I need GPS for running without phone! Should I get the IONIC?

[jessbeast]

I've know firsthand the issues these smart watches are plagued with I've heard the stories on the forums. I was a surge user but I still use the fitbit app to keep track of what I eat.

Do you think the IONIC is worth the risk?  How reliable would you say it was?  and how accurate is the GPS?

Is it comfortable to wear?  I'll admit to being a bit concerned because I went through several surges within a two year period but at that time they were more flexible with their warranties.

Thanks for your help

[N8teGee]

Hi @jessbeast, good to see you around.

I know some people on here have had various issues with the Ionic, but I believe forums are predominantly occupied with people seeking answers for issues, this can sometimes make it seem a little one sided. For what it's worth, I was a previous Surge user and really enjoy my Ionic. I've had it since launch and so far have had minimal issues and an enjoyable experience. If you really need the device to have built in GPS, then your only option as far as fitbit devices go is the Ionic.

The good news with the Ionic is that you can change bands, this was something a lot of users had issues with on the surge so that removes that problem. The only thing you really miss out on is the always on display, but instead you get a beautiful coloured display.

[Tony.r]

I can totally agree with @N8teGee I have been using the Ionic since October 2017 and it works fine for me. Its defiantly the way to go if you need standalone GPS and has a great colour display as well as great functionality and flexibility. 

[sharenslz]

If you want a tracker that might just make it over 12 months, will crash when fitbit issue an update, might be waterproof - might not - in the US will have the worse customer service - go ahead, get the Ionic.

I had 3 over 13 months - finally gave in and luckily as I'm in the UK got a full refund from Amazon.

I've now got the Samsung Galaxy and it is kicking the fitbit into touch.

I guess there must be happy Ionic owners out there, with devices that have lasted 15 months with no problems - but just see how many buyers there are on this forum that have useless trackers backed by a pathetic customer service.

[jessbeast]

I appreciate all the feedback. I went to the store today and played with one and I love the display and the look of watch but I have to admit to being very worried to invest that much money into a product that seems to have so many issues. From browsing the forums it seems that many different community members have posted how there Ionics have failed before the warranty and that fitbit doesn't even offer to repair them after the warranty expires.  I think I might have to go another route unfortunately even though I'm so very tempted.

[WendyB]

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@N8teGee wrote:

Hi @jessbeast, good to see you around.

I know some people on here have had various issues with the Ionic, but I believe forums are predominantly occupied with people seeking answers for issues, this can sometimes make it seem a little one sided.

What @N8teGee posted above is so true. People come here to complain. Its rare to see a post about praise.

I have also  not  had any problems with my Ionic. I have used it since 2017 as well and its still going strong

[SunsetRunner]

@jessbeast I don't see Ionic as a runner's watch. It's lacking features like cadence ( currently very important to me as that's something I must dramatically improve if I want to go back to running after knee issue ), power, manual laps ( I mean toggling lap at any time ) or intervals based on distance. You are asking about GPS and I'm going to be representing the group of moaners as it's a lottery whether GPS locks on ( at least since the last update, before it was taking quite long but never it never happened that GPS didn't lock on at all ). Some time ago I experienced losing nearly 15km run as GPS didn't lock on for the whole time. Luckily, I had backup devices on me. From the things that I liked about Ionic was the display quality, sharp, bright, really good! Well... until it got damaged due to contact with water ( shower ) and now it's just glitching. I observe Facebook and Instagram accounts of Fitbit ( UK&Ireland accounts ) and there are some positive opinions but negative ones are similar to what can be read in here ( including canned responses of Fitbit employees ). On the bright side, when GPS works it actually does work. It's quite accurate in my opinion. I did lots of tests using recorded TCX files and the margin of error is no different than in case of other devices. Sometimes less, sometimes more accurate but good enough. What I don't like about the GPS in Ionic is that it doesn't shut down when you pause your run. I was quite surprised to find it out. It means that if you pause your activity for a while, the GPS will be draining your battery. Since reducing the distance I run I take longer breaks ( 15-30 min ) before I continue and then I pause my run. I need that to rest my knee and figure out if I can continue. Then I can see that while I'm in a single spot, the GPS behaves like a drunk fly.

@N8teGee @WendyB I didn't come to this forum to complain but back then I was quite a happy user of Charge 2 device ( my first fitness tracker ever! I still feel kinda nostalgic about it ) looking for motivation, inspiration and support when trying to reduce lots of weight. First problems with Charge 2 I experienced a lot later and it was not registering my HR ( two dashes for longer periods of time during workouts ). It was one of the reasons why I went for Ionic as HR was supposed to be more accurate. This is when all my complaining really started and until now my Ionic has a number of issues ( and it's not even a year old ). I didn't do proper research before buying and maybe it's my fault as I ignored posts on this forum as I was all hyped for the new device ( so hyped that I actually bought it and set it up waiting at the airport for my flight to Edinburgh. I just didn't want to wait until I get to the hotel - how much more hyped can one get? 😄 ). I had this thought "come on, it cannot be that bad, people are always over-exaggerating".  I should have never bought Ionic but I learnt that hard way with real money spent.

[N8teGee]

@SunsetRunner I accept that, which is why I was careful not to say all. I like yourself also discovered the boards for positive reasons, but I frequent many forums just for the community aspect. I still believe we are in the minority though and that the forums are heavily one sided, people looking to vent their frustration, complain or get advice for something that isn't working. We do get the occasional thread giving praise though. 

[MrRoy]

Hello @jessbeast .

FWIW, I've had mine for 11 months with little issue.  The one issue that I had was with the software and fitbit pay, (which I don't thing was an Ionic only problem)and has been resolved.  I find that the gps is accurate.  On occasion, it seems to take a couple of minutes to connect to a satellite. For me, it is comfortable.

[jessbeast]

Thanks for your detailed response it helps. I already made up my mind and I'm not getting an ionic and truth be told I did have one and loved it but I wanted to get some honest reviews and was hoping for some people that have had good experiences.  I had mine for 8 months and it stopped working before I left to leave the country and by the time I got back the warranty had expired. I'm not sure if I damaged it though because I was working in a freezer environment for all the time I wore it.  I kind of wrote it off failing to it being in the freezer all the time while I worked.  At that time I wasn't running and didn't need GPS and honestly never used it, so my experience with the watch was only to count steps and tell time.

I enjoy the community and feel I'm getting a good read on the IONIC from countless threads and user reviews and experiences.  I guess based on my own short personal experience mixes with countless others it's probably not a good investment.

[SunsetRunner]

@N8teGee I would like to maintain the same belief 🙂 I don't think the problem is that the device may break. It happens. It may happen to Apple, Samsung, Garmin - to anyone. What ring an alarm bell is a fact that in case of Fitbit it may happen multiple times in a row to the same person in a very short time. This is what I find alarming. Multiple replacements of the device owned by the same user are something that should never happen or if so it should be so rare that if we would ever read about it here the thread would sink very quickly among other threads. Yet, this seems to be the pattern. 2, 3 sometimes 4 replacements and all fail. This is alarming. The chance that one person will get the faulty device is there, it may happen no matter what brand the user owns. The chance that one person will receive 2-4 faulty devices in a row? In millions of shipped and (probably) working devices it's like winning a lottery, isn't it? Yet, it happens and makes a visible theme here. I've never seen anything like that before anywhere. My device still works but it's malfunctioning. I just checked that my device indeed is already 1 year and 1 month old. I don't know why I was thinking it's not a year old. Probably I mixed it up with Charge 2 which I bought on a different month. So my Ionic is already past its expiry date 😄