Fitbit’s Versa smartwatch/fitness tracker impressed us right out of the gate, though we were less taken with the sequel. The next entry in the franchise promises to do better, though, as Fitbit’s next Versa has leaked online. The highlight? A new AMOLED display, some design changes, and support for Amazon’s Alexa. Looks like we might have to get that Echo tech after all.
The as-yet-unnamed Versa device turned up in leaker Evan Blass’ Twitter feed, with several images showing what Fitbit’s working on next. The big change, design-wise, is a paring down of physical buttons from three to one. Which makes the new device look a lot like the Versa Lite, but we won’t hold that against it.
Quite the display
Internally, we don’t have much of an idea what’s changing. Some features, like Fitbit Pay, water resistance, a proprietary charger, and the original Versa’s heart-rate sensor, are sticking around. But the only change we’re really sure of now is the display. The upcoming wearable is chucking out LCD in favour of AMOLED — like all the best wearables feature, these days. That, along with the 2.5D curved surface, contribute to make this one look more like an Apple Watch than ever.
Otherwise, the only other thing we know is new is Amazon Alexa integration, though we’re not sure how that’s going to work. But Apple’s wearable features Siri and Android Wear wristables include Google’s Assistant, so what was Fitbit to do? Just leave out digital assistant support? The horror… Or worse, choose Bixby.
It’s just as well that Fitbit’s new Versa entry will be more upmarket. We weren’t especially impressed with the cut-down features of the Versa Lite, which eschewed some of the original’s finest features in favour of a lower price. Except… that didn’t really work out the way it was supposed to, leading to lower-than-expected sales. Hopefully, this more premium approach will see things look up for the wearables-maker again.
Source: Evan Blass via The Verge
