Surge vs ionic

[Kellycontina]

Hi hoping you can all give it opinions, I've currently got a surge and unfortunately have had to get replacements for faulty straps and most recently a faulty battery and screen , I have been offered 50% off any unit or yet another replacement I'm so disheartened with my bad experiences with the surge im contemplating just biting the bullet paying half and going with an ionic ...... what's everyone's thoughts on this yay or nay????

[Paul201065]

I had a similar situation and upgraded from a surge to ionic.ionic does have better features and a more detailed sleep information on app than surge.generally im pleased i changed although ionic seems to be a bit buggy at the moment.  Display is nicer than surge but i do miss the always on display the surge has but am gradually getting used to flicking my wrist or pressing a button to turn on display. Battery life is better on ionic and so are notification options though notifications can be a bit temperamental  at times.ionic is lighter than surge to wear.hope this helps a bit anymore things you want to know just ask.havent tried music or fitbit pay yet.

[Kellycontina]

Thank you for the advice , I realise the community is generally for people
who are having problems so I guess it's just reading all the negative posts
making me question , also waiting to hear back from fitbit customer
services as before I agree to 50% discount I want to be sure I can use it
against the ionic

[Paul201065]

Hi i had the same offer they said you couldn't use discount against  the ionic.only the older models or i could have another surge for nothing.

[bbarrera]

@Kellycontina Fitbit launched the Ionic before the software was ready. That will get sorted out in a firmware update, hopefully sooner rather than later. If you like Surge for GPS, and the Fitbit app, then seriously consider the Ionic and just understand its a work in progress at the moment.

[SunsetRunner]

I had the Surge before and it was my favorite watch.  I have the Ionic now and I really like it.  The GPS feature is faster than the Surge.  It’s a slimmer design than the Surge and it has interchangeable bands that make it adaptable for different occasions.  Waterproof and more comfortable.  Everything is better, except the ‘always on’ watch face the Surge had.

[Colinm39]

@KellycontinaI'm very pleased with my Ionic. Everything works that I use and that's with my Sony Android non-compliant. I have used most Fitbits for over 6 years and been always happy with the experience.

The only real issue was physical with the Surge, I couldn't wear it for long periods because my wrist shape didn't allow air movement on the sides under the band.  Irritation etc.  The Ionic, like the Blaze has no irritation issues wearing 24/7 for nearly 2 weeks.

I agree with @bbarrera and if your bank links up with Fitbit with Pay, it hasn't failed me, and I'm a Visa user who uses the card for everything and clears the balance at the end of the month. Some small retailers have their PayWave device too far away and my arm isn't long enough..

All in all its the best overall Fitbit in my stable. Six emails just came through on it as I'm typing this.. just push the RH lower button and scroll through them. When you make a Pay it shows immediately, so that has become a talking point because retailers think you have an Apple watch.. So at the moment you hold the shopping queue up because others are interested. Especially when a 78 yr person is using this technology.

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@bbarrera wrote:

@Kellycontina Fitbit launched the Ionic before the software was ready. That will get sorted out in a firmware update, hopefully sooner rather than later. If you like Surge for GPS, and the Fitbit app, then seriously consider the Ionic and just understand its a work in progress at the moment.

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[indianwin2001]

I had the Surge for 2 years. It was my all-time favorite tracker and I have had a lot of trackers. The Ionic blows the Surge away and is now my favorite.

[Kellycontina]

When was this ? I've emailed them and haven't had a response yet as it doesn't state anywhere I can't use against an ionic it states ANY unit this is what I was worried would happen if I accepted before looking into it 

[Paul201065]

I Asked them when they made me the offer and they told me it doesnt apply to the ionic.so i got the surge and decided to sell it to put the money towards an ionic.

[Colinm39]

@Paul201065Clever thinking.....

I was fortunate because I was telling my daughter about the new Ionic and the next Sunday, Fathers Day in Australia, there was 60% of my cost of the new Ionic and she said specifically, it was to go towards the Ionic....

Now I have to make it work... and currently it's way above my expectations, even when we feel it may have been released too early.

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@Paul201065 wrote:

I Asked them when they made me the offer and they told me it doesnt apply to the ionic.so i got the surge and decided to sell it to put the money towards an ionic.

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[Ozzie65]

I agree with @indianwin2001 - These are completely different devices. The commonality is the built-in GPS and that's it. The Ionic has a changeable band, apps (hopefully more soon) and a sharp/crystal clear display. Surge had none of those. Highly recommended!

