Fitbit Ionic Review: Still Working It Out
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
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[FITBIT IONIC REVIEW]
Fitbit’s acquisition of Pebble in late 2016 took away one of the smartwatch market’s most compelling options. So when the Fitbit Ionic hit the market last fall, I had high hopes that I’d find the best features of Pebble within it. As usually happens with high hopes, mine were dashed - but that's probably because I was shopping with the wrong reasons in mind. I’m MrMobile and this is the Fitbit Ionic review!
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[ABOUT MRMOBILE'S ECHOBOX EXPLORER REVIEW]
MrMobile's Fitbit Ionic Review was produced following three weeks with a Fitbit Ionic review device provided by Fitbit. The device was tested with a Pixel 2 XL and received one software update during the review process. Testing concluded on version 27.31.1.29.
This review was sponsored by Dollar Shave Club.
[PRODUCTS IN THIS VIDEO]
Fitbit Ionic [Amazon]:
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Fitbit Ionic Review [iMore]:
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[DISCLOSURE]
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MrMobile [Michael Fisher] Haha:)
I don't go for the clean-shaven look, but I kind of want to buy something from them just for including "Shit, Shower & Shave" in their branding.
I use it on my Pixel 2XL just fine...
Ok, you can shave on your chair...
*But* *can* *you* *do* *this* *!*
Can you do a review of the Amazfit Bip/Pace please?
No notification responses is unforgivable in a smartwatch
It is a FITNESS smartwatch. You're supposed to be wearing it for health & fitness (which is actually pretty spot on in terms of tracking). You're not supposed to be responding to notifications in the middle of a workout.
We need to bring pebble back, someone who knows things about stuff needs to get on this.
Take a look at Rebble. It's a group of people that are trying to revive the Pebble watches. I'm not part of them, but I've been working on a few Pebble things myself
Fitbit’s acquisition of Pebble could’ve made Pebble the Swatch of smartwatches. Sigh.
FitBit now owns the best part of Pebble. There will be no new Pebbles.
That makes me sad, as someone who owns 7 Pebbles.
I have a Fitbit Ionic and LOVE it. Yes it’s pretty poor as an actual smart watch but I don’t need an extra set of notifications anyway.
Its GPS, fitness tracking and waterproof features make it a reaaaalllly good all round fitness tracker too, add the amazing battery life and and ability to store MP3’s on the device and it’s an excellent device, as long as you want a fitness tracker first, and are happy to dabble with some smart watch features.
Please review amazfit Bip from xiaomi. The battery last 45 days and always on display!!!! It's awesome for conservative watch enthusiast he he
Aditya Prathomo Xiaomi products might not be available in his country, so he might not be able to.
Amazfit Bip is available now in the US.
A Heart it's not really xiaomi tho, Amazfit is a us based company subsidiaried by xiaomi. So all amazfit product is available in the us. Cmiiw
And Amazfit Pace Too
Ayam Penyet I didn't say it was Xiaomi though. (yes I kinda did I guess)
I miss pebble.
Nothing is better than MrMobile's advertisement segues :D
Oh I've been waiting for this review as a Pebble refugee!
You're even featured momentarily.
*eyes go wide*
Holy Moly! Thanks!
It's such a shame that the soul of Pebble seems to be dead. It was the simplicity, tactile feedback, and reliability that made so many of us fall in love with it. Heck I went from Android Wear over to Pebble after the buyout I enjoyed the experience so much.
I just hope that Fitbit fired the coffin/photon tube containing Pebble's soul onto the metaphorical Genesis planet. #genesiswave
I really hope you are right and there is something coming out of the acquisition! Until then I will use my pebble time
Nice overview. Thank you.
I purchased it. The Ionic is great, with that real advantage of the relatively long battery life over the Apple Watch smart watches. Charging my phone and tablet on a daily basis is plenty enough charging.
