The previous month was a significant one for wearable technology as a result of the introduction of a number of new products by well-known brands. The Fitbit Ionic and the Apple Watch Series 3 were, without a doubt, among the most anticipated of the bunch.
The first true smartwatch from Fitbit is equipped with a multitude of sensors, the ability to make contactless payments, local storage, smartphone notifications, and plenty more. The addition of cellular connectivity is the most notable improvement that Apple has made to its third-generation iPhone. This enables you to make and receive calls, in addition to texts, even while you are not physically connected to your smartphone.
Both of these smartwatches are currently competing against one another for customers in what is essentially the same market. Compare their strengths and weaknesses in the following chart.
Apple Watch Series 3 or Fitbit Ionic: When it comes to design, the Ionic has a lot in common with the Blaze. to such an extent that, at first appearance, it can be quite challenging to differentiate between the two. The differences won’t start to become apparent until the screen is activated and starts to move around.
Aluminum of the 6000 series, which is aerospace-grade, is used in the construction of the core unit, which makes it both sturdy and lightweight. The high-resolution LCD touchscreen has an extremely vivid and clear display, making it simple to read. The Ionic has raised the number of pixels on its display and cranked up the brightness to a maximum of 1000 nits so that it can compete with the Apple Watch.
The display may be navigated with relative ease. This is a mix of the touchscreen and the three buttons that are located on the sides of the device (one on the left, two on the right). You’ll soon be able to breeze through the statistics after putting in some practice time.
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Which should you choose, the Fitbit Ionic or the Apple Watch Series 3?
The Apple Watch 3 has a design that is strikingly similar to that of the Apple Watch 2. There is virtually nothing that differentiates the two, with the exception of the red dot that is placed on the crown of one of them. The only alteration from before is that the rear crystal has been stretched out ever-so-slightly. Otherwise, the case is exactly the same (0.25 millimeters). If Apple has not informed us about it, we would never have known it existed.
The pictures on the screen are quite crisp, and the display is bright. There is a vast selection of styles and colors available to pick from, and the casing can be made of aluminum, stainless steel, or a newly introduced ceramic edition that is four times more durable than stainless steel.
In terms of its technical specifications, the Ionic has a high-resolution LCD touchscreen with a resolution of 348 by 250 pixels and a size of 29 x 21 millimeters. There are two sizes available for the Apple Watch: the 42 mm and the 38 mm. The one that is smaller features an OLED Retina display that has a resolution of 272 x 340 pixels, while the one that is larger has a resolution of 312 x 390 pixels.
Display-wise, the Apple Watch and the Fitbit Ionic are very comparable to one another. Both of them have a full-color display and a square shape, but the Apple Watch’s display offers slightly more room to work with. If we were to judge the two products only on their visual appeal, we would give the nod to Apple’s product. Ionic, with its throwback style from the 1980s, is not going to win any accolades for its design. Apple is not an exception to this rule either.
Which should you choose, the Fitbit Ionic or the Apple Watch Series 3?
There are some key distinctions lurking beneath the hood. Both of these trackers have an optical heart rate monitor, a vibration motor, an altimeter, an accelerometer with three axes, and a gyroscope. They also have an ambient light sensor. Additionally, the Fitbit Ionic comes equipped with a digital compass as well as a sensor that Fitbit refers to as a “relative SpO2 sensor.” This determines the amount of oxygen in the blood and has the potential to be used in the future to diagnose sleep apnea.
On the other hand, Apple’s Series 3 comes equipped with cellular connectivity, which appears to be embedded into the display itself. The number used by the watch is the same as the one used by your smartphone. The Series 3 includes a small electronic SIM card, although customers will still require a SIM card to operate the device. Sadly, a recurring monthly charge is associated with this purchase.
The third generation Apple Watch features a dual-core processor that is 70% more powerful than its predecessor.This is the first time that Siri will be able to converse in addition to just listening to commands. In addition, there is a W2 chip for Bluetooth and WiFi connections. This chip enables a connection that is 85 percent faster while also being 50 percent more efficient.
Information on Fitbit’s CPUs is not made public by the company. We are unable to conduct an accurate comparison due to a lack of particular information. However, it is probably safe to conclude that the Apple Watch Series 3 has higher processing power. When it comes to storage, the Ionic offers 4 gigabytes, while the standard Series 3 watch offers 8 gigabytes, and the cellular edition offers 16 gigabytes.
The battery life and water resistance of the Apple Watch Series 3 compared to the Fitbit Ionic
Both of the clocks include a lithium battery that can be recharged. On this metric, though, the Ionic watch outperforms its predecessor, the Series 3 model. The battery life on the Fitbit smartwatch is estimated to last a respectable four days, although this may be reduced when playing music continuously. Simply turning on the GPS will cut that time down to ten hours.
Unfortunately, Apple has not been successful in extending the life of its batteries. The third-generation watch, just like its two generations prior, has a battery life of up to 18 hours, although this number drops significantly when GPS is turned on. This indicates that you will need to continue to charge it daily. It’s possible that this should have been anticipated given the increase in requirements.
