Quickly removed was a video displaying the Fitbit Versa 4 with the Sense 2 screen protector
Those hoping for major design changes in the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 are likely out of luck, according to a quickly removed video.
Tutorials on how to apply smartwatch screen protectors were posted by accessory company Wasserstein. “Wasserstein Tutorial for Fitbit Versa 4/Sense 2 Screen Protector” was simply named “Wasserstein Tutorial,” however 9to5Google(opens in new tab) was able to take stills from the video.
The picture above doesn’t tell you much at all. In light of the button and sensor positioning, 9to5Google speculates that the screen protector is really being placed to a pre-production Fitbit Sense in the above video clip.
As it turns out, if this screen protector is compatible with all three of these devices, then the design of all three must be almost interchangeable. According to the previous code dive, the next generation of wearables will have the same 336 × 336 displays as the previous generation of Sense and Versas.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise, given Fitbit’s history of incremental design modifications over a long period of time, including the Versa. Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense are both on our list of the best fitness trackers and top smartwatches because they’re built to last.
Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly what Fitbit plans to do in the near future. We wouldn’t be shocked if the Fitbit Versa 4 stole one or more of the ECG, EDA, and/or skin temperature sensors from the Fitbit Sense in order to provide extra capabilities.
The Fitbit Sense already has all of these features, so it’s hard to predict what a second-generation device will have to offer. Fitbit Premium’s guided workouts, for example, would benefit from better interaction with the app.
In the end, this is all just speculation, but one thing is for sure: neither smartwatch will be running Wear OS. As previously established, the Fitbit software bridge makes it possible for the company’s operating system to communicate with smartphones.
As CEO James Park stated at Google I/O 2021, his newly acquired firm will be “creating premium smartwatches based on Wear that combine the best of Fitbit’s health expertise with Google’s ambient computing capabilities,” this is a shame.
The Versa 5 and Sense 3 may be able to take use of this, or perhaps we’ll see a completely new Fitbit that uses Wear OS in the future.