Fitbit is dead set on taking down the Apple Watch

Fitbit (FIT) is determined to wrestle the smartwatch market away from Apple (AAPL). And to do that, it has introduced its all-new Versa. Available for presale March 13, the $199 Versa smartwatch easily undercuts the more costly Apple Watch, which starts at $249 for the older Series 1 model and jumps to $329 for the current Series 3.

“The launch of Versa at this price point is going to give us a much fuller portfolio that I think better captures the overall opportunity,” explained Fitbit CEO James Park. “But really the purpose of Versa, given its feature set and its price point, is for us to start winning share in the overall wearables category…”

The Versa is Fitbit’s attempt to snatch the smartwatch crown from Apple.
The Versa is Fitbit’s attempt to snatch the smartwatch crown from Apple.

A new smartwatch I actually want to wear

I was able to spend some time with the Versa during a press preview, and was pleasantly surprised by its design and build quality. There’s still a rather thick bezel around the display, especially when compared to the Apple Watch, but it’s certainly the most attractive device Fitbit has built to-date.

Importantly, the Versa feels incredibly lightweight, so you’ll be able to wear a smartwatch without constantly being reminded that you’re wearing a smartwatch. What’s more, it felt exceedingly comfortable strapped to my wrist. I admittedly only wore it for a few minutes, though, so that could change when I eventually keep it on for a number of hours when I test it out for my review.

Accessories for the Versa, like this metal band, range in price from $29 to $99.
Accessories for the Versa, like this metal band, range in price from $29 to $99.

I was particularly impressed with the Versa’s buttons. It sounds like a strange thing to take note of, but when a company puts shoddy buttons on a product, it makes the entire device feel cheap. The buttons on the Versa, though, felt sturdy.

The Versa also marks the debut of Fitbit’s new health dashboard, which provides you with important information including your heart rate, resting heart rate, latest exercise and sleep patterns on the device. Versa will also allow you to send quick reply messages via your Android device. Unfortunately, this won’t work with your iPhone, but the rest of the watch’s other features will.

Versa is also the first device to debut with Fitbit’s new female health tracking feature that will allow women to better track their menstrual cycles and see how it impacts everything from their sleep to their overall energy levels.

Fitbit says the Versa is waterproof, up to 50 meters, can store onboard music and can operate for more than four days on a single charge. The Apple Watch lasts about one day. That’s a heck of a lot of power from a device that costs $199.

Unlike the Apple Watch, though, the Versa doesn’t come with a built-in GPS, instead relying on your smartphone to do that heavy lifting. And while Fitbit has about 550 apps in its app store, the Apple Watch has thousands.