Fire-Boltt Epic review summary:
Editor’s rating: 3.7/5
Design
Display
Performance
Battery
Pros
- Super Light-Weight
- IP68 Rating
- Splendid battery life
- Long battery life (both in-use and standby)
Cons
- There’s no in-built support for reply
- HR/BPM and SpO2 sensors may not be always precise
- Accidental touches are common
Fire-Boltt is a well-known wearable brand that offers a diverse catalog of smartwatches. You might have seen advertisements starring some of the big celebrities be it Vijay Deverakonda, Virat Kohli, Kiara Advani, and Vicky Kaushal to name a few. I have tried smartwatches from other brands before, however, this was the first time that I got my hands on a smartwatch and use it extensively before drawing a review. Let’s discuss the various aspects of this smartwatch and how it fares compared to other watches in the same segment.
Jump To..
- Unboxing
- Price and availability
- Design
- Display
- Performance
- App Support
- Battery
- Should you buy it or not Fire-Boltt Epic
Fire-Boltt Epic Review: Pricing and Availability
The Fire-Boltt Epic smartwatch is available in India at INR 1,799/- on Flipkart although it was launched at 1,499/- and the same is available on Fire-Boltt’s official website at the time of writing this. It’s mind-boggling how the makers have quoted an MRP of INR 7,999/- which is way too much for a smartwatch of this category. You can choose from various silicon strap colors such as Black, Black & Gold, Blue, Red, Pink, Green, and Rose Gold.
There are a bunch of offers available on Flipkart such as 10% off up to INR 1,500/- on CitiBank CC & DC while you get up to INR 2,000/- on Citi CC EMI transactions although the minimum cart value should be INR 5,000/-. There are EMI and No-Cost EMI options available from Bajaj Finserv, Flipkart Axis Bank, and HDFC Credit Cards available at your disposal.
Fire-Boltt Epic Specs
| Compatible with | Android v5.0 & above, iOS 9.0 & above |
| Display | 1.69-inch IPS HD 2.5D curved screen with 240×280 pixels resolution |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 with 10m operating range |
| IP Rating | IP68 Water-resistant up to 1m deep |
| Other Functions | Notifications, Call Alerts, Limited Third-Party Apps Support, Lift to Wake Gesture |
| Health Sensors | SpO2, Heart Rate, BP, Pedometer, Barometer, and Accelerometer 3-Axis |
| Charging | 120 minutes via Pogo Pin Magnetic Cable |
| Battery Life | Lithium Ion battery with up to 7 days of usage, 25 to 30 days on standby |
| Weight | 23 grams |
| Size | 40.5 x 35 x 10.5 mm |
Fire-Boltt Epic Review: Unboxing
When you buy a Fire-Boltt Epic, it comes in a rather slim retail box. There’s the watch, a charging cable with a magnetic pin, some coupons and a manual and that’s about it.
- Fire-Boltt Epic unit
- Charging cable
- Quick start guide & coupons
Fire-Boltt Epic Review: Design & Fit
When it comes to the design, Fire-Boltt Epic doesn’t cater to a premium audience but rather is a budget offering. What it means is, it brings onboard a polycarbonate build quality and it is super lightweight at just 23 grams. After a few minutes, you won’t feel any weight at all until you glance at the watch and realize it’s still there. The straps are silky smooth and adaptable to the varied size of the wrist for sure thanks to the numerous loops available at your disposal which means you can expect a great fit.
The lightweight smartwatch offers a giant colorful display onboard with thick bezels around the edges. There’s a functional hardware key on the right that you can use for countless functions. Flip the watch and you’ll find a heart rate sensor and two magnetic connectors that strap to the Pogo pin connector for charging purposes. There’s an IP68 rating which protects the watch from water even if it is submerged 1 meter deep into the water.
There’s nothing that stands out since the polycarbonate build material doesn’t shimmer much compared to a metallic one. However, Fire-Boltt offers more than half a dozen color options that you can choose from where you get a lot of combinations for colors on the strap as well as the dial. That’s more or less my take on the design which is average but hey, you are paying a tad bit above one grand so the design isn’t something you can expect to stand out compared to say an Apple Watch Series 7.
Fire-Boltt Epic Review: Display
Fire-Boltt Epic sports a 1.69” IPS LCD panel boosting a 240×280 pixels resolution. The display lights up quite a lot even if you are viewing in direct sunlight. Apart from that, it is 2.5D curved and looks good as the display molds into the side panel. The bezels are thick and if you view it carefully, you will see a slightly thicker chin as well which is visible when the entire screen is lit.
