Smartwatch trends have shifted a fair bit in the past couple of years, and we now tend to expect certain features on affordable smartwatches such as heart rate and SpO2 tracking, high-resolution colour screens, and the ability to receive notifications from various apps. A big new trend for smartwatches is Bluetooth calling functionality — the benefit of being able to take calls on your wrist is tempting for buyers, since this has typically been limited to premium smartwatches in the past.
Getting into the Bluetooth calling game with its latest launch is Noise, with the ColorFit Pro 4. Priced at Rs. 3,499, this smartwatch promises a lot at a very competitive price, including the ability to make and receive calls on your wrist, key fitness and health tracking sensors, and up to seven days of battery life. Is this the best affordable smartwatch you can buy right now? Find out in this review.
The main button of the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 doubles up as a dial for scrolling
Noise ColorFit Pro 4 design and specifications
The rectangular dial style popularised by the Apple Watch series is often seen on affordable smartwatches, and the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 has this aesthetic. The smartwatch has a 1.72-inch TFT LCD touch screen, with a resolution of 356×400 pixels and a peak brightness of 500 nits. The screen is quite sharp and detailed, allowing for easy reading of text and data on screen.
The Noise ColorFit Pro 4 is available in six colour options, so there’s plenty of choice when it comes to how flashy or distinct you want the smartwatch to look. My review unit had a silver-grey body and grey 22mm replaceable silicone straps, which I thought was quite attractive to look at for the price. There are fairly thick borders around the screen, but if you use a watch face with a black background, you’ll barely notice them in everyday use.
On the right side of the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 is the microphone, while the left side has a small speaker grille, both of which are used for the Bluetooth calling functionality. There is a single button on the right side, which also rotates to scroll for navigation. The bottom of the smartwatch has the optical sensors for heart rate and blood oxygen level detection, and the contact points for the magnetic charger. The ColorFit Pro 4 is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance.
Included in the sales package is the charging cable for the Noise ColorFit Pro 4, and some user manuals and documents. The smartwatch weighs 24.1g, and uses Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity. There is also an accelerometer which enables the lift-to-wake gesture to wake the screen.
Noise ColorFit Pro 4 software and app
Like most affordable smartwatches, the software on the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 is basic, and geared around the hardware features of the device itself. Additionally, the device functions as a notifier, displaying notifications and providing a short preview of text-based alerts from your smartphone. There is also Bluetooth calling functionality, which sets the ColorFit Pro 4 up as a Bluetooth microphone and speaker system when paired with your smartphone.
The Bluetooth calling functionality is registered as a second Bluetooth device on your smartphone. When paired to this second device, the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 can be used to place and receive calls from your smartphone, just as you would use any Bluetooth audio device. To stop using it, simply disconnect the Bluetooth device from your smartphone as needed. This doesn’t affect the connection for synchronisation and notifications, as that is paired as a separate device and remains active in low-energy mode at all times.
The Noise app lets you synchronise fitness data and change watch faces, along with maintaining the Bluetooth connection for notifications
Interestingly, the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 has functional, dynamic watch faces which can be interacted with to open the respective apps and view detailed statistics. While this feature is common on high-end smartwatches, affordable devices such as this don’t typically have these kinds of watch faces, so this is a useful touch. Unfortunately, there is no always-on mode for the screen. Activating the screen requires the lift-to-wake gesture or pressing the button; tapping the screen doesn’t do anything when the watch is on standby.
While the visible widgets and apps depend on the watch face in use, it’s usually possible to have the key functions in view on the home screen of the Noise ColorFit Pro 4. My favourite watch face on the device displayed steps, heart rate, and battery level, along with buttons to access the workout and activity screens, heart rate details, music remote, and phone dialler.
You can also download and use various other watch faces through the smartphone app, but most of these are static and don’t have the benefits of the dynamic watch faces. The user interface on the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 is clean, looks good on the sharp screen, and puts most features and functions within easy reach through taps or swipes.
The list of apps on the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 is accessible by pressing the physical button once to open the app drawer. The apps on the device include Noise Health, Noise Buzz (the Bluetooth calling app), Clock (includes tools such as stopwatch, timer, and alarms), weather, stocks, flashlight, and watch faces. It isn’t possible to install any other apps on the smartwatch, but you can load watch faces onto the device using the NoiseFit app on your smartphone.
The Noise ColorFit Pro 4 has preinstalled apps for its core functions, including fitness and Bluetooth calling
The NoiseFit app is available for iOS and Android, and works as the connection controller between the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 and your smartphone. Fitness and health data can be viewed on the app in detail once synchronised, settings for the device such as notification alerts, auto heart rate monitoring, weather settings, and more can be modified, and the firmware can be updated.
You can also download and sync new watch faces from the gallery, or create custom watch faces for the device from the app. The app is well laid out, and maintained a stable connection with the Noise ColorFit Pro 4, pushing notifications and synchronising data reliably during my time reviewing the smartwatch.
Noise ColorFit Pro 4 performance and battery life
Much like other affordable smartwatches, the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 works best as an accessory and notifier for your smartphone. What you get with the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 are the large, sharp screen, the ability to change watch faces according to your mood, and the fact that you can count on it to receive alerts from apps without having to pick up your smartphone.
Of course, there is also the Bluetooth calling functionality, which worked well for me in certain conditions. The speaker and microphone are basic, so don’t expect to be able to have long conversations with the Noise ColorFit Pro 4; that wouldn’t even be very comfortable, since you have to hold the watch up near your face to both hear and be heard properly. However, this works just fine for short, quick conversations, particularly when you’re out and about, or even in the middle of a workout and your smartphone isn’t easily accessible.
There is heart rate and SpO2 tracking on the Noise ColorFit Pro 4, but these aren’t very accurate
Fitness and health tracking on the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 weren’t very accurate, for the large part. Step tracking was quite inaccurate in our 1000-step test, with the ColorFit Pro 4 measuring 1,075 steps when I manually counted 1,000. Over longer distances, the difference rose to around 85 extra steps per 1,000 when compared to the Apple Watch Series 5.
Distance measurements were roughly the same as that of the Apple Watch, but calorie measurements were quite varied for identical workouts with both devices worn simultaneously. There are various types of workouts that can be engaged, with options for some rather unique workouts such as Kabaddi and Kite Flying, but I stuck to tracking walking workouts with the Noise ColorFit Pro 4.
Heart rate and blood oxygen tracking were accurate when sitting down when compared to a pulse oximeter, but all over the place when on the move, as compared to the Apple Watch. Sleep tracking was reasonably good for the basics. On the whole, I wouldn’t recommend the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 for fitness and health tracking.
Battery life on the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 was decent enough, as compared to other smartwatches of this kind and in this price range. The smartwatch ran for around six days on a single charge, with usage covering multiple notifications from my smartphone throughout the day, occasional workout tracking, and perhaps a couple of minutes of using the Bluetooth calling functionality each day.
Verdict
As far as affordable smartwatches go, the Noise ColorFit Pro stands out for a couple of key reasons. For one, it offers a good set of features, including a sharp colour screen, dynamic watch faces, and Bluetooth calling. The second key point is that all of this is offered at a price that is significantly lower than much of the similarly-specced competition; at Rs. 3,499, you’re getting a capable experience that is as good, if not better, than much of the competition in this segment.
If you’re on a tight budget and want a good-looking, feature-filled smartwatch, the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 is worth looking at. Keep in mind that fitness tracking is not its strong point; buy this for the screen, Bluetooth calling functionality, and design, above all else.