As the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 are two of the latest smartwatches from Fitbit, you might be stuck choosing between them if you're looking to upgrade your fitness tracker in 2024.
As a health editor at woman&home and a fan of Fitbit fitness trackers in my own life, I've tried and tested pretty much all of the best Fitbits - including these two devices - across many weeks, nights of sleep, and workouts.
Both the the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 are premium trackers, designed to help you keep an eye on your overall health and wellbeing - but while they are very similar in many ways, there are some key differences worth noting.
Fitbit Sense 2 vs Versa 4 specs
Fitbit Sense 2 vs Versa 4
Fitbit Sense 2 vs Versa 4: An overview
The Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 are very similar - from design to features, you can't go wrong with either device. The core difference, however, is in the focus. The Sense 2 is more of an overall health and wellness tracker focusing on holistic wellbeing through improved sleep and limited stress, as well as more exercise and daily movement. The Versa 4 has many of the same relaxation tools, sleep and stress insights but it prioritises fitness, with the workout modes available in one easy swipe.
The Fitbit Versa 4 is cheaper than the Sense 2 but as much as £100 in some cases, so it's certainly worth weighing up the pros and cons of both before making a decision.
Design
As you may have noticed, these two smartwatches are almost identical. When put side-by-side, it's tough to tell them apart. The Fitbit Sense 2 and Fitbit Versa 4 are square-faced smartwatches with a metallic casing measuring 40.5mm (Sense 2) and 40.4mm (Versa 4) around a full-colour AMOLED display.
On the side of both watches is a useful button that can be used alongside the watch's touchscreen and intuitive sensors to bring the screen to life and turn it off when needed. In reviewing these watches, I did initially find that the Versa 4's sensors are slightly more sensitive than the Sense 2 as it was easier to flick the screen on/off with a flick of the wrist. This is useful sometimes, but not when you're wearing the device at night as the display is rather bright when turned on. Both devices, much like every other Fitbit, offer a water resistance of up to 50m.
The only key differences in design are the colourways, both in the metallic casing and the interchangeable silicone 'Infinity' wristbands: the Fitbit Sense 2 offers muted palettes in black, grey, and blue mist, while the Versa 4 brings a higher-energy palette in a brighter blue, pink, or red.
Features on the Fitbit Sense 2 vs Versa 4
The Fitbit Sense 2 and Fitbit Versa 4 offer great features for those new to smartwatches or looking for something simple. The best way of looking at it is perhaps that the Fitbit Versa 4 is a more paired-back, basic version of the Sense 2.
Both watches have built-in GPS, meaning you can leave your phone at home and track your activity via the watch alone. Google now owns Fitbit, bringing it into line with their own fitness tracker offering, so there is support for Google Wallet, Google Maps, and Google Assistant build into all new devices like these. This means you can use your watch for turn-by-turn navigation on your wrist and pay for items on your watch anywhere that accepts Google Pay. This wasn't a feature upon launch of these products but I'm pleased to say it's now available.
There are more than 40 exercise modes on both devices, including running and hiking, HIIT, dancing, and even CrossFit. If you forget to enable a program and start exercising, automatic activity detection technology on the watch will detect your movement and record an activity, so you don't lose out on the data. This is one of my favourite features - but it's one offered by most other Fitbits as well.
The Fitbit Sense 2 has a skin temperature sensor for stress tracking via the ECG app and a sensor on the casing, which can offer useful insights for those who feel they're frequently stressed and perhaps at risk of burnout. The ECG app, also available on the Versa 4, tracks your heart rhythm as part of this and can recognise signs of atrial fibrillation, which you can take to your doctor for consideration and potential diagnosis.
However, surprisingly, neither the Fitbit Sense 2 nor the Versa 4 support third-party apps like Spotify. This was a feature I loved about the Fitbit Versa 3 - being able to change my music from my wrist on the go - but it's gone with the latest upgrade and the more expensive Sense 2 doesn't offer it point blank. However, this isn't entirely unusual for smartwatches like these - Garmin's Venu Sq2, a comparable fitness device, doesn't offer this either.
Fitness tracking on the Sense 2 vs Versa 4
This is where users will see the key differences between the Fitbit Sense 2 vs Versa 4, and where the explanation for the substantial price difference reveals itself. Both offer all the essentials in the fitness tracking arsenal, such as heart rate, calorie burn, step count, and connectivity to the Fitbit app to review these statistics in weekly, monthly, and yearly roundups.
