I’ve grown paranoid since my heart incident in October 2018. I can’t really blame myself and still think I have developed some sort of PTSD from my experience. Perhaps not to the levels that our dear and brave veterans experience, but still wake up at times in panic and still have flashbacks to my days in ICU.
One of the ways my paranoia manifests itself is my obsession with seeing my heart rate.
Remember, my heart rate was excessively high when sitting. My heart was in overdrive and my body was not able to handle the extra workloads. My cardiologist often said that I was close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, or at least driving towards a tunnel too fast.
Being an Apple fan, I wanted to get the new Apple Watch 4 as it came with EKG capability, which effectively can monitor your heart rhythm and check for afib. It was not being released until later in October, so my wife bought me the Fitbit.
Over the course of the next six months, my life revolved around the digital screen of primarily the Fitbit Versa, but later the Apple Watch.
Based on my personal experiences, here are my highlights of these amazing smartwatches, and will include some pros and cons. In the end, you need to decide what you need and what you buy.
However, before selecting a smartwatch, you should really consider what the main purpose of the watch will be; for fitness or to look smart. It may sound rather strange, but it may help you decide on the outcome of your next purchase.
The Fitbit Versa is made with fitness in focus, and perhaps not a cool design that will spark conversations at the local gym or amongst friends.
Apple Watch is designed and made to look smart, and might not be fitness ready, but will certainly impress people when they spot your Apple Watch.
Pricewise, they are also different. The Apple Watch is, of course, the more expensive choice, and follow suit with all other Apple products of being perhaps overpriced, yet people will buy it because of design and cool features.
On the cooler side
| Fitbit Versa – $170 Best Buy | Apple Watch 4 – $399 Apple (starting price) |
| Plenty of built-in fitness apps | Comes with some preloaded apps, but covers the basic |
| Easy to navigate around | Takes time to learn how to navigate, and too many apps will make the screen crowded |
| Extremely long battery life – I’ve surpassed 4 days | Great selection of interfaces, and can be customized to suit your needs |
| You can change the interface, although limited selection and some cost money | Many many many apps available in the App Store, free or at a cost, which will help you track everything
– Can be difficult to find a suitable app for your needs |
| Additional trackers built-in
– Women’s health – Sleep patterns – Water consumption |
Works excellent with iPhone
– And only iPhone |
| Works well on iPhone, as well as Windows and Android devices | Bluetooth enabled |
| Bluetooth enabled for phone connectivity | No web site, but most apps integrate with the Apple ‘Health” app |
| Excellent web site dashboard, with a detailed history | Will require more apps to deliver a full health picture |
| Delivers a full health picture with a base built | Read and reply to messages from various apps – can be distracting at times
Siri voice-enabled for replies 😊 |
| Can receive a message from the various app and cell phone, but cannot reply – although don’t think you are meant to reply when you are exercising 😊 | Can control iPhone features such as music, camera, etc. |
| Waterproof | Comes with built-in GPS, as part of the pairing with your phone |
| You can make calls from your Apple Watch, but not sure that is advisable if exercising 😊 | |
| Waterproof | |
| One size screen of 37mm | Two size screens; 40mm and 44mm |
On the less cool side
| Limited app store available | Too many features and too many apps available |
| Not GPS enabled | Shitty battery life – max 24 hours for me, less if you want to monitor heart real time |
| Expensive watch, and if you want a nice strap then you pay a lot extra. |
In the end, the choice is yours and I hope you chose wisely. I hope my review and information has been helpful and would welcome any feedback you might have.
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