Noise is currently India’s number-one wearable brand in terms of market share in the country and third overall globally. The company’s portfolio contains a wide variety of products but its budget smartwatches are one to look out for. I have with me the Noisefit Halo which retails currently at Rs 3,999 on Amazon and Noise’s own website. After using it for more than a week as my daily fitness companion here is what I make of the smartwatch.
The lowdown
- Talking first about the device’s construction, there’s no mistaking the premium nature of the NoiseFit Halo. The metallic build and matte-black finish add to the smartwatch’s physical appeal. There are two buttons on the side for navigation control like opening workout routines and going back to the previous screen. Along with the watch, you also get a black leather strap matching the device’s colour scheme.
- The NoiseFit, without its strap, weighs about 56.8g, making it reasonably light on the wrist. IP68 rating has also been provided to make the smartwatch water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for up to 10 minutes. However, Noise has advised not to go swimming with the smartwatch. The Halo sports a circular AMOLED display that measures 1.43 inches and has a 466 x 466 resolution.
- The screen’s AMOLED nature also enables an Always-on display mode which I kept on for my review period. Also, the screen itself can get quite bright for outdoor usage although Noise has not provided exact figures for its luminosity. The raise-to-wake functionality works very well and you can also touch the screen to turn it on. There are nearly 150 watch faces to choose from in the NoiseFit app but the watch can only store a handful. A swipe from the bottom brings up the quick settings while a right or left swipe brings up the widgets.
- Pairing the watch with your iOS and Android devices is easy enough. The NoiseFit app, available on both the Play Store and App Store, is necessary for this. After the app is downloaded, the QR code appearing on the NoiseFit Halo needs to be scanned and the smartwatch is connected to your device in a matter of seconds. I did notice that the Halo disconnected from my smartphone quite a bit and I had to go into the app and refresh the home tab to get it connected.
- The UI of the app user friendly while also being quite informative. You can make a lot of changes to the watch’s interface alongside customising the data you need the device to track. For competitive fitness enthusiasts, there is a Challenges tab in the NoiseFit app that allows you to participate in different workout routines and share the results with your friends.
- In terms of features, you get the usual set of exercise tracking and sports modes. There are about 11 modes to choose from in the watch but you can add more through the app. I tested out how good the device was at tracking my runs and compared it to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (review). Surprisingly this Rs 3,999 watch was able to give out results that were just about as accurate as the nearly Rs 45,000 smartwatch from Samsung.
- Apart from that, measuring heart rate and sleep tracking also proved to be acceptable enough given the Halo’s price point. Of course, the analysis of each activity is not as detailed as some other premium smartwatches but I feel that for the average consumer looking at the budget segment, the output is good enough. You can pick up calls or dial through the watch’s in-built dialer, however, you have to use your paired smartphone to talk.
- Battery-wise, there is a 300mAh cell being housed inside the watch and Noise has rated it for up to seven days on regular usage. I had the NoiseFit Halo on for about a week with AoD enabled and faced no battery issues. The charging happens via the pogo pin-based charger that is provided with the box. The smartwatch offers 45 days of standby time as well. For me, the battery life is more than sufficient and competitive with other products in the market.
Final verdict
The NoiseFit Halo makes for a good offering below Rs 5,000 in the smartwatch market. Its key selling point is definitely its AMOLED display and stylish design. It doesn’t lack any of the standard features found in competing products and its fitness tracking is reasonable for its price. Even the watch’s battery life is very reliable and keeps the device operational for days on end without needing a charge. I mentioned in the review that the smartwatch can disconnect randomly at times from the paired smartphone, which can be a bit annoying. However, that remains a very small niggle in an otherwise largely enjoyable smartwatch experience.
Editor’s rating: 4 / 5
Pros
- Slick design
- Reasonably accurate fitness tracking
- Decent AMOLED panel
- Plethora of watch faces to choose from
Cons
- Can experience some connectivity issues
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