You get everything on the screen just a click away as swiping up and down gives you access to quick settings and notifications, respectively. Move to the left and you’ll get access to the various cards to access the features right away. Switching to the right gives you access to all the features although either in the list or grid view whichever suits you well. At this price point, the display quality is good, to be honest.
Fire-Boltt Epic Review: Performance & Health Features
Need to check your SpO2 levels right before you enter a hospital and get anxious? Or is it a sudden exercise where you feel your heart will rip open your chest pounding so much? Well, Fire-Boltt Epic gets you covered. Although not to be used medically, you can use the heart rate sensor to measure resting and current beats per minute or BPM. It’s not always accurate but will surely give you a rough estimate of your heart rate at the moment.
There’s a SpO2 sensor as well that lets you track oxygen saturation in the blood. Additionally, there’s blood pressure monitoring that keeps track of your blood pressure at any point in time. Again, I would stress it enough that although these sensors may be nearly precise in some conditions, they aren’t always accurate and shouldn’t be considered as such as well. You get access to 120 sports modes that you can check out on the watch. Simply go to the menu, select ‘Exercise’ and then, select the type of exercise and bingo, it shall be done.
For instance, I am a walker and I prefer clocking in 10,000 steps a day although I know this must not be required. I found that it is pretty close to what Google Fit on my phone calculated during a session. There was approx a 5-7% difference between the two but I don’t think that’s too much that would make it a deal breaker.
Moreover, you get a tonne of information right from steps, miles, and kcal, among others. Open the companion app and you will discover a trove of data that you can get into although more on that later.
When it comes to its performance, I didn’t see any lag whatsoever. Perhaps that’s because it’s a budget smartwatch that cuts back on elements that would otherwise have an impact on its performance. Swiping across is buttery-smooth so much so that I seldom go overboard possibly because the display is curved.
Fire-Boltt Epic Review: App Support & More
App Support is a crucial part of any smartwatch and the Epic does this job well. Fire-Boltt has a companion app called “Da Fit” which closely reads like “The Fit” that lets you track and analyze everything you need to know. It has three tabs so let me explain each one and how they are worth checking out.
The first tab on the app gives you a card view of all the sensors right from sleep, heart rate, pedometer, and BP sensor among others. Although each card shows data related to steps walked or sleep hours on that particular day, tapping on the card reveals a trove of data. I was able to track my steps for today, a week, and even a month. If that’s not all, it gives you graphical data on a performance recorded by each sensor over the last 7 days as well as if you have reached a set goal for steps i.e. 8,000 steps a day.
Tap on the next tab and you will see a dozen of new options right from watch faces yes, there is a lot you can choose each for a day, and still have a lot to discover. You can tweak settings on what notifications you want i.e. Phone, Messages, etc. Once you receive any notification on your phone, it sends the same to your watch although without any emoji or reply support. You can control settings related to the shutter for the built-in camera as well. Go to ‘Others’ and there are a million features available as well.
Finally, the third tab gives you options to alter your Profile, Goal, connect the watch with Google Fit which is usually the fitness tracker found on Android smartphones, and more.
After using the watch for a long time, I have realized that the app support is efficient and effective at this price point. The watch connects with the app on your phone pretty easily and remembers even if you have turned off the watch albeit won’t track the data at this point.
Fire-Boltt Epic Review: Battery
Next up, the battery mounted on Fire-Boltt Epic gives you up to seven days of battery backup on a single charge. I was able to pull off a day on 15% of the battery when I was testing out the unit sent by Fire-Boltt. You can easily keep the watch alight for 25 days on standby mode. I mean I kept the watch turned off for a few days and it worked flawlessly.
Though I would recommend users avoid keeping their watches turned on when not in use. Instead, it is better to switch it up when you are using it. Perhaps, the speedy process of turning on the watch and turning it off is quick so using it on the go won’t be an issue.
Don’t believe me? Check out the reviews on Flipkart and you will find them to be true. I mean when I was writing this review, Fire-Boltt Epic had 28.5K ratings and 4.7K reviews with an average of 4.2/5-stars and that’s just on Flipkart.
Fire-Boltt Epic Review: Should you buy it or not?
After testing the smartwatch in real-world conditions for a few weeks and going through the entire review, I would say Fire-Boltt Epic is a worthy smartwatch. If you are looking for a budget-friendly smartwatch that keeps you updated with the notification, tracks your steps, and utilizes other sensors, you can try it out. If you are looking for something more such as more features, call support, and message reply support among others, Epic won’t make the cut.
The pricing for Epic rose from INR 1,499/- when it was launched to INR 1,799/- at the time of writing this. Of course, the pricing might differ based on when you are reading this but even if it’s INR 1,799/-, I don’t think it is a bad deal. It is because you are getting a lot plus IP68 support that should keep it from getting water damage for a long time.
