Fitbit Versa 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 955
🗓️ Release Year
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: 2022
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: 2022
🏃 Activity
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: The Fitbit Versa 4 provides comprehensive activity tracking, capturing steps, distance, calories burned, and floors climbed with precision. Its Active Zone Minutes feature is a key tool for optimizing workout effectiveness by tracking time spent in personalized heart rate zones. The integrated built-in GPS facilitates accurate real-time pace and distance monitoring for outdoor activities such as running, cycling, and hiking, offering valuable data without requiring a paired smartphone.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The Garmin Forerunner 955 is a top-tier GPS smartwatch designed for multisport athletes, offering extensive tracking of steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes with daily goals. It provides advanced running dynamics, cycling metrics, and swimming data crucial for comprehensive performance analysis across disciplines.
❤️ Health Monitoring
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: Utilizing advanced PurePulse 2.0 technology, the Versa 4 offers continuous 24/7 heart rate monitoring, providing insights into resting heart rate trends and real-time heart rate zones during exercise. It integrates advanced sleep and stress management features for a more holistic view of the user's well-being.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: This device features continuous heart rate monitoring, advanced physiological metrics including VO2 max estimation, training status, training load pro, and heat and altitude acclimatization. It also tracks respiration rate and Pulse Ox for blood oxygen saturation, offering deep insights into an athlete's health and recovery status.
🔋 Battery Life
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: A significant advantage of the Versa 4 is its impressive battery life, offering over 6 days of power on a single charge. The inclusion of fast charging capabilities means a full day's power can be acquired in just 12 minutes, minimizing downtime and ensuring consistent tracking.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The Forerunner 955 offers exceptional battery life, providing up to 15 days in smartwatch mode and up to 42 hours with continuous GPS tracking, making it suitable for ultra-endurance events and extensive training blocks.
😴 Sleep Tracking
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: Detailed sleep tracking on the Versa 4 monitors sleep duration and analyzes sleep stages (light, deep, and REM). It provides a comprehensive Sleep Score and personalized insights within the app to help users understand and improve their sleep quality effectively.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: Advanced sleep monitoring is included, meticulously tracking sleep stages (light, deep, and REM) and utilizing the Pulse Ox sensor to monitor blood oxygen levels during sleep. This provides valuable data for assessing recovery quality and informing training decisions.
📍 GPS Tracking
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: Equipped with built-in GPS, the Versa 4 accurately tracks real-time pace and distance for outdoor activities independently of a smartphone. Post-workout, users can review detailed route maps and intensity zone breakdowns directly within the Fitbit app.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: Equipped with multi-band GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo), the Forerunner 955 provides superior accuracy for outdoor activity tracking, even in challenging environments, without requiring a paired smartphone. It offers detailed route navigation and mapping capabilities.
🏋️ Workout Modes
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: Supporting an extensive library of over 40 workout modes, the Versa 4 caters to a wide array of physical activities, from running and cycling to swimming, HIIT, strength training, and yoga. During workouts, it displays live performance statistics, including heart rate, pace, and calorie burn, to inform training intensity.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The Forerunner 955 supports a vast array of multisport and individual workout modes, including running, biking, swimming, triathlon, trail running, strength training, and more, with extensive real-time statistics and customizable data screens.
💫 Exercise Recognition
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: The integrated SmartTrack technology offers automatic detection and recording of common exercises such as walking, running, cycling, and elliptical workouts. This feature streamlines the tracking process, ensuring activities are logged even if the user forgets to manually start a workout.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The device includes automatic exercise detection for common activities like walking and running through its Move IQ feature, ensuring seamless recording of basic movements within the overall training log.
🍎 Compatibility
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: The Versa 4 ensures broad compatibility with both Android and iOS devices, connecting via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Android users benefit from Google Fast Pair for quick and effortless initial setup.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The Forerunner 955 is compatible with both iOS and Android smartphones, connecting via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for seamless data synchronization and smart notifications.
📲 App Support
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: Synchronization with the feature-rich Fitbit app provides users with a centralized platform for comprehensive health tracking and in-depth fitness insights. Compatibility with popular third-party applications like Strava, Google Fit, Apple Health, and MyFitnessPal allows for seamless data integration into existing fitness ecosystems.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: Synchronization with the comprehensive Garmin Connect app is essential for the Forerunner 955, providing in-depth analysis of all tracked data, performance metrics, training insights, and recovery recommendations. The app allows for creating and syncing detailed training plans and courses.
