Fitbit Sense vs. Versa 3: we compare Fitbit smartwatches
How do these two Fitbit smartwatches stack up?
In Fitbit's family of wearables, Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense were once the brand's flagship smartwatches—and you'll still find both readily available today, often at a discount. While both share a strong physical resemblance, there are some differences.
Fitbit Sense is the company's health watch, offering more sensors, including, ECG, skin temperature, and EDA (for stress insights).
Versa 3 doesn't offer any of those features, but still has SpO2, GPS, and all the Fitbit tracking you'd expect. Essentially, it's Sense without the bells and whistles.
So if you're trying to get to grips with how Versa 3 matches up to Sense, read on.
Design and comfort
As mentioned, the design language used across these two watches is nearly identical.
While Ionic, Fitbit's now-retired debut smartwatch, went with a more angular look, Versa's softer curves and smaller case gave it more mass appeal.
So it's no surprise that Fitbit is sticking to the same formula. You still have that square watch case paired up with an interchangeable band with Fitbit offering a range of different band styles.
- Compare: Fitbit Versa 3 vs Versa 2
In terms of dimensions, Versa 3 and Sense measure the same 40.48mm x 40.48mm x 12.35mm, making them slightly thicker than Versa 2.
You're also getting the same 1.58-inch display with a 336 x 336 resolution to glance at your data.
For colors, Sense is available in carbon with a graphite stainless steel case or white with a soft gold stainless steel case.
With Versa 3, you're getting three different looks. A blue band with a soft gold aluminum case, a black band with a black aluminum case, and a blue band with a soft gold aluminum case.
These watches use different case materials and it seems likely that the use of stainless steel on Sense is tied to the additional sensors it houses.
If you care about bands, you're going to be well served here whichever watch you go for. There are sports bands, woven bands, and Horween leather bands when you need to dress things up.
There's no separating these two when waterproofing is concerned, either.
Both watches come with a 5ATM waterproof rating, making them suitable for swimming up to 50 meters deep. That also means you don't have to take them off when you jump into the shower.
Health tracking
While these two watches a near identical in terms of design, it's here where the major differences are found.
Sense is Fitbit's health watch, so you can expect more in the way of what it can track and monitor outside of steps and sleep.
Let's do a sensor check first.
Both devices get Fitbit's latest PurePulse 2.0 optical heart rate sensor and a temperature sensor.
PurePulse 2.0 is supposed to offer better heart rate tracking accuracy than previous Fitbit devices.
And both devices can read your body temperature, but this data will only be visible to Premium subscribers.
Both devices retain the SpO2 sensor,letting you see your night's estimated SpO2 range amid your sleep data—and now Fitbit Premium subscribers can track estimated blood oxygen trends too.
Women's cycle tracking is included and you can still view key insights on the watch itself as well as inside the companion phone app.
The Fitbit OS 5.2 update launched in June 2021 also brought high/low heart rate notifications to the Versa 3—and you can see nightly SpO2 scores without using the dedicated SpO2 watch face.
Fitbit Sense health features
Now, let’s delve into what you are getting with Sense and what you won’t find in Versa 3.
Sense matches has the addition of an ECG app, which brings the ability to take improved heart rate readings that may help detect signs associated with conditions like atrial fibrillation (afib).
Sense uses the PPG sensor to offer high and low heart rate alerts, should your BPM rise or fall sharply when at rest.
Sense also comes with a stress-focused EDA Scan app. When you place your palm over the watch, it will detect small electrical changes in the sweat level of your skin to estimate your body's response to stress.
Fitbit Sense will also look for other signs of stress and will generate a Stress Score, using a host of data points to measure physiological signs of stress. This is linked to a questionnaire on how you feel
Additionally, Sense offers mindfulness content, guided meditations, and breathing exercises to help you overcome stressful feelings.
Bottom line, Sense offers more wellness monitoring features, including stress-focused tools.
Fitness and sports tracking
Fitbit's two smartwatches still cover 24/7 step, sleep, and heart rate tracking—and have a decent array of sports tracking features too.
The good news is that both watches include an accelerometer to track indoor exercise, like treadmill running, and to track steps too.
Sleep tracking is a strong point of Fitbit's tracking features. Both devices provide insights on sleep stages and a Sleep Score to better understand your overall sleep quality. As we mentioned, both devices will use the SpO2 sensor to monitor estimated blood oxygen saturation during sleep.
Both pack Fitbit's PurePulse 2.0 heart rate sensor technology, which Fitbit says improves accuracy from the previous generation sensor.
This is used for continuous heart rate monitoring, working out in heart rate zones, and viewing Active Zone Minutes to make sure you're regularly getting your heart pumping.
It also unlocks workout intensity maps to view the most intense segments of a running or cycling route.
That outdoor tracking is boosted by built-in GPS and GLONASS satellite support, while both Versa 3 and Sense also offer pool swim tracking.
There's also an altimeter to track elevation and the 20+ exercise modes are bolstered by automatic exercise recognition for a range of activities.
When it comes to fitness and sports tracking, you can't differentiate between these two smartwatches.
Smartwatch features
Like sports and fitness tracking, Versa 3 and Sense give you an identical experience when you tap into their smartwatch features.
These watches work with Android phones and iPhones, giving you the ability to view phone notifications, download watch faces and apps, make payments using Fitbit Pay and pile on music from your collection or supported services like Deezer and Pandora.
Both watches offer a digital assistant in the form of Alexa or Google Assistant.
Building on the microphone added to Versa 2, Fitbit throws a speaker into the mix. That now enables the ability to deal with phone calls from either watch, and that feature has landed thanks to Fitbit OS 5.1. This only works when you're near your smartwatch, as it relies on being connected via Bluetooth.
Android users can also respond to text messages via voice.
That microphone is also used for smart assistant support as Fitbit introduces Google Assistant to join Amazon's Alexa to give you the choice of two assistants to deal with your queries and questions.
Battery life differences
Not to sound like a broken record, but again, you can expect the same in the way of battery life. Fitbit's smartwatches have impressed us so far with their staying power, and it's more of the same on Versa 3 and Sense.
Fitbit promises 6+ days of battery life depending on usage. Using features like continuous heart rate monitoring and having the always-on display mode will impact that.
Fitbit's fast charging technology is on board on both devices, giving you the ability to get a day's worth of battery from just a 12-minute charge.
Verdict
These two smartwatches are evenly matched, except when it comes to deep wellness insights.
Choose the Fitbit Sense if...
You want the most data about your wellness. Sense has additional EDA, skin temperature, and ECG sensors, giving you more metrics. However, some extra insights, such as HRV and breathing rate, require a Fitbit Premium subscription as well.
Choose the Fitbit Versa 3 if...
If you find a better deal on Versa 3, you can still go with this device; however, at the moment, the price difference may not be as prominent as during the initial release.
Whichever you choose, both are solid choices, with the price undercutting Apple Watch SE and Samsung Galaxy Watch.
