Screen and bezel misaligned

[Kwono1]

Update:

Screen and bezel do not align. There is a considerable gap between the bezel and the screen which some here have suggested may affect the waterproof quality of the watch. Two of my three friends who have bought the watch have returned them due to water damage. They believe that this is due to this misalignment. From what I have seen both in this community and in person, many Ionics suffer from this issue including the demonstration models at the stores.  Other problems have included an inability to connect to the Wi-Fi, or not having the Wallet tile available at all. 

Luckily, Fitbit support got into contact with me and have asked that I exchange the product. I have now returned the watch and await for another one. I highly recommend that you test your Ionic. Maximize your brightness setting and simply enter a very dark area. It is important to manually maximize your brightness as the auto sensor will automatically set it to dim. Should you see light escaping the bezel as per the photos, then I would recommend that you contact Fitbit support immediately. 

Moderator edit: updated title for clarity

[bbarrera]

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@Dirk74 wrote:

I'm not a native english speaker, so you like to read this article (or any other) that explains it:

Water resistance

(See the table of water resistant ratings)

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In the first sentence of the table: 

"due to the absence of official classification standards, roughly translates to the following:"

there are no standards for water activities. The table is rough guidance. There are only standards for static water pressure testing.

Its up to Fitbit and Garmin and Polar and Apple to provide a list of supported water activities.

Here is a more accurate table that I put together:

	Static water pressure	Suitable water activities	Unsuitable water activities
	ISO 22810	No international standard	No international standard
Garmin http://www.garmin.com/en-US/legal/waterrating	50 meters	- Splashes - Rain or Snow - Showering - Swimming - Diving into water - Snorkeling	- Scuba Diving - High-speed watersports
Polar https://support.polar.com/us-en/support/Polar_Products_in_Water_Environment	50 meters	- Wash - Splashes - Sweat - Raindrops - Bathing - Swimming	- Skin diving with snorkel - Scuba Diving
Apple Watch Series 2 or Series 3 https://support.apple.com/kb/SP766	50 meters	- shallow-water activities - swimming in a pool - swimming in ocean	- scuba diving - waterskiing - other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth
Fitbit Surge https://www.fitbit.com/in/surge#specs	50 meters	- Sweat - Rain - Splash-proof	- Swimming
Fitbit Flex 2 https://www.fitbit.com/shop/flex2#specs	100 meters	- Swim-proof	- Hot tub - Sauna
Fitbit Ionic https://www.fitbit.com/ionic (sweat/rain/splash) https://www.fitbit.com/shop/ionic#specs	50 meters	- Sweat - Rain - Splash-proof - After swimming or getting the band wet, we recommend drying the band	- Hot tub - Sauna

[SunsetRunner]

@bbarrera You need to add for Ionic “wear your watch in the pool to track swimming workouts” as per their specs on their website

[Dirk74]

So in my reading 'splash-proof' is a lower protection than 'water-proof'.

-> Ionic to flex 2.

But I agree, fitbit should make a statement.

[bbarrera]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

@bbarrera You need to add for Ionic “wear your watch in the pool to track swimming workouts” as per their specs on their website

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Not on the webshop specs, product page specs, or manual. Specs are usually dry legalize defining exactly how a vendor specifies how the product is to be used and related technical info. Here are the "Specs" on webshop:

[SunsetRunner]

@bbarrera Beg to differ - 

[bbarrera]

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@Dirk74 wrote:

So in my reading 'splash-proof' is a lower protection than 'water-proof'.

-> Ionic to flex 2.

But I agree, fitbit should make a statement.

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Waterproofing is done to varying levels, **loosely speaking** from lowest to highest:

- splash-proof

- swim-proof

- scuba-proof

I don't think its too much to ask Fitbit to use consistent language for supported activities. If Flex 2 specifications for water resistance clearly state "swim-proof" then the same should be in Ionic specifications. Its really not cool for 'the leading global wearables brand' to have one set of specifications (product page) that say "sweat, rain, and splash-proof" and then another set of specifications that say "After swimming ..."  and nowhere does it simply say "swim-proof" like on Flex 2 specifications.

[SunsetRunner]

It might not say “swim proof”, which I agree is a marketing faux pas, but it does say you can wear your watch in the pool and track swimming workouts, which I would say is swim proof.

@MatthewFitbit or @ErickFitbit or @FitbitCommunity any chance of getting marketing aware of the discrepancies on their webpages? This needs to be clarified.

[bbarrera]

I think the term "swim-proof" is ok, but looking at other vendor's water resistance specs it would be nice if Fitbit were more explicit about activities supported by Ionic.

[zapleahy]

@bbarrera @SunsetRunner Ionic features swim tracking and is the ideal companion for your favorite pool workouts and beach activities. I'm a fan of consistency as well, but I think there are occasions that call for a technical specs approach and other webpages do best with feature-driven copy. I'll get these copywriting variances in front of our marketing team for their review. Thanks for the heads up.

[bbarrera]

@zapleahy appreciate you getting feedback in front of the right people!

Just like we are expected to read your warranty coverage before buying - authorized retailers only, original owner only - in return we need accurate specifications on water resistance and supported activities. Agree with you that other webpages are for the marketing team to write feature-drive copy.

[runwithnewmedia]

Lots of pictures of the Ionic on Amazon from reviewers -- I can see a gap pretty clearly on some and it looks like there is no gap on many of the others -- https://www.amazon.com/Fitbit-Ionic-Smartwatch-Charcoal-Included/dp/B074VDF16R/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_produ...

[djforrest]

Add me to the list. One swim... one dead Ionic 😞

[N8teGee]

Sorry to hear that @djforrest. Does you Ionic have the gap mentioned in this thread between the glass and top of the frame? Can you remember if your Ionic had the light leakage issue? 

[Dirk74]

I received my second Ionic.

This time the gap is on the bottom:

Ionic Display gap

I could easily put a thick paper in it. There's no clear adhesive as someone from fitbit stated.

This doesn't look like intended.

[N8teGee]

@Dirk74 I saw a similar one on display today in a shop. It was the burnt orange one and the gap was at the bottom like yours, there was also a charcoal one next to it with the usual gap at the top. 

[launton]

So who's gonna go swimming with one then? 

[Paul201065]

Dont know if you looked at the pics i posted earlier guess im one of the lucky ones but doesnt seem to have any gaps at all so they can make them without gaps.

[Paul201065]

Been swimming with mine so far all ok.didnt even know about the issue until after i had been swimming. 

[N8teGee]

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@Paul201065 wrote:

Dont know if you looked at the pics i posted earlier guess im one of the lucky ones but doesnt seem to have any gaps at all so they can make them without gaps.

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It would seem you are one of the few lucky ones, gapless seems to be a rare breed. 

[mlindgren]

I've got a small gap at the top and bottom of my screen. It's not really noticeable to the naked eye, but I can fit a thin piece of paper in there deep enough that "sticks" until I pull it out. I do get some light leakage at the top of the screen only when on max brightness. Based on @zapleahy's response, it sounds like this is by design. I've been swimming with my Ionic a couple times already and I haven't had any problems.

Personally, I'm not going to worry about it unless I actually start having problems with the device.