Fitbit Versa Lite Review – Is it Still a Great Budget Smartwatch Option?

Fitbit Versa Lite

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Current testing methodology is v1.2

Release Date
March 7, 2019
Price
No products found.
Model:
FB415SRLV
Weight
8.6 oz
Size
1.94 x 4 x 8.9 in

The Fitbit Versa Lite was released in March 2019, nearly a year later after the brand released the Versa, which was a best-seller and Fitbit’s second smartwatch after the Ionic. 

At its original retail price of $159, the Versa Lite was dubbed as one of the best entry-level smartwatches on a budget.

With the Fitbit Versa initially priced at $199 and being able to compete with the Apple Watch, the Versa Lite was a good budget-friendly alternative. Since it’s cheaper, you can expect that some of Versa’s features have been stripped from the Lite edition.

Editor’s Pick

Fitbit Versa Lite

An affordable smartwatch with comprehensive health and fitness tracking, lots of smart features, and impressive battery life.

4/5
Price Range: $$
Brand: Fitbit
Fitbit Versa Lite Strap

TL:DR;

When the Fitbit Versa Lite was first released in 2019, it was a great budget-friendly option for smartwatches, as it retailed for only $159.

This watch offers comprehensive health and fitness tracking, smart features, media playback, and 4 days of battery life in a lightweight and minimalist design.

While I would’ve highly recommended this smartwatch a couple of years ago, its current pricing on third-party e-commerce websites was a huge letdown.

Since Fitbit has discontinued this model and released newer ones, you’d be much better off getting those models instead if you’re looking for an affordable smartwatch.

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The Specs

  • Screen Size:  1.34 inches
  • Display:  LCD
  • Resolution:  300×300 pixel resolution
  • Glass Technology:  CORNING Gorilla Glass 3
  • Battery Life:  4 days
  • Weight:  38 grams
  • Compatible Phones:  iOS, Android, and Windows smartphones
  • Sensors/Functions:  3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, optical heart rate monitor, and ambient light sensor

What’s in the Box?

  • Fitbit Versa Lite smartwatch
  • USB-A magnetic charging cable
  • User manual

Stuff I like

  • Minimalist and lightweight design
  • Solid battery life
  • Has all the essential health and fitness trackers

Stuff I like less

  • No onboard GPS
  • Current retail price

Comparable products to consider

Fitbit Versa 2
Fitbit Versa 2

This health and fitness smartwatch from Fitbit has all the essentials and a battery life of up to 6 days.

First Impressions

The Fitbit Versa Lite comes in a typical smartwatch design – with a square-shaped face with rounded corners.

As with its other products, Fitbit stayed true to its aesthetics and kept the design of the Versa Lite simple and minimal. 

The watch’s face comes in a silver color and you can choose from lilac, charcoal, and white for the strap, but the brand has also released the watch in Marina Blue and Mulberry color variants.

It’s very lightweight with an aluminum body and a polyester silicone strap. It doesn’t feel bulky compared to other smartwatches.

It has a sleek design with only one button on the left side, unlike the Versa which has two additional buttons on the right. This button is used to turn on the display or go back to the previous screen when navigating through the menu.

Compared to Fitbit’s fitness trackers, its smartwatches come with a bigger display. The Versa Lite boasts a 1.34-inch display made from Gorilla Glass.

Fitbit Versa Lite Charging Case
Square LCD display | Make Life Click

Out of the box, the Fitbit Charge 5 comes with a USB-A magnetic charging cable and a user manual.

Unlike Fitbit fitness trackers, the Versa Lite doesn’t come with an additional strap. 

Although this watch is comfortable to wear, it’s more suitable for people with smaller wrists. If you have a bigger wrist, then this watch can feel a bit tight. An easy fix for this would be to buy a longer strap since Versa Lite’s strap is removable. 

Even though the fit is not a big issue with the watch, buying a longer strap can be a hassle as it’s an added expense.

Battery Life

The Fitbit Versa Lite claims to have a battery life of 4 days, which I found to be sufficient when I’m using it as a normal watch. 

Its actual battery life varies depending on how you use it. This can also depend on its settings configuration, cellular network, signal strength, and other factors.

This watch takes about an hour to charge and it usually lasts for 3 to 4 days with some tracked workouts. This is impressive compared to more expensive smartwatches that need to be charged every night.

