Should I buy a Fitbit Ionic

[S310R10]

I need some advice please. I have been using Fitbit since 2014. I was using them before they came out with wearables. I have owned the Charge HR, Charge HR 2, Charge HR 3, & just got the Charge HR 4 (which does not load the firmware, so I will be returning the 4). These only last about 18 months to 2 years before I have to replace them. I wonder if the 18 - 24 month issue is just a Charge issue. So, I am wondering if the Fitbit Ionic is worth the extra money. It's a bit bigger than I would like, but if it syncs well, does what my HRs do (when they work), & I can see it better, it may be worth it.

Let me know what you think about your Ionic. Any advice will be helpful.

Thanks,

Suzanne

[MikeGn]

Ionic definitely worth more than Charge - it's a full featured fitness smartwatch.

It's a bit low on the smartwatch side: it has no microphone, no speaker, no voice assistant and can answer messages only with preset answers.

But as fitness oriented smartwatch it's OK.

[DavidB67]

I've had mine since Christmas 2018. My experience is limited since I only had one other watch (TomTom Runner). Here are some pro's and con's I've noted:

Pro's:

    - I like that it tracks different exercise modes (Run, Bike, Yoga, Martial Arts, etc.)

   - It's waterproof; which is nice with as much as I sweat.

   - The notifications (email, texts, etc.) on the watch are good. My Traeger grill notifications also get pushed through! However, a couple of patches ago, they added crap to the top that makes it difficult to clear the notifications while exercising.

   - Size is fine. If you're used to the thin strap, then it may be a problem, but I hate wearing watches and this doesn't bother me.

Con's:

   - VERY BAD: It will stop tracking your exercise and kick out to the home screen, losing all of your exercise data for that exercise. This is a know problem since release that has not been fixed. Google it.

   - ALSO BAD: While active in an exercise mode, the GPS will stop tracking. While running, I will look down at my watch for pace and it shows "0:00". This isn't a one off and happens frequently. Fitbit has no answer beyond (1) ensure your app is up to date and (2) hard reset your watch.

  -  BAD: The heart rate monitor tracking is sensitive. If your watch band is too tight or too loose, it will lose the pulse rate and I can't seem to find a "sweet spot" for my watch band so I tend to lose it frequently. Very irritating since I have A-Fib and use this feature to monitor my heart rate.

   - BAD: The bloatware on the watch is simply stupid. There are 16 apps (Starbucks, Pandora, etc) that I do not use and I am stuck seeing them on the watch. I should have the option to disable them.

Again, the watch is good, but the con's I pointed out are driving me towards giving up on Fitbit since they can't correct their problems. Currently looking at Garmin.

[Gdarren5]

I wouldn't recommend I ma on my 3rd in 18 months and the replacement on warranty that's just arrived won't update firmware, all fitbit help exhausted they are unreliable products and pretty poor software ot would seem. 

[PaulMe]

Hi @S310R10,

It's a great device when it works.

Outside of the warranty period, you're on your own. These *should* give 4 or 5 years of reliable service. Put simply, they don't unfortunately. They are not cheap to purchase - especially outside of the U.S.

I sold my Versa for a $140 and bought a secondhand, but unused Ionic for AUD$180. So effectively the Ionic cost me $40. I don't have any warranty - because the receipt was misplaced. 

I don't swim or shower with the Ionic - I killed my first Versa by swimming. I have one of those TPU clear plastic surrounds to protect it and hopefully keep the screen in place. I also have a screen film protector and some glass screen protectors on order. 

I've done all I can to ensure this devices longevity - providing electronics, the battery or dodgy firmware don't kill it. It's a lottery and waiting game. I'm thankful every time I twist my arm and it lights up! Lol!

Unreliable syncing is my only real complaint. But is usually fixed by Force Stopping the Fitbit app on my Android 9 phone.

[S310R10]

Thanks @MikeGn, I want it more for the fitness side. 😉

[S310R10]

Thanks @DavidB67, Which Garmin are you leaning towards?

