Those treating themselves to the Special Edition Versa 2 will, however, get a 90-day free trial of Fitbit Premium (more on this feature later).

While health and activity tracking takes center stage, the Versa 2 bridges the gap between phone and wrist by offering message and calendar notifications, ways to control your smart home setup and play music from your phone while on a run or workout session. iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on.Sharmishta is TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor and loves all things photography, something she discovered while chasing monkeys in the wilds of India (she studied to be a primatologist but has since left monkey business behind). It’s capable of hitting upwards of 1,000 nits of brightness although we found this to be actually too bright for general use, setting our Versa 2 to the lowest brightness setting permanently. With the Versa 2, Fitbit has again proved that you don’t necessarily need top-notch features to make a terrific fitness watch, and it doesn’t need to burn a hole in your wallet. The ‘squircle’ design of the Apple Watch and the original Versa seems to have been embraced by users and Fitbit has carried that on to the Versa 2. Jeramy is proud to help *Keep Austin Weird* and loves hiking in the hill country of central Texas with a breakfast taco in each hand.

Unlike the LCD display on the Versa, the second-generation Fitbit smartwatch has steps into the age of the bright AMOLED touchscreen, which is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. After the launch of Fitbit’s first smartwatch, the Ionic, the company struggled to compete with the likes of the Apple Watch and dedicated running watches from Garmin. This means you’re never more than a press or two away from the feature you need to access, while any other navigation you need to perform is done via the touchscreen. The Versa 2 is squarely aimed at users keen on fitness rather than those seeking productivity from a wearable, making it an extension of Fitbit’s excellent fitness tracker range, but one that comes with some extra perks. Even at a ‘dim’ setting, the 300 x 300 resolution screen is crisp and, thanks to its ambient light sensor, is capable of adjusting brightness according to the environment you’re in.inches (12mm), it’s only a tiny bit thicker than the Apple Watch 3, but since the chassis tapers inward toward the heart monitor underneath, it actually appears slimmer. While the display’s black background is usually quite successful at disguising the bezels, they are quite obvious at some angles, albeit easy to ignore.

She's also the Australian Managing Editor of Digital Camera World and, if that wasn't enough, she contributes to T3 and Tom's Guide, while also working on two of Future's photography print magazines Down Under. When she's not testing camera kits or the latest in e-paper tablets, she's discovering the joys and foibles of smart home gizmos. In fact, I would argue that the Fitbit color varients are just a little darker, more muted versions of the Apple Watch colors. At first glance, the new fitness watch does look strikingly similar to its predecessor, but closer inspection reveals a few small tweaks giving the Versa 2 a very stylish look indeed.

It’s one of the best fitness watches from Fitbit but the lack of a GPS chip means you’ll need to carry your phone wherever you go. While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, she's also an avid reader and has become a passionate proponent of ereaders, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about the convenience of these underrated devices. While Apple seems to have left the rose gold color behind, the Fitbit Versa line has gladly continued the color tradition.