Also, the Ionic doesn’t suffer from ‘app overload’ nor from the potential frustration of allowing you to text from the watch. The Ionic is like the simple and minimalistic menu selection you find in expensive restaurants. It’s a functional device with a bright and crisp display, and it’s not possible for you to be encouraged to being a slave to its offerings - staring at a tiny screen for longer than should be necessary.
Right on point. I had a Pebble Time before getting the Fitbit Blaze and I miss all the great things my Pebble allowed. Now I'm still using my Fitbit but it's far from a smart watch.
I WANT MY PEBBLE BACK!!! 😭
Still rocking my Blaze. Since I always have my phone on me, I don't feel any need to upgrade for the gps and ability to load music. I find it easier to charge my Fitbit while I shower then it never runs out of a charge.
I use the fitbit alta. Love it. I also ware a gear 2. Love them both. My pebble was the BOMB
Most underrated CZcamsr... Mr.Mobile should have at least 5 million subscribers
Try Xiaomi's Amazfit Bip, it has a 2 weeks of battery life.
Ihsan Nurhidayat I had the pace for about 6 days and had to charge it every night so I had to return it, even tho it was really nice
So I never used an Apple Watch, but I've used a Fitbit Charge 2 and a couple Android Wear watch. I love my Fitbit Ionic! Battery is great! And so usable!
I started with Fitbit, then found Pebble. Currently still use the Steele Time. What I would love to see is Fitbit bring out something like the pebble time 2. Smaller design, with 22mm changeable straps. Basically what I backed on Kickstarter. If anyone from Fitbit is listening, please make this happen. Plenty of people would be happy to pay for this product especially with Fitbit’s marketing.
0:23 new intro card on the left looking fire
Your voice over work, writing skills, story telling and b-shots are perfect for your videos! I just found your channel today! New sub! Cheers!
Had the Fitbit Blaze since its launch and previously the Charge HR. I loved both for what they did. BUT with all the innovation in things like the apply watch, Samsung Gear and android wear. I quickly found my self wanting other features.
And like the Blaze the Ionic was just missing so many features that I expect in a "Smart watch." SO I jumped ship and found my way to a Gear 3 frontier and I find my self a lot happier. Samsung's health app is not as good as Fitbits but it covers all the points I need.
Mr Mobile should narrate a book I could listen to him for hours
I’m still on Fitbit charge 2. Other than the bands breaking it’s been pretty good. Still waiting for longer battery life before I get a smart watch.
Even the advertisements are classy on this channel! 🙌🏼
the only reason I watch your video's is because your voice is amazing
In 2016 I got myself a Fitbit HR+ I think it was. At first it was pretty awesome, although the app didn't sync with the watch for up to a week at a time in spite of my efforts to do it manually. To make matters worse the display starter collecting scratches like nothing I've seen before and slowly but surely the tracker started disintegrating. The wearable was great, for sure, and the app was amazing, giving me details I never knew I wanted. Sadly that was just a very small part of the time. As I mentioned it's unusable now because it's in two pieces. The plastic housing for all the electronics started to break apart. I don't know if my tracker was defective but my overall negative experience will keep me away from their products until I'm sure I won't experience the same problems.
I have a Fitbit Charge 2. I wear it on my right arm. It's great! I usually wear a Huawei Watch 2 on my left arm, but occasionally the spot is filled by the LG Watch Style, original Huawei Watch, or the Samsung Gear S3. All of these work with the Pixel 2 XL obviously. No Pixel support is insane.
I've used my Ionic every day for months, I absolutely love it! 4-day battery life is essential for a smartwatch, I wouldn't even consider getting an apple watch again.
I got the Fitbit Ionic because I wanted the best Fitbit out there. I have the dark gray model and I personally really enjoy the watch especially since my notifications actually work with my Note 8. My problems with it are I find the selection of watch faces is pretty disappointing. I found one I "like" but not one I love. And constant little lags and delays here and there in the software kinda bummed me out but hey, I got this for the exercise tracking and not the "smart" features. Solid 3.7/5 in my book.
