The Fire Boltt Solaris smartwatch presents an alluring choice for budget-conscious buyers with its AMOLED display, sleek metal design, and comprehensive health and fitness tracking features. However, the question remains: is it worth purchasing? Let's delve into the details and find out.
PROS
Display
Bluetooth calling
Lightweight
CONS
Fit
During the festive season, both e-commerce sites and offline shops are offering attractive discounts and deals on various products, including smartwatches. There is a wide range of budget-friendly smartwatches available that provide essential features such as Bluetooth calling, music control, fitness and health tracking, and more. On the other hand, premium smartwatches offer advanced features like fall detection and ECG sensors for more accurate tracking, but they come with a higher price tag, often exceeding Rs 40,000.
However, I recently had the opportunity to test a budget-friendly smartwatch that is packed with impressive features. Fire Boltt has recently expanded its collection of budget smartwatches by introducing the Fire Boltt Solaris. Priced at Rs 2,499, the Fire Boltt Solaris offers an AMOLED display, Bluetooth calling, and metallic straps, combining smart functionalities with a classic design.
Having used the Fire Boltt Solaris for over two weeks, I must say that it is a commendable smartwatch within its price range. I particularly appreciate its display and design, although there are a few aspects that didn't quite meet my expectations. In this India Today tech review, I will delve into more details about my experience with the Fire Boltt Solaris.
Design and build of the Fire Boltt Solaris
Upon unboxing the Fire Boltt Solaris, its design immediately caught my attention. The metallic straps reminded me of traditional smartwatches that I often see adorning my father's wrist. However, the black matte finish adds a touch of style that would also appeal to Millennials and Gen Zs. As someone who generally prefers silicone straps, the black matte finish metal strap intrigued me.
The square-shaped dial of the watch, resembling that of an Apple Watch, caught my attention. It complemented my attire perfectly and looked great. Additionally, it is an ideal choice for those who admire the Apple Watch design but desire a more compact and convenient option
Despite its stunning design and elegance, what truly impressed me about the watch was its weight. Surprisingly, despite being made entirely of metal, the watch is lightweight and incredibly comfortable to wear, even for extended periods of time.
However, despite its aesthetic appeal, I was disappointed with the fit of the watch. Unlike silicone straps or watches that come with resizing kits, the strap of this watch is not adjustable. As a result, I had to seek the assistance of a watch repair specialist to have it tailored to fit my wrist. Even after the adjustment, the watch still didn't achieve the perfect fit I was hoping for. Instead of hugging my wrist snugly, the watch dial seemed to wrap around it more like a bracelet.
In terms of build quality, the Fire Boltt Solaris impresses with its durability. It is resistant to scratches and smudges, maintaining a mostly smudge and fingerprint-free appearance on its display. Even with daily use both indoors and outdoors, the metal strap shows minimal noticeable scratches.
Fire Boltt Solaris display
The Fire Boltt Solaris features a 1.78-inch AMOLED display that offers clear brightness and excellent visibility, even under bright sunlight. The screen is spacious enough to read notifications without straining your eyes.
At first glance, the Fire Boltt Solaris may remind you of the Apple Watch. The interface of the watch seems to have taken inspiration from Apple's design. However, it's worth noting that Fire Boltt isn't the only brand incorporating Apple Watch-inspired elements into their products. Other brands like Noise and Boat are also following this trend. Nevertheless, the Fire Boltt Solaris comes remarkably close to resembling the Apple Watch.
Although I did miss the always-on display, I found that I could easily wake up the Fire Boltt Solaris by either touching the crown or double-tapping the screen. The absence of this feature didn't bother me too much, especially considering the watch's affordable price of less than Rs 2,500. Overall, the display is vibrant, smooth, clear, and bright.
As for performance and battery life, the Fire Boltt Solaris works decently. I had no trouble pairing it with both an iPhone and an Android phone, and the watch synced seamlessly with the Da Fit app. The app offers useful features like customisable watch faces and fitness and health reports. This brings me to the tracking sensors...
While I did miss the always-on display, I found that waking up the Fire Boltt Solaris was easy enough by either touching the crown or double-tapping the screen. The absence of this feature didn't bother me too much, especially considering the watch's affordable price of less than Rs 2,500. The display itself is vibrant, smooth, clear, and bright.
Fire Boltt Solaris performance and battery
In terms of performance and battery life, the Fire Boltt Solaris performs decently. I had no issues pairing it with both an iPhone and an Android phone, and the watch synced seamlessly with the Da Fit app. The app offers useful features like customisable watch faces and fitness and health reports. This brings me to the tracking sensors...
The health and fitness tracking capabilities of the Fire Boltt Solaris are satisfactory. It effectively monitors steps, sleep patterns, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate. The smartwatch also offers various sports modes for tracking workouts, with the heart rate monitor, blood oxygen tracker, and step counter being particularly reliable.
One pleasant surprise is the rotating crown interface on the watch. However, it would have been even better if Fire Boltt had utilized the crown for more functions instead of just changing faces.
Handling calls through Bluetooth on the Fire Boltt Solaris smartwatch is convenient. It provides clear sound quality for answering and declining calls, and even works well for WhatsApp calls. However, there are occasional challenges with voice clarity in outdoor environments, requiring the Bluetooth to be disconnected and the call to be continued on the phone.
Another useful feature is the hands-free photo-capturing capability, which allows for easier control of the phone's camera, especially for taking selfies from a distance.
The battery life of the Fire Boltt Solaris is good, lasting around 3 to 4 days on heavy usage. However, it's important to note that battery consumption increases during Bluetooth calls. Charging the watch from 0 to 100 percent takes approximately 2 hours, which is reasonable.
Fire Boltt Solaris: Should you buy it?
In conclusion, if you're in search of a stylish and feature-rich smartwatch at an affordable price, the Fire Boltt Solaris is a great option. It offers a metal body, decent battery life, a smooth display and user interface, and a variety of health and fitness tracking features.
Although it is priced at Rs 2,499, it can often be found on sale for as low as Rs 1,999.
However, it's worth mentioning that the watch does have some shortcomings, such as the fit and the lack of an always-on feature. The smartwatch needs to be turned on using the button. Nevertheless, overall, it is a worthwhile choiceBefore making a purchase, it's crucial to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the Fire Boltt Solaris, which provides excellent value for money.