Health & Fitness Tracking

Since Versa Lite is created by Fitbit, a pioneer in fitness tracking, you can expect it to perform well in terms of health and fitness tracking.

Even though it’s a smartwatch, the Versa Lite offers comprehensive tracking of your daily physical activities in terms of workout duration, total calories burned, number of steps, distance, and total active minutes. 

Fitbit Versa Lite Exercise Modes
Choose from 15+ exercise modes | Make Life Click

Like most fitness trackers, this watch has multiple workout modes and will display a summary of your workout after each session. You can choose from a variety of workouts such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, weight-lifting, spinning, golf, pilates, tennis, yoga, and martial arts.

It has a heart rate monitor that tracks your resting heart rate and notifies you through the Fitbit app if it detects any irregularities. 

This watch also has an app that guides you through a few minutes of meditation and breathing exercises to help you relax in the middle of a busy day.

Plus it has a female health app that women can use to track and edit their menstrual cycles for a more accurate prediction of the next cycle.

One downside of the Fitbit Versa Lite is that it doesn’t have an onboard GPS. When running or cycling, it connects to the GPS on your phone, which means you can’t do these activities with just the watch. You always have to bring your phone with it.

Overall, I still find this watch pretty impressive in terms of health and fitness tracking. For me, its tracking capabilities are more than sufficient since it has the basics plus a few extra features.

Performance & Day-to-Day Usage 

As a budget smartwatch, the Fitbit Versa Lite is simply brilliant. 

The screen is the perfect size to get all the information that you need. The touchscreen is quite responsive so you can easily navigate through the different menus. The apps on the Versa Lite are well thought-out.

You get notified with a buzz if you have a call or a new text message coming in. The watch lets you accept or reject calls. If you’re using an Android phone, you can easily respond to text messages through the watch.

Fitbit Versa Lite Strap
Removable band to create endless looks | make Life Click

The Versa Lite also lets you stay on track with your schedule as it notifies you about important events that you’ve added to your calendar.

With a wide array of compatible third-party apps, the watch lets you do a bunch of things such as control the music, play games, check the weather, convert currencies, and manage different store memberships, among many others.

Using Bluetooth, the Fitbit Versa Lite connects to iOS, Android, and Windows phones with the Fitbit mobile app.

The Fitbit app lets you customize your watch. You can add or remove apps, configure the settings, and change the watch face. The app also stores your activities and fitness data, and creates daily, weekly, and monthly reports.

Price

When the Fitbit Versa Lite was first released in 2019, you can get it at a retail price of $159, which makes it significantly more affordable than the first edition of Versa priced at $199.

It may have fewer features than the Versa but overall, it has a lot to offer given its price.

Since Fitbit released the Versa in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions, and the newer smartwatch series, Sense, the Versa Lite has been discontinued and is no longer available on the brand’s website.

Nowadays, you can only purchase the Versa Lite on Amazon and other third-party e-commerce sites, where they retail for more than $200. Some listings are even priced between $260 to $290.

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Fitbit Versa Lite

Is the Fitbit Versa Lite Still Worth It?

Since I got my Fitbit Versa Lite a few months after its launch in 2019, I got it for only $159, which makes it very much worth it.

It has comprehensive health and fitness tracking, impressive battery life, and is packed with a lot of features. It can easily compete with other smartwatches that are twice as expensive.

I also love its simple and minimalist design.

Fitbit Versa Lite Accessories
Fitbit Versa Lite Accessories | Make Life Click

However, with its current price on Amazon at $290, I don’t think the Fitbit Versa Lite is worth it nowadays especially since you can get the Versa 3 for only $200 and the Versa 4 for $230.

If you’re on the hunt for a budget-friendly smartwatch under $200, you’re better off getting the Fitbit Versa 2 which currently retails for only $150 on the brand’s website.

The Versa 2 is a step up from the original Fitbit Versa, plus it offers more features than the Lite with a much more impressive battery life of up to 6 days on a single charge.

Fitbit Versa Lite Charging
Fitbit Versa Lite
Accuracy
Battery Life
Easy to use
Reader Rating0 Votes
4.6

Eva is a content writer and digital creator who's passionate about traveling, photography, and fitness. When she's not writing or traveling, she enjoys watching movies on Netflix and playing Sims 4 and Animal Crossing. She also dabbles in graphic design and video editing.

This post was last updated on 2024-11-14 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.


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