[cwt137]

I have the Surge now. Can someone descibe the differences in size between the Surge and the Ionic? How do they compare in terms of width of device, width of band, height, etc.?

[Colinm39]

@cwt137See if these photos help.. I have been wearing the Blaze since it Feb 2016 and have had no issues.. Now the Ionic adds to the experience, is perfect for me with my wrist shape and size. Both items in the photos are large band..

On the photos you can see why the Surge was irritating the side of my wrist.. with the tight bend from the watch.. No give.

You can also see how much band is left when I wear the watches.. I lost 1 notch because the Surge is further up my wrist..  The thickness is self explanatory.

I hope this helps,

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@cwt137 wrote:

I have the Surge now. Can someone descibe the differences in size between the Surge and the Ionic? How do they compare in terms of width of device, width of band, height, etc.?

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[Brianee]

I had a similar experience and customer service offered 50% off but not the ionic as they said you cannot use a discount for a fitness unit on a smart watch. I always thought the Surge was a smart watch.

[craisin]

Yes, I have had exactly the same experience.

Unfortunately I once tried Ionic, but its software was full of faults at the time and I had to return it.

I have gone through 2 Surge's, both ending up after a short time with band faults (The first one broke after 24 months, but Fitbit replaced it free of charge even though it was past its warranty time. Really good of them I thought, but it seems that Surge has had hundreds are replacements due to band breakages, and they not longer sell them as a new watch anymore) The second one (which I am currently returning,is the replacement watch, and the band lasted 16 weeks! (It did not break like the first, but the covering is peeling away from around the clock face) . My only option if I stay with Fitbit is to try Ionic again (with their 50% discount offer), only OI am worried that the software may not have improved from 12 months ago..

[Colinm39]

@craisin  Now 2+ years on with the Ionic.. I'm onto my third free replacement by Fitbiut.. The first failed because the GPS would never connect, It's replacement had sudden battery loss at 4 days.  When the loss started you you see the "sucking of the battery from about 50% to 0% in 4 hours while you were watching TV.  So the third replacement has no issues..

On all of the Fitbits the only software issue I had was the background acceleration of battery loss whixch Fitbit fixed with an firmware upgrade to the watch.  I'm getting 6.5 days out of a charge.

But the settings are

• No GPS, I don't need that, I only use Workout
• No music
• Manual wake screen
• All day sync off
• Always connected is off because I run concurrent Fitbits on the same account
• All Notification are on, includes my email and they work up to 15m away from the phone.
• Notifications are set to off when the Ionic detects you are asleep.
• Ace clock face (a Fitbit face), keeping it simple
• Weather on
• Fitbit Pay ANZ works prolifically
• I wear thje Ionic 24/7 and the One 16/7
• Accurate for my HR, I have a genetically low HR. RHR is 52 and sleeping I get down to 47.
• I don't go swimming.

I just went for a brisk walk before answering yopur post, 1.6km @ 5.6kmh and my HR peaked at 127.. recovery to 74 in 2 minutes . The step count was 2064 Ionic and the Fitbit One 2068. I have found all of my wrist type Fitbits, Charge, Blaze, Surge and Ionic have all had accurate steps while deliberately walking.  BUT, not domestically.

.

I'm not having the software issues many are reporting and have always been able to sync. One proviso, I have found, if I want to sync to the Windows PC through Fitbit Connect I have to turn the Bluetooth off on the phone.. I have tested that many times and it's a fact.

With all of that, keep in mind that Fitbit have had to adjust their warranty from 12 months to 24 months because of interaction with our ACCC. so your well covered.. I pre-ordered the first Ionic and took out an extended warranty with Harvey Norman. I haven't bothered invoking that because Fitbit have responded.

The two replacement Ionic Fitbits were in Australia from Hong Kong in 3 working days and I used our evidence based email feature to document the problems so it was clear sailing from there.

The Firmware and OS upgrades were done initially via Telstra 4g on the phone and the later Fitbit OS 3.0 was home wi-fi via Telstra NBN in 14 minutes. No issues.

All I can say I'm a very happy Fitbit user since 2011 and have difficulty helping others on the forum because I don't experience their issues.

I would go for the 50% and I presume that's about $200 AUD

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@craisin wrote:

Yes, I have had exactly the same experience.

Unfortunately I once tried Ionic, but its software was full of faults at the time and I had to return it.

