Fitbit Versa vs. Samsung Gear S3: Which is Best?

When it comes to wearables, it’s tough to find a company that has been in the business longer than Fitbit. With it’s Fitbit Versa, it once again continues its reign as one of the top players in the market. Samsung, however, is making its own waves in the smartwatch arena, and the release of the Samsung Gear S3 is showing it’s capable of competing.

But which one should you choose? Since you’ll be wearing this device on your wrist, you want to take into account several factors. How does it look? What features does it offer? Is it really useful for you?

Read on to get the answers to these questions and others as we take a look at the Fitbit Versa vs. Samsung Gear S3.

Primary Differences Between the Fitbit Versa and the Samsung Gear S3

• Sleep Tracking –  Most Fitbit devices support sleep tracking, and Fitbit Versa is no exception. The Samsung Gear S3, however, does not offer this feature.
• Operating System – Fitbit Versa uses version 2.0 of the Fitbit operating system, while Samsung’s Gear S3 uses Tizen. These operating systems have their differences, but both work with iPhones and Android smartphones.
• Built-in GPS – It’s almost a given that wearables nowadays have built-in GPS, however, the Fitbit Versa does not. On the other hand, the Samsung Gear S3 will track your activities with its built-in GPS technology.

Fitbit Versa

If you’re familiar with the Fitbit Ionic, then the Versa will look familiar. That’s because the Versa is a revamped version of the company’s first wearable. Although the Versa doesn’t support NFC payments or built-in GPS, you’ll get plenty of other features with this quality smartwatch.

You’ll get a four-day battery life out of the Fitbit Versa, along with many fitness-centric features and health-tracking benefits.

Design and Hardware

At first glance, the Versa looks a bit like an Apple Watch, albeit a little wider. It has a nice square face with rounded corners, which helps it to blend in with the wearable market better than past devices released by Fitbit.

Consumers have adapted to the look of the way Apple’s watches look, so the fact that the Versa resembles it only serves as a benefit for the smartwatch. As a matter of fact, with the right combination of band and finish, your Fitbit Versa might be more appealing than an Apple Watch.

The Versa’s hardware is similar to that of other Fitbit’s. You’ll get a crisp and bright screen with a 1:1 aspect ratio on the screen. Images look clear and vibrant on the screen, so you don’t have to worry about blurriness when you look at your watch face.

In addition to a high-quality fact,the Versa also offers water resistance which will work up to 50 meters, and a heart-rate sensor. So if you’re an avid swimmer, this might be the best smartwatch on the market for you as it will accurately track your swim workouts.

The Versa also has a blood-oxygen sensor, so you can track your O2 levels while you’re working out.

Unfortunately, the Versa does not include some features that users might find beneficial. For example, it does not offer built-in GPS, which would allow you to track your running route without lugging your phone with you. Additionally, the Versa does not have NFC support, so you’ll have to carry your credit card with you wherever you go if you intend to buy something.

Performance

You’ll get high-level performance out of your Versa, which is no surprise when talking about Fitbit’s wearables. The Versa does an excellent job of recognizing when you’ve started working out. It notices that your heart rate is elevated and tracks your activities automatically.

If you want to gather additional information while you’re working out – like your cardio performance or how many calories you burned – you can open the Workout Mode feature available in the Exercise app. If not, your fitness tracker will still log your workout as “active time.”

Operating System and Notifications

The Fitbit Versa boasts the company’s updated operating system, Fitbit OS 2.0. With this OS, users will get a dashboard located beneath the Home Screen. This lets you view your daily stats at any time by swiping up. Fitbit created this gesture in an effort to motivate you to stay on target and check your progress more often.

For notifications, you can pull down on the home screen, which will reveal a complete list of alerts. When a notification arrives, it temporarily shows from the top of the screen. However, if it’s not important, you can dismiss it with a flick of your finger.

Fitbit Versa also supports female health tracking. That means it has an app that allows you to track your menstrual cycle so you can know when you’re ovulating or watch for symptoms. There are apps available that perform this task, however, it’s nice to see this information integrated with the Fitbit operating system.

Third-Party Applications

Not only do you get many built-in fitness applications along with a female health tracker, but you’ll also be able to install third-party applications. Fitbit’s app store continues to grow, and even though it’s not as robust as the Android or Apple markets, you’ll still find plenty of options.

Apps like Philips Hue, Yelp, and Nest are all available right from your wrist. You can also get news feeds and updates from sites like the New York Times. The Versa also has a few games you can play, although it can be challenging to do so on a smaller screen size.

Battery Life

While there are a handful of wearables that have longer battery life, you’ll still get plenty of usage out of the Versa before it needs charging. It will last up to four days before it’s time to throw it on the charger, which means you can let it track your sleep patterns and workouts almost an entire workweek before it runs out of juice.

Final Thoughts on the Fitbit Versa

Overall, the things that stand out on the Versa are its attractive design and excellent fitness tracking capabilities. With the Versa, Fitbit has finally released a wearable that looks less like a fitness tracker and more like a smartwatch. It’s unfortunate that it doesn’t support NFC or built-in GPS, however, what the Versa does do, it does really well.

Samsung Gear S3

We’re drawing closer to being able to leave our smartphones at home and just using a wearable to manage everything. The Samsung Gear S3 gets us even closer with its built-in wifi and GPS, plus a heart rate monitor. Oh, and did we mention that it supports mobile payments as well?

Samsung’s Gear S3 comes as close to a completely untethered experience as you’ll get with a wearable. Plus, the device is durable and attractive. What else does this amazing timepiece have to offer? Let’s dig deeper.

