After the Oppo Watch, the brand has come up with a band that vaunts style in its name. Priced at ₹2,999, the Oppo Band Style sports SpO2 tracking for continuous blood oxygen tracking, real-time heart rate monitoring, sleep analysis, 12 workout modes – all accessible through a 1.1-inch AMOLED screen. (Oppo Band Style Review हिंदी में पढ़िए)
I’ve been donning this device on my wrist for the better half of a month now. And lemme expound on my experience in this Smartprix review of the Oppo Band Style.
But before we hit the jump, here is a technical outline of things.
| Model | OPPO Band Style |
| In the Box | OPPO Band (without strap) x1 Style Strap x1 Sport Strap x1 Charging Base x1 Quick Start Guide x1 Safety Guide x1 |
| Colors | Black, Vanilla |
| Strap Materials | Style Strap-metal buckle: stainless steel Style Strap: fluor rubber band + aluminum alloy clasp |
| Strap Width | 14mm |
| Strap Type | Flexible |
| Suitable Wrist circumference | 130–205mm |
| Dimensions | 40.4mm x 17.6mm x 11.45mm(11.95mm including heart rate sensor) |
| Case Materials | Front: 2.5D glass Back: PC |
| Approx. Weight | 10.3g (not including strap) |
| Buttons | None |
| Screen Type | AMOLED |
| Screen Size | 1.1 inch |
| Resolution | 126 x 294 pixels |
| Battery Capacity | 100mAh |
| Required Adapter Power | 5V 200mA or higher |
| Charging Method | Contact |
| Maximum Use Time | 12 days |
| Supported Phone Operating Systems | Android 6.0 or higher, iOS |
| Chip | Apollo3 |
| Storage | 16 MB |
| Bluetooth Version | BLE 5.0 |
| Sensors | 3-axis acceleration sensor, optical heart rate sensor, optical SpO2 sensor |
| Workout Modes | Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Fat Burn Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycling, Indoor Cycling, Elliptical, Rowing, Cricket, Badminton, Swimming, Yoga |
| Health Monitoring Features | Continuous SpO2 monitoring, Sleep monitoring, Real-time heart rate monitoring, Daily activity, Get-up reminders, Breathing exercise |
| Water Resistance | 5ATM |
| Vibration Motor Type | SMD |
| Other Features | Message notifications Incoming call notifications Call rejection Timer/stopwatch Alarms Weather reports Music playback control Camera control Find my phone |
| Price (at the time of writing) | Rs. 2,999 |
And these are the stuff you get within the box –
Oppo Band Style Unboxing
- The pill-shaped tracker
- 2 Straps
- Charging Base
Since it has Style in the name itself, let’s begin with judging the same.
Oppo Band Style Design and Display
Whence you unbox the thing, you’ll be pleased to see two band options. While one of the straps, which is rubber-based looks familiar like any other alternatives in the market, the other one with stainless steel clamp offers more resemblance to a bracelet. Now whether you prefer it or not, at least it is not cut from the same cloth. It is undeniably unique — is what I mean to say.
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The materials used feel durable. The panel is shielded by 2.5D scratch-resistant glass. The silicone strap’s aluminum frame has a raised lip that should also accord some protection. And speaking of which, you get 5ATM ingress resistance too.
The capsule can be easily swapped between the two said straps. It is comfortable to wear round the clock. You’d want to because of sleep sensing and other facilities (more on those later). There are no buttons here. You interact via touch which was smooth enough.
The display is AMOLED and bestows a pleasing viewing experience across the 1.1-inch color screen (126 x 294 pixels). The band is fairly responsive and legible (including outdoor text readability). The screen on time can be maxed up to 10 seconds. And for a quick screen-off, just cover the display with your palm. Highly convenient!
By the base, there are contact pins for the magnetic charger and a bunch of sensors (PPG, Pulse Ox, and 3-axis).
To turn on the screen you can either tap on it or twist/raise the wrist. Here’s the ensuing experience.
Oppo Band Style Software Experience
As mentioned in the previous session, there is no button on the band’s body. You navigate and engage by sliding your finger on the fascia. Swipe Left/Right to cycle between watch faces (5 pre-installed and up to 40 downloadable from the HeyTap app). Swipe Up/Down to scroll between various features in this order – Daily Activity, Workouts, Heart Rate, SpO2, Sleep, Breathing, Weather, Tools, Settings, and Messages. No stress, menstrual cycle, and ovulation phase tracker here though.
Within the tools menu, you have goodies like Music playback control, Stopwatch, Timer, Alarm, Phone Camera Shutter control, and Find the phone.
You can return to the previous screen with a simple swipe to the right. Sailing across the screens is easy.
The data collated on the capsule gets transmitted to the connected HeyTap Health app. I had trouble pairing the iOS app with the band, but no such issues with Android. Oppo assures a firmware update for Apple devices starting April, which should solve this problem.
You’ll have to register an account by feeding some personal details. Post the setup, you get to configure certain settings (raise to wake, activate Night Mode and reduce screen brightness during dark hours, select the features to be displayed on the band and in what order, sync phone notifications, sedentary reminders, downcast the watch faces onto the band), and examine the record and results of your physical routines.
