The Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 received their first major updates, adding some welcome new features However, many of them are still only available on the previous models, and there are no signs of them becoming equivalent

Starting with the good news, Fitbit has made good on its promise to bring Google Wallet to two of its wearables This is definitely a good thing, especially outside the US, where Fitbit Pay was apparently limited to banks that support it (opens in new tab) But if you are happy with Fitbit Pay, keep using it

The patch (version 118452) has also added some other nice features You can now make calls on your wrist using the built-in speaker and microphone This not only saves battery power, but also comes in handy if you accidentally start your watch in the darkness of a movie theater

These last two additional features may sound familiar, as they were already part of the original Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3 Despite this, the latest model still has a few downgrades over previous models that may or may not be fixed in future patches

To be clear, according to Fitbit, at least one more feature will be introduced This is a positive result of Google's $21 billion acquisition of Fitbit

However, there are other things that past Versas and the original Fitbit Sense can do that the latest version cannot at the time of writing

Third-party apps were never Fitbit's strong suit, but the new watch has removed App Gallery support entirely Perhaps that's why the built-in Wi-Fi is still there, but according to the spec sheet (opens in new tab), it has been intentionally disabled and firmware updates must be delivered via a slow Bluetooth connection instead

The internal storage no longer allows music Oddly enough, it is also no longer possible to control media playback on the phone using the wristwatch

Most puzzling is that, given Google's ownership, Alexa is only available on the latest models, even though the previous generation had Google Assistant

None of these things, taken in isolation, are exactly deal-breakers, but when they add up, they require a lot of cuts And that is pretty hard to swallow in what should be an upgrade with a price tag to match

While there are no signs of reaching full parity with the previous generation, hopefully this latest patch is a sign that the new smartwatch is still a work in progress Otherwise, shoppers might consider getting an older generation for a bargain rather than paying big bucks for a new, shiny one