(Internet comments don't crucify me, I know I could have gotten the cheaper models of I only wanted fitness tracking)
First let me say...I loved my Pebble(s). 2 or three years from now I will still be comparing wearables to it. I seriously thought about the Ionic, but ultimately I went with the Gear S3. I have a Samsung Phone and this seemed like a no brainer....and it was. It is bigger than the pebble and half the battery life, but it works, well. Samsung Pay is worth the price of admission for it!
every time i'm reminded pebble is dead i die a little more inside
the Time Steel on my wrist is staying there until the heat death of the universe
ionic was more of an advance fitness tracker than of a smartwatch. fitness enthusiast will love the Fitbit Ionic. the app and Fitbit community is a great motivation for fitness. if you're looking for a smartwatch this is not for you but if you're looking for a fitness tool you'll love the Ionic.
I have a Charge 2. I got it for a vibrating alarm and curiosity on sleep tracking. I use Fit Notifications and would get any notification I wanted as well from my phone (I limited it to IMs, phone, calendar). I eventually decided to finally change my food habit and relied on the step counter (over 5 months, it seemed accurate enough, I targeted 1lb/week and hit it).
Then I got Android Wear since I wanted better notification. That's also when I learned how terrible it was for how I had been using my Charge 2 (except vibration alarm, so much nicer to tie in with the phone).
I've contemplated the Ionic, but even as good as the other fitbit stuff, it seems too much for too little (I, too, was hoping for more as with Pebble on board). It seems I want an Apple Watch Series 3 that works with Android. Part of me wants to try a Gear Sport, but w/o Assistant and better notification support I will probably just hang on to the Charge 2.
Ionic is awesome. it works perfectly fine with my Blackberry KEYone. really like it a lot !
I love my pebble time steel, and from the looks of it I’ll still be waiting for Fitbit to make a true pebble replacement.
I happy to sacrifice some screen quality for a faster response time and a longer battery life.
Lol talk about being late to the party with this review! Come on MrMobile!!!
True. Still wearing the blaze until Fitbit figures improves the model
I love my fitbit ionic I used it to get notifications at work when I am not allowed to use my phone. It is way better than the first gen moto 360 which I used to have
I am on my 4th FitBit in 3 years and it will be the last one (yes, 2 of these were replaced by FitBit) if I have issues. My first one, the Charge HR the straps peeled back and since they are not interchangeable, couldn’t be worn. So I switched to the Alta. The first one lasted less than a year and it would not charge any more (yes, I tried every possible troubleshooting step). Since it was under warranty, they replaced it for free. The replacement had issues with charging also. Then the cable would not charge so they sent me a new cable. Meanwhile, my insurance provides incentive points each day I hit 10k, but I missed a lot of days because of their faulty equipment. I HATE their charger. It is difficult to get it to hook in just perfectly so that it charges. I hope they switch to the magnetic one like in this one.
Great review Mr mobile, please review the fitbit versa, looks like a winner? What's your thoughts...
I agree with this review. I was upgrading from the Blaze and was considering the Ionic and Gear Sport. The Gear looks really nice and is a good smartwatch with notification replies, Spotify, etc, but all the reviews I read said the GPS is awful. My main use would be for fitness so I couldn't go with the Gear Sport.
I went with the Ionic and the fitness tracking, sleep tracking, GPS, on-board music and Bluetooth are very good. As a fitness tracker, it is fantastic. As a smartwatch, it's not great. Not too many apps, needs to be connected to the phone for apps to use wifi, no message replies, etc. Basically, if you want a fitness tracker first and foremost, with some smartwatch features, this is for you. If you want a true smartwatch, go with something else.
Dear Michael,
When you are reviewing fitness watches in the future, could you please include a comparison between the heart rate monitor in the watch and a chest strap heart rate monitor? Fitness watches are notorious for having bad heart rate tracking at higher intensities (150+ bpm), and it would be really cool to know when and if they start to catch up with chest straps. This feature is a dealbreaker for people who are serious about fitness, and need a good fitness watch.
