Everyone is doing and so must we. That seems to be the mantra for most gadget manufacturers who are flooding the market with wearable after wearable. Fitness trackers seem to be winning the wearable battle even as smart watches continue to grope for direction. Intex follows up the launch of its smartwatch -- iRist with FitRist a fitness tracker. With a sticker price of Rs 999, it lands in the same prize zone as the Mi band and YU’s YUFit and yes, it costs lesser than a weekend at the movies with your friends or family.
Just like the YUFit, the FitRist features an OLED display that is not ‘always on’. But unlike the YUFit, it needs the push of a physical button to fire up the screen, slightly annoying if you are in the middle of a run and almost impossible with a dumbbell in one hand. It looks more polished (it certainly looks more expensive than Rs 999) with a textured band and a double clasp that keeps the device securely fastened. Visibility is not very great under direct sunlight but at least there’s a display, unlike the Mi band.
The device works with a companion App (both iOS and Android) that is easy to set up but takes a while to sync every single time. We like the uncluttered UI of the App. The FitRist captures the standard info that we have come to expect from fitness trackers -- steps, calories and distance. It also tracks sleep (although none of the trackers don’t do this well enough), features text and call alerts, allows you to click pictures (I don’t think this is a feature too many people use unless they’re clicking images on the sly) and shuffles music tracks.
Battery life is quite solid -- at least a week, but that’s a given considering you hardly ever need to turn the device on -- most of the drill down data is available on the companion App. Intex’s FirRist does everything you expect a fitness tracker with a Rs 999/- price tag to do, but so do a few other trackers at the same price point.
What we liked: battery life, value for money
What we didn’t like: display invisibility under direct sunlight
Price: Rs 999
