Too scared to update Ionic firmware version

[SmyrnaSoccerRef]

I was one of the early Ionic adopters. I wanted a good GPS-enabled tracker/smartwatch back in 2016 and considered the Surge.  After reading all of the negative Surge reviews, I waited for its replacement - the Ionic - and received mine in September 2017.  After a few initial struggles with syncing, frozen alarms, bluetooth issues, etc and a handful of firmware updates during the initial months, my Ionic has been quite stable and usable during its three-year life.  I am currently running firmware 27.70.8.0 and using a Samsung Galaxy S10+ as its host device.

After reading the horrible feedback on Firmware 71.6.19 from many of you (I am sorry for your suffering, but thankful for your feedback), I am simply too scared to install the update or make any other changes out of fear that it will irreversibly brick the watch.  I am still getting about 4 days battery life between charges.  At this point, I think I will just stay on 27.70.8.0 until my watch dies for some reason or if I accidentally damage it.  

Being an early adopter, I paid full retail price at the time in late 2017 ($300). If I can get one more year out of the Ionic, I will consider it to have been a reasonable purchase and investment. Right now, I cannot stomach the $330 cost of a Fitbit Sense. After another year, I may look to upgrade to a discounted Sense or maybe go back to Garmin.

All this to say, I really appreciate the unfiltered, honest feedback from the Ionic community regarding the flaws and concerns about the Ionic, especially regarding the multitude of problems with the 71.6.19 firmware update. The Fitbit Ionic community has been very helpful to me over the last three years.  Keep it up!

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[SmyrnaSoccerRef]

Fast forward 3 months later from my previous post and my Ionic bit the dust this week. The screen is no longer responsive and sometime activates functions at random (e.g., music, exercise, timer, etc...) without touching the screen or pushing any buttons.  I finally updated the firmware just to see if it made a difference, but had no effect. 

So basically, I paid $300 for a smartwatch that lasted 3 years, 4months, or $7.50 per month.  Is that a reasonable lifespan for a smartwatch?  I'm not sure. I know others here in this forum had their Ionic die much sooner than me.

In hindsight, my perspective with the Ionic is that it was really a Beta product that was released much too soon. I wanted a smartwatch in 2016, but after reading about all of the problems with the Surge, I waited until its replacement (the Ionic) became available, and I certainly paid for the privilege of getting an early one.  I feel now that I should have exercised more restraint, and stayed with my Garmin ForeRunner 620 a while longer.

Looking at the Sense and Versa 3, and Fitbit's direction of pushing more product features as a Fitbit Premium only thing, I just can't go there.  Who knows, maybe Google will set a different direction for Fitbit now (or not).  Anyway, I'm going back to good ol' reliable Garmin and ordered a Garmin Venu tonight.  Goodbye Fitbit.  Maybe I will return several years down the road.