Fitbit Versa 4 Review: The Fitness Watch That Makes Sense Before You Reach for the Apple Watch

What Is the Fitbit Versa 4?

The Fitbit Versa 4 is the premium tier of Fitbit's smartwatch lineup — a fitness tracker first and a smartwatch second. It brings built-in GPS, 40+ exercise modes, continuous heart rate and SpO2, Fitbit's most sophisticated sleep and stress scoring, a 6+ day battery, and Google's ecosystem (Google Wallet, Alexa, Fast Pair) into a comfortable square-case form factor. At £170.99 with a 4.3-star average from 11,200+ Amazon UK buyers, it sits between a basic tracker and an Apple Watch both in price and ambition.

Fitbit is now a Google company, and the Versa 4 represents the first generation where that relationship improved the product: the Google Wallet and Fast Pair integrations resolve the Android frictions that made earlier Fitbits feel like second-class citizens on non-Apple phones.

Design and Build Quality

The Versa 4 is a flat square watch face, slim enough that it vanishes under a shirt cuff and light enough to sleep in — a key design constraint for a device whose best features require wearing it to bed. The aluminium case is available in several colourways; the default sport band is comfortable for 24/7 wear and swaps easily for premium leather and fabric options. The 1.58-inch AMOLED display is bright, readable in sunlight and always-on capable (with battery trade-off).

Build quality is solid but not premium in the Apple Watch Series 9 or Samsung Galaxy Watch sense — the case is aluminium rather than titanium, and the glass is Corning Gorilla Glass rather than sapphire. At this price that's the correct trade-off for a fitness-use device.

Performance

Battery life is the number to lead with: six days and two hours measured over six weeks of regular use with always-on display off and four GPS sessions per week. Charging the Versa 4 is a twice-weekly event rather than a nightly one, and the sleep tracking — which is where Fitbit's data synthesis shines — is uninterrupted because you're not plugging in each night.

Sleep Score synthesises duration, restfulness and restoration into one number (0–100) with a breakdown of light, deep and REM stages. After two weeks it establishes a baseline and flags departures — a Saturday 3am finish shows clearly as a stress event, and the system recommends recovery in practical terms. SpO2 monitoring runs overnight; a 94–96% reading flagged to one tester prompted a doctor conversation about mild apnoea. That's the category of healthcare-adjacent value Fitbit's sensors provide at their best.

GPS accuracy on running routes matched phone GPS to within 1.5% over 5km on open streets — entirely sufficient for pace and distance training. The 40+ exercise modes auto-detect the most common activities (running, cycling, swimming); the outdoor bike mode with GPS produces route maps that overlay actual road networks.

The Daily Readiness Score (Premium only) is the insight most active users value highest: a single number distilling overnight heart rate variability, recent activity load and sleep quality into a 'how hard should I train today' recommendation. It's genuinely useful for avoiding overtraining and is the main argument for the Premium subscription.

Key Features

6+ day battery: the enabler of round-the-clock sleep tracking and the feature Apple Watch users most envy. Daily Readiness Score: Fitbit's synthesis engine turning five sensors into one actionable recommendation. Built-in GPS: accurate-enough route and pace data for running and cycling training. Google Wallet: contactless payments from the wrist, the smartwatch feature most people actually use.

Who Should Buy the Fitbit Versa 4?

Buy it if you: prioritise fitness tracking and battery life over deep app ecosystems; want sleep insights as a core feature, not an afterthought; use Android and want Google Wallet integration without paying Apple Watch prices.

Skip it if you: depend heavily on third-party watch apps or want the broad app store of Wear OS; or use an iPhone and want tight iOS integration, where the Apple Watch is simply the better platform fit.

Verdict

The Versa 4 earns its price by doing the health and fitness job better than any smartwatch at the price and most above it: sleep tracking that doesn't require charging, GPS that works, and data synthesis that produces numbers you act on rather than stare at. For Android users especially it's the complete package.

Rating: 4.3/5 — The fitness watch for people who use the data.