This fitness smartwatch is no Apple Watch killer. If the Ionic smartwatch is the best Fitbit can do, the company might be doomed, and the Apple Watch has nothing to worry about. As sensors shrank and gadgets became lifestyle choices, Fitbit's propelled itself to the top of the wearables heap with ever- improving fitness trackers and bands.

It was all going so well.. Apple Watch and Android Wear watches arrived, promising not just a more connected life with your smartphone, but also many of the Fitbit’s own fitness- tracking features. With the threat of multi- functional smartwatches looming overhead, Fitbit really had no choice but to counterpunch with its own smartwatch. However, while the Ionic is great as a fitness wearable, it’s simply not a good enough smartwatch to justify its $3. SEE ALSO: How fashion brands are saving Android Wear smartwatches. The Ionic is one of those gadgets where it’s way better- looking in person than in leaked online images.

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It's super light, and the angular aluminum case has a trendy ’8. Casio F- 9. 1W watch — and I dig it.

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· Fitbit's first real smartwatch, the Ionic, is the most advanced Fitbit yet, but it's an average smartwatch that doesn't compete with the Apple Watch.

The Ionic’s thicker than I expected, but not uncomfortably so. In fact, it’s easily the comfiest Fitbit I’ve ever worn; it’s the opposite of the company’s half- step Blaze, which was super rigid and hurt my bony wrists. It's even a nice fit when you're wearing it while sleeping. Switching bands on the Ionic is a breeze. Image: lili sams/mashable.

The wearable fits snug on the wrist and comes with two silicone strap sizes (small and large). Swapping bands is as easy as pressing a button on the inside of the strap and clipping a new one on.

Fitbit also sells leather and sport bands (a knockoff of the perforated Apple Watch Nike+ band). Watch WALL�E Streaming on this page. The Ionic’s 1. 4. Apple Watch Series 2 and 3). I didn’t notice it at first, but there’s a very, very gentle curve to the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 glass that covers the display and makes it easier to see from weird angles. The screen's really great even in direct sunlight. Image: lili sams/mashable.

Now, about that Fitbit logo on the thick bezel below the screen.. Look at the Apple Watch or the Samsung Gear S3. Do you see any prominent branding on them?

Nope. My advice for version 2. Fitness tracking, evolved. Look at all that tracked data! Image: raymond wong/mashable. The Ionic is first and foremost designed to track your fitness, and you can probably guess what I’m going to say next.*Drum roll, please*It’s a really great fitness wearable if you’re really into measuring things like steps, distance, floors climbed, calories, etc. Fitbit app. For a $3.

The heart rate sensor is pretty damn accurate and could save your life. Image: LILI SAMS/MASHABLEThe improved sensors inside could also help detect whether you have sleep apnea, a concerning sleep condition that affects up to 2. Americans according to the National Health Sleep Awareness Project and could lead to health problems like high blood pressure or even a stroke. The Ionic also has a built- in GPS for more accurate reads on stats like your pace and distance. A GPS is a must for any wearable that’s even the slightest bit serious about fitness tracking, and the Ionic’s works pretty well. I had some issues getting the GPS to work after setup (like, the weather failed to change when I went from Manhattan to Queens in New York City), but a reboot seemed to recalibrate the syncing and I had no further troubles afterwards.

All the tasty fitness data you could possibly want. Image: SCREENSHOT: BRETT WILLIAMS/MASHABLEIf you’ve used the Fitbit Blaze or even any of the company's other bands, you’re going to feel right at home with the Ionic. The Smart. Track mode, which automatically starts tracking your stats when it detects you’ve started a workout like running or biking, is a smarter and worked better than when I tested the Blaze. My colleague Brett, who also tested the Ionic, appreciated the weight- room tracking. Rather than focusing on individual rep counts like Garmin’s vivosmart 3, the Ionic tracks heart rate throughout the workout. He did an impromptu backyard workout and forgot to set his watch, and saw later that it had tracked the time automatically. Water- resistance up to 5. Watch Ca$H Online Free 2016.

Ionic’s now fully swim- proof. And there’s a new swim- tracking mode that records your laps, strokes, and burned calories.

Swimming, too, is a Smart. Track activity. I didn’t get a chance to jump in the pool to test this, but at the very least, the Ionic has feature parity with the Apple Watch Series 2 and 3, and Samsung’s upcoming Gear Sport and Gear Fit.

Pro for swimming features. For my review, I borrowed a friend’s Apple Watch Series 2 (I have a "Series 0" first- gen Apple Watch, not to be confused with the Series 1 version, which was released simultaneously with Series 2 in 2.

Ionic. For example, sometimes the Apple Watch recorded more steps and vice versa, but the margin of error was low enough that it was negligible. Let’s be real, a Fitbit or Apple Watch is great, but they're not a Garmin — ugly as they are — which are the wearables of choice for serious marathon runners and workout junkies, mostly because of their reputed accuracy. Half- baked smartwatch. Watch Kickboxer: Vengeance Hindi Full Movie. Swipe left and right to browse through apps. Image: lili sams/mashable.

If this was simply a Blaze refresh, the built- in GPS, swim tracking, and improved heart- rate sensor would've been enough. But the Ionic isn't a minor update; it's Fitbit's bet on Fitbit OS, its new smartwatch operating system developed from the assets it acquired from Pebble.

Nobody said making a smartwatch would be easy, not even with the talent it got from Pebble. It's definitely difficult to balance the right amount of fitness and mobile computing into a device with such a miniaturized package. Even Apple, Samsung, and all of the various Android Wear smartwatch makers have struggled with figuring what works. The annual revising of watch.

OS and how you launch apps and interact with features is proof that Apple hasn't nailed the smartwatch user interface. The Ionic dips its toes into the smartwatch game with only a handful of features at launch. And that's the problem: It doesn't go far enough when there are more mature products like the Apple Watch vying for your money. The basics of the smartwatch are there, but they're all half- baked in my honest opinion.

The basics of the smartwatch are there, but they're all half- baked in my honest opinion. You swipe left from the main clock face to browse through apps. You get all of your fitness features and things like the weather and timers and alarms and music controls. But unfortunately, that's where the Ionic as a smartwatch goes downhill. Switching watch faces is a comically slow and backwards process. Unlike on other smartwatches, you can’t switch them on the watch itself. You need to use the Fitbit app, and then wait for the watch face to sync. There’s an actual loading bar that appears in the app when the syncing happens. You can look at the notifications, but you can't interact with them. So like why, then?

Image: Raymond wong/mashable. The Ionic shows call and text notifications, but you can't interact with them, which basically renders them borderline useless. I kept lifting up my wrist and tapping at incoming texts only to remember that I couldn't reply back from the Ionic. Might as well just get a real smartwatch then. Fitbit Pay, which is — you guessed it — Fitbit’s own version of Apple/Android/Samsung Pay seems like a desperate attempt to compete with other smartwatches. Ugh.

Fitbit Pay?! Why?! Image: lili sams/mashable. I was able to load in a prepaid Boon Master. Card and successfully use it to buy something at a store with an NFC terminal — press and hold the left button until your credit card shows up — but I also couldn’t add my own Chase Visa or HSBC Master. Card because my banks weren’t supported. Brett also couldn't add his Capital One Visa card. Fitbit tells us the Ionic will support select U.

S. American Express, Master. Card and Visa credit and debit cards from "top issuing banks in over 1.

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