Fitbit Versa smartwatch lands in Malaysia
Fitbit has been making quite a few inroads in Malaysia with the release of their top of the line Ionic smartwatch earlier this year. Now, they’re adding in a more affordable addition to their line-up dubbed the Fitbit Versa.
Externally, the Versa smartwatch is a looker indeed with a polish and finish that won’t look out of place for something out of the halls of Cupertino. It’s exceptionally slim at 11.2mm thin, which makes it one of, if not the slimmest smartwatch that Fitbit has crafted while coming with a sturdy aluminium casing that sports a variety of colours, up to 50 meters of water resistance as well as a host of proprietary changeable straps to suit your whim and fancy.
In terms of hardware, the Versa comes with a 1.34-inch LCD touchscreen with 1,000-nits brightness, runs the latest version of their Fitbit OS 2.0 firmware, has 4GB of built-in storage with about 2.5GB of effective storage that you can use for tunes and the like along with a 145mAh battery that is rated to provide 4 days of battery life. Unlike the pricier Ionic, the Versa lacks a built-in GPS which means it has to pair with your phone to provide route tracking for jogging and walking.
Like many other smartwatches, the Versa pairs up with a phone and then enables you to take notifications off all the usual apps. This time around, you’re able to reply to them with canned Quick Reply responses. One pickle though – this feature only works with an Android phone for now.
As expected, the Versa lets you track and measure a host of fitness parameters. You’re able to track steps taken, heart rate, laps done in the pool, calories burned and even track your sleep quality or lack thereof.
It also offers guided workouts via their Fitbit Coach mode though you’ll need to fork out a subscription fee to access the good stuff beyond the basics.
Of note with the Versa is that it will soon be able to offer female health tracking too starting May 2018. This feature will also be rolled out on the Fitbit Ionic.
Naturally, you’re able to play preloaded tunes off the Versa’s storage via a paired Bluetooth pair of cans as it lacks integrated speakers. Optionally, you can also stream tunes via Pandora or Deezer. Spotify is not available just yet.
The Fitbit Versa also integrates Fitbit Pay functionality that lets you use the watch as a means of payment via a linked American Express, Mastercard or Visa card though this feature is not in available in Malaysia just yet.
The Fitbit Versa sports a wide array of changeable proprietary straps that come in Horween leather, metal and more
In Malaysia, the Fitbit Versa will retail for RM990 in your choice of three different colours – black, rose gold and silver with a corresponding coloured strap. Additional straps cost between RM130 to RM430 depending on type and are unique unto the Versa; it won’t take third party straps. The Special Edition variant of the Versa retails for RM1,120 and comes in your choice of two different different finishes in either Rose Gold Aluminium paired with a lavender woven nylon fabric strap or in a dark grayish Graphite Aluminium paint job with a fabric Charcoal Woven nylon strap. The Special Edition version also has a spare plastic strap that you can swap out to as needed.
The new Fitbit Versa will be available at major retailers nationwide including Harvey Norman, All IT Hypermarket, AONE Plus, Best Denki, Timekeeper, Thunder Match technology and online at Lazada in Malaysia from today. For more details swing by www.fitbit.com