Noise– best known for its budget wearables– recently launched its ColorFit Pro 4 series watches. The new ColorFit series bring some interesting features to what has otherwise become a rather stagnant entry-level smartwatch market. The ColorFit Pro Max gets Bluetooth calling, which is typically seen on more expensive devices. Noise has managed to do this without bumping up the price significantly. But is that good enough to buy this wearable? And would this be an apt purchase for you? Find out in our full review below.

Design, build quality: The most disappointing aspect of many budget smartwatches has consistently been the design and build quality. Premium materials and design are usually the first elements to be axed when you want to keep prices low. While the design of the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 Max doesn’t really stand out, the build quality is really solid.

With an aluminium alloy frame, the watch feels great on the wrist, unlike some plastic watches. While I didn’t have any accidents with the watch yet, I believe this can take some everyday-beating before you start seeing any damage on it. This vintage brown colourway is also you don’t see everyday among the other watches in this range, and it looks really classy with the right attires. I also liked that the matte-finish on the back of the watch extends to the straps, giving the whole watch a more premium and uniform feel, not just the dial.

Bluetooth calling, features: The watch comes with Bluetooth calling which isn’t exactly a new feature, but the implementation here is pretty good and reliable. When you get a call on your phone, it also pops up on your watch (when it is connected via Bluetooth) from where you can take the call straight from the watch. Note that for Bluetooth calling to work, you will need to pair the phone directly like a pair of Bluetooth earbuds from your device Bluetooth settings.

The other features can be configured by the Noise Assist app, which lets you change watchfaces and control other features of the watch. The device itself has a very familiar UI so you should have no problem switch navigating. On the top, a more categorised notification panel lets you segregate social media notifications from your emails and SMS messages, which is really handy and something all wearables with a screen should implement.

The watch also gets over 150 watchfaces via the app, which is also available for iOS devices. Some of these faces look really good on the display. The watch also packs in an IP68 certification, which is something watches at this price point should definitely have.

Alexa support on the watch (only on the Pro 4 Max variant) is handy if you use the voice assistant, especially to control smart products like lights around your home. With the wearable always on your wrist, you can stay assured you’ll be heard no matter where you are in the house.

Battery life: The watch also comes with great battery life and should easily offer a week of battery life with normal usage. While you still have a simple magnetic proprietary charger, it sticks very well to the back of the watch and charges it without any problems.

Display: The Noise ColorFit Pro 4 Max sadly, doesn’t come with an OLED display panel, making it one of the watch’s few trade-offs at this price. The 1.8-inch TFT LCD display has no issues with it, but as expected, you don’t get those punchy blacks and colours you see on watches in the same range like the Dizo Watch R.

Tracking accuracy: In our usage, the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 Max wasn’t the most accurate with fitness-related data in real-world usage. Features like the step counter worked with a decent amount of accuracy when I would walk, but then my steps would also add up when I would drive my car, which was weird. The watch even alerted me a couple of times about crossing my daily step goals when I was driving.

The same can be said about the sports modes, heart-rate tracking and SpO2 sensors, all of which work fine but may not provide the most accurate data. This could be a problem if fitness is a priority when considering buying this watch. Noise should be able to improve the accuracy of its fitness feature-set with some updates via the companion Noise Assist app in the future.

No rotating dial: One of the most interesting aspects of the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 (launched alongside the Max variant) was the rotating crown on the side of the watch. There is a crown on the Max variant that we have also, but weirdly, it gets no rotation features. A rotating crown would have really elevated the experience of going through the menus, widgets and watchfaces here.

Given that a lesser priced variant of the series gets the addition, it’s quite strange that the higher-priced variant does not. Yes, Alexa support would cater to some users, but the digital crown is a much more useful feature in my opinion.

Get the Noise ColorFit Pro 4 Max if you’re looking for a budget smartwatch that looks stylish and has a good set of features, including Bluetooth calling. However, fitness enthusiasts may want to look elsewhere, at least for now. Between the ColorFit Pro 4 and the Pro 4 Max, I’d pick the Max variant even without the sweet digital crown. This is because the watch looks more premium with smaller bezels, an aluminium body and a matte finish design across the device.

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Chetan NayakChetan Nayak is a tech journalist working with indianexpress.com who l... read more