Disclaimer: I’m an existing Fitbit user (Charge HR) and a smartwatch user too (Huawei Watch 2) so when this cross-breed launched – it had my attention.
After two weeks of constant use (and barely any calories burned) let’s see if it can replace both my wearables.
While smartwatches such as the Watch 2 and Samsung’s Gear Sport do track your health and fitness goals as well, it’s something about the brand ‘Fitbit’ and their wearables that make you feel fitter – just by wearing one. Maybe it’s just me?
Fitbit also have something that other smartwatches and wearables don’t. And that’s their app. Fitbit’s app is phenomenal, and keeps getting better with every update. But this isn’t so much about the app, since any Fitbit can access it. We’re here to check out their first, second, third attempt at a smartwatch worthy of competing with other smartwatches while staying true to its fitness tracking roots.
The premium, iconic Ionic experience (I just wanted to use those two words together) starts from the packaging itself. Inside, you have the sleek and semi-futuristic-looking Ionic, large and small wristbands and a very carefully packed cable – I already know I’m going to lose this cable.
Set up a fairly simple. You turn the watch on and follow the steps on the screen. If you’re an existing Fitbit user – open the app and set up your new device. If not – you can sign up through the app. You then connect your watch to a Wi-Fi network which takes a few minutes as it updates the watch’s firmware. Updating the firmware takes about half an hour – so you’re going to have to wait till you can play with your new toy.
The watch is rather sleek and extremely lightweight. Its inward-sloping design on the rear and sides of the watch, fit the curl of your wrist just right, whether you’re bench-pressing in the gym or typing at work. Since it so light, you can wear this all day and night and not even notice it.
Its screen is clear and bright too. It features a spherical glass touchscreen that’s quite bright – even in direct sunlight.
From a fitness tracker POV, the Ionic can track your steps, calories and heart rate. Its Multi-Sport and SmartTrack features automatically recognise and track your activities whether you’re running, biking or doing anything else fitness-related.
The precise accuracy of early heart-tracking Fitbits were up for debate, when compared to other professional trackers, the Ionic decided to fix that. It’s fitted with an enhanced PurePulse heart-rate tracking system that lets you see real-time heart rate zones and track resting heart rate 24/7.
One thing I’m finally thankful for is that it can track your swim workouts as well. Yes, it is waterproof and can be worn in the pool up to 50 meters. Tracking here measures your laps, duration and calories burned. If you’re an outdoor runner, it has an in-built GPS that records pace, distance and elevation.
The device also has a memory capacity of 2.5GB. So you can store music on your watch. You can then connect your watch to a Bluetooth headset. While it’s a decent feature to include, I don’t feel that many of us would actually use it.
When you’re not in the gym or running marathons around Dubai, the Ionic seems like a decent smartwatch too. You can personalise your clock face and check your notifications instantly. While it’s definitely no Android Wear smartwatch or an Apple Watch, if you’re a basic smartwatch user – you would love it – it serves its purpose just fine.
Lastly, the battery. Smartwatches are known to die out in a day or a day and a half. This little guy is seriously impressive. I’m already on day 4, of a promised 5-day battery life (on a single charge). Obviously minimising your screen-on time and switching off your GPS will help your device last longer.
A feature I’ve yet to experience is the Ionic’s ‘Calm Down Mode’ as I like to call it. It is where the Ionic suggests personalised and guided breathing sessions based on your heart rate. If you get too stressed out at work, it knows and helps calm you down. How cool is that? I guess I haven’t been that stressed out at work of late. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You can pick up the Ionic at all leading electronic retailers for Dh1,399. It’s available as a silver/grey tracker and clasp with blue/grey band, smoke/grey tracker and clasp with charcoal band, or burnt orange tracker and clasp with slate-blue band.
