We tried the Fitbit Ace and Fitbit Versa for one week. This is what happened

To be frank, I was majorly skeptical about the Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Ace review. I have never been a fitness enthusiast, and wasn’t a big fan of wearable smart devices either. And so, it was with great pessimism that my daughter and I tried the Fitbit Ace and Fitbit Versa for one week. To our surprise, it was a positive, eye-opening experience.

For your info, the Fitbit Versa is a super light and water-resistant wearable tracker plus watch, which is especially woman-friendly, because it even helps you track your menstrual cycle! The Fitbit Ace, meanwhile, is Fitbit’s first ever smart wristband for kids aged 8 and above.

Like I said, I have never really been someone obsessed with health and fitness. The Fitbit Versa though, kept reminding me that I had to take at least 250 steps every hour. My aim, it said, was to clock at least 10,000 steps per day.

Lazy and bound to work that I was, at first, I ignored the numerous reminders. Until I realised by the end of Day 1, that I had only managed to clock a few hundred steps, including the steps I took to the kitchen and bedroom!

On Day 2, I resolved to do much better. I focussed on taking small breaks in between work to walk around a bit. By Day 3, it had become a little bit of a habit, and I realised that I was actually feeling and functioning a lot better. The added number of steps on the screen gave a psychological boost to my confidence as well.

Importantly, I realised how these steps were impacting my body. The Fitbit Versa displays your heart beats per minute(bpm) and your normal resting heart rate. The bpm is markedly lower when you are inactive, and rapidly rises when you are on the move.

Running short of ideas or inspiration for your workouts? Worry not, let the Fitbit Versa “coach” you! Whether it is a 10 minute ab routine or a 7-minute workout, get personalised on-screen guidance for your needs.

Water-proof

The Versa is water-resistant to 50 meters and even tracks your laps.

Amazing battery life

In the one week that I used my Fitbit Versa, I only had to charge it twice!

Alarm Clock, wallet and more

The Versa fits in so well with your lifestyle. You can use it as your “silent” alarm clock. The “Wallet” feature also allows you to add your credit and debit card details. Your watch is now your trainer, fitness tracker and personal wallet, all in one!

You can use it to listen to music while on the go. You can also sync it with your smartphone so you can get all your phone notifications and messages right on your wrist!

Female health tracking

For a more comprehensive data analysis of your health, you should download the Fitbit app on your phone. For one, you can track your sleep pattern and how well you are sleeping.

Also, for women, the Fitbit Versa allows you to keep track of your menstrual cycle and ovulation, and to record related symptoms like headaches, acne and cramps.

The thing about Fitbit is that, the device gets smarter with greater amount of data clocked. Once it has sufficient data at hand, it can then make predictions about your menstrual cycle and what symptoms you can expect.

Fitbit also sends you your weekly progress report, which includes the total number of steps you took during the week, your most active days, average sleep hours etc.

The Fitbit Versa is now available in stores including Axtro Sports, Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, Harvey Norman, Metro, e-Gadgets and Lazada. 

Versa retails at S$318 in black, gray and peach. Fitbit Versa Special Edition (Charcoal or Lavender Woven Band plus Black Classic Band)retails for S$358 and accessories range from S$49.90 to S$139.90.

As you can see, the Fitbit Versa is way more affordable than a regular smart watch.

My daughter had a similar positive experience with Fitbit Ace, Fitbit’s first ever smart wristband for kids aged 8 and above. 

As a mother, I was really worried that my kid was getting far too addicted to her phone. So, it was super fun and refreshing to see her spring into action every time the Fitbit Ace vibrated with a reminder. She would suddenly start running around trying to meet her target of at least 250 steps per hour.

She was also thrilled and encouraged by the congratulatory messages and badges she received for staying active.

Kids can also use the Fitbit Ace as a watch, and choose their favorite clock face (There are 10 designs you can choose from).

Another cute and endearing feature is how the Fitbit Ace promotes good sleeping habits in kids.

You get stars and badges if you clock at least 8 hours of sleep every day. The Fitbit app will also tell you if you were sleeping soundly or were restless.

My daughter really liked the “silent” alarm clock feature too, she said the vibrations helped her wake up gently.

The best part about the Fitbit Ace is that as a parent, you can keep track of how active your child is, and monitor her sleeping pattern using the app on your phone.

Parents can set up a family account and create an account for their child where they can view their kid’s activity. You can also easily navigate between your view and your kid’s view to check their activity and progress at any time in the Fitbit app.

Also, parents and kids can take part in fun challenges and send messages and cheers to one another.

The battery life for Fitbit Ace is even longer than the Versa! It can last for 5 days without charging!

Again, Fitbit also sends you your child's weekly (activity) progress report with activity and sleep stats.

Fitbit Ace is available in Singapore at major retailers like Axtro Sports, Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, Harvey Norman, Metro, e-Gadgets and Lazada.

It is available in two fun interchangeable bands in electric blue and power purple, and costs S$128 SGD.

To conclude, that one week we used the Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Ace, we ended up being much more active than what we were, ever. It definitely gets a thumbs up from us.