Design

The reality is that most wearables are designed for larger wrists, and the Gear S3 falls into this camp. It measures 1.8 by 1.9 inches and weighs 2.2 ounces without its band. That makes it almost twice as heavy as other options on the market, like the Apple Watch.

It’s not at appealing as some higher-end smartwatches, however, the stainless steel casing on the Gear S3 is attractive. The Gear S3 takes on the look of a more expensive timepiece, even though its bigger and heavier than many of its competitors.

You’ll get a black silicone strap with your Gear S3, which isn’t very appealing. However, it’s easy to swap it out for another strap, which you can purchase from Samsung for an additional cost.

On the right, you’ll find two buttons. The top is your back button, while the bottom one takes you either to your app menu or back to the home screen.

Display

With its AMOLED 1.3-inch screen, you’ll get a bright display that allows you to view it whether it’s day or night. Colors are vivid, crisp, and clear, so you won’t have any trouble using your Gear S3. The default display is a chronograph watch face, with a white tick mark that makes its way around the screen’s edge as it counts off the seconds.

If you choose to set the display to always be on, then expect your battery life to suffer. To offset this, Samsung set the S3 to turn on nearly any time you move your wrist.

Operating System

Samsung chose to go with its own Tizen OS for the Gear S3 as opposed to the more often used Android Wear. The benefit of Tizen is that it works just as well with an iPhone as it does with Android smartphones.

The Tizen operating system includes two layers. On the home screen, you can swipe across the watch face to view notifications, create reminders, see the weather, and look at other tasks. The bottom button will switch to the app menu, which displays all the applications available on the device.

There are several different ways to respond to messages using the Gear S3. You can use a canned response, dictate a message, or type out a message. It’s not great for composing a long email or text message, but it’s great for quick and simple replies.

Third-Party Applications

One of the biggest problems with Samsung using its in-house operating system is that it doesn’t have the support of many applications. Even though Samsung is attempting to lure in serious developers, it simply does not have the same appeal as Google or Apple.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many apps available through the Samsung market. No major fitness applications are available. Instead, you’ll have to use Samsung’s S Health, which isn’t bad but isn’t as robust as MyFitnessPal or MapMyFitness.

You will, however, find apps for the Weather Channel, Yelp, Wall Street Journal, and Yelp. Additionally, no major social media apps like Twitter or Facebook are supported, so you’ll still have to use those through your smartphone.

The Maps app on the Gear S3 is very detailed. You have the ability to zoom in and out by using the bezel, allowing you to see individual street names and businesses. Unfortunately, it cannot provide navigation unless you have it connected to your smartphone. This is a significant missed opportunity by Samsung, especially since the Gear S3 supports both GPS and wifi.

Fitness

It’s unfortunate that the Gear S3 doesn’t support many of the fitness applications since it’s packed with sensors. You’ll get a wearable with a heart-rate monitoring, barometer, altimeter, and built-in GPS with the Gear S3.

This device will track many activities, including rowing machines, lunges, running, walking, squats, and cycling. Plus, its barometer and altimeter measure the weather and your current elevation.

To start and stop your workouts you’ll have to touch the display, which can be a challenge if your fingers are sweaty. Fortunately, the Gear S3 only requires you to tap on the screen, so you don’t have to mess around with swiping.

One frustrating thing about the Gear S3 is that when you start a workout, the GPS acquires a signal immediately. Most other fitness trackers wait until a signal is obtained before starting your workout. Unfortunately, the Gear S3 does not do so.

However, there are no such problems with the heart-monitor on the Gear S3. It’s accurate and tracks your heart-rate every time you being a workout. You can also transfer music to your Gear S3, which means you can listen to it without needing to take your phone with you wherever you go.

Samsung Pay

The Samsung Gear S3 also supports Samsung Pay, which means you can leave your wallet at home while you go for a run. Just register yoru cards in the application on your smartphone, and then use the NFC functionality to pay for your goods. It’s a great feature to have if you don’t want to mess with taking your purse or wallet with you when you’re away from home.

Battery Life

Samsung claims that the battery on the Gear S3 will last up to four days before it needs to be charged. Of course, if you do things like leave the display on all the time and use GPS, you’re not likely to get that much out of your smartwatch.

Having these two features constantly on will significantly drain your battery, which means you’ll have to charge it much sooner than the four days you expected. You can charge your Gear S3 up on a wireless stand, which lights up with the time while it’s on its dock.

Final Thoughts on the Gear S3

If you’re looking for a smartwatch that lets you leave your phone at home or just in your pocket, then you might consider the Samsung Gear S3. While it falls short in some other areas, it still offers a pleasant user experience and tracks your workouts with its Samsung Health application.

This smartwatch will work with both iPhones and Android devices and boasts an attractive design to anyone wearing it. The Gear S3 has room for improvement, but in terms of breaking the tether many have with their smartphones, this wearable is leading the way.

Comparison Chart

Here is a quick review of how the Fitbit Versa and Samsung Gear S3 compare with one another:

Fitbit Versa vs. Samsung Gear S3: Close, but Not Quite the Same

These two wearables have a lot in common, however, there are a few key differences that give one the edge over the other. Both have excellent features and sleek designs that make them stand out from other smartwatches on the market, but when it comes down to the Fitbit Versa or the Samsung Gear S3, we have to give the nod to the S3.

It is unfortunate that the S3 doesn’t have sleep tracking, however, it does support GPS, which the Versa does not do. The purpose of a fitness tracker is to monitor your activities and tracking where you’ve been should be a given. That’s why at the end of the day, the Samsung Gear S3 wins out over the Fitbit Versa.

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