Fastrack Revoltt FS1 review: a good smartwatch for budget-conscious buyers

The Fastrack Revoltt FS1 is a budget-friendly smartwatch with tons of features, including Bluetooth voice calling.

• By Ashish Kumar
Published On: 8 April 2023 | 08:00 IST

The Fastrack Revoltt FS1 is one of the few smartwatches out there that offers a large touchscreen display, single sync Bluetooth calling, a range of sports modes, more than 200 watch faces, and a lot more while still being pocket friendly. However, the question remains – is it a good choice for those looking for a budget smartwatch? In this Fastrack Revoltt FS1 review, I will attempt to answer that question. Read on.

The lowdown

• The Fastrack Revoltt FS1 features a traditional design with a rectangular dial and a crown on the right spine. The watch is accompanied by 22mm silicone straps that, in my opinion, could be gentler and softer as they tend to cause discomfort during prolonged use. However, the straps have quick-release pins, making it easy to swap them with straps of similar sizes. The watch, which is fashioned out of plastic and has an IP67 water and dust resistance certification, is safe to use in the shower or rain. It can briefly survive underwater in depths of up to 1 meter. Although I was sent the green colour variant for review, there are other colour options available, including teal, blue, and black. The watch has a built-in speaker located just below the left side of the watch and a microphone is positioned on the opposite side for Bluetooth calling. Lastly, the wearable is lightweight, tipping the scale at just 41.9 grams.
  

• Moving on, the Fastrack Revoltt FS1 sports a 1.83-inch UltraVu display with 240 x 284p resolution, 500 nits brightness, and 2.5D curved glass atop. While the display may not be the sharpest or clearest on the market, it looks good considering its price point. The large screen size ensures that the text is easy to read and the icons are distinguishable. Additionally, the panel is responsive to touch and has decent brightness, which makes it easy to read outdoors in sunlight. However, it’s worth noting that the brightness requires manual adjustment as there is no auto-brightness feature available on the watch. The 2.5D curved glass provides a smooth scrolling experience, but it is susceptible to scratches. If you plan to use this watch for gym workouts or any other adventurous activities, be wary of the fact that the glass picked up quite a few scratches during my short usage.

• The Fastrack Revoltt FS1 monitors the wearer’s vitals, such as steps taken, sleep, and heart rate, actively. The watch can track SpO2, stress levels, and workouts, even. The device has support for more than 110 sports modes, with 16 modes pre-installed on the watch while the remaining can be added via the Fastrack Reflex World app, which is compatible with both Android and iOS mobile devices. I was using the 3.0.5 version of the app on my iPhone, which didn’t do well on the connectivity front. The watch automatically got disconnected in the middle of my usage and wouldn’t connect with the smartphone again until I forgot the device and paired it again. The app also has a few bugs and crashed a couple of times for me.

• That said, the app is user-friendly and comes with various built-in features, including a community where users can see their rankings based on their activities, and watch faces. The Revoltt FS1 supports a wide range of watch faces, including customised ones. The Fastrack Reflex World app presents all the information about activities upfront on the home screen. The information is presented in a card format, which can further be expanded to see the performance of the day, week, and month. The app even has a built-in playlist and articles providing health tips. Future versions of the app will allow you to earn badges and rewards by staying fit.

• Although the software on the Fastrack Revoltt FS1 has a learning curve, it becomes intuitive to use once you get the hang of it. To wit, all the built-in apps are located on the left of the home screen, while the widgets for step count, heart rate, sleep, weather, and more can be found on the right. A swipe down offers control settings to adjust brightness, turn on the battery saver, access the Settings menu, and more. On the other hand, a swipe-up pulls the notifications panel. Like many other budget smartwatches, the notifications are read-only, so you can’t interact with them. Swiping right takes you to the previous menu, while the key on the watch is a power and home button.
• The Revoltt FS1 comes with several pre-loaded apps designed to enhance user experience. The list includes AI voice, which utilises the phone’s voice assistant, as well as music playback, stopwatch, timer, alarm, camera control, and games. The watch comes with four pre-loaded games: 2048, Jigsaw Puzzle, Racing, and Discoloration. While these games may not be particularly engaging due to the small screen, they are convenient for those moments when there is some time to kill. Furthermore, the watch features apps to promote relaxation and reduce stress.

• Coming to the performance, the Fastrack Revoltt FS1 gets most things right. It doesn’t stutter or freeze, but like many other budget smartwatches, there can be a slight delay in getting tasks done. The raise-to-wake gesture works seamlessly, and the step tracker is fairly accurate, with minimum ghost steps while sleeping or driving. The heart rate sensor works around the clock and takes reasonably accurate readings. It even warns the wearer when their heart rate is high. I got buzzed a couple of times during workouts. I mostly used the Free Training multisport mode to track my workouts, although there are plenty of other modes available on the smartwatch, such as outdoor running, cycling, hiking, yoga, and more. The multisport mode is quite basic and locks the smartwatch to the workout screen that displays the duration, calories burnt and heart rate information in real time. It all works out fine and there is even a summary of the activity post-workout. Apart from this, the Revoltt FS1 has an automatic sleep tracker, but it has some issues. For instance, it would show me napping even while I’m at my desk working. However, the tracker does nicely break down the sleep into deep sleep, light sleep, REM, and nap time. The Fastrack Reflex World app then rates the sleep based on the data collected from the watch. Unfortunately, since the data isn’t very accurate, it’s difficult to rely on the app’s analysis.
• The Fastrack Revoltt FS1 comes with single sync Bluetooth (BT) calling, allowing users to access the voice calling feature without pairing the smartwatch with their smartphone twice. The wearable can make and receive calls as long as the smartphone is within range. The FS1 has a dedicated Phone app for dialling numbers as well as accessing recent call logs and contacts. For the latter to work, users must first select their favourite contacts using the Fastrack World Reflex app on their smartphones. As for the calling experience, it works best when there is little to no background noise for both the caller and recipient. While the speaker quality is acceptable, the microphone tends to struggle in picking up voices clearly.

• The Fastrack Revoltt FS1 is rated to provide up to seven days of battery life on a single charge. However, in my experience with round-the-clock usage that included tracking my steps, sleep, an hour-long gym workout, and mirroring notifications from my smartphone, the watch just about made it to the sixth day before needing a recharge. Speaking of which, the wearable juices up using a proprietary charger that takes close to an hour for a full charge. The company claims that the watch supports NitroFast charge, which can add a day of juice with just 10 minutes of charge.

Verdict

To sum it up for you, the Fastrack Revoltt FS1 is a feature-rich smartwatch that can compete with similar products such as the Fire-Boltt Phoenix and Noise Pulse 2 Max. The Revoltt FS1 has a sleek design, a respectable screen, and reliable step tracking. The Bluetooth calling feature may not be the best, but it is a useful addition that sets it apart from some competitors. However, the watch has a few shortcomings in terms of its app, sleep tracking, and connectivity. If the OEM addresses them in future software updates, the Fastrack Revoltt FS1 will be a good option for those who are on a tight budget. Its affordable price tag of Rs 1,995 on Flipkart makes it an attractive choice for budget-conscious buyers looking for a functional smartwatch.

Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5

Pros

• Sturdy and lightweight
• Range of sports mode
• Decent speakers
• Step tracking is accurate

Cons

• Microphone could have been better
• App has bugs and connectivity issues
• Sleep tracking needs improvement