Fitbit Charge 4 vs Versa 2 (2021): Comparing The Latest Fitness Trackers From Fitbit

Fitbit’s best-selling fitness tracker is receiving an update and you can pre-order yours right now. The Fitbit Charge 4 adds numerous features that the Charge 3 was lacking, greatly boosting its activity tracking capabilities as well as enhancing its smart features. How does it compare against the recently released Fitbit Versa 2? Check out our breakdown below.

Fitbit Charge 4 vs Versa 2 Fitness Tracker Comparison Chart

Model	Fitbit Charge 4	Fitbit Versa 2
Price	Check Price	Check Price
Display	OLED	AMOLED
Always-on	No	Yes
Screen Size	1.36″	1.4″
Dimensions	1.4″ x 0.9″ x 0.5″	1.6″ x 1.6″ x 0.5″
Weight	0.7 oz	1.41 oz
Colors	4	4
Call & Text Alerts	Yes	Yes
Water Resistance	Up to 50 meters	Up to 50 meters
Heart Rate Monitor	Yes	Yes
Pedometer	Yes	Yes
Altimeter	Yes	Yes
Calorie Burn Tracker	Yes	Yes
Sleep Tracking	Yes	Yes
Swim Tracking	Yes	Yes
Female Health Tracking	Yes	Yes
Compass	No	No
GPS	Built-in	Connected
Cellular	No	No
Wi-Fi	No	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
NFC	Yes	Yes
Amazon Alexa	No	Yes
Compatibility	iOS, Android, Windows	iOS, Android, Windows
Battery Life	7 days	6+ days

Design

The Fitbit Versa 2 has an always-on color display while the Charge 4 has a grayscale screen.

The design differences between the Fitbit Charge 4 and Versa 2 reflect their intended purpose. With a grayscale screen, narrow form, and simplified interface, the Charge 4 is definitely built with function foremost. It’s minimalist look will certainly appeal to many, but it can be unimpressive compared to something like the Versa 2. You’ll love how lightweight it is though. It won’t hamper your movement or drag your wrist down even while wearing it all day.

Fitbit made their smartwatch hybrid even better the second time around by adding an always-on option for its bright OLED display. Unlike the Charge 4, it’s in full color and looks much larger, making it easier to see and read on. It does weigh twice that of the Charge 4, giving it the heft of traditional wristwatches. You can select which watch face or workout metrics to display so you can check the time or your data at a glance.

Those who own previous iterations of the Charge and Versa might be disappointed that the latest incarnations don’t look any different at all. It’s probably difficult to improve on a design that already looks great, so Fitbit chose to focus on features instead. You can customize either tracker with bands in different colors and materials to get an easy refresh on how it looks. Interestingly, you can use Charge 3 and Versa bands with these too.

Activity Tracking

The Fitbit Charge 4 has built-in GPS in addition to all of the fitness tracking features of the Versa 2.

The biggest upgrade that the Fitbit Charge 4 is receiving is definitely its built-in GPS, which was last made available on the Fitbit Ionic around 3 years ago. Unlike other recent Fitbit devices, you no longer have to bring your phone with you to get GPS tracking on your outdoor runs and hikes. It will record your workout data automatically and sync it with your app once you reconnect. With the Versa 2, you’ll need to stay connected with your phone’s GPS to use this feature.

Aside from that, both of these Fitbit devices share the same activity tracking sensors to record your fitness data. With SmartTrack, they’ll recognize when you’re starting to run or bike, recording it automatically. There are more than 20 goal-based exercise modes that it can record your stats on, so feel free to vary your workouts as much as you like. There’s female health tracking and sleep tracking as well to help you form a more complete picture of your health and fitness.

One new fitness metric that’s being introduced in the Fitbit Charge 4 is Active Zone Minutes. The Charge 4 counts the minutes it considers you “active”, such as when your heart rate is increased at a sustained pace. It factors in your height, weight and fitness level to recommend how long you should try to be active every day, in order to improve your general wellness.

Smart Features

The Fitbit Versa 2 lets you store music, install apps, and access Alexa, which are not available on the Charge 4.

As you can expect, the Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch has the heavy advantage here, offering some serious extras for those who want more than just a fitness tracker. First, with its internal memory you can store up to 300 songs in it, so you no longer have to rely on your phone for workout beats. You can also control your Spotify with it and get your Pandorda stations and Deezer playlists a well. Moreover, you can download apps to customize its functionalities even further.

New to the Versa 2 is built-in integration for Amazon Alexa. Pressing the side button lets you talk to Alexa to start exercises, check the weather, set reminders and more. You’ll have to read her replies on the screen though, since the Versa 2 has no speakers. If you have several smart home devices at home, wearing the Versa 2 will make them even more convenient to control.

Meanwhile, the Fitbit Charge 4 received added smart features too. Its standard version now has NFC to allow contactless payments, whereas you had to get the Special Edition of the Charge 3 before to get that feature. You’ll also be able to control Spotify too which is pretty handy. The ability to check notifications from messaging apps and such is also quite welcome.

Battery Life and Other Features

The Fitbit Charge 4 and Versa 2 have similar battery life.

Battery life remains pretty much the same for these current versions of the Charge and Versa. They can last up to a week or so of typical use, so you can wear them all day and while you’re sleeping too (to track your sleep quality). Note that the 7 day battery life of the Charge 4 will shrink down to 5 hours with constant GPS uptime, while the 6 day battery life of the Versa 2 gets cut down to 3 days with always-on display turned on.

Verdict

The Fitbit Charge 4 is the better focused fitness tracker than the Versa 2.

Fitbit Charge 4

Buy on Walmart.com

Fitbit Versa 2

Buy on Amazon.com

Built-in GPS has been such a much-awaited addition to the Charge series that we’d recommend the Fitbit Charge 4 to anyone who wants to get serious in outdoor fitness routines. The Charge 4 is clearly the highly focused fitness tracker, only packing enough smart features to make it more convenient and enjoyable to use. It’s lighter on your wrist so it won’t interfere with movement, and the extra battery life can be a savior if you forget charging once in a while.

If you’re after more than a gadget to record your fitness progress, the added features of the Fitbit Versa 2 makes it worth the extra you’ll need to spend. The ability to add apps you like into a device you can essentially talk to is going to be great, and you’ll undoubtedly enjoy your wearable a lot more. Plus, you can turn on the display at all times to get instant readouts of important information at a glance.