Both the Ionic and the Apple Watch Series 3 have excellent water resistance ratings of 5 ATM. There is no reason to be concerned if they get wet, as they are fully capable of recording the duration of your swim workouts.
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Comparing the Fitbit Ionic to the Apple Watch Series 3 in Terms of Their Features
The Ionic is a watch that prioritizes health and fitness tracking in its design. On this metric, it is capable of performing nearly all of the same functions as an Apple Watch.
You are provided with all of the fundamentals, in addition to automatic activity identification and notifications for idleness. You won’t be able to access this level of granular information on the light, deep, and REM stages of sleep via the apple Watch, but the app will give it to you in the morning. Along with your fitness tracker, you will also receive an excellent app for your smartphone that is incredibly simple to operate.
Both of these devices are perfectly capable of functioning without the need for a phone when exercising. When you use the built-in GPS to track your outdoor fitness, it will keep track of your pace, distance traveled, elevation gained, and split times. They will also track the number of laps you swim, how long you swim for, and the number of calories you burn while doing so.
The Purepulse heart rate sensor on the Fitbit stores data on the wearer’s heart rate at intervals of 1 second during exercise tracking and at intervals of 5 seconds during all other times. During your workout, you will receive real-time information on the various heart rate zones, and in the morning, you will receive information on your resting heart rate.
Apple has improved its heart rate functions with the release of WatchOS4. You will now be able to see your current heart rate simply by raising your wrist. There is the inclusion of a recovering heart rate, and the watch will warn you when it detects an abnormal rise in your readings. All of these features can be found on the new Apple Watch Series 4. Additionally, the Apple Watch will be able to detect and display your heart rate at rest for the very first time. It’s possible that this is the single most crucial indicator of your overall health and fitness.
You can now get information on floors climbed as well as height with the barometric altimeter sensor that comes standard on the Apple Watch. When it comes to monitoring ski workouts, this fantastic function is one that the corporation will, without a doubt, put to good use.
As was previously established, the Fitbit Ionic features a whole new sensor that is capable of SP02 measurements. This is another method for determining your fitness level; it measures the oxygen saturation in your blood. This determines how efficiently oxygen is distributed to areas of the body that are located at a greater distance from the heart (such as arms and legs).
Which should you choose, the Fitbit Ionic or the Apple Watch Series 3?
Apple is still behind Fitbit in terms of activity tracking, despite the fact that it has closed the gap between the two companies. Although both watches track the essentials, have built-in GPS, and are resistant to water, the Apple Watch does not have a native app to monitor sleep quality, which is one of several notable gaps in its feature set. In addition, the Fitbit automatically detects when you exercise, and we must not forget that this is a firm that has excelled in the fitness industry for a very long time.
Which should you choose, the Fitbit Ionic or the Apple Watch Series 3?
But Apple’s battery is at the center of the company’s woes. Even if it has a battery life of 18 hours, this continues to be the single most important problem and obstacle in the way of the Apple Watch being a true 24/7 activity tracker.
The functions of a smartwatch
Apple really shines in this regard. Because of the extensive functionality it offers as a wristwatch, it can act as a seamless extension of your iPhone. There is a plethora of apps, both native and third-party, and the upgrade to watchOS4 includes capabilities such as Siri, streaming of Apple Music, and many other improvements.
Also, let’s not overlook the importance of cellular connectivity. When you move away from your phone, the watch will switch to using the cellular signal instead of the Bluetooth connection. In addition to native programmes, third-party software will have access to this signal.
Fitbit’s first smartwatch includes a few features that aren’t related to fitness, despite the fact that it can’t truly compete with the Apple Watch on this particular metric. This features locally stored music of up to 2.5 gigabytes, access to the music streaming service Pandora, notifications for incoming calls, an NFC chip for contactless payments, alerts for incoming texts and calendar events, and much more. Additionally, there is an app store with a few native applications and an open software development kit (SDK) for third-party developers. However, it does not have a microphone, a handwriting recognition feature, or a voice recognition feature.
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The decision comes down to the Fitbit Ionic versus the Apple Watch Series 3
Although at first glance, the two smartwatches would appear to be interchangeable, there are in fact many key differences between them. The device from Fitbit prioritizes physical activity over traditional smartwatch functions. The Apple Watch is most likely the most versatile smartwatch available.
The San Francisco manufacturer has been having a tough time as of late, but they have high hopes that their first smartwatch will turn things around for them. Ionic is perhaps the best option available right now for basic tracking of your fitness levels 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Plus, the Smartwatche that Fitbit sells has a few advantages over the product that Apple sells, such as a longer battery life, the ability to track sleep, and a price that is slightly lower.
The Ionic, on the other hand, cannot compare to the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE in terms of the wristwatch functions it offers. Because the Apple Watch is capable of so many other things in addition to serving as a fitness tracker, the ability to monitor one’s health and fitness should be considered a bonus rather than the primary motivation for purchasing the product. However, Apple’s cellular-enabled watch comes at a higher price point and continues to have significant issues with its battery life.
