The budget smartwatch segment is replete with options in India that offer, more or less, a similar set of features in the sub-Rs 3,000 segment. Most brands have spent the past few years chasing bigger displays, brighter screens and longer battery life. However, Boat’s latest launches in India focus on something less glamorous but arguably more practical – charging.
The company has launched the Storm Call 4 and Ultima Vogue 2 smartwatches in India, which it says are the country’s first smartwatches with direct USB Type-C charging support. Instead of requiring a dedicated magnetic charging puck, the watches can be plugged into the same Type-C cable used for most smartphones, tablets, laptops and power banks.
Price and availability
The Boat Storm Call 4 is priced at Rs 1,599, while the Ultima Vogue 2 costs Rs 2,799. Pre-bookings for the Storm Call 4 start on May 29th via Boat’s website. The smartwatch will go on sale from June 12th through the company’s online store and other retail channels.
Specifications and features
The Storm Call 4 is the more affordable of the two models and comes with a 1.96-inch HD display that reaches up to 500 nits of brightness. It includes a functional crown, Bluetooth calling, IP68-rated dust and water resistance, and support for more than 100 sports modes.
Health tracking features include heart rate monitoring, SpO2 tracking, sleep analysis, stress monitoring, female wellness tracking and Emergency SOS functionality. Boat says the smartwatch can deliver up to 12 days of battery life on a single charge.
The Ultima Vogue 2 is slightly more upmarket with a 1.96-inch AMOLED display that can reach up to 1,000 nits of brightness. It also gets a metallic frame design while retaining Bluetooth calling, Type-C charging, IP68 protection and the same set of health and fitness features. Battery life is rated at up to 10 days.
On paper, both watches enter a crowded segment occupied by rivals from Noise, Fire-Boltt and Amazfit. Display quality, Bluetooth calling and health tracking have become standard features at these price points. The Type-C charging support is what sets these models apart.
It’s a small change on paper, but it addresses a common frustration with affordable smartwatches. Losing a proprietary charging cable can render a device useless until a replacement arrives. By adopting Type-C, Boat is aligning its wearables with a broader industry shift that has already transformed smartphones and other consumer electronics.
What may work for these watches is the ability to charge them with the same cable already sitting on a desk, bedside table or inside a backpack. That convenience could resonate with users who are tired of keeping track of yet another charger.