The health stats are laid out in easy-to-grasp graphs and are demarcated in various periodic intervals.
Oppo Band Style Performance and Battery
Firstly, you must grant the slew of permissions it seeks and allow background, foreground, and auto-launch to ensure optimal performance. Else, as it warns you’d face issues like late notifications, and perhaps even inaccurate data. In my case, I had it tethered to Oppo F19 Pro+ (review) with all settings enabled. Yet, there were instances where the Band bombarded me with hoarded messages all at once.
Moving on, a good fitness band should be able to not just monitor your basic movements but also track your triathlon activities. The Band Style does take care of your medical metrics during exercises. Some notable parameters logged are blood oxygen saturation (oxygenated Haemoglobin) and real-time heart rate tracking (in every sec/ 2 min/ 6 min intervals incl resting rate). A Pulse Ox sensor lets you roughly gauge and prognosis diseases caused by low blood oxygen levels including COVID-19, COPD, asthma, etc. You can have the SpO2 run the entire time you sleep (around 28,800 times in an 8-hour period). Also whilst on the bed, it keeps tabs on your sleep patterns, how much of it is deep n’ light, when your sleep was interrupted, and wake-up times. It even analyses afternoon siesta or power naps that you take during the day.
ALSO READ: Timex Fitness Band Review
Rest, you get step counting and 12 workout modes which consist of Fat Burn Run, Yoga, Free Training, and sports like Cricket, Badminton, Swimming, etc. The readings are a bit erratic. But nonetheless offer a coherent idea of the movements along with auxiliary data like avg. calories burned, avg. time and distance covered, etc. In case of the more serious SpO2 measurements too, the fine print underlines, “The results are for reference only and are not intended to constitute actual medical advice.” Well, this is probably something you already know and come to expect.
Lastly – battery life. In my time with it, I noticed the band could drive somewhere from a week to even the advertised 12 days based on your usage. By which I mean, how many of those aforementioned sensors and settings are turned and always on. Now although when it’s down and out the accompanying adapter assists well (around 2½ hour to top-up), the latter’s pogo pin design makes it an extra item to carry around. Also, you have to unfasten the capsule to plug in the charger.
Oppo Band Style Review: Should you buy it?
There’s a lot of good stuff here! That includes everything from the responsive AMOLED display, 5ATM water resistance, various health trackers, workout modes, and ideal battery life, to the small interfacial tools which if not essential on the wrist, could enhance the smartphone in your pocket. To excite the offering, even more, Oppo has added a chic metal buckle and constant SpO2 monitoring into the mix. Thanks to the former, the Band stands out from the crowd in style. Meanwhile, the latter is a nifty tool to have these days.
Now, what it misses out on are a dedicated women’s health tracker and a stress monitor. So unless you must have these two absent features, we reckon the Band Style is a wearable worth the wampum in your wallet. It is currently available for ₹2,799 via Amazon India as an introductory price.
Pros
- Pleasant display
- Water resistance
- Plenty of workout modes and decent health tracking
- Ideal battery life
Cons
- No Female Health tracking
- Erratic notification sync
Oppo Band Style FAQ
Q. How to pair Oppo Band Style to the phone?
A. You have to, first of all, install the HeyTap Health app from Google/Apple app store ’cause the pairing process takes place through this app. Rest, the app shall guide you to get the job done.
Q. Can you reply to text SMS messages on Oppo Band Style?
A. No, you cannot reply to messages using the Oppo Band Style.
Q. Does Oppo Band Style have GPS?
A. No, Oppo Band Style doesn’t feature GPS.
Q. Does Oppo Band Style work with iPhone?
A. Yes, Oppo Band Style will work with iPhone (after an April 2021 firmware update).
Q. Does Oppo Band Style track sleep?
A. Yes, Oppo Band Style does analyze sleep and present insights on various sleep stages too within the HeyTap Health app.
Q. Is Oppo Band Style waterproof?
A. Yes, Oppo Band Style features 5ATM water resistance up to 50 meters. It’s hence designed for swimming (but not open water swimming).
Q. Does Oppo Band Style have heart rate and SpO2 tracking?
A. Yes, Oppo Band Style comes with a PPG heart rate tracker, Pulse Oximeter, and an accelerometer.
Q. Can you take calls on Oppo Band Style?
A. No, you cannot take calls as there is no mic or speaker on the Band Style. Lack of a cellular chip means, there is no option to make calls either. You do however get notification of calls, for whatever worth it is.
Q. Can you replace the straps of Oppo Band Style?
A. Yes, you can quickly release the current strap of Oppo Band Style and switch it with any other compatible strap. The box comes with an extra strap.
Q. Does Oppo Band Style feature a smart assistant?
A. No, there are no smart assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa here.
Q. How to reset the Venu Sq?
A. Ensure to sync and backup your data to the Connect app before proceeding. You get the Reset option within the Settings section of the band.
