Popping a bulky fitness capsule
The Fastrack Reflex is mainly a capsule that tracks your activity encased inside a broad silicon band. The silicon band of the smartband is dual colored – with a different color on the outside and a different one inside. We received the purple unit which was purple on the outside and black on the inside. The device has a dual notch to lock the band on your wrist. Wearing the device is not difficult either. One can just push the notch side through the openings provided on the other side of the band and lock the two notches in whichever opening suits the users. The two clasps also make the device stay in position and make sure that the band does not come off until you pull it off. The silicon band is textured and makes the device sturdy. The band looks a little blocky and looks even bulkier on smaller wrists – we would not consider it very good looking to be brutally honest. The band measures 47.10 x 22.5x 12.5mm and lands on the bigger side of numbers. Although it is blocky, the band is light and comes with a great feel factor. We did not face any sort of skin irritation or discomfort in our week and a half of using the Fastrack Reflex. The two notches used to lock the band on the wrist are made up of aluminum and the pair of clasps are branded with the company’s logo. The Fastrack stamp is also placed on one of the sides of the smartband.
The core capsule of the band can be pulled out from one side of the center part of the band. Yes, it takes some “getting used to” time in order to understand from where to pull out the capsule but it is not a quantum physics mechanism. Unlike some bands that come with a separate charger, the Fastrack Reflex comes with a USB port which is integrated within the capsule itself. One can simply pull the capsule off and plug it in into any USB port. The core capsule comes with an OLED display which can be controlled by a capacitive touch button on the left. The button can be used to navigate and see information on the screen. The band also vibrates and informs you when you are getting a call or a message. The OLED display also shows the number from which you have received the message or call but does not display the text of the message itself.
Inconsistency – the only constant
When it comes to performance, the Fastrack Reflex does what a fitness tracker should do. The most basic function of a fitness tracker is to count steps and the Reflex is pretty much standard at that. It counts steps, and also keeps a track of the of the distance traveled, calories burnt along with the steps. The device has a dedicated application on both iOS and Android platforms. The UI of the app is a combination of black and green colors and can be paired with any device through Bluetooth. The app was a little complicated and we faced some problems while navigating from one point to another and was a trifle buggy too (it kept stopping). We did not face any issues while pairing the device with our iPhone 5S and Redmi Note 4 – it pretty much was a cake walk. The app asks you your basic details like name, age, sex, weight amongst other details.
However, in real life performance, the tracker was a bit of a mixed bag. We found it keeps counting steps even when you are not walking. Confused? The tracker actually senses motions and counts them as steps even when you are in a car. Even a simple shake of the wrist can hamper the figure. Ouch! The device can also track your sleep but it has to be activated manually and can be inconsistent at times (we almost never found it accurately measuring our sleep, often undercounting the hours slept). While the call notifications feature is useful, we sometimes found our phones ringing but the tracker not vibrating, which was odd. Message notifications are not that much of a plus – you can only see the number the message came from, and not the message. Once again, we found the tracker not being consistent. Actually, that pretty much was the only consistent thing about the device: inconsistency. In terms of battery, the device lasted easily for a week once we completely charged it under normal usage and it did not take much time to charge as well. The tracker is water resistant to an extent – we were advised not to dip it in water, although it can bear a few splashes.
Verdict: No sweat for the Mi Band 2!
The Fastrack Reflex is a decent device on paper but we had our share of problems with it. The results were a little inconsistent, the app was a little confusing and the device itself is on the bulkier side – some people might like but it just was not our cup of tea. It is priced at Rs. 1,995, which puts it up against Xiaomi’s Mi Band 2 which also has a heart rate sensor (another point where the Reflex lags). All in all, Fastrack Reflex is a pretty standard fitness tracker for brand loyalists, but we do not see ourselves recommending it above more versatile alternatives like the Mi Band 2. Yes, it can help beginners with fitness information, but we would advise treating its data with some caution.
