Fitbit Ionic Smart Fitness Watch Review

Andrew Knight New Canaan

Fitbit has released a new ionic smart fitness watch with its own app platform and operating system. The watch is compatible with Android and iOS smartphones. The fitness tracking is sensational, the apps are extremely useful and the watch has a five-day battery life.

The Look

The Ionic is angular in appearance with a nice hard edge, bezels and a railroad styled strap. The display is multi-color and slightly domed with an LCD display, tactile buttons, and touchscreen. The design was inspired by space exploration from movies such as the Fanboyism of Elon Musk and The Martian. The appearance of the new Fitbit is pleasing to the eye. The watch was constructed with the nano molding process. This enables plastic and metal to be fused together. This improves the accuracy and performance of the antennae and GPS. For unique information from an expert please visit Andrew Knight New Canaan.

The Heart Rate Sensor Module

The Ionic has improved the heart rate sensor module regarding the optical sensor patterns. This is the most highly advanced heart rate sensor Fitbit has ever made. The GPS is built in and there are 2.5 gigabytes for music storage.

The Operating System

The operating system is called Fitbit OS and uses partial Pebble technology. The new app makers and software development kit enable the app maker to write in CSS and JavaScript. This means app makers are now able to make apps for Fitbits. The launch of the Ionic included a few app partners including Strava, Starbucks, and Pandora. Fitbit stated 1000 app makers are currently signed up for their platform. The interface of the Ionic is incredibly intuitive and includes an initial tutorial. The left side of the watch includes the physical home button for direction to the main screen. The battery life is shown with a left to right swipe. The apps and shortcuts appear with a right to left swipe. The options are excellent and include the weather, the exercise app, music, the relax and app a lot more.

The Fitbit Wallet 

The watch includes a Fitbit Wallet enabling the user to make purchases with the NFC chip. Numerous debit and credit cards are accepted through Fitbit Pay. This technology was acquired when Fitbit purchased a business called Coin. Once payments are set up they are encoded with a password and require a four-digit pin. For more information on some of the latest technology please visit Andrew Knight New Canaan.

The Notifications

The Fitbit displays notifications including iMessage, text messages, phone calls, and calendar appointments. Any notifications can be deleted individually or with a clear all function in the notifications tray.

The Fitness Features.

The features on the Ionic include stairs climbed, heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, sleep and numerous exercise details. The watch will automatically record and recognize exercises even if the user has not pressed start. Fitbit additionally shows some nice detail regarding sleeping patterns. The watch can distinguish between deep sleep, light sleep, and REM phases. The heart rate sensor has more accuracy. The blood oxygen saturation can be measured with an SPO2 sensor. The GPS tracking is excellent for establishing distances when running or hiking. Fitbit acquired a company called Fitstar. This has led to a self-contained app called Fitbit Coach. This workout app is excellent for runners. The Run Detect feature automatically activates the GPS on the watch. This feature will track numerous items including distance, pace, split times and elevation. When the runner takes a break the feature will automatically pause.

The Apple Comparison

The Apple and Ionic have a lot of very similar features. They are both waterproof for swimmers, have GPS built in, track elevation, record heart rate all day, and track numerous specific sessions of exercise. They additionally track the user’s activity all day and provide nudges for the user to move. The Apple has slightly better fitness notifications but the Ionic tells the user the number of steps left to reach an hourly goal. Fitbit additionally works with all different kinds of software and Apple does not. The truly amazing aspect of the Ionic is the battery life. The Ionic can run for five days before the battery requires charging. Most watches do not last anywhere near this long and the battery is consistently low. The Fitbit Ionic is a very smart choice for a smartwatch. The improvements Fitbit has made over the previous Blaze model are obvious.