In a sea of budget smartwatches, Fire-Boltt's Phoenix Ultra stands out. This is mainly because of two factors — its price and design. The smartwatch is currently available in India at Rs. 2,199 makes it one of the most affordable smartwatches to sport a classic watch design and metal body, which feels familiar and appears more like a traditional timepiece than a smartwatch. I was a bit excited to see how it was possible to deliver such a device at this price point, but after a couple of weeks of use, I think know how it pulled it off.
Affordable smartwatches are getting better over time, and it's now possible to buy a feature-filled device for less than Rs. 5,000. With popular brands such as Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, and Amazfit popularising the idea of affordable smartwatches and fitness trackers, many buyers are looking for a stylish and easy way to track health and fitness parameters, monitor notifications quickly, and more. A key new trend in affordable smartwatches is also the ability to take calls directly on the watch, similar to how premium options such as the Apple Watch work.
The Apple Watch Series 6 is arguably the best smartwatch you can buy right now, but as anyone with a good idea of how it works will tell you, it only makes sense if you have an iPhone. It's also among the most expensive options available today, so buyers with an Android smartphone and those on a tight budget will want to look at different options. Although the smartwatch and fitness tracker segments were limited to a few big brands till a while ago, recent times have seen them grow rapidly with many new affordable options from small and upcoming brands.