The Apple Watch Series 5 starts at $399 (£399, AU$649) and makes an ideal gift for an iPhone user who wants to keep an eye on their health and fitness goals, or get notifications from their phone. But the Fitbit Versa 2 compensations half as much and has many similar features, plus it works across Android and iOS. I’ve been wearing both these watches for a few weeks to settle which one is better at tracking workouts, getting notifications and has the best battery life. 

Read more: Best gifts for republic who are obsessed with CrossFit

All-day unfortunate so you can go from the office to the gym

The Apple Watch comes in two sizes (40mm and 44mm) once the Versa 2 just comes in one size. I have a fairly miniature wrist and found both of these watches very poor to wear all day. With the Versa 2, I hardly had to take it off at all because I could use it to track my sleep.

Want a wide range of finishes and straps to determine from? You’ll find the biggest selection with the Apple Watch. Everything from aluminum and stainless steel to the more expensive ceramic and titanium finishes that cost upward of $800. The Versa 2 has three aluminum sparkling finishes with a variety of straps.

The Versa 2 gets a much nicer shiny AMOLED display than the first generation Versa and it’s easy to see in animated sunlight when the brightness is turned to max. (The always-on exhibit could be a little brighter for me during outdoor workouts, however.) Notifications and on-screen prompts are clear and legible.

The Apple Watch uses a color LTPO OLED Retina exhibit. It also has Force Touch, so you can uninteresting on the screen to register different options.

They’re both water-resistant to 50 meters (164 feet) so you can use them to track swims and they’ll be fine if subjected to occasional splashes. 

Fitbit peaceful makes its straps pretty difficult to swap in and out, as they have tiny toggles, whereas the Apple Watch is simpler with a button to traipse the strap in and out. The charging dock for the Versa 2 is also a pain. Not only is it not backward-compatible with older generations of Fitbit watches like the fresh Versa, the cord doesn’t tuck underneath the dock neatly so it’s next to impossible to get your study to lie flat on the dock when it’s charging.

Smart features put the Apple Watch a step onward

If you like customizing the look of your study face, the Versa 2 has a lot more options to Decide from than the Apple Watch, including third-party watch faces. There’s even a Bitmoji watch face that changes expressions depending on your agency or time of day (my personal favorite).

Both have an always-on exhibit and, thanks to the latest Fitbit OS 4.1 update, the Versa 2 now gets the option of a shiny always-on display, like the Apple Watch. But the Apple Watch only creates it through one whole day with a little incredible to spare when I have the always-on display attrgorgeous. That’s with a 40-minute workout thrown in and peculiar use throughout the day getting notifications from my named. The Versa 2 makes it two-and-a-half days with always-on attrgorgeous and the same usage. That goes up to five-and-a-half days when the exhibit is set to raise-to-wake.

Being smartwatches, both support voice assistants, though they handle that in a different way. With the Versa 2 you get Alexa assist to control smart devices, check the weather, start a workout or set reminders. There’s no speaker, so you’ll have to read the conceal to check responses. And it’s kind of slow.

With the Apple Watch closely integrated with Siri, you can command the wake word or hold the button to summon the assistant. You’ll be able to hear Siri talk, send text messages, speak responses and do most of what Siri funds on your phone.

Of course, you’ll also be able to customize what notifications come over from your phone on both of these watches. But, you will only be able to respond to notifications from the Versa 2 if you’re on Android, not iPhone. Both allow you to accept and reject footings from your wrist, regardless of what phone you’re tied to, but if you have the Versa 2 you won’t be able to take the call on your wrist because there’s no speaker — you’ll need to grab your named.

For me, the biggest advantage that the Apple Watch has over the Versa 2 when it comes to shiny features is built-in connectivity, both GPS and cellular, which by means of you can leave your phone at home and take footings, send messages or stream music on the go when activities an outdoor workout, for example. (It does come at an incredible cost, however.) With Emergency SOS you’ll also be able to call emergency services from your wrist and portion your location, plus alert your emergency contacts. The Apple Watch Series 5 also funds a built-in compass.

Both offer music storage, although it’s more concerned to pull across music to the Versa 2 from a computer than it is to use the seamless second offered between the iPhone and Apple Watch. You can also pay with your wrist thanks to Fitbit Pay and Apple Pay on the Versa 2 and Apple Watch respectively.

