I don’t really know if I should be doing this comparison between the 2year old Samsung Galaxy Watch and the newly released Fitbit Versa 3. If you recall the Versa 3 was released last month alongside Fitbit Sense, it succeeds Versa 2 and comes with an inbuilt GPS, longer battery life, loudspeaker, and fast charging. This is very similar features with Galaxy Watch which is now succeeded by the Galaxy Watch 3. Having used both Galaxy Watch and Versa 3, I think it will be worthwhile to tell you about my experiences with each of these two and how they differ. Compare the differences between Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Fitbit Versa 3 to find out which is a better smartwatch for you.
Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Fitbit Versa 3 Full Specifications Compared
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The Differences?
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- Design
- Fitness Tracking
- Media and Connectivity
- Notifications
- Battery Life
- Fitbit OS vs Tizen OS
Mere looking at the appearance of these two smartwatches, you can clearly see that the Galaxy Watch is bulky, while Versa 3 is very compact. Both smartwatches spot a very decent and attractive design, although Versa 3 is more compact and sleek than Galaxy Watch.
However, I will say the Galaxy Watch has a more sophisticated design made of stainless steel case and ceramics bezel with silicone straps compared to the aluminum case of Versa 3. This is the more reason it’s heavier than Versa 3.
Navigation
As per navigation, Galaxy Watch features an iconic physical rotating bezel alongside 2 physical buttons and touchscreen support that makes it very easy to access unlike Versa 3 which is only touchscreen with a haptic button by the side. I’m not a fan of the haptic button, it is unresponsive most times except when pressed real hard. Nevertheless, accessing Versa 3 is still very easy.
Watch Faces
You can install as many Watch faces as you like from the Fitbit app or Galaxy store respectively. There are lots of options to choose from as watch faces from third parties populate the platforms. However, you can only store a maximum of 5 watch faces at any time on Versa 3, while Galaxy Watch allows you to store as many Watch faces as you want depending on storage, you can even install watch faces directly from the watch which you can’t do with Versa 3.
Waterproof Rating
Both smartwatches are rated 5ATM which represents 50 meters waterproof. I haven’t had the time to swim with any of these two, but I did a simple 2-minutes water test by deeping these two into a 2-meter cup, and both smartwatches worked great afterward. I like that you can remove water from Galaxy Watch through its water eject mode feature.
Each of these two smartwatches tracks all the basics that include your sleep, heart rate, steps, calories, distance, and also count floors climbed.
Sleep Tracking
Both smartwatches track sleep in four stages; awake, deep, light, and REM, as well as shows you your sleep trend overtime.
Heart Rate Tracking
Both smartwatches track your heart rate continuously. It’s unfortunate that you can’t set Versa 3 to track your heart rate manually which you can do with Versa 3. Both smartwatches also show my resting heart rate and my heart rate range.
However, while Galaxy Watch shows my heart rate in vigorous and moderate zones, Versa 3 shows my heart rate in fat burn, cardio, and peak zones. It uses the time spent in each of these zones to calculate Active Zone Minutes (AZM) which is 1AZM in fat burn zone and 2AZM in cardio and peak zones for every minute.
Stress Tracking
Both smartwatches can help you manage stress levels with the respective stress apps that guide you through a breathing session. This comes in handy in helping you manage stress.
Inbuilt GPS
With inbuilt GPS on both smartwatches, you can track your routes, distance, and real-time pace. I did a 3.6Km run with these two, and the figures were about the same with slight discrepancies. Galaxy Watch however showed more stats like cadence and I can view my route directly on the watch without having to use the Samsung Health app.
Preloaded Sport Modes
Both smartwatches also feature preloaded sport modes which you can choose from your preferred choice, but the Galaxy Watch has 39 as against 20 on Versa 3.
Fitbit Coach
Versa 3 has a Fitbit coach app that features animated workout modes that can coach you as your train. Although not so many sport modes are available, it can save you some bucks on subscription.
SpO2 Blood Oxygen
Fitbit Versa 3 can track your SpO2 blood oxygen levels, but it’s not a complete feature as you can’t get your blood oxygen levels on-demand. It only tracks your blood oxygen levels when you sleep which you can see from the Fitbit Signature watch face. This feature is not available in every country.
Companion Fitness Apps
While the Fitbit app is the fitness companion for Versa 3, Samsung Health monitor is the fitness companion for Galaxy Watch. Both apps are quite intuitive and have a neat interface that lets you see your fitness metrics at a glance.
Both the Galaxy Watch and Versa 3 have music storage features that allow you to store music on the watch. However, Galaxy Watch allows you to add your personal music which you cannot do with Versa 3. Versa 3 only allows you to control Spotify playlists and download Pandora stations or Deezer playlists.
There’s is also a loudspeaker and microphone on both smartwatches. However, while you can make and receive calls, play media aloud, and hear Bixby reply aloud, Versa 3 lacks all these features. You can only answer calls on Versa 3 which you must continue on your phone. Galaxy Watch also allows you to share contacts with the phone, thus making it easy to call from the watch.
Both smartwatches allow you to receive and reply to notifications. You can reply to notifications with your voice, text messages, and emoji.
However, Galaxy Watch offers more preset replies and you can add more unlike Versa 3 that only has 5 preset replies which you can only modify.
The battery life of each of these two will see you through days from a single charge. I tested the battery life of Galaxy Watch against Versa 3, it was the same notifications settings for both smartwatches with the always-on display turned off, and I got 3 days long battery life with Galaxy Watch while Versa 3 lasted 4 days+.
I can say that both operating systems offer a neat UI that allows you to find the information that matters most to you. However, Tizen OS is a more sophisticated operating system than Fitbit OS which I consider too basic.
You can install watch faces and apps directly from Galaxy Watch. You can also browse the internet with the Samsung internet browser, and you can also view your workout routes from the watch.
There are 30 widgets on Galaxy Watch compared to 5 on Versa 3, and there are 21 options in the quick panel section in Galaxy Watch compared to only 6 on Versa 3. So, Tizen is better than Fitbit OS.
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Which is Better?
It’s interesting to note that each of these two smartwatches costs about the same amount. However, I think the Galaxy Watch is a more sophisticated smartwatch that offers more features than Versa 3. It has a more durable design, a functional loudspeaker, and an impressive battery life. It’s however, a bit heavy and bulky.
On the flip side, Versa 3 has a longer battery life with more health tracking features and as well is very compact and lightweight.
So, the choice is yours to make.
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