Fire-Boltt Oracle smartwatch review

The smartwatch segment is showing no signs of a slowdown and today, consumers are spoilt for choice. A quick look at the evolution portrays how we’ve collectively moved on from the usual, run-of-the-mill fitness-trackers to something that offers much more.

In that vein was the Fire-Boltt Dream smartwatch, which comes with its very own Android operating system. Christened the ‘wristphone’, this wearable however had a lot of scope to grow. Seemingly evolved from the Dream is the new Fire-Boltt Oracle smartwatch.

It not only gives users the integration and connectivity that Dream lacked, but also builds on the concept. We’ve spent the last few days using the smartwatch, and here’s our Fire-Boltt Oracle review.

Fire-Boltt Oracle: Design and display

The Fire-Boltt Oracle has an imposing facade, and at first glance very similar to that smartwatch from Apple. Beginning from the rectangular dial to the side crown – and even the Orange Horizon strap, it is quite clear what has inspired the Oracle.

ALSO READ: Fire-Boltt Oracle smartwatch launched with Android OS, Bluetooth connectivity

On the left edge of the watch is a speaker grill, alongside a nano-SIM slot, while the right edge houses the crown and power button. Overall, the smartwatch looks (and feels) robust, and the manufacturers have certainly not held back in the style and design departments.

The 1.96-inch AMOLED display may seem a tad large for those not used to a bulky device on their wrists, but, of course, we get why there was a need for one. Like its predecessor, the Fire-Boltt Oracle, too, gets about 600 nits brightness, and the display quality seems like it hasn’t changed much either.

Fire-Boltt Oracle: Features and connectivity

The Oracle runs Android OS with Fire-Boltt’s own skin on top, which instantly sets it apart from any other smartwatch currently in the market. This addition gives you access to a host of apps. Ensuring everything runs is 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage under the hood.

The term ‘wristphone’ truly made sense once we browsed through apps such as Uber, Instagram, and YouTube. Using Instagram on the watch, for one, seemed like a great addition, especially since most of the activity online only required us to scroll. Watching Reels, though, came with a bit of a lag, nothing we didn’t expect. The audio quality on both YouTube and Instagram seemed like the best you could get within the price tag, but we wouldn’t recommend relying entirely on it; more so, if you don’t plan to use it indoors.

Fire-Boltt gets the concept right of not needing a phone when you have such a smartwatch on your wrist. The smartwatch also stops feeling unwieldy once you begin using its QWERTY keyboard.

Apart from the above-mentioned, you still have a host of Physical Training modes, Heart Rate, Blood Oxygen and Steps monitoring health features. But the difference, of course, is that you’re not bound to any of these and can always download your preference using the Google Play Store.

The activity interface seemed rather sluggish, as the smartwatch took several minutes to boot up any of the Sports Modes, and we were met with the ‘GPS is searching’ screen for quite a while before we could actually begin with it.

ALSO READ: Why fitness bands get my vote over smartwatches

While its predecessor had no way for you to connect to a smartphone, we were able to integrate the smartwatch with our Android and iOS devices successfully. The Fire-Boltt Oracle also allows you to place calls using 4G, LTE and Wi-Fi.

Fire-Boltt Oracle: Battery life

The Fire-Boltt smartwatch is backed by a 700mAh battery, which leaves a lot to be desired. Repeatedly using the apps on the smartwatch led it to heat up almost unusually. We also found that running games, such as Subway Surfers, could bring the battery levels down considerably. With all of that, we found the watch lasting us a day with minimal usage, but when pushed it barely lasted till the evening.

When it is time to charge, there’s a 2-pin USB charger bundled, but we found it to be a tad unreliable. When put on charge, we had to fiddle with the charger and the smartwatch a few times to ensure that the watch was charging.

Unboxed Take: Should you bring home the Fire-Boltt Oracle?

Fire-Boltt seems to be pushing the dream of having a ‘wristphone’ in the right direction. If occasionally scrolling social media and having an alternate device to call is what you’re looking for, the Fire-Boltt Oracle may just be the right device for you.

But use if for a few days, and you will be reminded of why the smartwatch is not able to do everything your phone can. At least for now. Still, it unmistakably does more than most other budget wearables out there. 

At Rs 6,999, the Fire-Boltt Oracle delivers quite a bang for the buck. While some key features maybe missing, you can still opt for other smartwatches in this price range, including the NoiseFit Agile, and the amazfit Pop 3R to name a few.