDEO]

The new Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 are starting to show up at retailers and in mailboxes for those who ordered them early, and I’ve had this one on my wrist for a full day at this point. These new Fitbits share nearly all things in common aside from a few different sensors added to the Sense, and as a guy who’s owned each Fitbit Versa along the way, there are some things right away I think you should know about Fitbit’s – and Google’s – latest smartwatch.

Design and build quality

First up, the design and build quality on this new Versa 4 is fantastic. The last few Versa’s haven’t felt cheap to me at all, but this latest version takes it to a new level. The shape of the watch itself is more attractive and the thickness is noticeably reduced as well. The screen still looks great, gets plenty bright, and retains all the qualities you need in a watch that will be both indoors and outdoors with you on a regular basis.

The included band is also very comfy, making me less prone to replace it right away. On the wrist, the watch looks sleek, modern and very attractive all around. Again, I’ve not disliked the way my previous Versa’s looked on my wrist: I just like this one a whole lot more.

They also brought back the physical side button, and this was the right move. I liked the idea of the haptic button on the Versa 3, but it required too much force and too much of a squeeze action to actually work. The return of the button feels far more natural and I’m glad to see it on the Versa 4.

Touch response and new UI

The new UI isn’t a surprise as it has been discussed online quite a bit, but I like it a lot. Google is further invested in Fitbit at this point and the new layout of the interface makes that evident. A bit more like Wear OS, you now have tiles to each side of the main watch face, notifications when you swipe up, and quick settings when you swipe down. The side button brings up your app drawer and works as a ‘go back’ button when you are in an app, setting or tile at any point in the interface.

It all works pretty well together and this UI layout makes more sense than the previous Fitbit attempts, even if only a bit. After all, it is a fitness tracker first, so playing around on your watch for long periods of time isn’t really something you’ll be doing with this device on a regular basis. Fitbit’s version of the smartwatch experience depends largely on quick-glance info, and the UI delivers that seamlessly, with smoother animations and better touch response than before. I think the animations and smoothness could still use a bit of cleanup to get on the level of a Samsung Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch, but it is far more responsive than previous Versa watches for sure.

Ease of setup

I also really enjoyed the simple setup process Fitbit has honed over the years. I didn’t have to re-try anything or attempt the connection between my Versa 4 and my Pixel 6 Pro over and over before getting up and running. Everything worked the first time, it walked me through the process easily, and I was up and running with the latest firmware update in about 10 minutes. With this being a tech accessory, that’s the sort of setup I’m here for.

Google Wallet and Maps coming soon

Finally, in the list of things I like so far about this watch, the promise of Google Maps and Google Wallet have me excited. I already know my bank card works with Google Wallet and having Google Maps on my wrist while driving is one of the handful of things I really do want in a smartwatch. I know we usually say “never buy tech today based on a promise for tomorrow,” but Fitbit and Google have not only stated that these integrations are coming: it is prominently displayed on the Versa 4 landing page, too. I’m not sure why they are waiting, but these features definitely feel like a sure thing.

Music woes

Now, we need to talk about some things I don’t like at all about this watch. First up is the music experience. Namely, the fact that there isn’t one. With no Wi-Fi or any real access to local storage by apps, there’s no way to download and listen to music directly from this watch at this point. And there’s no indication that it is on the way, either.

In some ways, I like the removal of Wi-Fi for the Versa 4. It’s in here, apparently, just not enabled. The older Versa’s all had Wi-Fi and it was never clear when they would and wouldn’t use it to connect to things like messages and other weather info. With Bluetooth as the main connection between your phone and watch, much of that extra confusion is gone and I’ve noticed a more-solid connection and less missed notifications on the Versa 4 than on my Versa 3.

However, these changes also mean I can’t use services like Deezer or Pandora to store music locally on my watch like I could with previous Versa watches. I didn’t really utilize locally-stored music on my previous Versas very often, but I can imagine a lot of people doing it on a regular basis for longer walks, hikes or runs. This feature removal is questionable enough on its own, but when you add to it the fact that Fitbit also removed the local music playback controls, I’m a bit shocked at the inept music experience on this watch.

With previous Versa watches, I could use my watch to control media playback on my phone and that was something I did utilize quite often. It was very handy to be in a cast session in the office or at home and be able to use my watch to pause the audio when needed. With this ability absent on the Fitbit Versa 4, this new watch has zero ability to do anything with any music whatsoever, and that’s a pretty big letdown.

Where are the apps?

In the same vein, it looks like there aren’t any third party apps available either. Searching the Fitbit Gallery in the app, outside of the Fitbit apps installed out of the box, I can find no other apps at all. I didn’t use many on my Versa 3, but the Starbucks app and my simple Golf GPS app were handy, and now I can’t install them. This could – and most definitely should – change down the road, but for now, app support is basically nil.

That limitation extends to the tiles as well. There are a handful installed, but no extras to choose from. Tiles are like quick-access widgets, but with no apps on the watch outside of the Fitbit-made ones, I guess there’s nothing else to provide quick access to. Again, I hope that changes as this UI would be great for this sort of glanceable, fast-access bits of info just a swipe away. A tile for things like my calendar – or, you know, a music app – would be great. As it stands right now, a lot needs to change before that can happen, and that’s a shame.

No Google Assistant??

And on the subject of missing apps, where is the Google Assistant?? On a watch that has by Google right on the front of the box, there’s not even a hint of the Assistant anywhere. WHAT?? On top of that, Amazon’s Alexa is still on board and works just fine. On a watch. By Google! This is such an absolute fail that I don’t think I even need to say anything else about it. What are you doing here, Google?

No quick watch face swapping

Also currently absent is the ability to quickly switch stored watch faces with a long-press on the main clock. Simple enough, right? Why would they remove this option? As a matter of fact, there’s no option to change watch faces from the watch itself and you are forced to do this in the Fitbit app.

And folks, this is after just a day of use. I’m certain there are some other missing functionalities that I haven’t stumbled on quite yet, but I can tell you for sure that if these things don’t change quickly, a return of this device to the Google Store is in order for me. Yes, I like the build, the look and the UI changes, but these limitations are not only aggravating: they make no sense whatsoever. It’s early, but if Fitbit and Google don’t fix this in a hurry, this will be the first time in a long time I don’t have the latest Versa on my wrist.