Why no GPS on the Versa?

[Grumpyswife]

I have read that you need to get the special edition of versa for GPS?  Why the difference?  Why did they just not include it all in one watch?  Also -- what difference does no GPS make?  Just in logging your exercise paths?  

[N8teGee]

I think you mean NFC (Fitbit pay), only the special edition will have the required NFC chip. As for GPS, none of the versa's will feature onboard GPS although you will be able to use connected GPS (connecting to your phone and using its GPS) 

[Grumpyswife]

OK - thank you.  Can you tell me why GPS was eliminated from the Versa since the Ionic has it?  Just curious.

[N8teGee]

At a guess I would say it's cost related, and to differentiate the Ionic as the flagship device. 

[datalore]

The versa is the Ionic minus GPS and Pay if you opt for the base model. Not bad for $200. I’m picking one up for sure. I don’t care about GPS or payments, so this is perfect for me. 

[adammiarka]

Oh man...didn't even see that the "base"model didn't have the wireless pay.   Thanks for calling that out.   Think it's easy to miss and there will be some upset people expecting to have Fitbit Pay with the base model.

[N8teGee]

The trouble is, in the UK the Ionic has been discounted to £239.99 in many places. The Versa starts at £199.99 and I imagine the "special edition" with NFC will be around £219.99. So for the extra £20 I think I'd still go for the Ionic if I was buying again. In my opinion it's a mistake not including NFC with the base model.

The Versa does look to be a nice device though. I would say in appearance it looks much better then my Ionic.

[datalore]

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@N8teGeewrote:

The trouble is, in the UK the Ionic has been discounted to £239.99 in many places. The Versa starts at £199.99 and I imagine the "special edition" with NFC will be around £219.99. So for the extra £20 I think I'd still go for the Ionic if I was buying again. In my opinion it's a mistake not including NFC with the base model.

The Versa does look to be a nice device though. I would say in appearance it looks much better then my Ionic.

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Good points. Here in the US that $100 makes a big difference for me. I'm extremely frugal, or as my wife says cheap. I like that the Versa looks like a Pebble as well. I never liked the way the Ionic looked, but that's just personal taste. I don't think the Versa will be for everyone. I keep fit through calisthenics/weights, and swimming for cardio so GPS isn't something I really care about. I can see how lack of GPS will be a deal breaker for some. I do think they should have included pay on all models, though this is something I'm also not interested in, but I realize different people have different wants and needs. Overall I really dig it. 

[Fbitter]

I think it is more then just cost.   GPS uses a lot of power and incorporating its antenna has trade-offs too.

If you want better battery life, are focused more on health rather then fitness tracking, or if you tend to have your phone with you (where GPS and NFC are easier to implement) then a device with no GPS and NFC makes a lot of sense.

[N8teGee]

@datalore Yes connected GPS is good enough for a lot of people. If I had the option to switch between onboard GPS and connected GPS on my Ionic I would mostly use connected GPS. I'm hoping with the introduction of fitbit OS 2.0 and the Versa using connected GPS that this will also be an option on the Ionic.

Thats also a good point about the GPS antenna, which would also explain why the Versa and Ionic look so different. 

[CRoweNH]

I was very excited to buy a Versa until I read about this.  It literally has EVERYTHING you’d want or need, but as someone who likes to bike, run, and XC ski, I really like the coordinates to transfer to Strava or the Fitbit app to show where I went.  Definitely a deal breaker for me. 

[Californiadrmn]

I literally had this pre ordered until I realized it didn't have a built in GPS! I REALLY didn't want to have to buy an Apple watch, but now it's looking like I'm going to have to 😞

Poor decisions Fitbit, this watch literally had EVERYTHING!! As a runner, that last thing I want is to take my big bulky phone on a run with me. And I don't want to have to switch from watch to watch for certain activities. So disappointing.

[sarah_lin8]

So you can only use Fitbit pay on the special editions?

[AlessFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for your feedback on this. 

One of the decisions we made when designing Versa was not to include a built-in GPS antenna, which we built into Ionic at the higher $299 price point. Versa can still provide real-time pace and distance on runs by connecting to your smartphone and using its GPS.

@sarah_lin8 Fitbit Pay is available only with the Special edition Versa which has the NFC chip for payments.

If there are anymore questions, please let me know! 

[sarah_lin8]

@AlessFitbit I heard that the GPS is only available for the special editions too, is this true? Sorry, I'm just really confuzzled, what's the difference between the special edition and the regular other than the band and NFC chip?

[CRoweNH]

Thanks...I appreciate the explanation.  Based on this discussion, I’d take this feedback to the design team as a Versa with GPS would be a financial slam dunk for Fitbit.  Apple would take notice in a hurry as you’d be stealing market share like you wouldn’t believe.  I think there will be decent sales with this product but there’s a segment of the market like myself that will unfortunately jump to Garmin or Apple for smart watch needs.

[Giampi71]

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@sarah_lin8wrote:

@AlessFitbit I heard that the GPS is only available for the special editions too, is this true? Sorry, I'm just really confuzzled, what's the difference between the special edition and the regular other than the band and NFC chip?

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To summarize

Ionic: GPS yes NFC yes

Versa Special Edition: GPS no NFC yes

Versa: GPS no NFC no

Versa (for other countries other than US): GPS no NFC yes

[Micahnatorx]

@Californiadrmn

If you want to stay with Fitbit products, you could always spend the money on the Ionic...which is basically the Versa + GPS.

I was in your shoes and ended up with an Apple Watch, series 2, after discovering that Walmart had a few in stock for $200 each. The series 2 is discontinued so they didn't even advertise that they had any. They discontinued them because the series 3 basically is the same unit but with a cellular option.

I was turned off by the apparent low battery life but after a week or so with it I can't complain. I just don't sleep with it on, which I prefer to not do anyway, so it's charged and ready when I wake up. Been ending the day with around 60% battery after using it for normal day to day stuff, notifications, some responding, running without phone but being able to listen to music and GPS.

I've found that I love taking calls on it (via bluetooth). I can be driving or cooking, not have my phone nearby, but take a call just by tapping the screen.

I just had to switch from Spotify to Apple Music but then it's easy cheesy to flip music from phone to watch for going on runs, mowing the lawn, etc. Plus I can use killer apps for intervals and other stuff.

Not trying to pry folks away from Fitbit but Apple Watch but it's been a lot better than expected. Worth it if you can get lucky and find a series 2 at your local walmart. Also was like $7 for a no questions asked 3 year (beyond manufacturer's) warranty.

At first I missed some of the metrics/analysis that fitbit app would give then I realized that it wasn't that important to me. Much of that was more information that could’nt even be considered accurate anyway so it's kind of a false sense of understanding of your body.

Having an interval app that gives me half way audible alerts and countdowns till next interval is suuuper nice. Super customizable and just works.

[Micahnatorx]

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[sumam]

So true! Especially capturing it on to Strava is so easy with the onboard GPS