The touchscreen Fitbit Ionic has GPS, a four-day battery life, on-board workouts & third party apps.

There's a lot of hype behind (and hope riding atop) Fitbit's first true smartwatch. The Fitbit Ionic isn't just the company's first fully-featured effort in the smartwatch space, it's the centerpiece of their pivot into the broader tech space.

Battery Life; Great software

On-board music is annoying to setup; Inconsistent performance

People have been waiting for a while for a device like this from Fitbit. The Fitbit Ionic is most what you could ever want in a fitness watch / smartwatch hybrid…but there are still several bugs to where it’s not quite perfect.

All the activity and sleep tracking features you could ever want; GPS; wrist heart rate monitor; and many other sensors; Supports running; cycling; hiking; cardio; and more; including swimming (water resistant to 50 meters); Smart features; including Fitbit Pay; smartphone notifications; and...

Square design makes it still look like a smartwatch despite the fact that you can customize the watch face, bands, etc; No support for external heart rate monitors, Just average battery life at 4 days on a single charge, Limited support for podcasts, Still many bugs – early users will encounter...

If the Apple Watch is a smartwatch first and a fitness tracker second, the Fitbit Ionic feels like the inverse. Depending on what you're looking for in a wearable, that could be a very good thing. The Ionic's $300 price tag places it firmly in Apple Watch territory.

Vibrant screen; Changeable straps; Safe for swimming; Excellent battery life; Smart notifications; Built-in GPS and NFC; Pandora integration; Open SDK for app developers

Expensive; Thick bottom bezel; Case easily scratches

The "Your Fitbit Ionic is running low on battery" notification arrived on my phone and in my inbox at the same time around one yesterday afternoon, suggesting I take a moment to charge my smartwatch.

Incredible battery life

Ugly design and buggy software

While some of us have been mounting high tech wearables on our wrist since 2004, others are just discovering them. The Fitbit Ionic brings everything I have wanted in a GPS sports watch with essential smart watch functionality in a sleek, attractive form factor.

Gorgeous high quality design; Bright and clear display; Lightweight and comfortable for 24 hour wear; Long battery life; Detailed sleep and heart rate data; Reasonably priced band options; Music playback; workout coaching; and accurate GPS tracking; Fitbit ecosystem well supported

Limited music services; Can't respond to texts or answer calls

While some of us have been mounting high tech wearables on our wrist since 2004, others are just discovering them. The Fitbit Ionic brings everything I have wanted in a GPS sports watch with essential smart watch functionality in a sleek, attractive form factor.

Gorgeous high quality design; Bright and clear display; Lightweight and comfortable for 24 hour wear; Long battery life; Detailed sleep and heart rate data; Reasonably priced band options; Music playback; workout coaching; and accurate GPS tracking; Fitbit ecosystem well supported

Limited music services; Can't respond to texts or answer calls

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.

Incredible battery life.

Ugly design and buggy software.

While Fitbit has long excelled and dominated in the fitness tracker space, the Fitbit Ionic is the brand's first truly smartwatch-focused device. It is meant to go head-to-head with the likes of

Large screen; Good battery life for capabilities; Robust fitness and sleep tracking tools; Built-in GPS; Swim-proof; Inactivity reminders; Contact payment functionality; Guided breathing sessions

Limited app integration; Design can be somewhat polarizing