Amazfit Cheetah Round vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Which should you buy?

There are so many different smartwatches and wearables to choose from, it's enough to make your head spin. While Fitbit has been the default option for years, Amazfit has been making some pretty great strides, as evidenced by its Cheetah Round. We're taking a look at how this wearable stacks up to the Fitbit Versa 4 in a battle of affordable smartwatches.

Amazfit Cheetah Round vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Design and specs

As the name suggests, the Cheetah Round features a round display, measuring at 1.39 inches with a resolution of 454 x 454 and making use of an AMOLED panel. Surrounding the display, you'll find two buttons: a Select button in the top right corner and a Back button in the bottom right corner.

The weight is something to consider when deciding which of the best smartwatches is for you. The Cheetah Round weighs just 32 grams without the strap, making it slightly lighter than you might expect. Part of this can be attributed to Amazfit using "durable fiber-reinforced polymer" for the build.

Battery life is one reason why the best Fitbits continue to be fan-favorites, but Amazfit's Cheetah Round has them beat. According to Amazfit, this wearable can last for up to 14 days on a single charge, but if you activate Battery Saver Mode, you'll get a whopping 24 days of juice. These battery ratings are under "typical" usage conditions. Meaning that if you are working out every day, you'll likely find yourself needing to reach for the charger sooner.

One area where the Cheetah Round gains an edge is in the fact that you can listen to music from your watch with your favorite set of Bluetooth headphones. Unfortunately, you aren't able to rely on Spotify or Apple Music for streaming, but you can download songs directly to your watch.

Moving over to the Fitbit Versa 4, this wearable is equipped with a larger 1.58-inch AMOLED display but has a lower 336 x 336 resolution. In terms of controls, we have the return of the hardware button on the right side, moving away from the capacitive "button" which caused a bunch of headaches.

Surprisingly, the Versa 4 is also a bit heavier than the Cheetah Round, almost 38 grams. Even still, the aluminum casing has been a good choice for Fitbit, which explains why the Versa 4 has almost an identical design to the Versa 3.

Regarding battery life, the Cheetah Round definitely takes the win, but the Versa 4 is no slouch. Fitbit rates the Versa 4 for at least six days of battery life, falling well short of the 14-day battery life from Amazfit. And charging times match up across the board, with both Amazfit and Fitbit claiming it will take two hours to go from 0-100%.

Another thing worth noting is the water resistance for both wearables. The Cheetah Round comes with a 5ATM rating, whereas the Versa 4 is said to be water resistant up to 50 meters.

Amazfit Cheetah Round vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Tracking your health

You can probably surmise that neither of these are really "traditional" smartwatches. Sure, they are able to show you incoming notifications, but that's not the "goal" of either wearable. Instead, it's to help you keep track of your health and fitness in various ways. And thankfully, they both have many of the right sensors and features to do so.

The Cheetah Round is equipped with a BioTracker PPG biometric sensor, which offers 24/7 health monitoring. It's capable of tracking your heart rate, blood oxygen (SpO2), stress, sleep, and much more. Amazfit has tailored the software to notify you if your various levels are either too or too low, while also giving you some "stress-reducing breathing exercises."

Something that the Cheetah Round has that you won't find on the Versa 4 is the ability to download maps for offline use. Both the Cheetah and Versa 4 feature built-in GPS, but only the former lets you leave your phone at home without needing to worry about getting lost.

With the Versa 4, Fitbit is using a "multi-path optical heart rate sensor," while also providing the ability to measure your SpO2 levels. You'll also get notifications if your heart rate is too high or too low, but there's also a built-in skin temperature sensor. You'll have to use the Fitbit app in order to see any variations, but it's still a nice touch.

Amazfit Cheetah Round vs. Fitbit Versa 4: Which should you buy?

Both the Cheetah Round and Versa 4 are quite capable when it comes to helping you keep an eye on your health. To some, the Amazfit might look more appealing with its round display that comes with a higher PPI than the Versa 4. And while Fitbit has been around for longer, it's pretty apparent that Google's Pixel Watch is more of a focus for the future.

That's not to say that the Versa 4 should be ignored, as it's affordably priced and features all of the same health sensors as the more-expensive Fitbit Sense 2. The biggest downside to the Versa 4 is the need to pay for Fitbit Premium if you want to unlock all of the available features.

So if you're trying to decide which of these to choose from, we'd recommend the Amazfit Cheetah Round if you're a runner. The Versa 4, even without Fitbit Premium, is likely the better option for everyone else or those who just want a wearable to keep an eye on their steps and sleep.