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Fitbit's New Versa Lite Edition Costs Less Than Half as Much as the Apple Watch

Wednesday March 6, 2019 7:00 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Fitbit today announced its latest smartwatch, the Versa Lite Edition. Priced at $160, the Versa Lite is $40 cheaper than the standard Versa model released last year and less than half as much as the Apple Watch Series 4, which starts at $399.


The new Versa Lite Edition looks similar to the standard Versa, beyond having one button versus three. Of course, the Lite Edition loses some features compared to the standard Versa, including Wi-Fi, on-device music storage and playback, on-screen workouts, and the ability to track swim laps and floors climbed.

Nevertheless, the Lite Edition has most features you would expect from a fitness tracker, including step counting, calories burned, sleep tracking, heart rate tracking, guided breathing sessions, and more than 15 exercise modes.


Compared to the ‌Apple Watch‌, the Versa Lite Edition is unsurprisingly basic. It has fewer apps, lacks built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, or optional LTE, can't be used for contactless payments, doesn't have a microphone for voice control, and so forth. The simplicity of the Versa Lite does allow for up to four-day battery life though.

Fitbit is the world's second largest smartwatch vendor according to estimates, but it trails Apple by a significant margin, so it's clearly attempting to win market share with an aggressive pricing strategy. This includes the also-announced Inspire, Inspire HR, and Ace 2 fitness trackers priced between $70 and $100.

Versa Lite Edition is available for pre-order in white, lilac, mulberry, and marina blue.

Tag: Fitbit
[ 73 comments ]


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KazKam
8 months ago

Fitbit's New Versa Lite Edition Does Less Than Half as Much as the Apple Watch ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/03/06/fitbit-versa-lite-edition-vs-apple-watch/')


Fixed it.
Rating: 30 Votes
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xDKP
8 months ago
Well despite the looks of the thing, it’s not really a smartwatch but rather a square shaped fitness band
Rating: 19 Votes
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H3LL5P4WN
8 months ago
Does it still include the "leak your data everywhere" feature?
Rating: 9 Votes
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Baymowe335
8 months ago
Who cares? Apple products are all about iOS integration.

Don't like it? Use Android.
Rating: 9 Votes
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BvizioN
8 months ago
Not on the same league! So, of course, it should be a lot cheaper!
Rating: 8 Votes
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rjd728
8 months ago
I owned a couple of Fitbit models a few years back. They all had quality issues (band falling apart, malfunctioning, sync issues, etc.). Several of my colleagues were experiencing the same issues. It wasn't a $300.00 watch but for a device over $100.00 you'd expect it to work better and last longer. We all tapped out on Fitbit back then and never looked back. Never had an issue with my Gen 3 Apple watch.
Rating: 6 Votes
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chelsel
8 months ago
This is a pretty nice offering. I love my Apple Watch S3, but realistically I usually only use it for heart rate, sleep, steps and checking the time.
Rating: 6 Votes
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sundog925
8 months ago
"Compared to the Apple Watch, the Versa Lite Edition is unsurprisingly basic. It has fewer apps, lacks built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, or optional LTE, can't be used for contactless payments, doesn't have a microphone for voice control, and so forth. The simplicity of the Versa Lite does allow for up to four-day battery life though."

Lol, such terrible journalism with "and so forth" and "though". no conviction on whats a con or a pro. not everyone feels these things are important.
Rating: 4 Votes
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BvizioN
8 months ago

Fixed it.


Not to mention it looks plasticy!
Rating: 3 Votes
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tridley68
8 months ago
No use for this i can't make calls with it .
Rating: 2 Votes

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