Fitbit's app is still my current favorite for overall fitness logging. The Ionic's cross-platform support of bothĪlso allows it to be something I could wear and use with any friend or family member to compete in fitness challenges. Apple's Health app and some third party apps can do sleep tracking, but the Apple Watch battery life isn't good enough for nightly wearing without a morning recharge.įitbit's phone app is great. The Apple Watch lacks any baked-in support for this. Sleep tracking mostly amounts to sleep logging each night, and while I don't trust the Fitbit's measures of restlessness, deep sleep and "REM sleep," I do appreciate getting a clear sense of my sleep habits on a general scale. It means you can wear it for over half a week and never recharge, and that means it can be worn at night for sleep tracking. The Fitbit Ionic also has really good battery life (for a smartwatch): at least four days, in my anecdotal use. The Apple Watch's heart rate readings aren't always-on (it tends to ping every few minutes, unless an activity is started or the heart rate app is opened). Heart rate readings are fast and easy to access, and many watch faces allow instant heart rate readings on the main display. square: Fitbit Ionic (left), Apple Watch (right) Sarah Tew/CNET If you're planning to buy a smartwatch from Fitbit check these out as they're all cheaper, offer a slimmer design and many of the same features as the Ionic.Square vs. Since the launch of Ionic, we've also seen Fitbit introduce three new smaller and more affordable smartwatches called the Fitbit Versa, Fitbit Versa Lite and Fitbit Versa 2. However, there's now the additional competition of the Apple Watch 5, which adds LTE and its best fitness tracking yet, not to mention the incursion of Garmin into the fitness smartwatch space with products like Forerunner 645. Offering similar features to expensive alternatives such as the Apple Watch range and Wear OS watches, the Fitbit Ionic is a serious contender to be the smartwatch you choose to wear when you’re out running or hitting the gym. The Ionic combines its fitness know-how with the smarts of a variety of companies it’s bought – such as Pebble, which Fitbit acquired in 2016 – and brought it all together to add an impressive new wearable to its range.