[LauFee]

Hi Susanne,

Sorry for  my bad english,  i am german.

I won't buy a fitbit again, it isn't  worth it!

My ionic doesn't work anymore after just 2 1/2  years and after the last update. So i supose fitbit to destroy it. I'm not the only one who  has got trouble since this june. 

That support doesn't answer.   

I just got a polar ignite

By,

Ute

[Tommo_N]

Hi, I've been a fitbit user for some time, having had surge and now ionic. My wife has had several versions of charge but has moved to garmin.

I liked both surge and ionic but have had so many issues I'm going to move to garmin as well. 

The ionic isn't cheap but the straps are! I never shower with mine, but, just like the surge, the straps fail and peel apart where they join the 'pebble'. 

Check your phone type. My ionic no longer syncs or sens notifications to my android phone. I occasionally get notifications if I am within WiFi range at home but nowhere else. 

Bluetooth has become very unreliable lately, so I can't pair headphones or speakers. 

Frequently when attaching the charging cable, the watch resets itself or just sits with the fitbit logo for hours. 

Best of all, this week when the cable attached, it decided to register my daily step count as over 580million steps! So all of my stats are completely wrecked. 

I thought it was a really good watch at first, being colour and customisable, but now it's very low down in the comparison stakes. 

[tstl02]

I would highly suggest you DO NOT go for the ionic, i have had 3 charge leads and still after a few weeks they stop charging, and this problem is well reported elsewhere by many other users.  The Ionics magnetic charger is different to the other firbit chargers but it really is useless.

[tstl02]

I would also recommend the GARMIN, the battery charging problems i have had mean i can hardly use my watch without buying a new lead every 4 or 5 weeks, Ive only had it for 6 months

[DavidB67]

Looking at the Garmin Vivoactive 4. $100 more than the Ionic. Going to go to the store and check it out first.

[StarTrekRedShrt]

How much of a jogger/runner are you, because I've gone from Couch to 5K with the Fitbit brand all the way to a first marathon. 

My first two Ionics had sporadic GPS issues but got bricked during firmware updates, while my current third one has been pretty stable in all functions...so it may be just dumb luck when you get a good or bad one.

Love the sleep tracking features; watching my resting HR drop over time while feeling more fit is motivating, at least for me. 

That all said...read the other posts on this forum and the type of company support you'll get (or won't get) if anything does go wrong, and if you can accept that as a consumer. 

[PaulMe]

"My ionic no longer syncs or sens notifications to my android phone."

Hi @Tommo_N,

Have you gone into Apps and notifications , and in the Fitbit app hit FORCE STOP - backed out and restarted the app again. Thn try attempt to resync. May take multiple tries - but should sync. I have to do this every couple of days. The sync seems to go "stale" particularly over night when the phone is out of range.

[DavidB67]

I do all types of exercise (running, bicycle, martial arts, workouts, etc.). I do enjoy my FitBit Ionic, but the glitches are unacceptable and my watch is beyond the warranty. I’m not willing to invest another $250 in a product that may or may not work reliably. On top of that, the fact that several of the glitches have a long history (up to two years active) and have still not been resolved by FitBit speaks volumes to their quality control and willingness to back their product. I may end up paying $100 more for the Garmin Vivoactive 4, but it will be worth the investment if the watch performs reliably and Garmin has a longer history in the business than FitBit.

[Tommo_N]

Hi, yep, tried force stop, uninstall and reinstall the app, restarting phone, hard reset watch, pretty much every possible combination and option. 

The truth of it though is that nobody should have to constantly restart, reboot, resynch multiple times on what was supposed to be Fitbit's flagship product, or any product that has a fairly premium price tag. 

[PaulMe]

@Tommo_N,

You're absolutely right. This product should simply work, with little or no problems. Period!

[LauFee]

Yes, this product has been much  to expensive 2 years ago to be now complely broken

In these days, there are a lot of better products to buy for round about 200€