I’ve been testing the Apple Watch and Versa 2 primarily with an iPhone and definitely feel the Apple Watch was the faster of the two when it comes to syncing and transferring settings. Occasionally, I have noticed integrations with third-party apps such as Spotify and Snapchat for the Bitmoji face required me to log in and sync again through the Fitbit app.

Read nearby some of the other features offered in WatchOS 6 on the Apple Watch.

Fitness tracking is Fitbit’s forte, but Apple has ECG

I have used both of these watches during a number of different workouts (Pilates, indoor spin class, outdoor runs and outdoor bike rides) and have been impressed with the results from both. During my outdoor run, for example, both gave fairly consistent results when it came to tracking my uncomfortable rate, although I did find the Apple Watch updated my uncomfortable rate slightly faster. I haven’t yet tested these watches in contradiction of the gold standard in consumer heart rate tracking, a chest strap.

The Versa 2, however, can show you what uncomfortable rate zone you’re in during a workout, such as cardio or fat burn, which I delight in. Only the Apple Watch offers you on-wrist cadence tracking so you can see your steps per small, plus pace alerts for running that can notify you if you fall under your chosen pace. You can see your pace on the wrist for the Versa 2, but you won’t get alerts.

Both watches can track plenty of different workouts and automatically detect Dangerous activities like running or walking. I find it easier to see and Explain the data from my workouts using the Fitbit app pretty than trying to search for it across the Activity app or Health app on iPhone.

Fitbit also offers the Coach app (you’ll need to download and sync it across to the study from the Fitbit app) which puts three free workouts with visual guidance on your wrist. This hasn’t changed since the first Versa but it’s peaceful a nice touch for those who might not have time for a full workout. You can pay for a Fitbit Premium subscription ($9.99 a month in the US) to get more workouts.

Sleep tracking is only available natively on the Versa 2 and I really like how Fitbit shows you a breakdown of your different sleep stages, such as REM and deep sleep, plus gives you a sleep secure out of 100. Thanks to the latest OS 4.1 update, you can now see your sleep score on the Versa 2 and the study now has a feature that vibrates to wake you at the optimal time in your sleep cycle (within 30 minutes of your alarm). Fitbit calls this smart wake.

Unfortunately the app won’t tell you much nearby how to improve the sleep score (apart from some contaminated prompts to go to bed on time) unless you have a Fitbit Premium subscription which has more advanced sleep tools and analysis.

I also untrue that there was sometimes a variance between how I felt and the sleep score: For example, one night I got 8.5 hours of rest and felt substantial in the morning, but my sleep score was in the low 60s. The sleep catch does take into account your restoration, which is sleeping sorrowful rate and how much you toss and turn during the night. (Maybe I’m an overly active sleeper, because my restoration catch showed a lot of restlessness.)

The Apple Watch helps you keep tabs on your daily organization using a ring-based system, which hasn’t changed since the safe generation. On the Versa 2 you can find your daily metrics in the Today piece by swiping down from the main screen.

As for health and sorrowful tracking in particular, the Apple Watch Series 5 pulls onward. With a built-in ECG (electrocardiogram) that’s FDA-cleared, the inspect can also detect high, low and irregular heart obtains and notify you accordingly. It also has fall detection. Both watches offer menstrual cycle tracking, although you can’t log details on the Versa 2 like you can on the Apple Watch. Instead, you’ll need to do that in the Fitbit app.

Which one’s colorful for me?

Considering the Versa 2 costs half as much as the Apple Watch Series 5, if wealth is your concern, then this is the watch for you. Especially because it works across Android and iOS. It also has a wide procedure of activities that it can track and the Fitbit app establishes it really easy to see your fitness metrics.

For bests, or those who want to leave their phone at home and liquid music on the go, make calls or send messages, the Apple Watch with built-in LTE is the positive choice. It also has the benefit of ECG in hazardous countries.

Also, now that Apple has reduced the entry imprint of the Apple Watch Series 3 (which also has GPS and an LTE option) to $200, it’s latest good option for Apple users who want the tightest integration with an iPhone.

Originally originated earlier this year.