There is an article speculating about a new Ionic on Tech Radar. However, this article is almost one year old (March 2019). https://www.techradar.com/news/fitbit-ionic-2
In this article, the Fitbit CEO seems to indicate that the Ionic will always be there on the product line-up. They also said that Ionic is a top-line product. A timeframe for an Ionic 2 was not stated, and companies will not do that while a previous model is still on shelves.
So! How will we know when a new model is getting closer to being released?... When they start putting the older one on sale to clear out the old inventory! This past year's (2019) Christmas Ionics were discounted another $50 to sell them for $200 at Target and on Fitbit.com . Some even cheaper sales of new Ionics could be found on Amazon.com . Since we are now sneaking up on halfway through February and they are still on sale for $200, I am guessing that Fitbit may be in the process of trying to clear out the now aging inventory of Ionics. But are they doing that to make way for the Ionic 2? OR, are they doing that to introduce a new-named flagship model that replaces the Ionic 1? I have no way of knowing.
Whichever the case, the public won't know when the Ionic 2 will be available until an industry leak or until Fitbit makes a big announcement. If and when that happens, the new thing will probably be $300-$350 for a while when it does come out. How solid that price will be will depend on how "irresistable" the new features, style and utility of the watch are.
Don't look for deep discounts on the Ionic 1 as they phase it out, though. If Ionic is going to be Fitbit's top offering, they will not want to cheapen its market value by deeply discounting the previous Ionic. This is their way of protecting their brand's reputation.
The decision is your's, Laura:
Wait an unknown amount of time for the new, higher-priced intro of Ionic 2.
Or, score the best priced GPS-capable watch on the market now for $200.
