Feel Like a Little Positivity?

[ConnieL429]

I realize that you typically see nothing but problems or complaints on these boards so in the spirit of a brighter Friday, let me have a more positive conversation.  I currently have the Ionic which I use on an iPhone X. I also own an Apple Watch Series 3 LTE.  Now let us first say that the Apple watch does just about everything you could want a smart watch to do and it does it well.  That said, I find myself unexplainably drawn back to the Ionic at regular intervals.  As much as I dislike the way music is transferred to the device, I also find the look of it as having much more "pizazz" than the apple Watch.  The screen "seems" crisper to look at.  And one very important detail for me is that the Ionic has an always on HR monitor. With apple watch, I have to ask it every time. Very tiresome.  Also (and this is my opinion obviously), Fitbit is absolutely head and shoulders above everyone else with their accompanying app and it's functionality.  Like I said, that's just me but if it weren't for the app, I probably wouldn't be with Fitbit anymore.  Also, despite The New Charge 3 being very disappointing (I returned mine), I look forward to perhaps the next iteration of the Ionic or at the very least, a MUCH more improved Charge because the Charge 2 was an excellent device. The 3 is a giant step back for me.  Additionally, although Apple is now taking more steps to make their fitness functionality better to include challenges with friends, lets face it. More people have a Fitbit simply because they are wide ranging in price so almost everyone can afford at least one of the models, therefore allowing for more friends to challenge.  I welcome all responses

[Rich_Laue]

The Charge 3 would be .a step back if your looking for built in GPS. The ionic is no good if you are looking for specialized daily goals.

As you have stated, there is a Fitbit for each person. You will want to first do your reaserch. 

[ConnieL429]

Not having built-in GPS on Charge 3 isn't that big of a deal to me but seriously, It all starts with being able to read the screen. Without that, nothing else matters.

[bbarrera]

I bought and returned the Ionic, for many reasons. Stayed with original Apple Watch ("series 0") and recently upgraded to latest series 4 (5th generation). The screen is absolutely fantastic, bigger and more resolution than previous generations 1-4. There is no comparison between Ionic screen and latest Watch (and AW3 was better than Ionic in my opinion). The functionality and usability are incredible. The speaker and microphone are essential and always a mystery why these are missing in Ionic -- seriously, start Coach app and start doing jumping jacks or side planks without audible alarm to alert you to finish (what was Fitbit thinking?). Everything is fast and fluid, highly responsive, and as with the original I can run more than one app at once. 

While the Fitbit app is nice, it is seriously lacking in details like answering simple questions like "how much time/miles were spent doing tracked walks" and instead all you get is a feel good summary of estimated miles based on steps. And support for cycling is an afterthought (seriously, try and get weekly/monthly totals for cycling).

There is no perfect app, after having used every major brand and having a focus on cycling and strength training (mostly barbell/dumbbell work) this is what I want from an app:

- circle summaries like Fitbit app

- sport specific summaries like Garmin app

- detailed activity metrics like Garmin app

- support for strength training like Strong app

- charting and trending of various heart and other metrics like Apple Health app

[ConnieL429]

And clearly we can see how people can have very different opinions on these things.  What works best for you is definitely a matter of what is most important to you.  No problems here with either the Apple Watch 3 or the Ionic based on how I use them.  But as I said, the Charge 3 is a deal breaker for me simply because I have a hard time reading the screen.  I will probably always have a spot in my heart for AW and Fitbit but not necessarily every model of each.

[D8veh]

I liked my old Charge 2. it worked perfectly and used the GPS from my phone, so there was no compromise to the battery life. My Ionic's battery will most likely be flat before I finish one of my bike rides. I wish i'd figured that out before i bought it. Also the Charge 2 got 100% of the journey logged with the phone's GPS, while as the Ionic constantly skips large chunks. Why don't they give the option to use the phone's GPS for the Ionic? I bought the Ionic because it's waterproof so I don't have to take it off in the shower. I find undoing the band is a real nuisance.

I'm one of the lucky ones in that mine has been fairly stable regarding syncing and the functions that I use, so I'm not too disappointed in my purchase, though I could have been delighted with it if weren't for the shortcomings.

I have a notification that a firmware update is available, but I'm too scared to do it in case I get problems like I did last time. Also, Fitbit don't give sufficient information in what the updates give you, so I've no idea if I would get any advantage from it.

To summarise, i'm not dissatisfied enough to chuck it, but I wouldn't buy another. What I'd like is the charge 2, but with 2 weeks battery life or more and waterproof.

[lenny4d]

@ConnieL429    Yes, the fitbit-ecosystem is actually pretty good and well organised. Obviously there is room for MANY improvements (as @bbarrera also points out), but still I also like it lot. I agree, the Charge 2 was the most reliable  and robust tracker fitbit ever made. I now have a Versa and while it doesn't live up entirely to its expectations I still like it a lot, only good to say despite the HR and syncing quirks. Ionic/Versa/Charge 3 would have had so much potential if they just: a) had kept EXACTLY the same HR sensor as on the Charge 2, b) didn't tinker with the bluetooth syncing process that is now all messed up, c) for charge 3 had started with exactly the same clockfaces as for the Charge 2.