Since the demise of proper Nokia phones I have been on the look out for a proper portable music player. I had hoped this would be it. Not so much. I don't want WiFi or Android or Spotify. I don't want MicroSD card support. I just want a proper music player. Minimum of 256 GB storage but 500 or more would be ideal. A proper audio player with all the required EQ and playlist control settings present and correct. And above all else the ability to handle every format from FLAC on downwards. Support for audio books would be a wonderful bonus too!
Waiting for fitbit VERSA review . Are you going to review it ??
Have the ionic and a Pixel 2 XL. Can confirm notifications are very inconsistent. Only thing that seems to come through on a regular basis is snapchat notifications for whatever reason.
Interesting review. I picked up a used Fitbit Blaze on Facebook for $75 and it's fine for what I need as a smartwatch. It has music controls, can answer calls, notifications from every 3rd party app I use, and silent alarms. Would it be nice to send a message from my wrist or maybe have voice dictation? Sure, but those don't classify as needs for me. Hoping to get in shape too and I think a Fitbit would make more sense to me than the Apple Watch right now, and it also helps that I got one for less than half of a Series 1.
I actually watched the whole dollar shave club ad because it felt like another review.
Great video. It confirms my impressions. Fitbit Ionic is still a fitness tracker not a Smart Watch. Hope Swatch will make it 😉
My Pebble 2 se still going strong. I jumped onto the bandwagon after FitBit took over though.
I was about to buy an Ionic. Thanks for the review. I really wanted a fitness watch, not a smart watch. Specifically progressing from a Surge 2 because the strap keeps snapping and I love it so much that I superglue it regularly.
But I'm shocked to find that it is not compatible with LG G6. Do they even make the LG G1, 2, and 3 now??? That was the only thing stopping me. Sort this out Fitbit.
In addition. Why are Fitbit wanting to make Smartwatches. I don't want a smart watch. I want a fitness tracker. I don't care about payments, apps and phone calls.
I have the Fitbit blaze and I love that...
I was waiting to hear Zachs voice to drop in and mention something about the build quality of the watch and tell us the Mohs level or something.. Lol
I just purchased my Fitbit Blaze, and I felt like the Ionic is not much different from the predecessor, except the apps that is a huge strong point for the Ionic. Notification, same. Music control, same. Interface navigation, same.
Only thing that is the real bummer for my Blaze is not having GPS (Ionic do have one). Instead, it relied on mobile phone to track the location. From my testing, it is not work quite well as you think (I tested with my primary phone of choice, Lumia 830, which I planned to test with my iPhone, too). For me, I preferred the built-in GPS.
Maybe, I was right to choose my Blaze (that was on discount in my country) and it is a worthy successor of my good old Fitbit Charge (which I lose it from not-so-strong wrist strap).
Another point that I chose Blaze instead of Ionic is price. Not because it is on sale, but it is extremely expensive in Thailand. It is 11,990 Thai Baht (around $383), when compared with Blaze at 8,990 Thai Baht (around $287). Also, it is just available in Thailand around 2-3 weeks ago. Moreover, I got my Blaze just for 5,990 Thai Baht (around $191). It is pretty good price.
So, yes, I am not regret my decision because Ionic has a lot of things to improve, especially the smartwatch functionality. Maybe, I will wait until Ionic 2.
Just don't break it or you will regret it. Fitbit does not provide repair or replacement for screen crack.
Is the ionic good
I was confused between garmin vivoactive 3 and fitbit ionic
But I liked the square shape rather than the round shape
I want one just for that cool square design.
Shame the new one doesn't look like that.
i'm patiently waiting for version 2
I really like my Ionic. It's my first smart watch. I exercise a lot and wanted something that could help me with that and while I don't like how closed off the fitbit ecosystem is, I do like their software and tracking. My watch lasts me 5 days and it charges super quickly. I considered the Gear Sport, but samsung just didn't have the software and tracking that was as comprehensive, or at the very least as easy to look at and get finer detail when you wanted it. I didn't think it looked that great but wearing it looks fantastic to me, very modern looking. My biggest issue is that the app support on the ionic is sad, especially in Canada, for instance, my bank isn't currently supported by fitbit :| Outside of tracking my stats, there's not much for me to do or use the watch and that's disappointing, but then again, I'm not sure I should be staring at my watch if I have my phone around. Overall I'm a happy customer and while I look forward to the evolution of the smart watch, this is a pretty great option for those looking for an exercise tool.
