India dominates the global smartwatch market amid falling global sales and tight macroeconomic conditions and homegrown players such as Noise, Fire-Boltt and Boat, among others have managed to stay at the top and took a lion’s share of the smartwatch market in the first quarter (Q1) with more than 90 per cent of smartwatches sold being from local manufacturers. Players such as Noise and Fire-Boltt have a portfolio that has quickly adapted to the needs of Indian customers at an affordable price point. About 40 per cent of smartwatches sold by OEMs were under Rs 2,000, in Q1, says Counterpoint Research. While Gurgaon-headquartered Noise has been busy refreshing its portfolio frequently, Fire-Boltt also has a healthy range of smartwatches in the country with Phoenix and Starlight being noteworthy ones. Its Quantum model was launched a couple of weeks ago and it is currently retailing for Rs 2,499. I used the Fire-Boltt Quantum for about a week and here is its detailed review.
Fire-Boltt Quantum Design, Looks, Display And Build
Fire-Boltt Quantum comes with a circular dial which is followed by a handful of smartwatch makers. The watch is made out of high quality stainless steel dial and strap. The display of the smartwatch is slightly rounded which renders a classic appearance. The HD display is 1.28-inch with a resolution of 240×240 pixels and bright enough for everyday use. The metal frame adds to the durability of the smartwatch. Fire-Boltt launched the Quantum smartwatch model under its "luxury" segment and it comes in four colour variants: black, green, blue and black-red. We received the last variant for review and the green model stands out among the pack. The smartwatch is also IP67 rated and gets water and dust resistance as well as anti-corrosion properties which makes it future-proof. The device also has a rotating crown that imitates a traditional wristwatch and adds a hint of nostalgia too. The addition of the crown on the smartwatch is more of a gimmick and can be used to only power the display on and off. Long-pressing the crown only leads to alarms, notifications, settings, call logs and other features.
Fire-Boltt Quantum Features, Battery And Performance
The Fire-Boltt Quantum smartwatch offers basic health-tracking features such as heart rate, oxygen level and sleep cycle. This budget smartwatch also supports Bluetooth calling and allows the user to select or de-select notifications from apps like Facebook, WeChat, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Skype, Snapchat, Gmail and others right from the smartwatch by toggling the settings. This feature needs special mention as many smartwatches do not allow the users to set this functionality right from the device. They have to head to the companion app to customise this feature.
Health tracking features of the Fire-Boltt Quantum smartwatch aren't too reliable and I noticed the steps covered during my evening walks were overcounted. I was comparing the steps taken alongside another smartwatch at the same price point. The Fire-Boltt Quantum clearly counted a lot of false hand steps too, despite wearing it on my non-dominant hand. The same goes for the overall health tracking and sleep monitoring which was not accurate as well. The companion app provides some insights into sleep monitoring but its accuracy is questionable. In terms of software, the Quantum comes with a very basic software UI.
The companion app is called Da Fit app which has three sections: "Today", "My" and "device settings". I installed the companion app on Oppo Reno 10 5G (read full review here) and I can say using the app with an Android smartphone is pretty easy - just head to the official Google Play Store and download it and pair it with the smartwatch.
The Fire-Boltt Quantum's advertised battery life is up to seven days and two days with Bluetooth calling feature on. The smartwatch packs a 350mAh battery and a magnetic charger that charges the device pretty quickly. The device also has 128MB of built-in storage, which lets you store music and play it with the in-built speaker and microphone.
Fire-Boltt Quantum Final Verdict
The Fire-Boltt Quantum is a good-looking smartwatch that offers basic health monitoring. There is not much to complain about with the overcounting of steps and inaccurate heart rate monitoring, at this price point. However, I would not prefer using this smartwatch for monitoring my day-to-day activities, sleep, etc. Having said that the smartwatch is a value-for-money proposition and its robust build at this price point may make it a worthy contender in the budget segment.