I have gone through 2 Surge's, both ending up after a short time with band faults (The first one broke after 24 months, but Fitbit replaced it free of charge even though it was past its warranty time. Really good of them I thought, but it seems that Surge has had hundreds are replacements due to band breakages, and they not longer sell them as a new watch anymore) The second one (which I am currently returning,is the replacement watch, and the band lasted 16 weeks! (It did not break like the first, but the covering is peeling away from around the clock face) . My only option if I stay with Fitbit is to try Ionic again (with their 50% discount offer), only OI am worried that the software may not have improved from 12 months ago..

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[craisin]

Thanks for the great post, Colin.

You have convinced me give Ionic another "go".

Previous posts by others have indicated that the 50% discount does not apply to Ionic, but they are mistaken!. Quoting from FitBit Support's last message to me:

QUOTE
We'd like to inform you that the 50% discount can be used towards the purchase of any new tracker/watch except for the Fitbit Ace.

Additionally, the 50% discount will be based on the original price (A$ 399.95) of your Surge. You'll have AU$200 off from the price of the Fitbit you prefer. For Ionic, you'll only pay AU$199.95 (Ionic Classic) and AU$249.95 (Ionic Special Edition).

UNQUOTE

My questions now are these:

     What is the difference between Ionic Special Edition and the Classic?

     What is GPS used for?  

          Am I correct in guessing that it means I can walk without the use of  an Internet connected   

          mobile to record the steps? (I guess is not measuring steps by simply feeling "Impacts")
          I have a mobile phone (Windows) but I would hate having to have to take it with me on my
          Power Walks.(It is expensive, and is always subject to being dropped or attracting muggers).
          Also, I do not have Internet connected to it (My provider, Vodaphone, charges me on average

          around $6-00 per month for calls and Text messages (sometimes less). Having Internet

          connected would cost heaps more due to Internet updates on background programs running on
          the phone). So I guess I will need GPS active on my watch to enable the steps to be recorded?

          How is the Ionic battery affected with GPS turned on?

          (Back to the question of muggers, of course wearing a Smart Watch is also an attraction to

           them, it is just great that in Australia muggers are few and far between!) 

          The idea of inbuilt music is great, since I currently have to carry an IPOD Classic (yes, I still have

           one of those) with earphones (the bud type). It would be nice to use wireless earphones.
          Will the inclusion of music and GPS greatly affect the battery on the Ionic (I don't mind

          recharging  daily if needed). Also, the headphones issued by FitBit are very expensive.

          I have another pair of Bluetooth headphones bought at Harvey Norman but have never really

          used them yet.  Will they work with the Ionic, or do you have to buy the Fitbit model of

          headphones to be able to listen to the music on the watch?

The FitBit Support team mentioned the "Fitbit Ace". How different is that model to the Ionic?
(I guess it is their top model)     

Lastly, every issue I have had with the "Surge" has been "band" related. With the bands being

"hardwired" into the watch face, problem bands always mean replacement of the entire watch.

Are bands completely detachable and replaceable with the Ionic?

Cheers

Chris

[Colinm39]

@craisin  Let's cover some of your questions

• GPS consumes 10%/hr of the battery
• Music I cannot say, but a post 4jan19 - 4 mile run- GPS & Music when battery was @40% to start and flat at the 4 mile mark.
• GPS measuring because in the Forums there seems to be a combination of Steps, step length and GPS and some massaging to get the result. I don't use GPS anymore because I already have my walks GPS'd and now use Workout and keep time. steps and HR comparison.
• Can't help with headphones, again there a positives and negatives in the Forums.
• The Fitbit Ace is the Kids model..
• Fitbit Ionic Adidas  See this link
• Fitbit Ionic. See this link
• You can purchase different bands
• You will need the Internet at some stage to sync your data. I also use Fitbit Connect for that and have found that I cannot have the phones Bluetooth on when I try and sync to Connect.  Also you can sync via the phone if you have home Wi-Fi

That's a starter, but keep in mind I'm coming from a "no problems" Ionic, with Telstra and in an excellent NBN area.  If you proceed you will need to update the Ionic to OS3.0 which only took 14 minutes for me but others are complaining. You will also need the latest App on your phone

[craisin]

Thanks for your very quick response. Colin.

I think I will go for the Ionic Adidas (it is only $50-00 more than the ordinary model).

Is there anything missing in the Features of the Adidas model when compared to the Ordinary model?
(I may be missing something).

Look under "Features" for each of these.   (The specs are virtually identical, I think)

Fitbit Ionic 

Fitbit Ionic (Adidas Edition)

Cheers

Chris