Well, still wearing my P2SE and kinda disappointed that Fitbit didn't use their opportunity to move on with Pebble technology even with their own logo which tbh I don't mind. Looking forward to seeing what's next and hey, great review, Mr Mobile :)
Did you hear the news the other day that there's rumor of a "mass appeal" Fitbit smartwatch possibly coming this spring? Possibly called the Blaze 2 which has more of Pebble feel to it? The pics of the watch look great! Hopefully they can gain some market share with a watch that's not geared just for fitness gurus!
Had to send the Ionic back due to lack of compatibility with the Honor View 10, lack of notifications and constantly having to reconnect the fitness App was a pain. Have switch to the Huawei Watch 2 Classic. Loved the Ionic and wished that it would have worked.
Thanks for the review. It made my choice of a new smart watch less one more product.
Great review with a great bottom line
I’m not surprised the pixel is not compatible. It’s like the only phone on that OS.
I have a Fitbit flex 2 and it works well
The Fitbit *DOES* work with the Pixel 2 XL: You just have to enable the persistent notification, and can't have the phone on Do Not Disturb. Which annoys me, because Android doesn't let you turn off vibration without DND.
But with those, notifications do work through the Ionic.
nice new sponsor, Mike 😁👍
Fitbit Ironic!
Have a fitbit charge 2. I thought it was an exciting fitness device but almost after two months I developed a pain on my wrist and lower arm. I removed it for a week and the pain was gone. Then I wear it again and was thinking the pain and the device were unrelated. After the first day of wearing then the pain came back. Now I conclude that these are related and have stopped wearing it. Could you please explore this further? I searched fitbit community and I think there are many people with the same issue. Why something designed to be a health and fitness device turns to become a health problem.
I had the Fitbit Blaze but got.bored of it. I now have the Huawei Sport watch 2 and really like it. Syncs well with Google Fit and I just got Oreo today on it so that's kind of cool.
B
Pebble was the best. Why didn't fitbit put out a pebble like device. I really love the e-ink.
I hated this thing. Good to see a proper review on it.
I lost hope in Fitbit with the whole issue with their wrist bands. Swapped out twice and never went back. Got a pretty offensive email from corporate telling me what to do. Sidenote on the ad: I LOVE dollar shave club. Seriously. Best blades, smoothest shave, ever. I get everything thing from them. Just wish there were larger sizes on that shave butter. Always run out sooner than I'd like.
I might have considered the ionic for it being able to monitor sleep apnea supposedly but if it's not a smartwatch then I'll go for Android wear. My Alta HR will do for now.
So, without hate, can someone inform me on what made pebble so great besides battery life? This is a genuine question for you pebble users. I have a Fitbit ionic at the moment and used/returned a pebble the same day I got it simply because with wasn't for me. Just wondering what I missed out on because I love this watch but want to know what it could have. I'm waiting for them to add text messages, better notifications and heart rate monitor support...
Paul Dunahoo Well at the moment - for me, I agree with Michael. The Fitbit has a laggy OS and barely any smart watch features. I hope this gets updated. I was hesitant at buying at this price point since the Apple Watch is around the same price - however I use the Pixel XL 2 and had to give up my Apple watch for this, so I'm hoping they give Pebble users what they love - and people like me some new things to play with. It's excellent on the Fitbit tracking, not accurate in exercise for sure but it's getting better.
Always on display, great dev support, ability to reply to messages using voice or canned responses, intuitive interface, along with the great battery life and all other regular smartwatch features.
