Timex Fitness Band

Fashionable but basic fitness tracker

if you love to be trendy yet fitness enthusiast then there is a good news for you as a leading watchmaker company Timex has recently launched a new fitness band that comes with the amalgamation of fashion and fitness together. Also, a fitness band for people of all age group is not only a matter of appearance but also a useful device to keep a track of your fitness.

Not only Timex, but there is a lot of brands, such as Xiaomi, Realme or Noise has forayed in fitness wearables since long back.

As per International

Data Corporation (IDC), the wristbands segment saw a growth of 83.3 per cent quarter-over-quarter in the third quarter of 2020 after seeing a sequential decline in the first half of the year. The watches segment registered a growth of 119.9 per cent year on year (y-o-y) in the quarter under review with 7,78,000 units shipped in the country, making it the biggest quarter since the launch of the category in India. Homegrown Indian lifestyle technology brand, Noise led the segment with a 28.5 per cent share in the quarter under review, while Realme replaced Huami for the second position with a 24.2 per cent share of the category, IDC noted.

Launched at Rs 4,495, Timex Fitness Band is one of the affordable offerings and that makes it excellent for personal use or gifting it to someone.

I reviewed the Timex Fitness Band with black stainless steel mesh band, but there is a black silicone strap inside the box along with a charger and user manual. Let us see how the fitness band, touted as an affordable unisex offering, performed on our usage for over a week.

Design/ Display

The fitness band is definitely a better-looking fitness tracker that is currently available in the market. The band is just perfect in size and is quite stylish too. One of the most appealing features of the band is its metal strap, which is easy to loosen or tighten and doesn’t really fall of your wrist. But, I would definitely recommend the rubber strap, available inside the box, for workouts as you might find the metal strap a little uncomfortable while working out. Also, the metal strap is a little shiny and if some men find it a little girlish, you can always switch to the rubber strap. However, I used the magnetic metal strap and I just loved it.

The fitness tracker sports a 2.4-cm coloured full-touch display and will fit perfectly on the wrist. I used it while jogging, being home or office and I found the brightness enough to be used indoors and outdoors. The touch responsiveness was a bit of an issue as navigating between different screens wasn’t as feasible. But that’s the case with almost any fitness tracker with a few exceptions. The design, mesh bracelet to be specific, has to be the biggest USP of the Timex Fitness Band.

Features/ Performance

The fitness tracker is equipped with features such as activity tracking, camera control, music control, heart rate monitoring, and notifications alert. There are a lot of activities that you can pick, such as running, cycling, badminton, football etc. It also helps you track calories you’ve burned during the chosen activity. It will help you stay motivated to do more as the home screen shows calories and steps at a glance. In addition to tracking burnt calories, it can also monitor heart rate and distance travelled.

As per my test, I found that the heart rate was nearly accurate. But, as for steps, I found even my hand movements might be picked up like steps.

Battery

The fashionable fitness tracker can go for days on a single charge. After full charging, I dint had to charge the device for at least a week, which is quite appreciating. Also, I found the charging speed quite nice. But, you find a little headache while carrying the charging dock. I would have been good if it was a little handy.

Verdict

At Rs 4,495, Timex Fitness Band is nice but the market is quite competitive.

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 has a competitive edge with its Mi Smart Band 5 at Rs 2,499 with longer battery, sleep monitoring, women’s health tracking, continuous heart rate monitoring, breathing exercises and more. It is good only if you are looking from a fashion perspective and basic fitness activities.n

vivek@mymobile.co.in