As a disclaimer, this product was NOT provided to me by FitBit for a review on their behalf. The product was purchased by myself, and all opinions provided are my own. Please note that no runners were harmed in the process of performing this review
It's been one month since I got a FitBit Ionic and if you don't want to read much further, I will start by saying I'm a little disappointed with it. It feels like it is neither a Smartwatch or a Sports Watch. As the price tag would suggest, it should give you some great functionality, but it simply doesn't, and as you'll see with the following review, each time I found something great about it, I found another two things which were really bad.
I feel like I am being really harsh on the product but at the same time, my current Suunto which was half the price seems to do a much better job.
Let's see if I can keep going with the 1 x Good for every 2 x Bad?
GOOD - The watch itself is constructed well and is nice a light. The watch band is easy to remove and attach and when I put my other watches on, they feel bulky and heavy compared to the FitBit Ionic.
BAD - The battery life is NOT what is quoted by FitBit. I can honestly say I have not tested the GPS until it has run out, but from what I have seen, I don't believe it would come anywhere near the 10 hours that FitBit have stated it lasts for.
BAD - I have found the heart rate monitor to also not be very accurate. I have at times, simply counted with my fingers on my pulse and the watch is measuring me as being 170 bpm, when I am counting 120bpm.
High res image of activity
GOOD - The actual software interface is nice and clean, I like how it's able to use high resolution images for each activity. The commands it uses to allow you to move between screens and functions are also fast, responsive and intuitive. It didn't feel like I needed to learn a new language to start working with it.
BAD - The Ionic has a limited number of Activities available and there is no way to expand or configure your own. Definitely no way to do multi sport functionality with it and there is no open water swimming. The treadmill function is also not very accurate.
BAD - The Strava integration is also poor. One of the main reasons I bought the watch is due to its accelerometer being very accurate in tracking pool swimming, but none of this data is transferred to Strava as it only allows GPS data from running or cycling.
Screen shot of the mobile app
GOOD - The Mobile App FitBit provides is still pretty good, it gives a great breakdown of your calories burned for the day. With one glance you can see how active your day has been as well as seeing your sleep and other activity breakdowns. Tap on each and you can get further breakdowns and information on your fitness and health.
BAD - Syncing data from the watch to the mobile app, is terrible. It takes numerous tries to eventually get though. My Samsung Galaxy S5 takes an eternity to download so I switched to a new and it still takes a few tries to get all the data through.
BAD - Updating the Software on the Ionic is also painful and if you can't set up the Wireless, you're looking at about four hours to get it done through blue tooth.
Screen shot of sleep tracking
GOOD - The sleep tracking functionality of the watch is really cool. It gives an awesome breakdown of deep, REM and light sleep and is a great tool for any athlete trying to quantify recovery.
BAD - FitBit uses their App Ecosystem as a selling point for the watch, but there are not very many apps available, and with the apps that are available, they don't work very well.
BAD - It's been weeks since my Strava and Weather apps have updated themselves and I would not trust the FitBit Wallet app as a result.
GOOD - When working out the display is simple and clear with the bright colours on black background, which makes things easy to see.
BAD - By default the display turns off automatically, and this is to conserve battery use, but the interface does not always turn back on when you need it, especially when you are riding a bike.
BAD - Finally, the GPS is inconsistent. I can use it on the same route and come up with different distances each time.
I purchased the watch because I had a great experience with the FitBit Flex 2 as it was amazing what it could record when it was just a tiny little fitness tracker. It seems the Ionic has been rushed through with no real thought on who or what they are trying to bring to the market. I am honestly not sure who this is marketed at as it is not really a smart watch and not really an sports watch and is just an activity tracker with some extra bling. It has music storage, but so what! I honestly think other companies as well as FitBit provide better value for money and features in cheaper watches.
It seems like they've focused on the design of the watch and not considered much about the software and systems that come with it. When using the watch and the Mobile App, it feels like each extra feature has been attached with sticky tape as an after though. I will honestly keep the watch for now as it is nice as just a watch, but all multisport, open water swims, long runs or rides will be with my old Suunto.
