Playfit Slim Makes A Play For The Budget Smartwatch Segment

Smartwatch sales numbers in India have soared over the last two years. It’s not just a desire to stay fit or keep tabs on wellness features like SpO2 readings that’s driving sales. There’s a whole bunch of smartwatch options below Rs 5,000 that are threating to make fashion watches obsolete. Many of these devices offer a minimum of 7 to 14 days battery life, negating one of the key purchase obstacles for smartwatches. The Playfit Slim lands in the sub Rs 5,000 price band where it takes on circular shaped smartwatches like Realme Smartwatch S and the Noisefit Endure.   

Design: the Playfit Slim features a refined design aesthetic. There’s nothing that sets it apart from the crowd though. The display is finished with toughened IPS glass, the body is crafted with aluminium alloy while the buckle is fashioned in stainless steel. We checked out the Galaxy Black Colour option, there’s also a Mystic Blue option. The silicon strap was comfortable for long hours, you can swap it other fashion straps. This is another feature that’s become common among most smartwatches in their bid to up the fashion quotient. 

Display and specs: the Slim comes with a 1.28-inch full touch IPS display. The crown is essentially a home key, all the controls are swipes on the screen; navigation is quite intuitive. Colours are quite vibrant even under sunlight but the Realme Smartwatch S has a slight edge with a 1.3-inch TFT-LCD display. While the Playflit Slim comes with IPS-67 water and dust resistance the Noisefit Endure and Realme Smartwatch S come with an IPS-68 rating which just offers a slight differential in terms of the depth of water. 

Wellness: setting up the Slim with the Companion App is a breeze. I tried it on a Samsung smartphone and an iPhone; it worked well. In terms of wellness features and workout modes all these three smartwatches are quite evenly matched. You get 24 workout modes, the SpO2 sensor works seamlessly, there’s also sleep tracking and 24/7 heartrate tracking as well as calorie burns and step counts. These are all standard smartwatch features in 2021 across price bands.

The other stuff: customisable watch faces are a given, the Playfit Slim doesn’t just offer multiple watch faces but also the option to create your own watch face via the Playfit App. That’s a cool touch. Playfit claims a seven-day battery life that can be pushed up to 15 days on a power saving mode. This seems accurate basis our tests over three days. Battery life is an area where both the Realme Smartwatch S and the Noisefit Endure have an edge over the Slim. A big part of Playfit’s pitch is Make in India, this doesn’t just include design but also the fact that the brand’s servers (where your fitness data resides) are based in India. 

The Playfit Slim delivers good value for its price tag. It has all the key features that you can expect in an entry-level smartwatch. But if you’re looking to  make a purchase anytime soon, do look around and beyond rivals like the Realme Smartwatch S or the Noisefit Endure, there are frequent price drops from brands like Amazfit too. One weekend may not be enough to zero in on a wearable that works for you. 

The Playfit Slim costs Rs 3,999 and comes in Galaxy Black and Mystic Blue.

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