Smart bands have forged their own path in the wearable market. And lately, several traditional watchmakers have been entering this route. Timex is one such brand, which recently launched a budget fitness band in India. It sports a 0.9″ touch screen display, 5-day battery life, water resistance, fundamental fitness features, and smartphone connectivity.
It has been resting on my wrist for a while now and here I will be discussing whether you should go for this band or some other brand. This is the Smartprix review of the Timex Fitness Band.
But before we drill deeper, here are the —
Timex Fitness Band Specifications
| Model | Timex Fitness Band |
| Display | 0.96-inch (160 X 80); TFT Touchscreen |
| Case size | 41.7 mm |
| Water and dust resistance | Yes, up to 1.5 meters |
| CPU and Memory | Nordic52832; 128Kb+ RAM and 32MB ROM |
| Features | Call and message notifications, Sleep tracking, 7 sports modes, Music control, Alarms, Camera control |
| connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Battery | 90mAh (5 days), Magnetic charger |
| Price | Rs. 4,495 |
Here’s what you get inside the box —
Timex Fitness Band Unboxing
- The Band with steel strap
- Extra Silicone strap
- Magnetic charger
- Guide booklet
Timex Fitness Band Review: Design & Display
Out of the box, the band comes with a stainless steel mesh strap. I found it a bit garish. Also, because of friction and heft concerns, I swapped it easily with the extra silicone strap offered in the box. I felt this material much more comfortable and lowkey looks-wise.
You can wear it in water (splashes and spills, that is) up to 1.5 meters. Very much appreciated!
You can pick it in two colors viz. Rose Gold and Black colors. The rectangular case is 41.7 mm in size. On the surface, there is a 2.4 cm (0.9-inches) TFT panel with 160 X 80 colored pixels. You can tap the screen or flick the wrist to wake the screen. The touchscreen is fine to glance at and interact with. But for the price, the screen could’ve been slightly bigger, brighter, and better (ahem…OLED). Last, I used a similar display was on the Honor Band 5i (review), which was priced at Rs. 1,999.
Also, the charger design is a little clunky. So, you must ensure pins are fastened properly. I would’ve loved to see the charger built-in to the strap itself, which would’ve meant one less thing to carry around. But, that peeve aside, the clipping mechanism is in no way hampering the charging process.
ALSO READ: Amazfit Bip S Lite Review
Timex Fitness Band Review: Software Experience
The band works with iConnect by Timex 3 app. Remember the name because you’ll find a bunch of Timex apps on the store. The pairing process is smooth. The app UI is straight-forward with a dashboard showcasing all the useful stats.
As for the device, cycling between different menus and screens is tedious and less user-friendly. There should have been an option (or a button) to jump straight to the home screen. The screen is too quick to sleep and the surface area is too little for interaction. Rest, here’s how the on-screen navigation works:
- swipe up/down to cycle through training, message, and other functions such as alarms, music playback, reset, and power off.
- swipe right/left on the home screen to cycle between step count, heart rate, calorie count, and distance.
Timex Fitness Band Review: Performance & Battery
The band lets you keep track of 7 sports activities, your heart beats per minute, walked steps, and burnt calories. That’s a pretty rudimentary set of fitness features and should serve most beginner users. The counting is hit and miss. Sometimes, the meter stays idle. And other times, it speeds unsparingly.
But, if you just want a fitness logger that gives you a sense of how much you gotta bust your ass to hit your target, then this can do that. The stats it shows should be serviceable to that extent.
ALSO READ: Realme Band Review
The promised extent of battery life is 5 days from the 90mAh cell inside. That matches up from my experience. When it dies on you, plug it for 30 mins before it’s life returns. Again, the magnetic adapter isn’t a smart design tbh.
Timex Fitness Band Review: Verdict
Timex is one of the pioneers in the quartz watch revolution. It co-developed Data Link (1994), a “computer watch”, the first of its kind, that was capable of downloading information from a computer. The company now boasts a 165-year legacy. So, it definitely has the engineering chops to make a smart wearable.
Now coming to the fitness band at hand. This one’s a very basic product. The looks are modest. There’s a choice of two attractive colors and the option to don both steel and silicone straps. Even water resistance is good to have. The main course, however, is not as competitive. The monitoring and measurements are functional but fall short of what you get with the competition.
A beginner may get past these challenges for the halo effect of the Timex branding. And those of you who may prefer to wear a legacy brand on your wrist will have the basics, i.e. time and tracking ticked. After all, a wearable is an expression of an individual’s personality.
Pros
- Modest looks
- Easily swappable straps b/w – Steel or Silicone
- Water resistance up to 1.5m
- Fundamental fitness features are here
Cons
- Screen off timers and UI not very user friendly
- Spotty counting
- Clumsy charging mechanism