Always on display, battery life, 50m water resistance, buttons which work with gloves and don't need to look at to use (I change songs while I'm biking, which only requires me to press a button and I can keep my eyes on my surroundings)
I Can only recommend you Huami Amazfit Pace or Stratos.
Try one of the new Garmin. That new forerunner would be worth your time if you think Fitbit has the best fitness tracking
Hey Michael, nice video as always! Please review the Amazfit Pace or Stratos!
Would’ve been nice to have symmetric borders on the display
Rip pebble😞. I was so excited for version 2
Mr Mobile, it's a shame this doesn't seem to hit the spot as a smartwatch. I am still in love with my pebble time steel. Time is running out for it as the servers are shutting down in July. I haven't found anything that matches the battery life, understated notifications and usefulness of the pebble. It's there anything out there you would recommend as a replacement?
What about the Garmin Vivoactive 3 as a replacement for Pebbles? It's got long battery life, you can respond to notifications/texts, some great fitness and sleep tracking, it's own app store, a more attractive round design, standard 22 mm swappable bands, and apparently is compatible with more phones than the Ionic.
I am still using a Pebble 2 HR. But it days are numbered apparently!
No. I really hope this fails, and I really mean it. I'm yet another Pebble user...or was...they deserve zero slack. It really wasn't necessary to kill off a great company to put this trash out. I wonder who they will kill off next (Pebble wasn't the only one they laid to rest....) to make another failed watch....so, NO.
I hope they fail too. I still use my Pebble Time and it's my smartwatch without being a smartwatch.
Fitbit didn't kill Pebble... Pebble was hemorrhaging money and fitbit bought the company so they could exhume whatever tech was left inside it. Pebble went way to wide on their product line to appeal to different demographics and it bit them in the ass
Didn't pebble have a pretty small but loyal fanbase though? Like the people who bought their products loved them but they weren't making the money to sustain so they did what they had to and sold to a larger company.
I wouldn't mind if they were still going with the pebble brand and spirit but they just killed it for nothing. so stupid.
only if loyal fan base was ever enough to sustain any company ever
Had x2 FB Iconic over the last two yrs both failed at ten months time to move onto a different make
I also thought my Pebble was defective because I wasn't getting alerts. Turns out no one just interacts with me on all my social media accounts and the jobs I applied for lied when they said they would email. :(
Please do a review re do of the iPhone 7 in 2018 as a cheaper alternative
Mr Mobile great video. I also have a question for you? What is the best unlocked domestic and international hotspots devices available please?
- (our) Pebbles, did the right thing.. by being "button-control" only, vs touch screen.. or the Gear3, rotating bezels.. control on the "watch" platform needs to be different then phones/etc..
DxOMark just rated the LG V30 a lower score than the LG G6.
Thoughts?
Seeing as my pebble broke 6 months ago, I need a more pebblesque watch.
How's the blood oxygen measurement on Ionic? I remember it was promised and one of the justifications of high price but before Xmas it seemed it still wasn't enabled. I chose Apple instead of Fitbit because of this.
@Michael, I love the LCARS watchface. It was probably my favorite on my Pebble(s). I thought it was super cool at 5:01 the time would change to a pic of the Enterprise-D
Haha Mr.Mobile basically reviewed Dollar Shave Club.
This review absolutely hits it.
Oneplus 3T is also NOT supported -> no messages, no synchronisation.
Bad Job, Fitbit
That ad at the end...😂
Wich smartwatch do you think is the best?
Any plans to revisit this now that Fitbit OS 2 has been released?
How did you get the Star Trek watch face, & would that face also work with the Versa? Both this & the Versa seem pretty good...
Great video.
My fitbit does not seem to function for tracking past 2 hours, i have sent it back twice and am on my third watch. I've had it fully charged and gone for a 1 hr bike + 1 hr run and it fails consistently. Also does not last in the cold, as soon as it's -10 outside I have about 30 mins of activity and then its dead again. Very disappointing since I do like the features of the watch and ease of use.
That is one ugly wearable. I much preferred the Pebble's geeky boxy aesthetic...
No one beat you in post credits sir