average life span of ionic

[Sandyott]

Hey,

I am curious  How many users have an Ionic that has been functioning more than 8 months?

I bought one  IONIC upon release.  I don't like running with a phone but love my maps.  It died 8 months into use.  Fitbit replaced it. My replacement is now dead.  Replacements don't come with warranties, so  I need to either buy a new Ionic or get something else. So I'm trying to see if it is worth trying again. 3rd watch will be a charm?  My husband's blaze is going on 4 years with no sync issues.  Ionic has always had sync issues..  But sadly the Blaze has no GPS for maps.

[samsunite00]

@SunsetRunner , I'm one of the converts to Garmin. No regrets.

I have switched over to the Garmin Vivoactive after Fitbit released the firmware in December. The final straw was when I noticed the pace wasn't moving as I turned on a run. Yup, even though the Ionic has GPS, the pace was calculated based on your steps. If you don't believe me, start a run, stand still and start shaking the watch and you'll see the pace start moving.

This was among the other reasons I switched over to the vivoactive 3. Apparently, I was the lucky one compared to what I've seen on the forum. Even though I'm happy with the Garmin, I continue to come back so I can inform others of my experience. It's hard because I've been a loyal Fitibit user since the Charge HR, then Charge 2. Here's the list of the Ionic's shortcoming that I experienced. 

- GPS took forever to get a signal (Looks like it's gotten worse). Garmin takes 5-15 seconds

- Notifications randomly stops working to the Ionic

- Lap internal notifications. I could never get the Ionic to remember my vibration setting for 1 mile intervals

-  the double drag down window after the firmware update. Drag down once, but have to drag back up to see what's underneath

[DBoth]

I didn't think I would like it as much (no touchscreen), but once you get
used to it - they are great. ...and much more reliable and accurate from
what I understand. Had mine for two months now and love it.

[genome]

I've had my Ionic since receiving it as a gift for Christmas 2017 and it's still going strong with no issues. I love it!!

[DBoth]

I loved mine too - it's the reason I gave it three chances. Honestly glad
yours still works.

[SunsetRunner]

List of issues I encounter with my iconic....

I never had success transferring music onto mine - not once n I contacted
support on a few occasions n got instructions but not once did it ever work
properly so I could listen to music from the iconic to my headphones. But
if I opened a deezer subscription then different story.

Reply to text messages worked for a few weeks then stopped.....

And if I was going for a walk or run with GPS on n stopped to do up
shoelaces or to stop at a corner for traffic, GPS tracking would end as if
I had finished my run n would i have to start it again.

I'm going to check out Garmin n maybe Samsung watch.

[DonaldMReif]

I'm definitely experiencing the same GPS issues as you.

[phillips9366]

Exact same problem.  First one died in ~9mos (band broke at 6 and that was replaced under warranty).  Watch was replaced under warranty and that one died in 5 months!.   Such a bummer.  They gave me a small discount to replace it, but geez, that's a short life span for such an expensive toy.

[pjohnson216]

I would love to tell you the Ionic is a good choice; I had mine for roughly 18 months before it completely stopped working and always told people how much I loved it and how they must have had isolated experiences.

I bought another Ionic and a Blaze as gifts for other people, as gifts, and unfortunately, they both reported issues with their devices as well. 

It would seem that you have an expiration date on Fitbit products that is roughly the length of its short 1-year warranty, after that you're given the option of buying another one. Personally, I won't spend $300 on a watch again with the knowledge I'll have to do it again in a year.

[CaptainJinchou]

I bought my Ionic June18th of 2018 and it's still working well. I'm just starting to notice that the battery life isn't as good as it once was.

[Dinzarelli]

I have 2 ionic that have both failed within 18 months. 

[marizach73]

I purchased my Ionic when it first came out in November 2017. It is now 3 1/2 years old and suddenly the battery is not holding a charge, the heartrate is not right and I'm not getting any sleep information. I have been doing research on Smartwatches including the newest Fitbit Sense.  I decided to buy another Ionic as it is $100 less expensive than the Ionic.  

[Rich_Laue]

3.5 years is pretty good, Apple expects their batteries to last about 3 years. 

[jyflagg]

I have had mine for a couple of years. Haven't had a problem until just now, but it appears to be totally dead!

[skiddy56]

Bought mine December 2017 for program development so I didn't use it except for programming for at least the first year and a half.  Starting using it towards the end of 2019.  It's now May of 2020 and the touch portion of the touch screen died.  I'm not able to swipe at all.  Pretty much makes the watch useless.  I've tried all the solutions, nothing worked.  I'm debating whether I will attempt to replace the screen - it's about a $45 repair if I do it myself.  I'm hesitant to do it since it's had trouble syncing right from the start and forget about getting notifications from the phone - that only works for a few days and then it just stops working.  In summary mine lasted for just about 2 years of use.

[Rich_Laue]

Average lifespan. 

• Garmin watch 2.5 years
• Typical smart phone 2.5 years. 
• Apple watch 3 years. 
• Apple phone 3 years. 

Thos depends mostly on how the battery has been maintained. 

[darrenfw]

I’d say that if you happen to live in the Atacam desert where in some parts it has never rained, EVER, then you’d have a product for a few years.  However, if you have the audacity to take an Ionic to within a few miles of a single drop of water then life span is probably around 5 minutes, 6 at best.

[edso]

Fitbit Ionic #1 lasted less than a year.

Fitbit Ionic #2 purchased last August 5th, received and put into service a week or so later, dead blue tooth radio as of today July 26th.

I also have had many devices.

a One

a charge

a charge HR

a charge 2

2 Ionics.

Other than the "one", no other device has lasted much past it's warranty (in some cases not as long as the warranty)

Might be time to take a look at some other devices.