Although the Versa 4 presents more as a fitness tracker than the health-orientated Sense 2, which focuses on health and wellbeing, it is the Sense 2 that works more accurately and efficiently than the Versa 4. For example, when it comes to GPS tracking for activities like walking, running, and cycling, the Sense 2 connects faster. It's essential to be connected to GPS when you do any of these activities, otherwise, statistics like distance covered, pace and speed wouldn't be accurate. When testing the Versa 4, there were a couple of occasions where I hadn't realised the GPS hadn't connected, so the accuracy of the data was off by quite a lot.
It's not hugely important if you're just looking to count your steps or use your tracker for stationary activities like strength training - but if you track other cardio activities like walking as a workout or cycling as a workout, it's pretty essential. In testing out the Sense 2, I didn't have this issue at all - the GPS connected quickly and automatically.
The Fitbit app is another feature of the Fitbit universe that we'd be remiss not to mention - especially since both devices come with a 6-month free trial of Fitbit Premium. You can access even more features via the paid-for app subscription on both devices, such as your sleep profile, Daily Readiness Score, workout videos, and recipe tutorials. It's a great feature included for new buyers - after the 6 months is up, you'll pay £7.99, so be sure to cancel in advance.
Display on the Fitbit Sense 2 vs Versa 4
The Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 displays are almost exactly the same - you'll find they both have a high-quality AMOLED, full-colour display at 336 x 336 pixels.
The only difference between the two is the standard pre-set watch face. On the home screen, you'll find the focus remains on core wellness pillars with icons displaying your stress score, heart rate, Active Zone Minutes (how many minutes in terms of intensity you've been exercising for that day) and sleep score, rather than classic fitness statistics like heart rate, steps, and calorie burn like on the Fitbit Versa 4.
However, you can customise your watch face as you like via the app with free and paid-for alternatives that can completely change the look and design of your watch face in just a few clicks and a sync. So, if you're considering one watch over the other based on the watch face design, know it's fully interchangeable.
Battery life on the Fitbit Sense 2 vs Versa 4
One of the many reasons I love Fitbit devices is the battery life. Compared to other fitness trackers like the Apple Watch, the life of one charge lasts a long time - six days or more to be specific - and over my time testing, I found this was just the minimum.
Even when I had enabled the GPS tracking, which tends to drain the battery life quicker, intermittently a few days a week I found that both the Sense 2 and Versa 4 hit the six-day mark and even beyond when I was using the watch without the GPS functionality.
The only time the battery life didn't hold up is when I tried to track my 12-hour bike ride. By the 10th hour, both devices had run out of battery. However, this is a relatively extreme example as most people won't need to track exercise for this long. If you do, consider weighing up Garmin vs Fitbit, as these premium running and cardio-focused fitness trackers hold up for longer.
Fitbit Sense 2 vs Versa 4: Which is better?
Overall, the Fitbit Sense 2 is a better smartwatch. It offers more precise GPS for fitness tracking and looks at health more widely by bringing together advanced sleep insights with stress-tracking features and heart rate monitoring. For an all-singing-all-dancing fitness tracker, it's got to be this one.
However, the Fitbit Versa 4 is also a great option - plus, it's £100 less in some cases. While the Sense 2 is the superior tracker with its streamlined functionality, wellbeing focus, additional features, and smooth navigation, it is £219.99. Though down from the original RRP of almost £300 - a price tag to rival more advanced fitness trackers like the newest Apple Watch and the Oura Ring.
If you have a health condition where extra features - like the additional sensor and ECG - may be useful, it may be worth the money for you. If you prefer a fitness tracker with more streamlined functionality and care about precise GPS then the Sense 2 will naturally be the better option for you too - but it's all personal.
I used the Fitbit Versa 4 without any real problems for two months and I'd happily use it again. However, I found that many of its best features are also contained in the Fitbit Versa 3, which is even cheaper still since the release of the newer model.
You may also be able to pick up one of the best Fitbit deals around and save on your pick of the bunch. During peak shopping times, such as Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Christmas sales, you'll also find that these two models will be reduced.
Or, you might find that Fitbit smartwatches aren't for you at all and you'd be better suited to a fitness tracker like the Fitbit Inspire 3 or Fitbit Luxe.