💡 Smart Features
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: Beyond fitness, the Versa 4 offers notable smart features, including the reception of call, text, and app notifications. Integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant provides convenient voice control. Support for Fitbit Pay and Google Wallet enables contactless payments directly from the wrist.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: Beyond its extensive sports features, the Forerunner 955 includes practical smart functionalities such as on-wrist notifications, Garmin Pay for contactless payments, and on-device music storage with support for streaming services, allowing for phone-free training with connectivity.
💦 Water Resistance
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: With a 5 ATM water resistance rating (up to 50 meters), the Versa 4 is built to withstand swimming, showering, and general water exposure, making it a versatile companion for various activities.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: With a water resistance rating of 50 meters (5 ATM), the Forerunner 955 is suitable for swimming and showering, making it a reliable device for tracking pool and open water swimming activities as part of a multisport training regimen.
⌚ Display Quality
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: The device features a bright and highly responsive AMOLED touchscreen display. An always-on display mode offers convenient at-a-glance access to information, and customizable watch faces allow for personalization of the visual interface.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The Forerunner 955 features a sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) color display with optional touchscreen. This display technology offers excellent readability in direct sunlight and is power-efficient, crucial for extended outdoor activities.
👌 Ease of Use
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: The Versa 4 is designed for intuitive interaction, featuring a responsive touchscreen complemented by a haptic side button for efficient navigation. Its seamless synchronization with the Fitbit app facilitates effortless data tracking and analysis.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The device offers a dual interface with traditional buttons and a responsive touchscreen, providing flexible and easy navigation through menus, data screens, and mapping features during both activities and daily use.
✨ Design and Comfort
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: The Versa 4 features a sleek and lightweight aluminum case paired with a comfortable soft silicone band, ensuring suitability for all-day wear. The design supports interchangeable bands, offering options for personalization to match individual style preferences.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The Forerunner 955 features a lightweight and comfortable design with a soft silicone band, optimized for a secure fit during intense training sessions and suitable for all-day wear, balancing durability with comfort.
🩸 SpO2 Monitoring
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: An integrated SpO2 sensor allows for tracking blood oxygen levels specifically during sleep. This provides valuable data that can help users identify potential breathing irregularities during the night and gain insights into their respiratory health.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: An integrated Pulse Ox sensor allows for on-demand spot checks and continuous monitoring of blood oxygen saturation levels, particularly valuable for acclimatization at altitude, monitoring sleep quality, and assessing overall recovery.
💖 ECG Functionality
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: It is important to note that the Fitbit Versa 4 does not support ECG (Electrocardiogram) monitoring.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: It is important to note that the Garmin Forerunner 955 does not support ECG (Electrocardiogram) functionality.
🧘 Stress Tracking
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: Stress levels are monitored through the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). The Versa 4 provides access to guided breathing exercises and mindfulness tools within the app, offering practical resources for stress management.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The Forerunner 955 tracks stress levels throughout the day based on heart rate variability and offers guided breathing exercises to help athletes manage stress and optimize their mental recovery alongside physical training.
🩹 Recovery Tracking
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: The Daily Readiness Score is a key feature that assesses the body's preparedness for strenuous activity by analyzing sleep quality, recent activity levels, and heart rate variability. This helps users make informed decisions about when to push their limits and when to prioritize rest.
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: The device provides advanced recovery insights, including a daily readiness score, recovery time advisor, training status, and training load focus, offering detailed guidance to help athletes understand their recovery needs and optimize their training schedule to prevent overtraining and improve performance.
💳 Subscription
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: The core functionalities of the Versa 4 are available without a subscription. However, access to advanced insights, a wider range of guided workouts, and more in-depth sleep tracking features requires a Fitbit Premium subscription ($9.99/month or $79.99/year).
2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: A significant benefit of the Garmin platform is that all features and data tracked by the Forerunner 955 are accessible through the free Garmin Connect app, requiring no additional subscription fees for core functionality or advanced training analysis, providing comprehensive value out of the box.
🏷️️ Price
1️⃣ Fitbit Versa 4: $229.95
Check Fitbit Versa 4 Price *2️⃣ Garmin Forerunner 955: $699.99
Check Garmin Forerunner 955 Price ** If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you